Wesleyan Team Honored for “Best Innovation” at 2017 DataFest

The Wesleyan team Data Baes took one of the top prizes for "Best Innovation" during DataFest, held March 31 to April 2 at Exley Science Center. Seventy-five students from six institutions participated in the annual analysis competition. During DataFest, students are presented with a large, complex data set and work over the weekend to explore, analyze and present their findings. Teams of three to five students work together and compete against other teams from Wesleyan, Connecticut College, Yale University, Lafayette College, University of Connecticut and Trinity College. Under the auspices of the American Statistical Association, the event is organized by…

Claudia Kahindi '18 has been named a 2017 Newman Civic Fellow by Campus Compact, a non-profit organization working to advance the public purposes of higher education. She joins a distinguished group of 273 community-committed students, all nominated by college presidents or chancellors, from across the Campus Compact network of schools in this one-year fellowship. The Newman Civic Fellowship is supported by the KPMG Foundation and Newman's Own Foundation. It honors the late Frank Newman, one of Campus Compact's founders and a tireless advocate for civic engagement in higher education. "Leadership everywhere is going through a crisis. Social justice issues and polarisation continue…

On April 12, the Hunger and Homelessness student group in the Office of Community Service will once again host the Wesleyan Hunger Banquet, an interactive simulation of global poverty rates. Attendees are placed into an income bracket at random and then provided a seating arrangement and meal indicative of that income level. The event will take place in Woodhead Lounge from 5-7 p.m. Anthony Hatch, assistant professor of sociology, assistant professor of science in society, assistant professor of African American studies, will serve as MC, and Ron Krom of St. Vincent de Paul will speak at the event. "The Wesleyan Hunger…

Chabad at Wesleyan hosted their sixth annual Wesleyan Matzah Bakery March 31 in Huss Courtyard. Matzah, also spelled matzo, is an unleavened bread made from flour and water and takes about 15 minutes to bake. It's traditionally eaten by Jews during the week-long Passover holiday. Chabad at Wesleyan, led by Rabbi Levi Schectman, is one of Wesleyan’s Jewish organizations, offers social, educational, recreational and religious programming for students and faculty. The Chabad student group hosted the event. (Photos by Matt Rentetzky '18) (more…)

During her fall semester First-Year Seminars intensive writing course, Gina Savoy '20 investigated the career of artist Vincent van Gogh and penned an essay titled “The Church: A Lifelong Obstacle for Vincent van Gogh." On March 28, Savoy's essay took top prize at the Endeavor Foundation First-Year Seminar Essay Contest. She and four other first-year students received cash awards ranging from $250 to $75 and a book, selected by their course instructor. With support from The Endeavor Foundation of New York, Wesleyan was able to offer the offer inaugural awards ceremony and celebrate the success of 43 FYS in the fall, and 10 this…

Assistant Professor of Psychology Psyche Loui and Rachel Guetta ’17 are the authors of a new paper exploring how people form associations between sound and taste. The article, titled, “When Music is Salty: The Crossmodal Associations Between Sound and Taste,” was published March 29 in the journal PLoS One. Scientists know that music can be evaluated as sweet, sour, salty or bitter, depending on features in its composition such as pitch, articulation, or brightness. For example, higher pitches are often thought of as sweet or sour, and lower pitches associated with bitterness. While previous research has studied this general area,…

Hannah O’Halloran '20 and Caroline Murphy '20 of the women’s swimming and diving team competed in the NCAA Division III National Championships, which were held March 15-18 at the Conroe ISD Natatorium in Shenandoah, Texas. "Having two freshman swimmers qualify for the NCAA national championships is an incredible achievement," explained Mike O'Brien, director of athletic communication. "This means that they’re among the top Division III swimmers in the country in their respective events." O’Halloran competed in the 200-yard backstroke event, where she was seeded eighth with a time of 2:01.62. In the preliminaries, she touched the wall in a time of 2:02.06,…

Hilary Brumberg ’17, who volunteers at Wesleyan's Long Lane Farm, recently received a Princeton in Latin America Fellowship to develop an environmental education program in Costa Rica. As a Princeton in Latin America Fellow (PiLA), Hilary Brumberg ’17 will spend next year working at Osa Conservation in Costa Rica developing a river conservation and environmental education program. Brumberg is double majoring in earth and environmental sciences (E&ES) and Hispanic literatures and cultures. She's also working on the environmental studies certificate. PiLA matches highly qualified and motivated recent college graduates with partner organizations engaged in socially responsible development projects in Latin America and the…

This semester, students in Antonio Gonzalez’s Spanish 258, “The Intercultural Stage: Migration and the Performing Arts in the Hispanic World” have been experiencing what they study. With the assistance of a videoconferencing system, the Wesleyan students are “joined” in the classroom periodically by a group of students studying at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (Charles III University in Madrid, Spain). Gonzalez, professor of Spanish, co-teaches the course with his colleague in Spain, Julio Checa. Checa also works on modern/contemporary Spanish theater and performance, and the two have collaborated on various scholarly projects over the years. They previously ran the trans-Atlantic…

Shantelle Brown ’19 has been awarded a Davis Projects for Peace grant for her summer project, Sisters for Empowerment & Equality (SEE), which aims to address gender inequality in Jamaican culture through an art-based mentorship program for girls age 13 to 16. Brown’s project is one of 120 initiatives selected for a Davis Projects for Peace grant, each receiving $10,000 for implementation during the summer of 2017. In 2007, Projects for Peace was the vision of philanthropist Kathryn W. Davis on the occasion of her 100th birthday to motivate tomorrow's promising leaders by challenging them to find ways to "prepare for…

On March 4, members of the student activist organization Sophia traveled to New York City to attend the Community Party USA Unity Rally and discussion against racism, sexism and all forms of bigotry with special guest and keynote speaker Angela Davis. Inspired by the rising necessity for constructive solidarity and community, Sophia founder and president, Posse veteran scholar Gabe Hurlock '20 created the organization to promote inclusion, multiculturalism, and personhood on the Wesleyan campus and in the Middletown community. The organization focuses on critical philosophy and conceptualization of social justice issues through community organization. The rally featured Jamaican author and poet Staceyann…

Ninety-four Wesleyan student-athletes were honored for their excellence in the classroom when the NESCAC announced its 2016-17 Winter All-Academic Team on March 9, while eight others were named to the All-Sportsmanship Team. To be honored on the All-Academic Team, a student-athlete must have reached sophomore academic standing and be a varsity letter winner with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.40. A transfer student must have completed one year of study at the institution. The women's indoor track & field team led the way for the Cardinals with 19 selections, followed by men's ice hockey with 16, women's swimming & diving…

Wesleyan Team Honored for “Best Innovation” at 2017 DataFest

Kahindi ’18 Named Campus Compact Newman Civic Fellow

Wesleyan Hunger Banquet to Be Held April 12

Students Learn about Jewish Culture at Outdoor Matzah Bakery

Frosh Honored for First-Year Seminar Essays

Loui, Guetta ’17 Author Paper on Brain Connections Between Sound, Taste

Frosh Swimmers Compete at NCAA Division III National Championships

Brumberg ’17 Wins Princeton in Latin America Fellowship

Students at Wesleyan, in Madrid Collaborate through Teleconferencing

Brown ’19 to Address Gender Inequality as Davis Projects for Peace Grant Recipient

Students Attend Discussion on Racism, Sexism, Bigotry in NYC

Student-Athletes Honored for All-Academic, All-Sportsmanship