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While scientific societies frequently approach diversity and inclusion efforts by supporting the professional development of historically underrepresented groups, data is lacking to evaluate the efficacy of these methods. As co-principal investigator I of a $701,000 National Science Foundation grant awarded to the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB), Candice Etson, assistant professor of molecular biology and biochemistry, will help establish a network of experts who will collaboratively identify evidence-based inclusion strategies in STEM. The results will be reported and disseminated in open-access training materials and publications throughout the duration of the three-year project. The project, titled "Enhancing and Developing Biology (LED-BIO) Scientific…

Andratesha Fitzgerald exhorted the Wesleyan University community to use “power” as a way to lift each other up and honor one another. Fitzgerald, an activist, educational scholar, and international speaker, shared her personal experiences during Wesleyan's 15th annual celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. on Feb. 4. Wesleyan's 2022 celebration of MLK Day served as the concluding event of the second annual Equity and Inclusion Summit. During her talk, titled "Power and Empowerment: Honoring by Decision and Design," Fitzgerald explored the notions of power and empowerment that are made evident in our decisions, our designs, and our outcomes under the umbrella of…

Following WWII, droves of veterans returned home, determined to begin living "the American dream." With help of the G.I. Bill, veterans were able to purchase new homes for only $8,000 in newly-developed, sprawling subdivisions known as "Levittowns." But when Army veteran James Ladson returned from the war in 1943, he wasn't permitted to move his family to the bustling community situated on the northeast side of Philadelphia. Although he was financially qualified, there was one problem: he was Black. According to Clause 25 in Levittown’s covenant, “The tenant agrees not to permit the premises to be used or occupied by…

Michele Roberts '77 retired at the end of 2021 after seven and a half years as executive director of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA). To honor her leadership and legacy, the NBPA Foundation has endowed a financial aid scholarship at her alma mater, Wesleyan University. Named for Roberts’ mother, the Clara Johnson Roberts Scholarship Fund is a fitting tribute to the woman who sparked her daughter’s law career by bringing her to observe trials at their local courthouse in the South Bronx. Like many of the players she worked with, Roberts came from very modest beginnings and rose to…

One of the first times Naomi Ekperigin ‘05 got laughs in public, it was during a 10-minute stand-up set at WestCo during her sophomore year at Wesleyan. “Obviously I did a lot of stuff about school. I was born and raised in New York City, the home of the Comedy Cellar, but it took me going to Middletown, Connecticut to feel confident and comfortable enough to give it a try,” she said. With a new Netflix special under her belt, appearances on Late Night with Seth Meyers, Two Dope Queens on HBO, and film roles alongside Jennifer Garner, Kevin Hart,…

NASA's new infrared telescope, which launched on Dec. 25, 2021, will help researchers like Wesleyan's Seth Redfield explore the universe in ways like never before. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which is accessible to the worldwide scientific community, offers scientists the ability to explore the solar system, galactic evolution, the early universe, and the formation of stars and planets like never before. The telescope will also observe planets orbiting other stars, known as exoplanets. Professor of Astronomy Seth Redfield, a member of the JWST's Transiting Exoplanet Community Early Release Science Program (ERS), will work with scholars from around…

Wesleyan’s intellectually dynamic faculty, students, alumni, staff, and parents frequently serve as expert sources for national media. Others are noted for recent achievements and accolades. A sampling of recent media hits is below: On MSN and Yahoo! News, Marc Eisner, Henry Merritt Wriston Chair in Public Policy and professor of government, speaks on how states across the country are ramping up efforts to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. "Much depends on funding that [Gov. Ned] Lamont can’t control (for example, resources needed to replace diesel buses with electric vehicles, the building of charging stations),” Eisner said of the Connecticut governor’s recent…

A new Wesleyan University project funded by a three-year, $1 million grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation will investigate Connecticut’s racial, industrial, and political history from an interdisciplinary perspective. The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation—the nation’s largest funder of the arts, culture and humanities—awarded more than $16.1 million to 12 liberal arts colleges from across the nation, including Wesleyan, as part of its Humanities for All Times initiative. Humanities for All Times was created to support newly developed curricula that both instruct students in methods of humanities practice and demonstrate those methods’ relevance to broader social justice pursuits. Wesleyan’s “Carceral Connecticut…

At a recent public forum, Wesleyan President Michael Roth '78 reiterated his commitment to a campus culture where freedom of expression thrives alongside efforts to cultivate open and expansive thinking. “I would try to change the debate from an individualistic approach to freedom of expression, which usually takes place on libertarian grounds, and emphasize the freedom to actively listen and to develop skills for listening rather than skills for screaming, tweeting, or posting,” Roth said. Roth participated in a virtual panel discussion on Jan. 25 titled “Students and Freedom of Expression on Campus.” The event was sponsored by The Chronicle for…

Sebastian Evans '23 believes that "being human" can't be defined strictly through science. Instead, he turns to the writings of the Roman Stoic philosopher Seneca; Alexiad author Anna Komnene; and English playwright William Shakespeare to better understand "something valuable" about what it really is to be human. "In all the humanities, I see and gain a lot of value from the way that we as human beings experience and process the world, ultimately working our way toward discovering how to best live as with and as parts of it," said Evans, who's majoring in the College of Letters (COL) and Hispanic literatures…

David Morgan, professor of history, emeritus, passed away on Jan. 20 at the age of 83. Morgan received his BA from Haverford College and his DPhil from Oxford University. He arrived at Wesleyan in 1966 and taught history for 37 years until his retirement in 2003. During those years he served numerous terms as the chair of history and chair of the College of Social Studies (CSS), and he served one term as dean of the social sciences. “My first memories of David Morgan are of classical music and opera pouring out of his office, with the door open, much…

It is not every day that an academic history book inspires a film by one of the world’s leading directors, especially when its author is former provost and professor emerita of history, Judith C. Brown. Brown’s widely-praised book, Immodest Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy (Oxford University Press, 1986) was recently adapted into a film, Benedetta (2021). The book tells the story of Benedetta Carlini (1590-1661), an abbess in Tuscany, who was imprisoned for claiming false visions and for allegedly having sexual relations with one of her nuns, Sister Bartolomea. Benedetta’s story remained undiscovered until Brown,…

NSF Supports Etson’s Efforts to Develop Evidence-Based Inclusion Strategies in STEM

Power, Honor Themes of 2022 Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration

Critical Race Theory, Inclusivity on Campus Discussed at 2nd Annual Equity & Inclusion Summit

NBPA Foundation Honors Michele Roberts ’77 Retirement with Endowed Wesleyan Scholarship

Comedian Ekperigin ’05 Shines in New Netflix Comedy Special

NASA’s New Telescope Offers Redfield Opportunity to Expand Exoplanet Research

Wesleyan in the News

Mellon Foundation Supports Connecticut History Project at Wesleyan

President Roth Reiterates Commitment to Freedom of Expression Coupled With Open Thinking

Wesleyan Students Named to National Humanities Leadership Council

Professor Morgan Remembered for Teaching History at Wesleyan for Almost 4 Decades

Brown’s Book on “Lesbian Nun” Inspires the Creation of Benedetta