student achievements

As 2016 Watson Fellows, Noah Hamlish '16 will examine the effects of aquaculture in coastal communities and Chando Mapoma '16 will investigate alternatives to immigrant detention. The Thomas J. Watson Fellowship is a one-year grant for purposeful, independent study awarded to graduating college seniors. Fellows conceive original projects, execute them outside of the United States, and embrace the ensuing journey. Fellows receive a $30,000 stipend and are required to submit quarterly reports. (more…)

On May 29, pre-frosh Max Wimer ’19 swam laps for 60 minutes to raise money for children affected by the April 25 Nepal magnitude-7.8 earthquake that killed more than 8,000 people and injured an additional 23,000. The event, titled "Swim for Nepal," was part of the Save the Children Fund non-profit group that promotes children's rights, provides relief and helps support children in developing countries. More than $37,000 was donated, with Wimer as one of the fundraisers, collecting $2,175. This is not the first charity event for Wimer, who organized and swam in the 2013 "Swim for the Philippines" event. On Oct. 15, 2013,…

The Wesleyan Argus student newspaper had a big showing at the Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists' Excellence in Journalism awards dinner on May 21. Gabe Rosenberg '16, co-editor-in-chief of the Argus last semester, won a Bob Eddy Scholarship to Foster Journalism Careers, and Argus writers won several other awards, sweeping the editorial/op-ed category in the college competition.

#THISISWHY Wesleyan students Selin Kutlu ’16, Jacob “Jack” Lashner ’16 and Aaron Young ’16 have been chosen for honorable mention by the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program for the 2015-2016 academic year. The award is presented annually to U.S. sophomores and juniors for excellence in mathematics, science and engineering. This year’s recipients were selected from a field of more than 1,200 students nominated by faculty from more than 420 colleges and universities nationwide. Less than half the students nominated each year are selected as a scholar or for honorable mention. Kutlu, a molecular biology and biochemistry and…

Restorative justice practices, such as victim-offender mediation, family group conferencing, programs for juvenile offenders, and community policing, emerged to give victims and their surrounding communities greater agency than traditional criminal procedure provides to resolve conflict and address its consequences. As a 2015-16 Watson Fellow, Isabella Banks '15 will travel to countries where restorative justice has had success, acting as a participant-observer in these practices. Banks will interview individuals involved and evaluate the capacity of restorative alternatives to heal those affected by crime and reduce recidivism within each cultural context. "In doing so, I hope to come closer to envisioning a…

#THISISWHY In this News @ Wesleyan story, we speak with Brent Packer from the Class of 2015. Q: Brent, where are you from and what are you majoring in? A: I was born and raised in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Growing up nearby Amish farms and having tortoises, dogs and a semi-domesticated duck scampering around my house piqued my environmental interests. At Wesleyan, I’m a member of the College of the Environment with a double major in economics and environmental studies. Q: You are the founder of Potlux, an online community where collegiate sustainability initiatives are aggregated and shared. What is the…

Mateusz “Matt” Burgunder ’15 recently competed in the 2015 Ski Mountaineering World Championships in Verbier, Switzerland where the U.S. National Ski Mountaineering Team finished in 10th place overall. This was Burgunder's fourth time competing for the U.S., participating in three events. Competitors race by climbing up and skiing down mountains at a rate of approximately 3,000 feet per hour. The 2015 Ski Mountaineering World Championships, hosted by the International Ski Mountaineering Federation, were held Feb. 6–12. More information about the U.S. Ski Mountaineering Association and the 2015 World Championships can be found online. See photos of Burgunder's events below: (more…)

Writing in Tikkun Magazine, government major Rachel Unger '15 offers a first-hand account of Israeli-Palestinian relations she witnessed during her two trips to the region, and how these experiences shaped her views of a "two-state solution" to the ongoing conflict. Unger describes watching "religious Jews marching through the Muslim quarter of the Old City celebrating the 'reunification' of Jerusalem while the authorities blocked Palestinians from the streets with barricades and prevented an old man from taking the bus to his home. I witnessed police knocking a Palestinian man to the ground while hordes of young Yeshiva boys cheered and sang 'Am Yisrael Chai!'" She…

Wesleyan’s Patricelli Center for Social Entrepreneurship announced the winners of the 2015 PCSE Seed Grant Challenge. These student-led social ventures will each receive $5,000 in unrestricted funds as well as training, advising, mentoring, incubator workspace and other resources from the Patricelli Center. Recipients were selected from a strong pool of finalists who submitted written business plans and pitched to a panel of expert judges comprised of alumni, students, faculty and staff. Applicants were assessed on their project design, leadership qualities and potential for social impact. The 2015 Seed Grant recipients are: (more…)

#THISISWHY In this Q&A, we speak with Peter Blasser, a music graduate student. Q: What was your first experiences with music? When did you decide that music would be your life work? A: I was in elementary school in the 1980s when music programs were still part of the public school curriculum. I remember that those music classes were not very noteworthy at the time. In middle school I took a wood shop class and liked working with the tools. After taking classical civilization classes, I started to triangulate all three — I wanted to work with wood to make ancient Greek…

In this Q&A we speak with Katie McLaughlin from the Class of 2015. (Story and photos by Hannah Norman '16) Q: Katie, what are you majoring in? A: I'm majoring in French and environmental studies with the certificate in international relations. For my capstone project in the environmental studies major, I am researching the academic justifications of contemplative pedagogy and developing a curriculum which integrates it and movement-based learning into elementary school, high school and adult education. The goals of the curriculum are to explore the environment through physical inquiry and embodiment, reevaluate the ways we perceive ourselves as a part of, or…

Two Wesleyan students and two alumni participated in the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights Ripple of Hope Gala and Awards Dinner in New York City in December. During the event, Ripple Awards were presented to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, entertainers/ philanthropists Robert De Niro and Tony Bennett, and Physicians Interactive Chairman Donato Tramuto. Ella Israeli '17, a government major minoring in film studies film studies, was chosen to introduce New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who presented the Ripple of Hope Award to De Niro. Israeli also spoke about her involvement in the center's film contest. Her speech is online here.…

Watson Fellows to Study Aquaculture, Immigrant Detention Abroad

Wimer ’19 Raises $2,175 in “Swim for Nepal” Fundraising Event

Argus Wins Big in Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists’ Competition

3 Students Receive Goldwater Honorable Mentions

Watson Fellow Banks ’15 to Study Restorative Justice Practices in 4 Countries

Packer ’15 Creates Online Community to Unify Collegiate Sustainability Movement

Burgunder ’15 Competes in Ski Mountaineering World Championships

Unger ’15 Writes about “Coexistence and its Discontents” in Israel, Palestine

PCSE Awards Seed Grants to Student-Led Ventures

Graduate Student Blasser Hand Crafts Analog Instruments

McLaughlin ’15 Helps Students Discover Body-Mind Awareness through WesBAM! Classes

Israeli ’17 Speaks at Awards Gala Hosted by the Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights