Cynthia RockwellSeptember 24, 20102min
Jonathan Schwartz '87, former CEO of Sun Microsystems, recently announced a new venture in the area of health technology called Picture of Health. In a recent blog, Schwartz writes: "We’re not saying much beyond 'we’re focusing on the intersection of innovation and public health,' but we are starting to build out a dev and design team. So if you care about health and technology, we’d love to hear from you here. "Why are we focusing on health? It’s ultimately a personal choice for both of us. For me, perhaps the most satisfying part of my last job was seeing Sun’s…

Cynthia RockwellSeptember 24, 20102min
The eight portraits are larger-than-life, eight feet tall, of heroic proportions. Four of the subjects wear the baggy, bright orange garb of prisoners—which they are. The other four subjects are teens who have an incarcerated parent. In each painting, background icons—a hand grabbing the ankle, a daughter at the ocean, a zoo, family photographs from the past, a mask falling into a breaking mirror—depict the stories of these lives affected by the correctional system. The oil and acrylic portraits were produced in what San Francisco artist and teacher Evan Bissell ’05 calls a “collaborative dialogue. They were on exhibit at SOMArts…

David LowSeptember 2, 20101min
Daphne Kwok ’84, a Wesleyan Board of Trustee member, was recently appointed by President Obama to serve as chair of the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Her new position will require her to be “the eyes and ears” of the Asian American community. She will continue to perform her current job as executive director of Asians and Pacific Islanders with Disabilities of California. Kwok was recently interviewed by New America Media and was asked what were some of the issues she will focus on immediately. She said: “The key issues will include the economy, jobs, education…

Cynthia RockwellSeptember 2, 20102min
Cynthia Baker '84, associate professor of religious studies at Bates College, received $50,400 from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to support her research into one of history’s most fraught identity terms: Jew. The NEH grant will allow Baker to research and write a book set for publication in the “Key Words in Jewish Studies,” series published by Rutgers University Press. Baker notes that no studies exist that analyze the use and the historical development—from ancient times through the postmodern era—of ‘Jew’ as a term. Baker’s year-long research will involve experts and archives in the U.S., Europe, and Israel.…

Cynthia RockwellSeptember 2, 20101min
Steven Barg ’84 has been named co-head of Asian Equity Capital Markets for Goldman Sachs based in Hong Kong. Prior to joining Goldman Sachs, he was head of Asian Global Capital Markets for UBS Investment Bank. He had previously been a managing director with Credit Suisse. An American studies and English double major at Wesleyan,  Barg spent a year in Hong Kong as a Henry Luce Scholar prior to earning his MBA from Stanford University.

Cynthia RockwellSeptember 2, 20101min
Thomas J. Sabatino Jr.'80 is senior vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary of UAL Corporation and United Airlines, its principal subsidiary company, based at the company's world headquarters in Chicago. He also is a member of United’s executive council. Prior to joining United this year, he was executive vice president and general counsel of Schering-Plough Corporation, where he oversaw a number of functions, including the law department, public affairs, security and administrative services. Previously, he served as senior vice president and general counsel for Baxter International, Inc. in Deerfield, Ill. A government major at Wesleyan, he earned his bachelor’s…

David LowSeptember 1, 20103min
New Haven, Conn. resident Taylor Ho Bynum ’98, an acclaimed avant-garde jazz cornetist and composer, is undertaking a strenuous 1,000-mile bicycle concert tour in September of all six New England states. He will travel by bike for two weeks to 10 venues from New Haven to Portland, Maine, and back. As part of his Acoustic Bicycle Tour, Bynum will perform at Wesleyan’s Crowell Concert Hall on Saturday, Sept. 11 at 8 p.m. with vibraphonist and Wesleyan music professor Jay Hoggard ’76. (Click here to order tickets.) Bynum has also performed with Wesleyan music professor Anthony Braxton in several jazz concerts…

David LowAugust 3, 20103min
Jessica Posner ’09 was declared the top world-changer among all Americans under 25 in the 'Do Something Awards,' at a live broadcast on July 19  from the Hollywood Palladium on VH1. She received $100,000 for Shining Hope for Communities, an organization she co-founded that last August with Kennedy Odede '12 and that created the first free school for girls in Kibera, Africa’s largest slum. A Denver resident, Posner was selected among five finalists by voting on the Internet.  She also has started a gardening program, a library, an Internet-ready computer center and introduced ecologically friendly latrines. In August, Shining Hope…

David LowAugust 3, 20101min
Somerville, Mass. resident Sasha Chanoff ’94, founder of Mapendo International, will receive this year’s  Charles Bronfman Prize for his work rescuing thousands of African refugees overlooked by other organizations. This humanitarian prize annually recognizes and awards $100,000 to an individual under the age of 50 who has contributed to the betterment of the world and has been influenced by Jewish values. Read more in the Somerville Journal.

Olivia DrakeAugust 3, 20101min
Jason Jacobs ’98 is the founder and CEO of the iPhone application RunKeeper. RunKeeper "makes tracking your workouts fun, social, and easy to understand so that you can improve the quality of your fitness." Jacobs works with a staff of eight people and has more than 20,000 followers on Facebook. Jacobs sold about 5,200 copies of his app in the first two months. He now has more than 2 million users. Time Magazine named RunKeeper as a "Top 10 iPhone App" in 2009.

David LowAugust 3, 20102min
Benjamin Lyons ’81, who runs the independent label Valid Records, was recently interviewed by Dan Godston at Examiner.com. Lyons talks about his early musical influences while growing up in Pennsylvania, his thoughts on the music scene in New Orleans, and running the record label. Valid Records is dedicated to presenting the creative possibilities of the New Orleans music scene and has released recordings by artists such as Rob Wagner, Jonathan Freilich, and Hamid Drake. The following is an excerpt from the interview: Dan Godston: How did you get the idea to start Valid Records? Benjamin Lyons: By the late ’90s,…