Lauren RubensteinAt its annual meeting on Jan. 21, the Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) presented President Michael Roth with the Frederic W. Ness Book Award for his book, Beyond the University: Why Liberal Education Matters, published in 2014 by Yale University Press. The Ness Award is given annually to a book that best illuminates the goals and practices of a contemporary liberal education. In Beyond the University, Michael S. Roth recounts the historic debates over the benefits—or drawbacks—of a liberal education. In this provocative contribution to the disputes, Roth focuses on important moments and seminal thinkers in America’s long-running argument over vocational vs. liberal…
Olivia DrakeDan Licata, assistant professor of computer science, is one of 56 scientists in the country to receive a grant from the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) through its Young Investigator Research Program. The AFOSR is awarding approximately $20.6 million in grants. The Young Investigator Research Program is open to scientists and engineers at research institutions across the United States who received PhD or equivalent degrees in the last five years and who show exceptional ability and promise for conducting basic research. Licata, who received a PhD in computer science from Carnegie Mellon University in 2011, will use…
Ruth Johnson, assistant professor of biology, assistant professor of integrative sciences, is the co-author of a new paper titled "The adaptor protein Cindr regulates JNK activity to maintain epithelial sheet integrity" published in the journal Developmental Biology on Jan. 7. The paper was co-authored by Hannah Yasin '15, Samuel van Rensburg MA '15, and Christina Feiler, an exchange masters student who worked in Johnson's lab during 2012-13. The publication represents Yasin's honors thesis, and van Rensburg's and Feiler's masters theses. According to the abstract: Epithelia are essential barrier tissues that must be appropriately maintained for their correct function. To achieve this a plethora…
The Los Angeles Times offers a preview of "Circular 14: The Apotheosis of Aristides, a new dramatic oratorio composed by Neely Bruce, the John Spencer Camp Professor of Music, which has its world premiere Jan. 23 at the American Jewish University in Los Angeles. The piece tells the story of Aristides de Sousa Mendes, a diplomat and little-known Portuguese hero to many thousands of Jews during World War II. In June 1940, nearly 120,000 refugees fleeing from Nazi persecution amassed down the road from the Portuguese consulate in Bordeaux, France. Though Portuguese dictator António de Oliveira Salazar issued a vehement directive to deny…
More than 200 women undergraduates from the Northeast attended the American Physical Society Conferences for Undergraduate Women in Physics (CUWiP) Jan. 15-17 at Wesleyan. Wesleyan was one of nine institutions from around the country to host a conference.
The APS CUWiP provides female physics majors with the opportunity to experience a professional conference, information about graduate school and professions in physics, and access to other women in physics with whom they can share experiences, advice and ideas.
The program included panel discussions about graduate school and careers in physics, presentations and discussions about women in physics, laboratory tours, student research talks, a student poster session, banquet and career fair.
Dan Cherubin has been selected as the Caleb T. Winchester University Librarian at Wesleyan, starting on July 1, 2016. Cherubin has more than 20 years of experience in library and information services, most recently as the Chief Librarian and Associate Dean at Hunter College in New York. At Hunter, Cherubin was responsible for overseeing four libraries and had major roles in facility and space planning, implementation of technology, and the development of a strategic plan for the policies and practices of the library. At Wesleyan he will work with the library staff to develop a strategic plan to integrate the…
Cynthia RockwellForbes named Jordyn Lexton ’08 and Guy Marcus ’13 to the 2016 “30 under 30” list for 2016, and the Chronicle of Philanthropy highlighted David Lubell ’98 as one of the “40 Under 40." Under the headline, “Todays Brightest Young Stars and The Future Leaders of Everything” Forbes magazine highlighted two Wesleyan alumni in their fifth annual listings of the top 30 young leaders in 20 different categories. From an initial list of 15,000, Jordyn Lexton ’08 made the listing in entrepreneurs. Lexton is the founder of “Drive Change,” which employs previously incarcerated youth, teaching food preparation as well as providing positions in their award-winning culinary vehicle in…
Between Jan. 4-20, the Career Center hosted Winter on Wyllys, a series of programs that assistant students with their own career development. Students had the opportunity to shadow an employer during Winter Break; identify what factors may be influencing their choice of major or career path; explore internship and career opportunities online; meet with alumni; learn about a career in teaching through the Teacher Generation Program; and participate in an intensive two-day Wall Street Prep's Financial Training Seminar.
Wesleyan's Green Team, currently comprised of six administrative assistants, is researching, communicating and implementing effective strategies that increase sustainability within their own departments and the university. They're currently focusing their efforts on managing waste sustainability, making sustainable purchases, reducing energy in their departments, encouraging colleagues and working to shift the culture of their areas to be sustainable. The Green Team is always open to new members. For more information on the Green Team, e-mail Anika Dane or Blanche Meslin. Also, visit the Green Team's Green Tips page for ideas on how to make your office more sustainable!
All members of the Wesleyan community are invited to attend the annual commemoration of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy. Dorceta E. Taylor, a leading voice in the environmental justice movement, will deliver the keynote address, titled "Different Shades of Green or Beyond the Farm" at 4:15 p.m. on Jan. 29 in Memorial Chapel. A desert reception will follow. Taylor is professor, James E. Crowfood Collegiate Chair, and director of diversity, equity and inclusion at the University of Michigan. She is past chair of the environment and technology section of the American Sociological Association. In addition to the Wesleyan community,…
David LowAt the Golden Globe Awards ceremony televised on NBC on Jan. 10, honoring film and television achievements, the Amazon Studios TV series Mozart in the Jungle received two awards, Best Television Series – Comedy and Best Actor in a Comedy Series (Gael Garcia Bernal). The series deals with off-screen adventures and love life of a symphony conductor and is co-created, directed and executive produced by Paul Weitz ’88, who also recently directed and wrote the hit film Grandma with Lily Tomlin. Season 2 was just released on Amazon Prime at the end of December. According to Entertainment Weekly, the comedy…
Michael Bay ’86 has directed a new film 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (Paramount), which opened in U.S. theaters on Jan. 15. Based on the non-fiction book of the same name, the movie traces what happened Sept. 11–12, 2012, when terrorists attacked two Central Intelligence Agency compounds in Benghazi, Libya. The film tracks six security operatives, most of them former military, who defended the diplomatic compound and nearby CIA annex. The cast includes James Badge Dale, John Krasinski, Max Martini, Toby Stephens, Pablo Schreiber, David Denman, Dominic Fumusa and Demetrius Grosse. In his review in Slate, film critic…