Olivia DrakeAugust 13, 20134min
This fall, Wesleyan's Graduate Liberal Studies is offering classes on psychological measurement, portraiture, editing fiction and nonfiction, contemporary world politics, Tolstoy and other topics of interest. Classes begin Sept. 9. Students may take courses for personal enrichment, or to pursue a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (MALS) or a Master of Philosophy in Liberal Arts (M.Phil). Classes are taught by Wesleyan faculty. An information session will be held at 6 p.m. Sept. 3 at the GLS office, 74 Wyllys Avenue. Courses and instructors include: “Jazz in the Sixties” will be taught by Jazz Ensemble Coach Noah Baerman from 6:30 to…

Kate CarlisleAugust 12, 20131min
For young writers, the prospect of getting their work in front of a master (whether a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, a prominent poet or a famous byline) can be both exciting and terrifying. Student scribes at Wesleyan will have that opportunity this academic year as two masters of the craft come to campus to conduct a series of noncredit workshops at the Shapiro Creative Writing Center. Poet and memoirist Mark Doty and novelist and screenwriter Michael Cunningham will each do a series of three, two-and-a-half-hour master classes for about a dozen students. Doty’s up first in the fall semester and Cunningham…

Olivia DrakeAugust 8, 20133min
During the months of August and September, contractors are replacing the underground steamlines between Fayerweather and Foss 10. This process requires significant excavation, and unfortunately, two trees stood in the path of destruction. "These are perfectly healthy trees," said Dave Hall, ground and events manager. "We couldn't just let them die." On Aug. 6, Hall hired a tree specialist to remove the two trees from Foss Hill and relocate them to the Center for the Arts courtyard. The contractor used a mechanical tree spade to pierce the earth and extract the trees and their root-balls, which measure about 6-feet-wide and…

Olivia DrakeAugust 1, 201310min
More than 75 undergraduate students made presentations at the Wesleyan Summer Research Poster Session, held Aug. 1 in Exley Science Center's lobby. Students majoring in biology, molecular biology and biochemistry, psychology, physics, earth and environmental sciences, chemistry, economics, sociology and government spent at least 10 weeks this summer working on research projects. Several students are McNair Fellows, Hughes Fellows or Quantitative Analysis Center Fellows. Photos of the poster session are below:

Olivia DrakeJuly 29, 20137min
While their classmates spend the summer growing business contacts at off-campus internships, 10 Wesleyan students hope to cultivate something equally lucrative – sustainable agriculture. The “dirt in the nails” days are long but satisfying at Wesleyan's Long Lane Organic Farm, a student-run organic farm that gives students a place to experiment and learn about sustainable agriculture. Sustainable agriculture integrates three main goals - environmental health, economic profitability, and social and economic equity. This summer, the students are cultivating two acres of land, the biggest plot they've ever farmed. They're growing cucumbers, radishes, tomatoes, tomatillos, squash, asparagus, basil, broccoli, lettuce, blueberries…

Olivia DrakeJuly 29, 20134min
A flock of feathery friends will soon join the student staff at Long Lane Farm. Each year since 2006, Wesleyan's Architecture II course, taught by Associate Professor of Art Elijah Huge, has accepted a commission to work on a project, traditionally for a nonprofit organization. Past projects have included the Wesleyan Sukkah, a wildlife-viewing platform for the Audubon Society, and a pavilion for the Connecticut Forest and Parks Association at its headquarters. This year, the idea for the project came from Long Lane Farm and Bon Appétit: to design and build a chicken coop that would enable Bon Appétit to serve…

Lauren RubensteinJuly 29, 20134min
Miss the start of MOOC-mania earlier this year? Good news—it’s not too late to check it out! Wesleyan’s next round of massive open online courses (MOOCS) is starting on Coursera in the coming weeks. A brand new MOOC, “Social Psychology,” will be offered by Professor of Psychology Scott Plous starting Aug. 12. The course has generated enormous interest, with more than 170,000 students currently enrolled. “The goal of the course is to explore some entertaining and intriguing psychology findings that students can use to improve their lives, relationships, and work. More than 40 organizations have contributed free readings, video clips…