In the Media – Page 17

The Ancient Romans relied on a curious object to tell time: a sundial in the shape of an Italian ham. National Geographic has featured the work of Wesleyan's Christopher Parslow to re-create this ancient "pork clock" through 3-D printing, which is helping researchers to better understand how it was used and what information it conveyed. "It does represent a knowledge of how the sun works, and it can be used to tell time,” said Parslow, professor and chair of Classical studies, professor of archaeology, professor of art history. The small, portable prosciutto sundial —the "pocket watch of its day," according to the article—was…

Following a visit to China Peking University–Shenzhen, which has decided to start an undergraduate liberal arts college, President Michael Roth reflects in an op-ed in The Washington Post on why commitment to a liberal education is more important today than ever. He contends, "This is a fragile time for liberal education, making commitment to it all the more urgent." Keeping in mind John Dewey, the pragmatist philosopher who visited China in 1919 to talk about education, Roth focuses on "two dangers and two possibilities." He warns of the "danger of narrowing specialization" at a time when "we need more academics who can…

Associate Professor of Dance Hari Krishnan has been named one of "10 Toronto Stage Artists to Watch This Winter" by NOW Toronto magazine, which highlights his upcoming spring production, "Holy Cow(s)!" exploring cultural appropriation. It will run March 23-25 at Harbourfront Centre Theatre. The profile of Krishnan states: "A few years ago, Krishnan heated up the local dance scene with a sizzling, eyebrow-raising piece about queerness called SKIN. Now, just in time to melt winter's last snow comes a white-hot mixed program sending up ideas about gender, sexuality and cultural taboos. The night of solos and ensemble pieces includes works…

Wesleyan Associate Professor of Astronomy Seth Redfield and astronomy student Julia Zachary '17 recently reported at the 229th meeting of the American Astronomical Society on their research using data from the Hubble Space Telescope combined with two Voyager spacecraft probes, both very long-lived and successful NASA missions. The findings were shared in dozens of news outlets from the U.S. to India to Afghanistan. According to Nature.com, "The work is a rare marriage of two of the most famous space missions — and an unprecedented glimpse at the realm between the stars." “If the Voyager spacecraft and the Google Street View car are going…

Professor of Economics Richard Grossman tells his students that getting closer to the truth is what economic research is all about. That's why he was so dismayed when "my devotion to, and belief in, the truth was battered by the presidential election," he writes in an op-ed on The Hill. He writes: It turns out that polling data and analysis contained very little truth. The news were no better. The mainstream media got many things wrong. And there was no shortage of fake news. Although peddled as the real thing, it really wasn’t even trying to provide truth, only to shape opinion.…

Tierney Sutton ’86 has been nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album. The Sting Variations is a collection of Sting and Police songs reinterpreted by The Tierney Sutton Band and released on the BFM Jazz label. Sutton had previously explored the music of Bill Evans, Frank Sinatra, and most recently Joni Mitchell, with her 2013 album, After Blue. In a September interview for Billboard, Sutton told writer Melinda Newman that the choice to explore Sting's work was a natural one: “‘[Sting’s] autobiography is full of references to Miles and Coltrane and the Great American Song tradition.’” The Sting Variations includes both well known songs…

Sara MacSorley, director of the Green Street Teaching and Learning Center, was invited to be a guest on iCRV radio’s "Feel Good Friday" segment in mid November. "Feel Good Friday" celebrates "good people doing good work" in the Connecticut River Valley. MacSorley was joined by the Director of the Community Foundation of Middlesex County, Cynthia Clegg, and local artist Jill Bulter. Bulter got connected to the Community Foundation through their Fund for Girls and ended up creating her own fund, the York Butler Fund, to support programs for kids that used the arts. Two years ago, Green Street TLC received…

Jan Hasselman ’91, a staff attorney with Earthjustice’s Northwest office in Seattle, serves as counsel for the Standing Rock Sioux tribe in their efforts to stop the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. An article in The Atlantic "The Legal Case for Blocking the Dakota Access Pipeline," asks "Did the U.S. government help destroy a major Sioux archeological site? The article is one of several in the media that highlight the work of the legal team and the questions they raise. At this time, the issue ongoing. Atlantic Associate Editor Robinson Meyer writes in his Sept. 9 article: "As part…

Dream On, the newest documentary by Roger Weisberg ’75, will air on PBS at 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7. (check local listing). The film is the 32nd documentary written, produced and directed by Weisberg, who heads Public Policy Productions. Dream On has already appeared in 19 international film festivals, garnering four top awards. Weisberg's earlier works have won more than 150 awards, including Emmy and Peabody awards, as well as two Academy Award nominations. Dream On asks the question: “Is the American Dream still alive and well?” Are we still optimistic that hard work will raise our standard of living—for…

In 2010-11, when Matthew Ball ’08 was stationed in the Tora Bora region of Nangarhar province, serving in the 4th Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division, he and the other soldiers relied on Qismat Amin, then only 19 years old, for both information and communication with the local Afghan residents. Now a Stanford law student, Ball is on a personal mission: To fulfill what he views as his duty to the young interpreter who worked with him during his deployment. "There's a really strong bond that a lot of soldiers have with interpreters—they're crucial members of the team. ... There…

Laura Walker ’79, New York Public Radio CEO, was recently interviewed by Fortune on the topic of women in the podcasting industry. She discussed how she got her start in radio, what business school was like for women in the 1980s, and why more women are needed in podcasting. Walker discussed the motivation to help start Werk It, WNYC’s annual festival for women in podcasting, which is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to get more women involved in podcasting. “I think that many women are natural storytellers and aren’t fearful of mixing the personal and the factual. I…

Nicholas Rasmussen '87, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, spoke on NPR's "Morning Edition" about progress made in the fight against the Islamic State. He said the tactical gains the U.S. military and its partners are making in Iraq and Syria are a "necessary" part of quashing the danger it poses—but not "sufficient." Rasmussen told NPR that government agencies—ranging from federal to local—are working well together, and counterterrorism leaders are confident they can detect, disrupt or stop big, complicated attacks on the scale of Sept. 11, 2001. But the danger remains from smaller-scale attacks directed or inspired by ISIS, and these may linger…

Faculty Re-Create Ancient Roman “Pork Clock” at Wesleyan

President Roth Defends Liberal Education in Op-Ed, Radio Interview

Krishnan Named One of “10 Toronto Stage Artists to Watch”

Research by Redfield, Zachary ’17 Using Hubble, Voyager Probes Widely Reported

Grossman Argues Truth Was Lost in the Election

Sutton ’86 Nominated for Grammy with The Sting Variations

Green Street’s MacSorley Interviewed on iCRV Radio’s “Feel Good Friday”

Attorney Hasselman ’91 Represents Standing Rock Sioux Against Dakota Access Pipeline

Award-winning Documentary ‘Dream On,’ by Roger Weisberg ’75 Airs on PBS, Oct. 7

Army Veteran Ball ’08: “Afghan Translator Deserves Special Immigrant Visa”

Walker ’79 Interviewed By Fortune on Women In Podcasting

Rasmussen ’87 Manages Expectations About the Military Defeat of ISIS