Students – Page 13

Darshana Banka ’22 volunteers with the COVID-19 Action Coalition (COVAC-MA) a group of over 25 students and alumni (led by Amy Fogelman '97) who advocate alongside Massachusetts physicians for public health measures that will reduce the spread of the virus and save lives. Currently, Banka leads COVAC-MA’s Medium Research Team. Banka recently co-wrote an article about food insecurity during the pandemic as part of COVAC-MA’s outreach titled, “Hungry for Change: Food Insecurity During the COVID-19 Pandemic.” “The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated food insecurity for low-income individuals and changed eating behaviors for many Americans of different socioeconomic levels,” Banka wrote. “Because…

Four Wesleyan sophomores won consulting company Roland Berger’s annual Case for a Cause competition on Friday, April 9. The competition, which raises money for the Make-A-Wish-Foundation, gives students a space to apply their practical skills and simulate strategy consulting work. Asa Sakornpant '23, Natchanok (Pim) Wandee '23, Sarah Rizky Ardhani '23, and Ransho Ueno '23 belong to the Consulting Pathways Club and are all pursuing the data analysis minor through Wesleyan's Quantitative Analysis Center. Sakornpant, Ardhani, and Ueno are Freeman Asian Scholars and were sponsored by the Gordon Career Center to take part in the competition. (more…)

Thirteen student-led groups are the recipients of Jewett Center for Community Partnerships Student Innovation Fund awards. These awards support community engagement projects with grants up to $750 each. “The common theme is that they all want to positively impact the greater Middletown community,” said Rhea Drozdenko, JCCP community participation coordinator. “There is no one right way to do community engagement, and the Innovation Fund supports nontraditional ideas. It's important that our grantees are grounded in the ideas of mutual respect and collective responsibility as they go out into the community." All applicants are required to read the Cardinal Community Commitment —the University's…

As part of Wesleyan's Admitted Student Events, the Office of Admission hosted its 2021 WesFest in a virtual platform April 7-9. Class of 2025 admitted students and their families were able to log into 121 events and informational sessions on topics such as financial aid, academic resources, student activities, studying abroad, student technology, residential life, and religious life. Of the 13,145 applications received for a spot in the Class of 2025, 2,544 were admitted. View the full Class of 2025 profile online here. During WesFest, more than 890 of the admitted students attended at least one session. In addition to…

As temperatures rise and campus blooms to life, students continue to follow safety measures this spring by practicing social distancing and wearing masks. For more information on Wesleyan's efforts, visit the Keep Wes Safe website. (Photos taken by Willow Saxon '24 on April 8 and 10) (more…)

Wesleyan's organic farm, an eco-friendly clothing store, and a clean water supplier in New Jersey are the recipients of the 2021 Patricelli Center for Social Entrepreneurship Seed Grants. These student-led social ventures will each receive $5,000 in unrestricted funds as well as training, advising, mentoring, incubator workspace, and other resources from the Patricelli Center. On April 2, a pool of finalists pitched their projects, virtually, to a panel of expert judges. Applicants were assessed on their project design, leadership qualities, and potential for social or environmental impact. Seasoned Seed Grant judge and Patricelli Center Advisory Board member Syed Ali '13…

On March 30, more than 150 students gathered outside Usdan University Center for a community vigil to mourn the victims of the March 16 Atlanta spa shootings and to create a safe space for Asian and Asian-American students to discuss the rise of anti-Asian violence and be heard by the community. The vigil was organized by Emily Chen ’23, Kevin Le ’22, and graduate student Emily Moon, in conjunction with members of the Asian American Student Collective. Students read poems, played music, and shared their reflections during the event. Towards the end, the organizers gave anyone moved to speak the…

During the 65th Biophysical Society Annual Meeting held virtually Feb. 22–26, Shawn H. Lin ’22 was honored with an Undergraduate Poster Award for his work on "Elucidation of Interactions Between Integration Host Factor and a DNA Four-Way Junction." Lin, a Wesleyan Freeman Scholar, is among only six undergraduate students internationally to receive the award. Lin's advisors are Ishita Mukerji, Fisk Professor of Natural Science, professor of molecular biology and biochemistry, and Candice Etson, assistant professor of physics. Lin's poster is below (click to enlarge):

Do political views and anxiety play a functional role in combating COVID-19? According to a recent study by Ori Cantwell '22, the answer is yes. Cantwell, a psychology major, presented his recent study "Yes We (Anxiously) Can: Liberal Ideology and Anxiety Predict Social Distancing during the COVID-19 Pandemic" during the virtual 22nd Annual Convention of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology Conference, held Feb. 9–13. "We found that in a sample of over 10,000 American adults, anxiety partially mediated the relationship between liberal ideology and social distancing," Cantwell explained. "Liberals were more anxious than conservatives, and people were most…

Four members of the Class of 2021 are recipients of NASA Connecticut Space Grant Consortium awards. Kimberly Paragas '21, Ben Martinez '21, Molly Watstein '21, and Mason Tea '21 each received a $5,000 Undergraduate Research Fellowship for their ongoing research. They're among only seven students statewide to receive the honor. "I have never seen an institution be so successful at these very competitive grants, and was so proud and impressed by the student applicants," said Seth Redfield, associate professor of astronomy. Paragras is working with Redfield on her project titled "Gas Giant Atmospheric Mass Loss." According to the abstract, "Atmospheric mass…

Four Wesleyan faculty, nine undergraduate students, one graduate student, and one postdoctoral researcher attended the 237th American Astronomical Society meeting virtually Jan. 10–15. Wesleyan faculty attendees included Ed Moran, chair and professor of astronomy; Seth Redfield, associate professor of astronomy; Meredith Hughes, associate professor of astronomy; and Roy Kilgard, associate professor of the practice in astronomy. Poster presentations included: Kimberly Paragas '21, who is working with Redfield, presented "Metastable Helium Reveals Ongoing Mass Loss for the Gas Giant HAT-P-18b." Molly Watstein '21, who is working with Moran, presented "New Insights into AGN Unification from NuSTAR Observations of Nearby Seyfert 2 Galaxies."…

Wesleyan's 2021 spring semester officially began Tuesday, Feb. 9, with 2,148 students residing on campus. During the arrival period, held Feb. 5–8, approximately 1,950 students returned to campus after the winter recess. All students were required to prepare for a safe return, which included testing and quarantining before arrival. Once on campus, students must wear masks at all times in shared spaces and practice social distancing. Volunteers from Wesleyan's Campus-Community Emergency Response Team (C-CERT) assisted with welcoming students to campus, checking them in, and ensuring they had a COVID-19 test within five days of arriving on campus. (See photos here.)…

Banka ’22 Co-Authors Article on Pandemic Food Insecurity for COVID-19 Action Coalition

4 Students Win Case for a Cause Competition

JCCP Awards 13 Student-Led Groups with Innovation Funds

Admitted Students Explore Wesleyan during Virtual WesFest

Students Enjoy Spring Weather

Students Awarded $5,000 Seed Grants for Socially-Good Ventures

Students Gather to Honor Atlanta Victims, Combat Anti-Asian Violence

Lin ’22 Wins Biophysical Society Poster Award

Cantwell ’22: Liberals Are Anxious About COVID-19 And They Social Distance More

4 Seniors Receive NASA Undergraduate Research Fellowship Awards

Several Wesleyan Faculty, Students Participate in Annual American Astronomical Society Meeting

Students Return to Campus for Spring Semester (with Photo Gallery)