Wellesley News

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Wellesley observes World Water Day with the work of Marianne Moore, associate professor of biological sciences. Moore and a team including Katie Wright '12 will return to Russia's Lake Baikal this summer. A photo highlight of their work appeared in a Washington Post Gallery. 

Zoe Moyer '15 and Elizabeth Haynes '15 spearheaded "Live Below the Line," an initiative designed to raise awareness of global poverty. They led 63 students in a challenge to live on just $1.50 per day for food purchases for five days.

The New York Times reports on research by Wellesley's Heather Mattila, assistant professor of biological sciences. Her research showed that honey bee queens who mate with many males have more “good” bacteria in their bodies, and that their promiscuity leads to healthier hives.

Linda Carli, senior lecturer in psychology, who coauthored a recent book titled Through the Labyrinth: The Truth About How Women Become Leaders , spoke with The Atlantic for an article on why women don't act more like men in the workplace.

Wellesley's head swimming and diving coach Bonnie Dix earned New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Coach of the Year honors. Dix and assistant coach Carlos Vega led the Blue to a third place conference finish, Wellesley's best showing since 2007.

"With a French Accent," a groundbreaking collaboration between the Davis and the American Antiquarian Society, opens today at the Davis Museum with a reception from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. The exhibit, which recently appeared on The Boston Globe 's To Do List, will be on view from March 14 through June 3.

Karen “Kémi” Kemirembe '12, a double major in biology and Spanish, left her home in Uganda to study at Wellesley College, some 7000 miles away. As a Davis United World College Scholar, opportunities in places from North Dakota to Spain to Ecuador have taken her around the world again.

In an opinion piece in the Washington Post, Wellesley President H. Kim Bottomly writes, "Whether 50 percent of your students are women or 100 percent are, every college and university should have as a priority an investment in the leadership potential of women everywhere."

Frances Malino, Sophia Moses Robison Professor of Jewish Studies and History at Wellesley College, has been named a Chevalier (Knight) of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques in recognition of her outstanding academic research and teaching in French history.

The Wellesley Centers for Women, the nation's largest gender-focused research and action organization, opens a lunchtime seminar series (Thursdays thru April 12) on March 8 with Amy Hoffman, editor-in-chief of Women's Review of Books, reading from her forthcoming memoir. 

Panagiotis Metaxas, computer science professor and founder of Wellesley’s Media Arts and Sciences Program, presents at Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet & Society symposium, Truthiness in Digital Media. The event addresses propaganda and misinformation in new media.

The Wellesley College Leadership Development Program pilot will prepare 15 selected administrative employees for future leadership opportunities at the College, with Wellesley's "house blend" of leadership, collaboration, and creative thinking. Nominate a staff member today!

Second generation Chinese American author, journalist, activist, and Fulbright Scholar Helen Zia opened Wellesley's celebration of Asian Awareness month with a talk examining the progress of Asian American activism since the start the Asian American Civil Rights Movement in 1982.

Wellesley alums, including Hillary Clinton '69, Madeleine Albright '59, and Nora Ephron '62, appear in Makers, an AOL and PBS initiative aiming to be the "largest and most dynamic collection of women’s stories ever assembled." In one clip, Clinton discusses the benefits of women's colleges; in another, her devotion to women's rights worldwide.

Lucy Marcus '93 ranked 19th on the Reuters & Klout 50 list of “Most Influential Execs on the Web" and, in November, was recognized with the Thinkers 50 “Future Thinkers" award. Marcus has emerged as a leading voice on future-proofing boardrooms and companies around the world. 

Wellesley's Michael P. Jeffries, assistant professor of American studies and contributor to The Guardian, recently wrote about a new news and political show on MSNBC through which, according to Jeffries, host Melissa Harris-Perry "unabashedly brings the content of 'nerddom' to a massive viewing audience."

Library & Technology Services presents the first in a series of symposia, Liberal Arts Learning in the Digital Age. Today Mala Radhakrishnan (chemistry), Orit Shaer (computer science), Brian Tjaden (computer science), and Michelle Ferreirae '13 discuss interdisciplinary science. Participate on campus at 4:00 pm in SCI 278 or via live stream .

