Olivia DrakeAn article by Barbara Juhasz, associate professor of psychology, associate professor of neuroscience and behavior, has been published in the January 2018 edition of the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology. The study, titled "Experience with compound words influences their processing: An eye movement investigation with English compound words" appears in Issue 71, pages 103–12. Recording eye movements, Juhasz explains, provides information on the time-course of word recognition during reading. Eye movements also are informative for examining the processing of morphologically complex words such as compound words. In this study, Juhasz examined the time-course of lexical and semantic variables during morphological processing.…
Himeka CurielMelanie Khamis, assistant professor of economics and assistant professor of Latin American studies, has co-authored a new paper published in the December 2017 issue of Labour Economics. The paper, titled "Women make houses, women make homes," examines the effects of historical labor market institutions and policies on women’s labor market outcomes. To conduct the research, Khamis and her colleagues studied the “rubble women” of post–World War II Germany, who were subject to a 1946 Allied Control Council command that required women between the ages of 15 and 50 to register with a labor office and to participate in postwar cleanup and…
A new article by Visiting Assistant Professor in Computer Science Kelly Thayer and students in her Spring 2017 Scientific Computing class is challenging conventional metrics used in allosteric signaling—the regulation of an enzyme by a binding molecule at a site other than the enzyme's active site. “What’s special about allostery is that a molecule called an allosteric effector binds at one location, and the change happens somewhere else,” Thayer explained. “What we were trying to understand was: How does that signal get across?” (more…)
Wesleyan’s 2017–18 United Way Campaign capped off another successful year, posting the highest numbers—both in participation and in amount pledged—since 2012. According to Campus Coordinator Paul Turenne, more than 400 Wesleyan employees, retired faculty and authorized vendors (including 38 “Leadership Givers” pledging $1,000 or more) participated. Together they donated a total of $122,150 in support of United Way programs in Middlesex County and throughout the state. Contributing to this year’s increased giving was the implementation of lessons learned from previous years, including moving campaign dates earlier (Oct.1–31) in order to avoid competing with other fundraising initiatives and streamlining the donation…
Paula Paige, adjunct professor of romance languages and literatures, emerita, is the author of five short stories published in literary magazines in 2016-18. These include: “Flu Story” published in Newfound, Vol, 8, Issue 2, 2018. "Daddy," published in The Umbrella Factory, Issue 29, September 2017. "Roman Ruins: an Update on a Once Great Beauty," published in Artes Magazine, May 26, 2017. "The Baby Sitter," published by the Diverse Arts Project, August 2016. “Gluten and Other Abominations,” published by Sundress Publications, June 2016. Paula Paige taught at Wesleyan for 30 years. She is the recipient of the 2010 Our Stories Gordon Award for her flash…
Lisa Dierker, the Walter Crowell University Professor of Social Sciences, professor of psychology, is teaching a digital intro version of the introductory psychology course (PSYC105), focused on learning social science content through digital and video storytelling projects. The pilot is funded by the Davis Educational Foundation.
This week, in preparation for final exams, hundreds of students are flooding Olin Library, Science Library, Exley Science Center, Usdan University Center and other quiet spots seeking an area to study in solitude, while others are collaborating with classmates in groups. Undergraduate and graduate classes ended on Dec. 8. Reading Period was held Dec. 9-12 and final exams end at 5 p.m. Dec. 16. University housing closes on Dec. 17 and re-opens on Jan. 23, 2018, and spring semester classes for Wesleyan undergraduates and graduates begins on Jan. 25. Graduate Liberal Studies courses begin on Jan. 29. (more…)
Cynthia RockwellOn Dec. 11, Foss Professor of Physics Tom Morgan invited his class, Introduction to Contemporary Physics, to join him in Exley Science Center for a virtual visit to the Large Hadron Collider, the world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator, located in Geneva. With Senior Instructional Media Specialist Heric Flores-Rueda projecting images on a classroom screen through video conferencing, Morgan's students enjoyed a real-time view of the CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) laboratory and an on-screen peek inside the collider. Physicist Steven Goldfarb—a member of the team that discovered the Higgs Boson Particle—led the tour, explaining the experiments underway, as…
Lauren RubensteinFor a second consecutive year, Wesleyan will offer a four-year, full-tuition scholarship worth as much as $200,000 to the incoming student who submits a creative written work judged to best reflect the originality, artistry and dynamism embodied by the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Hamilton. Submissions are due Jan. 1, 2018, the regular decision application deadline for Wesleyan’s Class of 2022. Learn more on this website. The prize was established to honor alumni Lin-Manuel Miranda '02, Hon. '15 and Thomas Kail '99, who created and directed the hit broadway musical Hamilton. In 2016-17, the inaugural year of the Hamilton Prize, Wesleyan received over…
The Broadway cast recording of the Tony Award–winning musical Dear Evan Hansen earned a Grammy nomination for Best Musical Theater Album on Nov. 28. Produced with Atlantic Record’s President of A&R (artists and repertoire) Pete Ganbarg ’88, along with music supervisor and orchestrator Alex Lacamoire, creators Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, and Broadway producer Stacey Mindich, the album had debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 when it came out last February. (more…)
This December, the Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore is decorated for the holidays and has a festive line up of activities and gifts for sale. "Some of the most popular gifts this season are 'Wesleyan' embroidered fleece and sherpa jackets and the adorable knit Cardinal scarf with matching hat," said RJ Julia Events Manager Liz Bartek. "Sweatshirts are always popular and students are buying W mugs and Moleskin journals to help prepare for exams." The bookstore hosted a Santa Letter Writing Workshops on Nov. 25 and Dec. 2. And on Dec. 7, the bookstore hosted a Holiday Appreciation Day for Wesleyan faculty and staff.…
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