28 nov.-

5 dec.

2005

wellesley senior honors students win schiff fellowships

Twelve Wellesley seniors have received 2005 Schiff Fellowships. Made possible through the Jerome A. Schiff Charitable Trust, these merit awards support the scholarly work of students in the senior honors program. Schiff Fellows receive a minimum award of $2,000. Some Fellows use their awards to reduce work obligations during the academic year to devote more time to research. In addition, students may apply for up to $1,000 to meet thesis-related research expenses. The maximum award is $3,000. The 2005 Schiff Fellows, their majors, research projects and faculty advisors are:

- Mona Ali, physics, for “Expected Properties and Experimental Signals of Bose-Einstein Condensed Phases” (Courtney Lannert).

- Elizabeth Breese, sociology, for “‘Civilizing’ the Military: A Sociological Analysis of Human Rights Education in the United States Army” (Thomas Cushman).

- Dubravka Colic, economics, for “Effects of Minimum Wage on Employment and Poverty: Evidence from Central and Eastern Europe” (Philip Levine).

-Nandita Dinesh, theatre studies, for “Performing Politics: Using Theatre to Address Conflict ”(Nora Hussey).

- XinXin Dui, physics, for “Variational Wavefunction Computations on Two-Dimensional Models of Many-Electron Systems” (Courtney Lannert).

- Adrienne Hathaway, international relations, for “Capturing the Gains from Trade: Lessons from Spain’s Accession into the European Community” (Akila Weerapana).

- Jennifer Kunzendorf, music, for “Understanding Schumann’s Opus 39 Liederkreis through Performance” (Charles Fisk).

- Shoshana Maxwell, anthropology, for “The Influence of Location on Infertility Treatment and Social Perspectives in Senegal” (Anastasia Karakasidou).

- Emily Oldshue, women’s studies, for “Deadbeat Dads, Welfare Moms, and the State” (Rosanna Hertz).

- Munzarin Qayyum, chemistry, for “Poly(N-Isopropylacrylamide) Gels as Potential Drug Delivery Vehicles” (Nolan Flynn).

- Meera Sheffrin, chemistry, for “Using in vivo and ex vivo 1H NMR Spectroscopy to Study Brain Metabolite Ratios in Choline Supplemented Mecp2 Mutant Mice” (Nancy Kolodny).

- Marina Turlakova, economics, for “Determinants of Enterprise Performance in Russia During the Oil Boom” (Akila Weerapana).

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student researcher garners presentation award

Wellesley junior Heather Clark, an environmental studies major, has won the Best Student Presenter Award at the 21st Annual International Conference on Soils, Sediment and Water held at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The award includes a cash prize of $500 presented to each of three students judged to have the best presentation.


Her research, funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, involves the remediation of soil from lead contamination. Clark’s faculty advisor, Dan Brabander, biogeochemistry, calls the award a “wonderful accomplishment for an undergraduate—most of the student presenters were graduate students. After Heather walked one of the judges through major findings of her research, she was offered a job on the spot. I felt compelled to intervene at that point and mention that she still has a year and half to go before graduating!”

Brabander and Clark, in photo at right, will submit a manuscript to the Journal of Environmental Quality later this semester. The professor notes that while Clark’s experience is outstanding, such opportunities are among Wellesley’s strengths. “Early research experiences for our science majors are clearly unique and valuable opportunities for our students,” he said.

“ The conference was a wonderful experience for me to share my research and get feedback from experts, and I was honored to be recognized amongst the exciting projects that are shaping the interdisciplinary field of environmental science,” Clark said.

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helping the hungry

November is Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Month, and the Center for Work and Service is sponsoring a canned and dry food drive through Nov. 30. “Over the years we have donated the food to various organizations in Boston but decided to donate it to A Place to Turn in Natick,” said Melissa Hawkins, director, service and stipend programs. “I felt that we needed to support the people who are possibly the neighbors and friends of faculty and staff who live in Natick.”

Drop-off boxes for donations are located on the first floor of Green Hall, Pendleton Atrium, Wang Campus Center lobby, Science Center main entrance and Knapp Library. For more information, call x2352.

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rcws sponsors red cross blood drive nov. 29

On Tuesday, Nov. 29, from 10 am-3 pm in the Wang Campus Center’s Tishman Commons, the Center for Work and Service will sponsor a blood drive.

To find out if you are eligible to donate blood before making an appointment, visit www.redcross.org/donate/give/. Appointments are necessary for donors and run from 10 am-2:45 pm.
An appointment confirmation e-mail will be sent to your personal e-mail one day before the blood drive. When you arrive for your appointment, nurses and community service staff will be there to direct you. Be prepared to make the usual one-hour wait.

