Campus News & Events

Seventy students from six universities participated in the annual DataFest April 6-8 at Wesleyan. Under the auspices of the American Statistical Association, the event is organized by Wesleyan's Quantitative Analysis Center. During the event, teams from Wesleyan, Trinity College, Connecticut College, the University of Connecticut, Yale University, and Bentley University were presented with a large, complex data set and worked over the weekend—and around the clock—to explore, analyze, and present their findings to a panel of judges. Judges included Agbon Edomwonyi '16, data scientist for the City of Newark, N.J.; Rich Anziano, global head of statistics for Pfizer; Melissa Mischell '17,…

Melanie Khamis, assistant professor of economics and of Latin American studies, was named a fellow of the Women and Public Policy Program (WAPPP) at Harvard Kennedy School for the 2018–2019 academic year. In this fellowship, she hopes to continue and expand her research on “Gender in the Labor Market,” with a particular focus on the gender wage gap and occupational choices of women. “I am excited to have this opportunity to join and work with a community of leading researchers in this field,” said Khamis. According to its website, WAPPP is dedicated to closing "gender gaps in economic opportunity, political participation,…

On April 3, the Center for Jewish Studies honored Talia Cohen '19 with the Best Student Paper in Jewish Studies award. Cohen’s paper, which she wrote for her Romantic Poetry class during the fall semester, examines a work by Jewish composer Isaac Nathan as a powerful response to anti-Semitism. Specifically, she considers his decision to set Byron's “She Walks in Beauty” to a Sephardic Portuguese tune for Solomon ha-Levi Alkabez’s 16th-century mystical Sabbath poem, “Lecha Dodi.” According to the abstract, "While Hebrew Melodies (1815), the songbook to which the musicalized version of Lord Byron’s 'She Walks in Beauty' belongs, was widely…

Nationally known leaders and distinguished Wesleyan alumni and faculty presented short, powerful talks during the inaugural TEDxWesleyanU event April 7 in the Ring Family Performing Arts Hall. Launched in 2009, TEDx is a program of locally organized events that bring the community together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TED Talks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection. Some of the best talks from TEDx events have gone on to be featured on TED.com and garnered millions of views from audiences across the globe. Speakers included Maria Santana ’98, a correspondent for CNN…

J. Kēhaulani Kauanui, chair and professor of American studies, professor of anthropology, and director of the Center for the Americas, delivered one of two keynotes at a conference on “Archipelagos and Aquapelagos—Conceptualizing Islands and Marine Spaces.” The gathering, hosted by the Global South Center at The Pratt Institute on March 30—April 1, focused on the need to reinvestigate and reconceptualize the nature of the aggregations of islands commonly referred to as "archipelagos" in order to produce more sophisticated understandings of them, along with the environmental, social, and transnational issues and impacts involved. As the organizers of the conference, May Joseph, Luka…

Chemistry and environmental studies major Kate Sundberg ’20, one of 20 students nationwide who are part of the Friends Committee on National Legislation Advocacy Corps, attended the Spring Lobby Weekend on March 17–20 advocating for immigration policy with Congress. The Advocacy Corps is a yearlong program where young adults between the ages of 19–30 organize their local communities around federal legislation. As an organizer, Sundberg connects local activists and leaders with Congress to affect meaningful, bipartisan climate action. (more…)

Wesleyan has received a $1 million, four-year grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support operations at the Center for Prison Education (CPE). The grant will allow CPE to expand its advanced course offerings, recruit new faculty, and bolster its partnership with Middlesex Community College (MxCC) and the Connecticut Department of Corrections. Since 2009, CPE has offered accredited Wesleyan courses to students at the Cheshire Correctional Institution, a maximum security prison for men. In 2013, the program expanded to offer the same coursework to students at York Correctional Institution for women. Courses range from English to biology to philosophy,…

The scent of ancient perfumes evaporated eons ago, but scientists are able to reconstruct their ingredients by analysis of the residues left on their containers. Up until now, however, such studies have largely been isolated in the scientific literature, disconnected from the textual and archaeological data that place these perfumes back into the hands of their ancient users. Kate Birney, assistant professor of classical studies, archaeology, and art history, is hoping to change that as co-architect of the OpenARCHEM project, which seeks to assemble the largest set of organic residue samples ever collected from archaeological artifacts around the Mediterranean. Built…

On March 28, the Archaeology Program and the Department of Classical Studies invited Ian Roy of Brandeis University to Wesleyan to discuss ways new technologies are used to study the past. Roy is the founding head of Brandeis MakerLab and director for research technology and innovation at Brandeis University's library. Roy first visited the Archaeometry: How to Science the Heck out of Archaeology class taught by Andrew Koh, visiting assistant professor of archaeology. There, he demonstrated how to scan objects in 3-D using an Artec Space Spyder, a tool that uses structured light to capture incredibly high-resolution scans of objects. The class produced multiple models of artifacts, including a…

In this recurring feature in The Wesleyan Connection, we highlight some of the latest news stories about Wesleyan and our alumni. Recent Wesleyan News Hartford Courant: "Extraordinary Life: He Had an Outsized Influence on Wesleyan, and Math" This article celebrates the life and accomplishments of Bob Rosenbaum, who has been called "the most influential and constructive faculty member at Wesleyan in the second half of the 20th century." In addition to teaching mathematics, he served as dean of students, provost, vice-president of academic affairs, and acting president. 2. WNPR's Where We Live: "Election Security, Prison Education, and an Explanation for 'Hyped' Winter Storms" Kristen Inglis, Wesleyan…

Brendan McGlone '18, who's on track to graduate in May with a triple major in classics, medieval studies and the College of Letters, will continue his post-Wesleyan education in Rome as a Paideia Institute for Humanistic Study Fellow. The Paideia Institute is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to promoting the study and appreciation of the classical humanities, with a focus on Latin and Ancient Greek languages and literature. Paideia Fellows are selected on the basis of academic merit, personality, and potential as a future teacher of classics. Fellows teach American high school students Latin, and lead them on classics-themed tours around…

In the Language of My Captor, a much-lauded book of poetry by Shane McCrae published by Wesleyan University Press, is the recipient of the 83rd Annual Anisfield-Wolf Book Award in the category of poetry. This is the only national juried prize for literature that confronts racism and explores diversity. According to the Cleveland Foundation, which presents the award, McCrae "interrogates history and perspective" with In the Language of My Captor, "including the connections between racism and love." "He uses historic persona poems and prose memoir to address the illusory freedom between both black and white Americans," according to the foundation's press release. "These…

Wesleyan Team Wins Prize for “Best User Insight” at DataFest

Khamis Named a Harvard Kennedy School WAPPP Fellow

Paper by Cohen ’19 Honored by Center for Jewish Studies

Students Organize TEDxWesleyanU, Host Distinguished Speakers

Kauanui Delivers Keynote Focused on U.S. Militarism and Hawaiian Decolonization

Sundberg ’20 Lobbies for Immigration Policy as National Legislation Advocacy Corps Organizer

Wesleyan Center for Prison Education Awarded $1M Mellon Grant

Birney Receives Mellon Fellowship to Pursue Role of Scents in Antiquity

Students Learn about New Technologies Being Used to Study the Past

Wesleyan in the News

McGlone ’18 to Study, Teach Latin in Rome with Paideia Fellowship

Wes Press Poet Wins Anisfield-Wolf Book Award