Class of 2019 – Page 4

On April 4, students from Wesleyan for Women and Children (WesWAC) attended a fundraiser dinner banquet for ABC Women’s Center at St. Clement’s Castle in Portland, Conn. They were accompanied by University Roman Catholic Chaplain Father Bill Wallace, Adjunct Professor of Spanish Octavio Flores-Cuadra, and several members of the community. ABC Women’s Center provides free and confidential pregnancy resources and services to women and families in the greater Middletown area. Since the nonprofit doesn't receive federal funding, all services are supported by individual contributions, donations, and fundraisers. The banquet's theme was Strong As She. Proceeds will help ABC with its new initiatives such as…

Works by seniors in the Art Studio Program of Wesleyan's Department of Art and Art History are on exhibit through April 28. Exhibitions change each week. The Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery is open from noon to 5 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday; noon to 7 p.m. on Thursday; and noon to 5 p.m. on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The show is free and open to the public. The exhibit includes the following artwork on display April 2 through 7: Cayla Blachman presented "Where To." Shirley See Yan Fang presented her exhibit titled "做得好." (more…)

Two Wesleyan seniors will spend a year abroad working on purposeful international discoveries as 2019 Thomas J. Watson Fellows. Momi Afelin '19 and Justin Kim '19 are among 41 students from 40 partner institutions across the country to receive the prestigious fellowship. The Watson Fellowship is a rare window after college and pre-career for students to engage their deepest interests on a global scale. Fellows conceive original projects, execute them outside of the United States, and gain personal insight, perspective, and confidence. Afelin, a biology and neuroscience and behavior double major, will spend her fellowship year working on a project titled "Island Innovation:…

Wesleyan students and staff traveled to Johnsonburg, N.J., March 18-22 to participate in the fourth annual Office of Religious and Spiritual Life Interfaith Service Trip. The group had representation from the Protestant, Catholic, and Muslim communities. The student participants included Nacala Gadsden '21, Joy Adedokun '19, Fitzroy Pablo Wickham '21, Brynn Assignon '20, and Fatima Sepulveda '21. The trip was led by University Chaplain Rev. Tracy Mehr-Muska and Sandy Durosier '13, area coordinator for residential life. "The purpose of the trip was to engage in community service and learn about other faiths," Mehr-Muska said. The group stayed at the faith-based Johnsonburg Camp…

Two Wesleyan students were inducted into the 2019 American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) Honor Society in March. They are among only 33 students from around the country who were eligible to join the society this year. The inductees, Mackenzie Mitchell '20 and Edelina (Lina) Marzouk '19 are both majoring in molecular biology and biochemistry and the Science in Society Program. They are both members of the ASBMB Student Chapters, have a GPA of over 3.4 on a 4.0 scale, and have demonstrated exceptional achievement in academics, undergraduate research, and science outreach. The students were recognized by the Molecular Biology &…

Several Wesleyan students, faculty, and alumni attended the 50th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC) March 18-22 in The Woodlands, Texas. Members of the Wesleyan Planetary Sciences Group presented their research on a range of planetary bodies. This annual conference brings together international specialists in petrology, geochemistry, geophysics, geology, and astronomy to present the latest results of research in planetary science. Earth and environmental studies major Emmy Hughes '20 presented a poster titled “Observations of Transverse Aeolian Ridges in Digital Terrain Models" during a session on “Planetary Aeolian Processes.” Earth and environmental science graduate student Reid Perkins MA '19 presented a…

Wesleyan announced Wednesday that a design submitted by Gabriel Drozdov ’19 has been selected by popular vote as the University’s next monogram. Drozdov’s submission garnered more than 50 percent of the 6,200 votes cast by Wesleyan community members. "For the monogram, I personally wanted to reintroduce some of Wesleyan’s old spirit back into a new design," Drozdov said. In September of 2018, Wesleyan launched an updated website, featuring new messaging and visual elements. One of those elements was a new monogram that many community members felt did not cohesively represent the University. Wesleyan's administration responded by rolling back the mark,…

On March 4, not three, but four student-run ventures received $5,000 seed grants from the Patricelli Center for Social Entrepreneurship (PCSE). The unrestricted funding is accompanied with training, advising, mentoring, incubator workspace, and other resources from the Patricelli Center. On March 1, six finalists pitched for a panel of judges in Allbritton 311. "As always, the competition was steep, and the judges had a tough time selecting grantees," said Makaela Kingsley ’98, director of the Patricelli Center for Social Entrepreneurship. "In fact, this year they decided to make a special donation to the Patricelli Center so we could offer four grants instead…

Six Wesleyan students were recently honored by Creative Writing at Wesleyan and the English Department. Caridad Cruz '21 is the recipient of the Sophie and Anne Reed Prize. Established by Leon Reed; his sons, S. Chadwick ’41 and Dr. Victor Reed; and his grandson Ted Reed ’70, the prize is named in memory of Sophie Reed and Anne Reed, for the best poem or group of poems. (more…)

More than 25 Wesleyan affiliates attended the 233rd American Astronomical Society Meeting Jan. 6-10 in Seattle, Wash. All current Wesleyan students who attended presented posters of their research. Campus attendees included: Bill Herbst, the John Monroe Van Vleck Professor of Astronomy and professor, integrative sciences; Roy Kilgard, associate professor of the practice in astronomy and associate professor of the practice, integrative sciences; Michael Henderson '19; Allison Quintana '19; graduate student Jessica Klusmeyer; graduate student Ismael Mireles; and graduate student Anthony Santini ’18. Alumni included Hannah Fritze ’18, Aylin Garcia Soto ’18, Prajwal Niraula MA ’18, Amy Steele MA ’14, Nicole Arulanantham MA…

Two graduate students and three undergraduate students are recipients of Fall 2018 NASA Connecticut Space Grant Consortium (CTSGC) awards. They are among 39 students from 13 CTSGC academic affiliate institutions to be honored. NASA CTSGC is a federally mandated grant, internship, and scholarship program that is funded as a part of NASA Education. There are Space Grant Consortia in all 50 states, plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. Earth and environmental science graduate student Christina Cauley received an $8,000 Graduate Research Fellowship for her project “Chemistry and Biology of Giant Hydrothermal Mounds in Paulina Lake, Oregon." Her advisor is Joop…

Sixteen students from the Class of 2019 were elected to early decision membership in Wesleyan University's Gamma Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, Fall 2018. They were honored during an induction ceremony and reception Dec. 5 at the Office of Admission. To be elected, a student must first have been nominated by the department of his or her major. He or she also must have demonstrated curricular breadth by having met the General Education Expectations and must have achieved a GPA of 93 or above. (more…)

Students Attend Banquet to Support Local Women and Children

Seniors Exhibit Art Theses at Zilkha Gallery

Afelin ’19, Kim ’19 Awarded Watson Fellowships for International Exploration

Students Volunteer at Nonprofits during Interfaith Service Trip

2 Students Inducted into the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Honor Society

Students, Faculty, Alumni Present Research at 50th Annual Planetary Science Conference

Drozdov ’19 Wins Wesleyan Monogram Design Competition

Student-Led Ventures Win $5,000 Entrepreneurship Seed Grants

6 Students Honored for Creative Writing, Poetry, Essays

Students, Faculty, Alumni Attend American Astronomical Society Meeting

5 Students Receive NASA Connecticut Space Grant Consortium Fellowships, Awards

16 Seniors Elected to Phi Beta Kappa