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When religion major Shayna Dollinger '22 imagined her college experience, it never involved mandatory quarantining, weekly virus testing, attending concerts—solo—in a 6-by-6-foot square space, and wearing masks at a socially distanced tashlich on Rosh Hashanah. But this was the true reality of her junior year at Wesleyan. "But weirdly enough, I don’t miss what could have been. I am proud and grateful every day for the lengths my university has gone to keep its students safe and engaged during these turbulent times," Dollinger wrote in an essay titled "My Pandemic Year in College Has Brought Pride and Purpose." The essay,…

During a virtual ceremony on Dec. 2, 15 members of the Class of 2021 were inducted early decision into the Gamma Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. The oldest scholastic honor society in the nation, Phi Beta Kappa at Wesleyan is limited to 12% of the graduating class each year. Fall-semester election is based on grades through the end of a student’s junior year and fulfillment of the General Education expectations. The minimum grade point average for the fall election is 93, and students are nominated by their major departments. “Your families, teachers, fellow students, and others at Wesleyan couldn't be…

For 19 years, Joyce Topshe took on the role of managing Wesleyan's construction services, environmental services, rental properties, and Physical Plant-Facilities. Now in her 20th year of working at Wesleyan, the associate vice president for facilities is powering through "the most challenging year of my career," she said. "As we approach the end of the fall semester during a raging pandemic, I am feeling like we almost won the World Series. My entire team has worked exhaustively to make our campus safe during the pandemic, and I am so grateful to every member of my team for staying the course…

During the Center for the Humanities Lecture Series, nine scholars explored the theme of "Dirt" throughout the fall 2020 semester. The theme explored the material ecologies and symbolic currencies of filth, waste, toxicity, and contamination alongside ideas of purity, hygiene, and cleanliness to address and reframe a range of contemporary environmental and cultural urgencies. Through various topics, the scholars discussed uses and abuses of dirt and its various political, religious, sexual, ethnic, racial, and ecological significations. The topics and speakers included: "Projected Resonances: Intersections of Sound, Performance, and Tourism Underground at Mammoth Cave" by Paula Matthusen, associate professor of music;…

Two books written by Wesleyan faculty have recently been translated to Russian, where they are now being distributed. Nabokov and Indeterminacy: The Case of the Real Life of Sebastian Knight was originally written by Priscilla Meyer, professor emerita of Russian language and literature, and published by Northwestern University Press in 2018. Renowned translator and Nabokov expert Vera Polishchuk translated Meyer's book, which is now available in Russian by Academic Studies Press. Nabokov and Indeterminacy shows how Vladimir Nabokov’s early novel The Real Life of Sebastian Knight illuminates his later work. Meyer explores how Nabokov associates his characters in Sebastian Knight with…

A couple years ago, Ron Cooper '79, a retired corporate executive-turned-travel, documentary, and portrait photographer, was in New Mexico to photograph cowboys, Civil War re-enactors, gunslingers, and snake-handlers. After completing the shoot, one of the subjects asked if he could show Cooper a very different character that he also portrayed. "I agreed and he went to change. He came back as Santa Claus in a terrific Western-style Santa suit, complete with bolo tie. As it turns out, he had a side gig during the holiday season as Santa Claus at a shopping mall in Albuquerque," Cooper recalled. "Not long after…

With support from the Simons Foundation, Tsampikos Kottos, Lauren B. Dachs Professor of Science and Society, professor of physics, will work on groundbreaking wave transport research, ultimately benefiting a broad range of technologies ranging from wireless communications and efficient energy harvesting, to biomedical and avionics sensing technologies. Kottos is one of 11 principal investigators (PIs) from 12 universities and research institutions across the globe to receive funding from the Simons Collaborations in Mathematics and the Physical Sciences Initiative. The group's project, "Harnessing Universal Symmetry Concepts for Extreme Wave Phenomena," is based at the Advanced Science Research Center (ASRC) at the…

On Nov. 23, the Geological Society of America's (GSA) Geobiology and Geomicrobiology Division awarded earth and environmental sciences graduate student Yu Kai Tan '20 with a student presentation award. Tan presented his poster, "Freshwater Mussels in North America: Museum Collections and Pre-Industrial Biogeography," on Oct. 29 during the GSA's annual (virtual) meeting. Andy (Dick Yee) Tan '21 collaborated with Tan '20 on the poster. Their advisors are Ann Burke, professor of biology, and Ellen Thomas, Harold T. Stearns Professor of Integrative Sciences, Smith Curator of Paleontology of the Joe Webb Peoples Museum of Natural History, and University Professor in the…

Fitzroy “Pablo” Wickham ’21 has been named the Jamaica 2021 Rhodes Scholar. The Rhodes Scholarship is the oldest, and one of the most prestigious, international scholarship programs in the world. Each year, it provides about 100 fully-funded scholarships to students around the world for post-graduate study at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. According to the website, the “Rhodes Selection Committees are looking for young people of outstanding intellect, character, leadership, and commitment to service.” At Wesleyan, Wickham is a double major in theater and neuroscience and behavior. At the University of Oxford under the Rhodes Scholarship, he…

In South Asia, particularly in India, people are born into a caste system that determines their social status, career, and access to resources and opportunities. Under Brahmins (priests, intellectuals), Kshatriyas (military, warriors), Vaishyas (merchants, farmers), and Shudras (laborers, servants) are Dalits, also known as the "untouchables." Those in the Dalit caste group struggle with oppression and discrimination and are considered "dirty" and spiritually polluting. On Nov. 21, Wesleyan's South Asian students' association Shakti presented a conversation titled "Caste Conundrum and Identity Politics." Panelists included Hari Krishnan, professor of dance; Indira Karamcheti, associate professor of American studies; Manjula Pradeep, a human…

During the COVID-19 pandemic, most of Wesleyan's musical activities and classes were canceled, drastically adjusted, or moved to virtual platforms. Fortunately, for Wesleyan's Javanese gamelan classes, students were still allowed to meet in-person as long as they followed strict guidelines: wear a mask and disposable gloves, social distance, and frequently use hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes. "The university made all of these available to the students in the World Music Hall, where the gamelan meets," explained Winslow-Kaplain Professor of Music Sumarsam. "The gamelan instruments were set up six feet apart, and the students were required to maintain that distance while…

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Dollinger ’22: Pandemic Year in College Brings Pride, Purpose

15 Seniors Elected to Phi Beta Kappa

Employees Recognized for Years of Service to Wesleyan

Scholars Explore the Theme of “Dirt” Through Center for the Humanities Series

Books by Meyer, Smolkin Translated and Distributed in Russia

Behind the Beard: Cooper ’79 Captures Images, Stories of Professional Santa Clauses

Kottos Awarded Simons Collaborative Grant to Advance Wave Transport Research

Tan ’20 Honored by Geological Society of America for Poster Presentation

Wickham ’21 Awarded Rhodes Scholarship for Post-Graduate Study

South Asia’s Caste System Discussed by Scholars, Students

Gamelan Ensemble Provides Virtual Mini-Concerts, Demonstrations During Pandemic

Kurtz Speaks on Improving Thinking Skills in Schizophrenia