Volunteer workers are also needed; they will work half-hour shifts during the drive at the registration table, distributing required paperwork to donors, or in the canteen, giving refreshments to blood donors and monitoring their progress.

To sign up for an appointment to donate blood or to serve as a volunteer, go to the conference on FirstClass (Wellesley Conferences---> Departments---> Administrative Departments--->Ctr. for Work & Service---> cws-blood-drive-appointments) for more information.

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walk and events commemorate world aids day

The Wellesley College AIDS Committee will commemorate World AIDS Day, Dec. 1, with a week of events.

On Wednesday, Nov. 30, an AIDS Walk of Hope with the theme “Could You Walk a Mile in My Shoes?” will begin at Wang Campus Center, outside Tishman Commons, at 12:30 pm. After the half-hour walk through campus, participants will return to the Wang for refreshments and reflection. Walkers are encouraged to collect pledges for their participation. All proceeds will be donated to the Children’s AIDS Program in Mattapan and the Kenya Network of Women with AIDS in Nairobi, Kenya.

"We hope that people will take an hour out of their day to take action, and reflect on the world AIDS crisis,” said Debby Dowlin ’06, president, Student Global AIDS Campaign.

From Nov. 29-Dec. 4, a shoe exhibit will be displayed in the second floor main hallway of the Wang Center to serve as a reminder of the global AIDS crisis and the millions of people who have died from this disease. For more AIDS events, see calendar, below.

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charitable giving leads to raffle fun

The 2005 Charitable Giving Campaign runs through Monday, Dec. 12, giving faculty and staff an opportunity to give to four agencies: Community Works, Oxfam America, Rosie’s Place and the United Way of Massachusetts Bay. Please send donations to your departmental representative or to Pamela Bristah, Charitable Giving Campaign co-chair, Music Library, x2076.

Everyone who contributes to the campaign is invited to participate in the traditional thank-you celebration and raffle. This fun, festive event features well over a hundred raffle prizes. Last year, prizes included gift certificates to Wasik’s Cheese Shop, Captain Marden’s, the College Club and other businesses, Rolling Stone tour T-shirts, digital cameras, a Gateway cow, books, DVDs, homemade goodies, vintage wine, tickets to basketball and hockey games, a sports club membership and more.

This year’s raffle is set for Monday, Dec. 19, at 9:30 am in the Academic Council Room. “We’re looking for prizes for the raffle,” said Bristah. “If you have an item or a service you’d like to donate, please contact Fran Adams, post office manager, x3564. Your creativity and generosity are welcome.”

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don't miss...professor o’gorman presents halverson lecture

James O’Gorman will present the annual Halverson Lecture, “Homegrown Sources for Louis Kahn’s Projects for Center City, Philadelphia,” on the architect Louis I. Kahn, Tuesday, Nov. 29, at 4:30 pm in Jewett Arts Center, room 450. O’Gorman said his lecture “will explain Kahn’s projects and suggest some of his homegrown sources.” Kahn, though he was educated in the United States at the University of Pennsylvania and the Beaux Art School of Architecture, emigrated to the United States from Estonia with his parents when he was four years old in 1905.

Kahn is known for his many contributions to American architecture, including buildings for universities such as Yale and Bryn Mawr.

“In the 1950s he sketched a series of projects for the redesign of the center of Philadelphia, where he spent most of his life,” O’Gorman said. “In line with traditional American cultural insecurity regarding this country vs. Europe, most historians and critics have looked only abroad for his sources of inspiration. They have not been wrong, but by neglecting to consider the history of Philadelphia itself, they have failed to fathom the full meaning of his work.”

O’Gorman is the Grace Slack McNeil Professor Emeritus of the History of American Art and has taught at Wellesley since 1975. He is the author of several books including The Landscape and Architecture of Wellesley College, published in 2001. For more information, call x2042.

— By Morgan Smith ’07

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colleagues in the news

Opendemocracy.net, a new global forum of opinion, has initiated a debate on the future of democracy. Its editors note that “Democracy today is threatened by dogmas, violence and unaccountable power. Can it resist, sustain itself, and deepen its range and quality across the world? OpenDemocracy’s debate on this question features major thinkers responding to Anthony Barnett and Isabel Hilton’s opening essay.” thomas cushman, sociology, was one of the respondents and his contribution to the debate can be found at www.opendemocracy.net/debates/debate.jsp?debateId=135&id=3.

claire fontijn, music, presented a paper on “Bach Reception and the Lutheran Chorale in the Music of Felix Mendelssohn and Fanny Hensel” at an International Colloquium in Leipzig, Germany, on the Influence of Bach on Mendelssohn and Schumann.

