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Roy Kilgard, support astronomer and research assistant professor of astronomy, together with Trevor Dorn-Wallstein ’15 and Tyler Desjardin MA ’11, recently presented stunning new images of a spiral galaxy produced by combining data from more than 232 hours of observing time with NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. Similar to the Milky Way, the galaxy is officially known as Messier 51 (M51) or NGC 5194, but nicknamed “the Whirlpool Galaxy.” Located about 30 million light years from Earth, its face-on orientation to Earth offers a perspective astronomers can never get of our own galaxy. The image showing a vibrant purple swirl was…

As a recent recipient of an undergraduate research fellowship, Jack Singer '15 is spending his summer at Wesleyan studying the geochemical evolution of the moon. The fellowship, supported by the Connecticut Space Grant College Consortium, comes with a $5,000 award. Grantees are expected to work on research related to space/aerospace science or engineering under the guidance of a faculty member or a mentor from industry. For the next three months, Singer will work on various research projects with his advisor James Greenwood, assistant professor of earth and environmental science. Singer will first prepare a fragmented lunar sample (Apollo 12035,76) for…

President Roth: It doesn't matter what you study in college, but how you study it

Both experienced writers and new writers participated in the 58th Annual Wesleyan Writers Conference June 11-15. About 90 writers attended, including Wesleyan students enrolled in Summer Session courses. Manuscript consultations and publishing advice were key parts of the program. Participants attended daily seminars in the novel, short story, poetry, and nonfiction (including memoir and literary journalism), and the program also included guest speakers, readings, workshops, panel discussions and talks with editors and agents. Faculty and speakers at this year’s conference included award-winning fiction writer Amy Bloom ’75, author of the new novel Lucky Us; Roxana Robinson, short story writer and author of…

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The Office of Human Resources reported the following new hires and departures for May 2014: Newly hired Adam Fischer was hired as a research assistant/ lab coordinator in the Psychology Department on May 5. Emily Macleod was hired by Information Technology Services as a web and mobile developer in the New Media Lab on May 12. Sarah Hopkins was hired by the Career Center as an employer relations coordinator on May 27. Departures Mark Hellerman, research technician in the Biology Department. Doug Gilchrist, boiler tender in the Central Power Plant. Jason Raiti, associate director in the Investments Office.

In the fall of 2008, Andrew Olivieri felt like he was staring down four years of uncertainty, dissatisfaction and "wasting my parents' money." A senior at the Bronx High School of Science, where most graduates are expected to attend college, Olivieri just didn’t feel ready. But the Army life had always attracted him, as a path that led to maturity, a work ethic, and an opportunity to be part of something larger than himself. "I wanted to be a part of history, and contribute to it," Olivieri said. "I never wanted to be one of those people who just say,…

Next summer, Wesleyan's Institute for Curatorial Practice in Performance (ICPP) will offer a new Master of Arts in Performance Curation degree program, in addition to the permanent establishment of the Certificate Program in Performance Curation. The Institute for Curatorial Practice in Performance was founded in 2010, and introduced as a pilot initiative in 2011, by Wesleyan graduates Samuel Miller '75 and Pamela Tatge, director of the Center for the Arts, in partnership with Judy Hussie-Taylor and New York’s Danspace Project. ICPP is the first institute of its kind, a center for the academic study of the presentation and contextualization of…

O'Connell: An ability to predict the tides is crucial for any amphibious operation, but is not simple

The almost-century-old 20-inch Van Vleck Refractor, which lives on Foss Hill in its iconic dome, is undergoing a major renovation. Work began June 2. The rare historic telescope will be dismantled, cleaned, repaired, reassembled and modernized over a period of about 15 months in preparation of the observatory centennial in 2016. The refractor has been deteriorating gradually since its retirement from research around 1993. Antique Telescope Society members and Ray Museum Studios founders Fred Orthlieb, Ph.D. and Chris Ray are leading the renovation. Astronomy major Julian Dann '17 and German Studies major Rebecca Hanschell '16 are assisting with the project this summer. Read…

Professor of Economics Richard Grossman's paper, "A Monthly Stock Exchange Index for Ireland, 1864-1930," was published June 5 in the European Review of Economic History. Co-authored by professors at Trinity College Dublin, All Souls College (Oxford, UK), and Greater London Authority, the paper constructs new monthly Irish stock market price indices for 1864-1930. According to the abstract: "In addition to a total market index covering 118 equity securities issued by ninety-four companies, sectoral indices are presented for railways, financial services companies, and “other” companies. Nominal equity prices doubled between 1864 and 1898. Between the turn of the century and 1914,…

Kilgard Presents Stunning New Image of ‘Whirlpool Galaxy’

Singer ’15 to Study Moon Rocks as Connecticut Space Grant Fellow

The True Value of a Liberal Education

90 Writers Participate in the Wesleyan Writers Conference

Chernoff Photographs Fish to Accompany Scientific Journal Article

Staff on the Move, May 2014

Army Veteran Olivieri to Join Class of 2018 through Posse Foundation

ICPP Offers New Masters Degree in Performance Curation

Steam Pipe Construction Ongoing Throughout Summer

How Science Helped Win D-Day

Renovations Begin on Astronomy’s Van Vleck Refractor Telescope

Grossman’s Paper on Irish Stock Market Prices is Published