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On March 27, Professor Ethan Kleinberg, director of the Center for the Humanities, presented a lecture to the École Doctorale on "The Specters of the Past," as a distinguished visiting professor at University of Bordeaux Montaigne in Pessac, France. Kleinberg also is professor of history, professor of letters, and editor-in-chief of History and Theory. He is an expert on the intellectual history of Europe in the 20th century, the history of philosophy, as well as the philosophy and theory of history. Kleinberg's lecture focused on the theme of his latest book, Haunting History: for a deconstructive approach to the past…

Molecular Biology and Biochemistry Professor Manju Hingorani and graduate student Bo Song are coauthors of two studies published in The Journal of Biological Chemistry and Nucleic Acids Research in February 2018. The papers are titled "Positioning the 5'-flap junction in the active site controls the rate of flap endonuclease-1-catalyzed DNA cleavage" and "Missed cleavage opportunities by FEN1 lead to Okazaki fragment maturation via the long-flap pathway." The research is related to Song’s PhD dissertation, which he plans to defend in April 2018. Song examined the mechanism of action of human FEN1, an enzyme that cleaves extra single-stranded segments of DNA before they can…

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Zhaoyu Sun '20 received an award for his essay in the Eighth Annual Consulate General of Japan in Boston Japanese Language Contest. Sun took the second place win in the College Intermediate Division. Sun, who is from Beijing, China, is majoring in East Asian studies and government. His essay focused on the ideal U.S.-Japanese relationship. "I discussed how military cooperation, establishing a strong relationship with other countries in East Asia, and establishing equality between the two nations will build a strong U.S.-Japanese relationship and subsequently benefit the world," he explained. The essay contest is open to students who are currently enrolled…

Graduate student Suhail Yusuf Khan recently performed at two international music festivals with his group Yorkston / Thorne / Khan. The band comprises James Yorkston, a folk singer and guitarist; Jon Thorne, a jazz bassist; and eighth-generation musician Khan, a sarangi violinist and a vocalist of Indian classical music. The sarangi is a short-necked bowed string instrument from northern India, regarded as sounding similar to the human voice. On March 19, Yorkston / Thorne / Khan performed at the International Sacred Art Festival in Madrid, Spain. The festival included 39 concerts held over five weeks. And on March 23, Yorkston / Thorne / Khan dazzled…

According to the recently published 2017 Long Lane Farm annual report, almost 100 Wesleyan alumni are working in agricultural production industries. Many of these alumni got their start working at Long Lane Farm, Wesleyan’s student-run organic farm devoted to allowing students a place to experiment and learn about sustainable agriculture. The following alumni shared their farming experiences post-graduation: Daniel Mays '06 Mays studied math and physics at Wesleyan where he helped out in the early days of Long Lane. Since then, he has taught at a boarding high school, bicycled through Mexico, earned a graduate degree in environmental engineering, and…

Faculty, graduate students, and alumni attended the 49th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference March 19–23 in The Woodlands, Texas. Three graduate students were awarded funds from the NASA Connecticut Space Grant that allowed them to travel to this meeting. Earth and environmental sciences graduate student Reid Perkins presented a research poster titled "Where Are the Missing Tessera Craters on Venus?" Perkins's advisor is Martha Gilmore, the George I. Seney Professor of Geology, professor of earth and environmental sciences. Earth and environmental sciences graduate student Melissa Luna presented a poster titled "Multivariate Spectral Analysis of CRISM Data to Characterize the Composition of Mawrth…

Basil John Moore, professor emeritus of economics, passed away on March 8 at the age of 84. Moore, who received his BA from the University of Toronto and his PhD from Johns Hopkins University, came to Wesleyan in 1958. He retired in 2003 after 45 years of scholarship that took him to Cambridge, Stanford, Morocco, Vancouver, Malaysia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Korea, India, and Stellenbosch, South Africa. (more…)

In this recurring feature in The Wesleyan Connection, we highlight some of the latest news stories about Wesleyan and our alumni. Recent Wesleyan News USA Today: "Indiana Senate Race Generates Most Advertising in the Nation" A new Wesleyan Media Project report on early campaign advertising in the 2018 midterm elections is featured. 2. WNPR: "Wesleyan Remembers Its Poet Laureate, Richard Wilbur" (more…)

Anna Savage '18 has received a Princeton in Latin America (PiLA) fellowship to work with the Mariposa Foundation in Cabarete, a town on the northern coast of the Dominican Republic. She will begin the fellowship after graduation in May. Savage follows a proud tradition of Wesleyan students participating in PiLA fellowships. The Mariposa Foundation works to end generational poverty by providing a space in which girls and young women can receive high-quality academic and artistic instruction, as well as comprehensive sexual health education. The Mariposa center serves about 150 girls and places particular emphasis on musical and artistic expression, as well as on the cultivation…

On March 8, Wesleyan's Facebook post read: ”In honor of International Women's Day, we're celebrating some of the most talented musicians we know with our ‘Women of Wes’ Spotify playlist. There's something for everyone in this eclectic mix of Wesleyan alumnae, including Amanda Palmer ’98, Santigold '97, J.R. Rhodes ’90, and Dar Williams ’89. Listen here, or go to #NowPlaying #IWD18." Also included on this list of 43 songs were pieces by Flo Anito ’01, Jess Best ’14, Amy Crawford ’05, Beanie Feldstein ’15, Mary Halvorson ’02, The Overcoats (JJ Mitchell ’15 and Hana Elion ’15), Chris Pureka ’01, Anna Roberts-Gevalt…

Casey Herrick ’16, a Houston-based artist and designer, was named a Henry Luce Scholar for 2018. One of 18 scholars selected from among 162 candidates, Herrick will begin with an orientation in New York starting in June, before the cohort embarks for Asia. The Henry Luce Foundation was established in 1936 by Henry R. Luce, the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Time Inc., to honor his parents, who were missionary educators in China. The Luce Scholars Program was launched in 1974 to “enhance the understanding of Asia among potential leaders in American society.” Upon his graduation from Wesleyan, Herrick, who majored in studio art…

Kleinberg Lectures in France, Elected to Historiography Commission

Song, Hingorani Coauthors of 2 Papers in The Journal of Biological Chemistry

Star, Planet Formation Expert Delivers Sturm Lecture

Sun ’20 Wins Japanese Language Contest Prize for Essay

Graduate Student Khan Performs at 2 International Music Festivals

Alumni Attribute Long Lane Farm for Jumpstarting Interests, Careers in Agriculture

Alumni, Faculty, Graduate Students Make Presentations at Planetary Science Conference

Moore Remembered for Contributions to Monetary Economics

Wesleyan in the News

Savage ’18 Awarded Princeton in Latin America Fellowship

International Women’s Day Celebrated with Alumnae Spotify Playlist

Houston-Based Artist Herrick ’16 Is Named Luce Scholar