The Colloquium, held in the Leipzig homes of Schumann and Mendelssohn Nov. 3-5, was organized by Christoph Wolff of Harvard University and the Leipzig Bach-Archiv. Fontijn also delivered the paper again at a conference commemorating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Fanny Hensel at the International Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel Conference Nov. 13-15 at Florida State University.

victor kazanjian, dean, Religious and Spiritual Life, was a panelist at “The Inner Voice of Peace,” a dialogue with spiritual and religious leaders, Nov. 16 at Harvard Divinity School. Other panelists included the Rev. Samuel M. Johnson, Boston University School of Theology, and Kristi Eckkardt, spiritual leader, Unity Center, Cambridge.

The interfaith dialogue was coordinated by BK World Spiritual University, a non-governmental organization in consultative status with the U.N. Economic and Social Council and UNICEF.

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calendar

monday november 28

classes resume.

japanese table. 12:30-1:20 pm, Tower Court private dining hall. Info: x7922.

meeting. College Government Senate. 6 pm, Academic Council Room. Info: cgpresident@wellesley.edu.

esl tutoring. 6-8 pm, PLTC small conference room. Info: x2480.

meditation. 7-8:15 pm, lower chapel. Sponsor: Buddhist Community. Info: x2793.

german table. 8-9 pm, Stone. Info: x1685.

bahá’í gathering. 8:30 pm, Freeman. Info: x4188.

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tuesday november 29

class. “Holiday Botanical Art Studio.” (Part 2, 12/6). 10 am-1 pm, Botanic Gardens Visitor Center. Members: $75; others, $95. Sponsor: Friends of Horticulture. Info: x3094.

cws blood drive. 10 am-3 pm, Wang Campus Center Tishman Commons. Appointments required. (See story, page 2.) Info: x2357.

lecture. “Treasures from the Nubian Museum.” Speaker: Osamma Hassoun, museum director. 1:30 pm, Library Lecture Room. Sponsor: Art. Info: x2043.

lecture. “Homegrown Sources for Louis Kahn’s Projects for Center City, Philadelphia.” Speaker: James O’Gorman, art. 4:30 pm, JAC 450. (See story, page 4.) Sponsor: Art. Info: x2042.

lecture. “Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction.” 7-8:30 pm, Houghton Chapel. Info: x2793.

forum. “Israel & Palestine After Disengagement: Where Do We Go from Here?” Speakers: Noam Chomsky, linguistics, MIT; Alan Dershowitz, Harvard Law; Brian Mandell, Kennedy School of Government. Live feed from Harvard’s Institute of Politics. 7-9 pm, PNW 212. Sponsor: Sociology. Info: x2137.

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wednesday november 30

aids walk of hope. 12:30-1:30 pm, Wang Campus Center Tishman Commons. (See story, page 2.) Info: x2821.

concert. Composer Series: Yehudi Wyner. 12:30 pm, Jewett Auditorium. Sponsor: Music. Info: x2028.

chinese table. 12:30-1:20 pm, Bates private dining hall. Info: CSAmail@wellesley.edu.

russian table. 12:30-1:30 pm, FND 416. Info: x3549.

spanish table. 12:30-1:30 pm, Tower Court. Info: x3571.

gathering. 6 pm, lower chapel. Sponsor: Unitarian Universalists. Info: x3484.

film. I, Claudius. 8-10 pm, SCI 277. Sponsor: Classical Studies. Info: x2630.

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thursday december 1

world aids day. (See story, page 2.)

cws workshop. “Writing Effective Cover Letters.” 12:30 pm, GRH 428. Info: x2352.

chinese table. 12:30-1:20 pm, Stone-Davis. Info: CSAmail@wellesley.edu.

arabic table. 12:30-1:30 pm, Tower Court. Info: x2916.

french table. 12:30-1:30 pm, Bates. Info: x2403.

ribbons for aids sale. 12:30-3 pm, Wang Campus Center, fourth floor. $1. Sponsor: Student Global AIDS Campaign. (See story, page 2.) Info: x1258.

italian table. 5:30-6:45 pm, Tower Court. Info: x2616.

esl tutoring. (See 11/28 listing.)

panel. “Fighting for What’s Right: America’s Role in African Development.” 6:30 pm, PNE 239. Sponsor: WALRA. Info: walramail@wellesley.edu.

worship service. 7 pm, lower chapel. Sponsor: Protestant Christian Chaplaincy. Info: x2655.
cws workshop. “Interview Skills for Juniors.” 7 pm, GRH 330. Info: x2352.

meeting. Intervarsity Christian Fellowship. 7-9:30 pm, BIL 100. Info: wivcfmail@wellesley.edu.
concert. Prism Jazz. 7:30 pm, Punch’s Alley. Sponsor: Music. Info: x2028.

