Cynthia RockwellOn his website, Sebastian Junger ’84 writes that his latest book, Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging (Twelve, May 24, 2016), is "about why tribal sentiment is such a rare and precious thing in modern society, and how the lack of it has affected us all. It’s about what we can learn from tribal societies about loyalty and belonging and the eternal human quest for meaning. ... Humans don’t mind duress, in fact they thrive on it. What they mind is not feeling necessary." On May 21, Scott Simon, host of NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday, invited Junger to discuss the origin and…
Olivia DrakeThe Office of Human Resources announces the following hires and departures for May 2016: Newly hired Zijia Guo was hired as prospect research analyst in University Relations on May 2 Philip Huntington was hired as electrician in Physical Plant on May 2 Noah Barth was hired as program manager in the Center for Prison Education on May 4 Amber Jones '09 was hired as psychotherapist in the Counseling Center on May 9 Diane Widger was hired as Peoplesoft analyst programmer on May 18 Scott Shea was hired as assistant director of Wesleyan events and conferences on May 31 Departures Kaiser Aslam,…
Lauren RubensteinWriting in The Washington Post, Lori Gruen, the William Griffin Professor of Philosophy, argues that fingers are being pointed in the wrong direction after Harambe, an endangered lowland gorilla, was shot and killed at the Cincinnati Zoo after a 4-year-old child entered his enclosure. "The real culprits are zoos," she writes. Many in the animal protection community contend that the gorilla didn't pose a real threat to the boy, and are questioning if zoo staff did enough to try to separate Harambe from the child. Others are blaming the boy's mother for not properly supervising him. Gruen writes: For me, the real question is…
Photography by Sasha Rudensky '01, assistant professor of art, is featured in an exhibition titled "Tinsel and Blue" from June 8 to July 16 at the Sasha Wolf Gallery, 70 Orchard Street, New York, N.Y. Rudensky is a Russian-born artist whose work has been exhibited widely including at the Musee de l’Elysee in Lausanne, Switzerland; Fries Museum in Leewarden, Netherlands; Macro Testaccio Museum in Rome, Italy; ArtScience Museum in Singapore; and Danziger Projects in New York. In 2010, Rudensky’s work was included in “reGeneration 2: Photographers of Tomorrow Today,” an international survey of emerging photographers. Her work is held in…
Readers and writers are invited to a day of mystery, workshops and intrigue during Wesleyan's inaugural Mysterium: The Mystery Novel Conference on Oct. 8. The conference is hosted by Amy Bloom, the Shapiro-Silverberg Professor of Creative Writing, and taught by New York publishers, publicists and nationally-known agents, and well-known writers. New York Times best-selling author Laura Lippman headlines, followed by Master Classes in writing with best-selling authors Stephen Carter and Barbara Ross. Learn more about the Mysterium speakers here. "One of the great pleasures of mysteries—of all wonderful fiction—is that it allows the reader to slip into another life, another time, a different being," says Bloom.…
Eight earth and environmental science E&ES 344 Advanced GIS students presented posters at the Northeast Arc Users Group Spring Spatial Technologies Conference, May 9 at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. The posters highlighted the students’ semester-long research and service-learning projects incorporating applications of advanced geographic information systems skills. The project-based course E&ES 344 is taught by Kim Diver, assistant professor of the practice of earth and environmental sciences, and is part of the Academy for Project-Based Teaching and Learning hosted by the Center for Pedagogical Innovation. "The 14 students in the course conducted independent research projects, worked with faculty on their research…
Michael O'BrienThe 2016 Memorial Day Weekend was a historic one for Wesleyan athletics as women’s tennis player Eudice Chong ’18 defended her crown as the NCAA Division III Individual Singles Champion, and the women’s crew team captured a bronze medal in the Varsity 8 Grand Final at the NCAA Division III Rowing Championships.
Gary Yohe, the Huffington Foundation Professor of Economics and Environmental Studies, made his off-Broadway debut in the TED-talk segment of "Rap Guide to Climate Change," written and performed by Baba Brinkman and directed by Darren Lee Cole, at the SoHo Playhouse in New York City on May 29. In this one-man show, running from February through July, Brinkman breaks down the politics, economics, and science of global warming, following its surprising twists from the carbon cycle to the global energy economy. Yohe was invited to be the climate expert for the TED-talk segment in the middle of the show. He spent…
The Community Foundation of Middlesex County (CFMC) invited Wesleyan coaches for “A Slice and A Celebration” in the Warren Street Lobby of Freeman on May. Over pizza and a beverage, the coaches were celebrated for their community involvement, as well as offered the opportunity to learn more about the Community Foundation and how it can be a resource to the nonprofits and our broader community. Foundation leaders in attendance were Cynthia Clegg, president and CEO; Thayer Talbott, senior director of programs and operations; and Wallace Jones, CFMC board chairman. (more…)
Wesleyan's campus is home to dozens of flowering shrubs, trees and blooming flower gardens.
Martha Gilmore, George I. Seney Professor of Geology, professor and chair of earth and environmental sciences, joined legendary astronaut and engineer Buzz Aldrin and Hoppy Price of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory for a discussion on WNPR about the past, present and future of space exploration. The three were guests on The Colin McEnroe Show on May 25. Aldrin, who was one of the first two humans to walk on the moon, is the author of a new book, No Dream is Too High: Life Lessons From a Man Who Walked on the Moon. McEnroe asked Gilmore about our current level of understanding…