Olivia DrakeThe Center for the Arts sponsored the 2009 Feet to the Fire Common Moment Sept. 4 on Andrus Field. The Class of 2013 showcased drumming and dance movements from six different cultures—Korean, Cuban, West African, Japanese, Irish and South Indian—where water is an important component of their cultural traditions. The event included drumming, rhythmic movement and fire spinners. The evening culminated with the Class of 2013 forming a human histogram about its own water footprint. (Photos by Nick Lacy)
Berel Lang, visiting professor of letters, visiting professor of philosophy, is the author of the book Philosophical Witnessing: The Holocaust as Presence published by the University Press of New England, the fifth in a series of books by him on the Holocaust. The 260-paged book brings the perspective of philosophical analysis to bear on issues related to the Holocaust. Setting out from a conception of philosophical “witnessing” that expands and illuminates the standard view of the witness, he confronts the question of what philosophy can add to the views of the Holocaust provided in other disciplines. Drawing on the philosophical…
Corrina KerrLaura Stark has joined the Department of Sociology and the Program in Science in Society as assistant professor. Her research focuses on the social history and sociology of medicine, research ethics, human subject research, Institutional Review Boards (IRBs), and group/committee decision-making in healthcare. Stark graduated from Cornell University in 1998 with a bachelor's in communication. She went on to obtain a Master's and a Ph.D. in Sociology from Princeton University, ending in 2006. She was awarded the biannual prize for best dissertation from the History of Science Society’s Forum for the History of the Human Sciences for her work titled…
David PesciGil Skillman, chair and professor of economics, was a featured guest on WNPR’s “Where We Live” discussion on the general state of the economy one year after the demise of Lehman Brothers and the onset of the recession. Skillman and two other economists discuss what led to the collapse and point out some of the danger points that have been under-reported in the newsmedia and have yet to be addressed by the Federal Government.
Nadja Aksamija, assistant professor of art history, received a grant for $13,500 from the Kress Foundation for her research on "Sala Bologna at the Vatican." Her grant, which was awarded May 1, spans for one and a half years.
Wesleyan welcomes 14 new visiting faculty members and fellows to campus for the 2009-10 academic year. They include: Neil Canady joins the Economics Department as visiting assistant professor. His areas of interest include economic history, labor and public finance. Much of his research has examined discrimination in tax assessment policy and school resources during segregation, as well as black-white differences in property accumulation. He received a Bachelor of Science and Ph.D in economics from Clemson University. Joshua Takano Chambers-Letson is an Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow, Center for the Humanities. Chambers-Letson joins the Center’s yearlong study of “War,” arriving from…
Philip Bolton, professor of chemistry, received a grant for $331,800 from the National Institute of Health on Drug Abuse for his research on "Finding Small Molecules that Modulate Gene Expression." The grant, awarded on Sept. 1, spans for two years.
5 Questions is a new feature in The Wesleyan Connection that will ask faculty members - surprise! - five questions about their work and activities. This issue, the questions go to Edward Moran, chair and associate professor of astronomy and director of the Van Vleck Observatory. His primary area of study is black holes. This summer he received a major National Science Foundation (NSF) grant for an extensive study on “intermediate mass” black holes. Q: Everyone thinks they know, but once and for all: what is a black hole? EM: Technically, black holes are places where matter has been crushed down…
Seth Redfield, assistant professor of astronomy, received a grant for $20,000 from NASA for his research on "Development and Flight Testing of High Efficiency Echelles & Detectors for the Future of Ultraviolet Astronomy." Redfield is collaborating with the project's lead institution, the University of Colorado. NASA awarded $2.1M for the entire project.
Rex Pratt, the Beach Professor of Chemistry, received a grant for $414,750 from the National Institute of Health and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The continuation grant was awarded July 30. Pratt's research is titled "Beta-Lactamases & DD-Peptidases: Active site Chemistry."
Elizabeth McAlister, associate professor of religion, associate professor of African American studies, and Gina Ulysse, associate professor of anthropology, associate professor of African American studies, associate professor of feminist gender and sexuality studies, were featured guests on the Sept. 11 Colin McEnroe Show on WNPR. The 49-minute show titled "CMS: Hatian Vodou and Zombies Too!" focused on the practices of Vodou and how it affects so many aspects of Haitian culture.