Students – Page 48

Wesleyan men's tennis will have ample opportunity this spring to test its mettle. Head coach Mike Fried, who set up a challenging schedule for his young Cardinals, is hoping it will achieve the desired effect. "When trying to bring the program up to the top national mix, we needed to do something more competitive with our spring training trip," he said. In past years, the Cardinals traveled to Orlando, Fla. during March break, playing 4-6 matches against high-level Divisions I, II, III and NAIA opponents, but not the top teams in Division III. Breaking from tradition, (more…)

Members of the Wesleyan Film Project's Screenwriters Lounge gathered at the Shapiro Creative Writing Center's library Feb. 16 to discuss current projects. The Wesleyan Film Project is a student-run group that formed during the fall semester 2014 and supports filmmaking on campus. During Screenwriter's Lounge sessions the students meet with each other, writers, directors and producers to review student-submitted scripts in order to prepare them for production. For more information on the group, visit the Wesleyan Film Project on Facebook. Photos of the Screenwriters Lounge gathering are below: (Photos by John Van Vlack) (more…)

In this Q&A we speak with Katie McLaughlin from the Class of 2015. (Story and photos by Hannah Norman '16) Q: Katie, what are you majoring in? A: I'm majoring in French and environmental studies with the certificate in international relations. For my capstone project in the environmental studies major, I am researching the academic justifications of contemplative pedagogy and developing a curriculum which integrates it and movement-based learning into elementary school, high school and adult education. The goals of the curriculum are to explore the environment through physical inquiry and embodiment, reevaluate the ways we perceive ourselves as a part of, or…

This semester, 21 senior earth and environmental science majors in the Senior Field Research Project (EES 398) course traveled to Puerto Rico to develop their research, data collection, analytical and presentation skills. As part of the EES Department's capstone course sequence, students are required to participate in a series of student-designed research projects. From Jan. 12-19, students performed independent research in the field. "The overarching spirit is to have students participate in the full arc of a research project: from the design all the way to the presentation of the results," said Dana Royer, associate professor of earth and environmental sciences, associate professor…

In this Q&A we speak with Emmakristina Sveen from the Class of 2017. Q: How and when did you form the Wesleyan Republican Committee (WRC)? A: Meghan Kelly ’17 and I founded the Wesleyan Republican Committee this fall. The previous Republican student group on campus, which was started in 2009, gradually deteriorated after the 2012 elections and after their senior leadership graduated. We wanted to establish a club that served as a vehicle in which students with any level of affiliation with the Republican Party could discuss their political views in a safe environment. With the help of Meghan’s brother,…

On Feb. 5, the Wesleyan Student Assembly (WSA) Community Committee (CoCo) hosted a Student Activities Fair in Beckham Hall. This video documents the diverse range of clubs at Wesleyan, including activism, interests, identities, politics, publications, sports and more. The purpose of this fair was to create a centralized location where clubs could promote themselves to students who may not be aware of what this diverse campus has to offer. CoCo is chaired by Elizabeth Shackney ’17, who is featured in the video that can be seen below: [youtube]http://youtu.be/L5TG4T79yj0[/youtube]

Winter Storm Juno created light blizzard conditions on Feb. 5. Wind gusts reached 29 mph. (Photos by Olivia Drake MALS '08) (more…)

During the 2015 blizzard on Jan. 26-27, Wesleyan received between 16 and 20 inches of snow. Several students and staff members submitted photos of the snow-covered campus, and ways they enjoyed the snow day. (more…)

#THISISWHY In this Q&A meet Alicia Gansley from the Class of 2015. (Story by Rosy Capron '14, civic engagement fellow at Wesleyan’s Allbritton Center.) Q: Alicia, what are you majoring in? A: I'm majoring in computer science and I'm also completing the economics minor and Civic Engagement Certificate. Q: Last fall, you brought your programming knowledge to COMP 342: Software Engineering, a service-learning course where groups of computer science majors develop special projects for local organizations. Tell us more about your project. A: My group made a web application for Green Street Teaching and Learning Center to use to sign students up for one of…

He loves “chick-flicks” and played alto-sax in high school. But he also wants to earn a spot in the Special Forces after graduation. In short, the Cardinals' No. 80 in football has many layers. They all start and end with respect, and comfort in being himself, on and off the field. He’s no prima donna, even though he has only played one position since he was 9 — wide receiver. Being a distraction to the team is not in his DNA. “I’ve never been that way,” said Jay Fabien '15. “I love all aspects of being a wide receiver.” (more…)

Two Wesleyan students and two alumni participated in the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights Ripple of Hope Gala and Awards Dinner in New York City in December. During the event, Ripple Awards were presented to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, entertainers/ philanthropists Robert De Niro and Tony Bennett, and Physicians Interactive Chairman Donato Tramuto. Ella Israeli '17, a government major minoring in film studies film studies, was chosen to introduce New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who presented the Ripple of Hope Award to De Niro. Israeli also spoke about her involvement in the center's film contest. Her speech is online here.…

A paper co-authored by molecular biology and biochemistry major Holly Everett '15 is published in the December 2014 issue of Nature Communications. The article, titled "High-throughput detection of miRNAs and gene-specific mRNA at the single-cell level by flow cytometry," describes a novel approach to visualizing RNA and protein simultaneously at the single cell level. Everett has been working on the accompanying research at the Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard. This new technology uses gene-specific probes and a signal amplification system based on a “branched DNA” principle. The authors show that this novel flow-FISH (for “Fluorescent in situ hybridization”) technique is…

Men’s Tennis to Participate in Challenging Stag-Hen Invitational in California

Screenwriters Lounge Supports Student Filmmaking on Campus

McLaughlin ’15 Helps Students Discover Body-Mind Awareness through WesBAM! Classes

Students Travel to Puerto Rico to Develop Research Skills

Government Major Sveen Promotes Political Diversity on Campus through the Wesleyan Republican Committee

Video: Wesleyan Student Assembly Hosts Student Activities Fair

Bright and Blustery Morning at Wesleyan

Frolicking Students Enjoy Blizzard’s Aftermath

CS Major Gansley ’15 Hopes to Use Programming Skills to Help with Good Causes

Sociology Major, Football Player Fabien ’15 Planning to Coach, Join Special Forces after Graduation

Israeli ’17 Speaks at Awards Gala Hosted by the Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights

Everett ’15 Co-Authors Paper Published in Nature Communications