Bill FisherWith his Wesleyan undergraduate and graduate students, Assistant Professor of Astronomy Seth Redfield studies exoplanets, the local interstellar medium, and stellar and exoplanetary atmospheres. He talks about the unique opportunity offered through his exoplanet program at Wesleyan, in which students at the undergraduate level participate in cutting-edge research. [youtube]http://youtu.be/PNP5Cgc10go[/youtube] #THISISWHY
Melody Oliphant '13, who double majored in neuroscience and behavior and history at Wes, is now a research associate in a neurogenetics lab at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City. “I’m often awestruck at the seemingly limitless answers to the question, ‘What makes Wesleyan special?’ or ‘What excited me about Wesleyan?’ Yet, in some form or fashion, the answer always remains the same: the people, the sense of community. Throughout my Wesleyan experience, I participated in a disparate array of activities and academic pursuits ranging from environmental activism to my double major, from founding a sorority to participating in…
Kate CarlisleIn this issue of The Wesleyan Connection, we speak with astronomy graduate student Eric Edelman '13, who is one of 16 BA/MA students at Wesleyan. Q: You're one of only a few who pursue the BA/MA option — it seems like a lot of work. But it seems tailor-made for work in the sciences... Are you still happy with your choice? A: Absolutely. The BA/MA program provided me with the possibility to realistically pursue astronomy as a late bloomer in the field. I entered Wesleyan with the plan to major in English, and focused my efforts on that path for my…
Olivia DrakeThree student-led social ventures are the winners of the 2014 Patricelli Center for Social Entrepreneurship Seed Grant Competition. Student representatives from each group will each receive $5,000 in unrestricted startup funds as well as trainings, 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. ”We are thrilled to support the early development of these three breakthrough projects, led…
When Rebecca Coven ’13 decided to dedicate herself to the arduous task of completing a senior honors thesis, she was concerned that no one would ever read her work beyond the few professors grading it. So she was excited to have the opportunity to conduct relevant, timely research on teacher evaluations in the state of Connecticut, and share her findings at a press conference held in Hartford March 6 by the state’s largest teachers union. Together with her advisor, Assistant Professor of Sociology Daniel Long, Coven spent her senior year conducting a review of a teacher evaluation pilot program run…
Robert Borman, athletic facilities maintainer, was recently presented with a Cardinal Achievement Award for his extraordinary efforts during the snowstorm on Feb. 13. The storm dropped 9.5 inches of snow on campus so quickly that snow was piling up in front of critical building entrances and creating dangerously slippery conditions on campus. The Stonehedge landscaping crew could not keep up with the rapidly accumulating snow so Borman stepped up and walked across campus shoveling every building entrance and stairway on central campus at least once. “This was not a normal or typical work assignment for Rob Borman by any account,”…
Mike Conte, associate director in Physical Plant, recently was presented with a Cardinal Achievement Award for his expert handling of serious building emergencies during the winter holiday break, which occurred at all hours. "We are grateful to Mike for going above and beyond the call of duty by responding to an unusual number of late night and weekend emergencies during the especially cold winter break this year," said Joyce Topshe, associate vice president for facilities. Stacy Baldwin, project coordinator in Physical Plant received a Cardinal Achievement Award for her work in advance planning for the winter adverse weather conditions. In November, 2013 Stacy proposed that the…
Nataly Kogan '98 is the co-founder and "chief happiness officer" of Happier.com, a Boston-based happiness company. Kogan immigrated to the United States with her parents from the former Soviet Union when she was thirteen and spent two decades "chasing the big happy," as she calls it. But when even her achievements failed to make her truly happy, Nataly turned to science and became inspired to stop saying "I'll be happy when..." and start thinking "I'm happier now because..." Kogan was a student in the College of Social Studies and met her husband, Avi Grossman Spivack '99, while they were working…
Benjamin TraversTwin comedians Todd '05 and Adam Stone '05 first took the stage as Stone and Stone while at Wesleyan. Today they perform standup together and have been featured on NBC's Last Comic Standing, a series of national Verizon FiOS commercials and in videos on Comedy Central. They have performed at comedy clubs and theaters throughout New York and Los Angeles, including the UCB Theatre, Carolines, Gotham Comedy Club and the Laugh Factory, and they perform regularly at the People's Improv Theater (PIT) and at the New York Friars Club, where they have roasted people including Larry King, George Takei, and…
The Center for the Arts has received a grant of $200,000 to support the Muslim Women Voices Project during its 2014-2015 season. The project, part of the Creative Campus initiative, will present theater, music and dance performances by women from nine different countries. The award, announced Jan. 10, is from the Association of Performing Arts Presenters, a national service and advocacy group. APAP distributes the grants (Wesleyan’s CFA is one of six organizations chosen this year), which are funded through the Building Bridges program of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art. Building Bridges…
On Oct. 22, 2013, in a historic San Francisco industrial space that once housed the printing plant of William Randolph Hearst, nearly 100 Wesleyan alumni and friends enjoyed an intimate and thought-provoking conversation with two of the nation's foremost voices on food and the food industry: Michael Pollan P'15 and Jonathan Bloom '99. The occasion was "Table Talk," an event underwritten by generous Wesleyan donors to help support financial aid; the place was The Box San Francisco, in the South of Market district. President Michael Roth welcomed guests to the event and introduced Pollan and Bloom. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adX_2JUPqzM[/youtube] Watch this video…
Brooks Kraft '87 has been named 2013 International Photographer of the Year, the top honor given by the International Photography Awards (IPA) in its annual competition. The award was announced at New York's Carnegie Hall during the 11th annual Lucie Awards ceremony recognizing the accomplishments of photographers working in editorial, advertising, journalism, fine art, fashion and beyond. The IPA's competition is one of the most ambitious and comprehensive in the photography world today; this year's field included more than 10,000 entries from 103 countries. Kraft received the top honor for his portfolio "The Last Days of Barack Obama’s Campaign," which…