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friday december 2

lecture. “Current U.S.-Canadian Relations.” Speaker: Stan Keyes, Canadian Consulate General. 12-2 pm, PNE 225A. Info: CanadianClubmail@wellesley.edu.

prayer/discussion. Muslim communal (Jummah). 12:30-2:30 pm, lower chapel. Info: x2656.

shabbat service. 5:30-6:30 pm, BIL 300. Info: x2685.

bible study. 7 pm, lower chapel. Sponsor: Asian Baptist Student Koinonia. Info: x1831.

performance. Dance Collective. 7-8 pm, Jewett Auditorium. Info: DanceCollectivemail@wellesley.edu.
films. Mad Hot Ballroom, 7 pm; March of the Penguins, 9 pm. Collins Cinema. Info: x7043.

fundraiser. “Salsa Fiesta” for Children’s AIDS Program in Mattapan and Kenya Network for Women with AIDS in Nairobi. 7 pm, Slater International. Donation: $5. (See story, page 2.) Sponsor: Student Global AIDS Campaign. Info: x1258.

concert. Wellesley Widows. 8 pm, Houghton Chapel. Info: Widowsmail@wellesley.edu.

upstage theatre. The Real Thing. Director: J. Rachel Anderson ’07. 8 pm, Barstow Stage, Alumnae Hall. Cost: Wellesley/MIT/Olin, free; others, $10. Info: x2220.

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saturday december 3

now conference. “Take Back the Fight.” 9 am-4 pm, PNE 239. Sponsor: Women for Choice.
Info: WomenforChoicemail@wellesley.edu.

theatre. The Real Thing. 2 and 8 pm. (See 12/2 listing.)

concert. Awaken the Dawn. 4-6 pm, Collins Cinema. Info: Awakenmail@wellesley.edu.

films. March of the Penguins, 7 pm; Mad Hot Ballroom, 9 pm. Collins Cinema. Info: x7043.

concert. Yanvalou. 8-10 pm, Jewett Auditorium. Sponsor: Music. Info: x2028.

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sunday december 4

worship service. 11:15 am, Houghton Chapel. Sponsor: Protestant Christian Chaplaincy. Info: x2655.

theatre. The Real Thing. 2 and 7 pm. (See 12/2 listing.)

catholic mass. 4 pm, Houghton Chapel. Sponsor: Newman Catholic Ministry. Info: x2688.

meeting. Darshana. 5 pm, lower chapel. Sponsor: Hindu Community. Info: x2794.

christmas vespers concert. 8 pm, Houghton Chapel. Sponsor: Music. Info: x2028.

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monday december 5

japanese table. (See 11/28 listing.)

meeting. CG Senate.(See 11/28 listing.)

esl tutoring. (See 11/28 listing.)

meditation. (See 11/28 listing.)

german table. (See 11/28 listing.)

bahá’í gathering. (See 11/28 listing.)

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ongoing

cws food drive. Boxes in Green Hall, PNE 225A, Wang Campus Center, Science Center, Knapp. Through 11/30. (See story, page 1.) Info: x2352.

exhibit. Coastal Botanicals: Recent Botanical Art from Nantucket and Beyond by Wendy Hollender. Botanic Gardens Visitor Center, through 12/10. Sponsor: FOH. Info: x3504.

exhibits. Hold: Vessel 1. Etchings to Rexroth. Mural by Aaron Noble. Extended Boundaries. Through 12/18. DMCC. Info: x2051.

aids shoe exhibit. Wang Campus Center, second floor, through 12/4. Sponsor: Student Global AIDS Campaign. (See story, page 2.) Info: x1258.

exhibit. The Joy of Discovery: Works of Science. Clapp Library Reading Room, through 1/27. Info: x2129.

exhibit. The Poet and the Illustrator. Clapp Library, fourth floor, through 1/31. Info: x2129.

book sale. Clapp Library reading room. Donations: 50 cents to $4. Info: x2894.94.

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