Faculty – Page 58

A new musical, directed by visiting associate professor of theater Kim Weild, runs Oct. 22-Nov. 15 at the Goodspeed’s Norma Terris Theatre in Chester, Conn. Inspired by true events, Indian Joe tells the unlikely story of a homeless Native American and a Texas beauty queen who never should have been friends. He’s looking for a fight. She’s looking for a cause. As they stumble toward friendship, both ultimately overcome fear and prejudice to discover that there’s more to family than what you see. From the streets of Waco, Texas to the streets of New York City, it’s a uniquely American story with a progressive…

On Oct. 3, Joseph Siry, the Kenan Professor of the Humanities, professor of art history, received the Wright Spirit Award in the Professional category from the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy at its annual conference this year in Milwaukee, Wis. A prolific scholar of the venerable architect, Siry has written several books and scholarly articles about Wright. He also has contributed to the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy in many ways over the years, as a lecturer, panelist and contributor to the group's magazine. A citation read at the ceremony by Scott Perkins, a conservancy board member and director of preservation for…

Artwork by Keiji Shinohara, artist in residence, is on display at Roger Williams University through Oct. 28. After two separate showings at Odakyu Shinjuku Art Salon in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan and Art Zone-Kaguraoka in Kyoto, Japan, Shinohara’s "Color Harmony/ Color Woodcut" exhibit comes to a close at Roger Williams' SAAHP Exhibition Gallery. Shinohara describes his work as “employing ancient methods, while diverging from tradition by experimenting with ink application and different materials to add texture,” thus creating what he calls “a fusion of Japanese aesthetic and Western modernism.” "Color Harmony / Color Woodcut" focuses on his perception of different landscapes. The aim, he says,…

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Shellae Versey, assistant professor of psychology, is the author of an article titled "Managing Work and Family: Do Control Strategies Help?" published in the August 2015 issue of Developmental Psychology. In this study, Versey questioned "How can we effectively manage competing obligations from work and family without becoming overwhelmed?" Versey examined control strategies that may facilitate better work-life balance, with a specific focus on the role of lowered aspirations and positive reappraisals, attitudes that underlie adaptive coping behaviors. Data from the Midlife in the United States Survey (MIDUS II) was used to explore the relationship between negative spillover, control strategies, and…

Astronomy magazine has an in-depth feature in its October issue on Wesleyan's astronomical history and the restoration of its century-old, 20-inch refractor telescope, just in time for the Van Vleck Observatory's centennial observation this spring. Telescopes like Wesleyan's 28-foot-long, two-ton refractor had once been cutting edge, and a source of pride for dozens of American universities. But as they "staggered into obsolescence" over the past half century, institutions have had to make tough choices about whether to renovate or retire them. In 2014, Wesleyan hired Chris Ray and Fred Orthlieb of Pennsylvania to give its refractor a second life. The story traces the history…

Associate Professor of History Jennifer Tucker is the co-author of an op-ed in the Boston Globe titled, "What the Clean Air Act can teach us about reducing gun violence." Tucker and co-author Matthew Miller of Northeastern University write, "The recent scandal over Volkswagen’s polluting engines vividly illustrates the contrast between the way Americans, and in particular elected officials, treat guns and the way we (and our elected officials) treat cars — both of which kill approximately 32,000 Americans every year." The Clean Air Act, passed in 1970, has averted tens of thousands of premature deaths though "a systematic and scientific approach to…

Satoshi Omura was awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine for developing a new drug, which has nearly eradicated river blindness and dramatically reduced mortality from other devastating diseases. Omura made the discovery that led to this drug while a visiting professor at Wesleyan in the early 1970s. Omura has remained in touch with Wesleyan colleagues since then and in 2005 was appointed the first Max Tishler Professor of Chemistry, an honorary position. He returns to campus every few years to meet with faculty and present his current research.

On Sept. 30, NASA’s Discovery Program selected five planetary mission investigations for study during the next year as a first step in choosing one or two missions for launch as early as 2020. Wesleyan’s Martha Gilmore is on two of the investigation teams. Gilmore, the George I. Seney Professor of Geology and chair of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, is an expert on terrestrial planets. She studies the morphology and mineralogy of the surfaces of Venus and Mars using data from orbiting and landed spacecraft. She also is on the Executive Committee of NASA’s Venus Exploration Analysis Group…

On Oct. 5, Phillip Wagoner, professor of art history, professor of archaeology, was named a co-recipient of the American Historical Association's John F. Richards Prize in South Asian History. The John F. Richards Prize recognizes the most distinguished work of scholarship on South Asian history published in English. Eligibility includes books on any period or field of South Asian historical studies and works which integrate South Asian history with broader global issues and movements. Wagoner shares the prize with Richard Eaton of the University of Arizona. Together, they co-authored the book, Power, Memory, Architecture: Contested Sites on India’s Deccan Plateau, 1300–1600,…

John Bonin, the Chester D. Hubbard Professor of Economics and Social Science, was the invited keynote speaker at the 5th annual CInSt Banking Workshop, hosted by the Center for International Studies at the National Research University Higher School of Economics in Moscow, Russia on Oct. 2. The theme of the conference was "Banking in Emerging Markets: Challenges and Opportunities." Bonin's talk was titled, "Did foreign banks 'cut and run' or stay committed to emerging Europe during the crises?" Bonin presented research he did together with Dana Louie '15. They examined the lending behavior of foreign banks during the global financial crisis and at the onset…

Charles Sanislow, associate professor of psychology, associate professor of neuroscience and behavior, published findings from his laboratory titled “Ratings for Emotion Film Clips,” in Behavior Research Methods (Volume 47, Issue 3, pages 773-787) in September 2015. Co-authors included former post doc Crystal Gabert-Quillen (now on the faculty at Middlesex Community College in New Jersey); Ellen Bartolini '11 (currently a graduate student in clinical psychology at Widener University); and Benjamin Abravanel '13 (currently a graduate student in the clinical science program at the University of California—Berkeley). In mood induction studies Sanislow and his students were piloting in the lab, they noticed that film…

Weild Directs New Musical, Indian Joe

Siry Honored by Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy

Shinohara’s Woodcuts on Display at Roger Williams University

Faculty Speak to Students about Romance Languages and Literatures Department

Versey’s Study of Managing Work, Family Published in Developmental Psychology

Wesleyan’s Astronomical History featured in Astronomy Magazine

Jennifer Tucker Talks Gun Control in Boston Globe op-ed, on WNPR’s ‘Scramble’

Nobel Prize Awarded to Satoshi Omura, Wesleyan’s Max Tishler Professor of Chemistry

Gilmore a Science Team Member of 2 Space Mission Proposals Selected by NASA

Wagoner Honored by American Historical Association for South Asian History Scholarship

Bonin Keynote Speaker at Banking Workshop

Wesleyan’s Film Studies Assists Sanislow’s Lab in Mood Induction Studies