Fazeelat Aslam '07 (not pictured) coproduced Saving Face, winner of the 2012 Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject). It follows a British-Pakistani plastic surgeon's journey to Pakistan and his work with survivors of acid attacks. Photo: Oscar.com

Wellesley President H. Kim Bottomly and students from Wellesley’s a capella groups, including the international group Colour Is Music, sent a musical birthday greeting to alumna, benefactor, and trustee emerita Kathryn Davis '28, who celebrates her 105th birthday on February 25.

Students from Clare Boothe Luce Assistant Professor of Computer Science Orit Shaer's Tangible User Interface course explore how we'll interact with computers in the future by inventing user-computer interfaces (such as the costume pictured) using sensors, actuators, and gesture recognition. (Part of a series about teaching at Wellesley.)

The Los Angeles Times, among many others, reported on findings by Assistant Professor of Economics Brett Danaher and a colleague from the University of Minnesota. Studying trends around BitTorrent file-sharing, they estimated that film piracy reduced international box office returns by 7 percent.

WBUR's Radio Boston host Anthony Brooks spoke with Radcliffe Bailey about the opening of his "Memory as Medicine" exhibit at the Davis Museum. The exhibit is on display now through May 6. Read about it or listen to the interview online.

In studying a plant compound shown to have anti-cancer properties, Dora Carrico-Moniz, assistant professor of chemistry at Wellesley, and her students have found a new compound that exhibits potent activity against pancreatic cancer cells. (In photo: Maria Jun '14, Carrico-Moniz.) 

Some of the most famous love letters ever written have been digitized by Wellesley and Baylor University. The 573 letters exchanged by poets Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Robert Browning, which are owned and housed by Wellesley, are now available online in their original, handwritten form (AP).

Radcliffe Bailey's "Memory as Medicine" exhibition will be on display at the Davis Museum February 15 through May 6. Bailey spoke to WBUR's Anthony Brooks from campus while installing his work.

Ana Revenga ’85 co-directed The 2012 World Development Report on Gender Equality and Development. She writes: “Gender equality is both fundamental to and a means for development. Countries need to work hard at achieving it....” Revenga will speak at Wellesley on February 22 .

In honor of National Girls and Women in Sports Day, the Wellesley College Department of Physical Education, Recreation and Athletics hosts Title IX: 40 Years & Counting , a panel discussion featuring Kristine Lilly, Carol Stiff, Melissa Ludtke ’73, and more, on February 13. Free and open to the public.

Renowned jazz musician Vijay Iyer (left) and experimental music scholar George Lewis perform with "Voyager," a device Lewis developed that can listen to an improviser's performance and react in real time. The concert is February 10 in Houghton Chapel.

In a recent Women's Media Center article about the Women in Public Service Project, Wellesley President Kim Bottomly (2nd on left, with college presidents and Hillary Clinton '69) discussed the key role that leading women's colleges will play in increasing the number of women in public service.

Susan McGee Bailey ’63 (left), Wendy Gillespie ’72, and Mary Jeanne Kreek ’58 will receive Alumnae Achievement Awards on Feb. 16. Since 1970, the annual Awards have recognized alumnae for achievement and distinction in their fields. Award celebration is free and open to the public.

Wellesley College neuroscience faculty members were awarded grants totalling more than $2.6 million in 2011, enabling unparalleled research opportunities for Wellesley students. In the last decade, neuroscience has become one of the most popular majors at Wellesley.

A study coauthored by Brett Danaher, assistant professor in economics, Siwen Chen '11, and researchers from Carnegie Mellon University is stirring up debate around the French copyright law known as HADOPI.

Renowned travel writer Pico Iyer launches The Susan and Donald Newhouse Center for the Humanities 2012 Spring Distinguished Writers Series, reading from his newly released book, The Man Within My Head. Five more noted writers will come to Wellesley through April 10.

In a series called "Lessons to My Younger Self," Wellesley College President H. Kim Bottomly told The Daily Muse,  an online publication and community of women, that she would give her younger self the same advice she gives her daughters and Wellesley students: "Focus on what matters to you."

Madeleine Albright '59 spoke with WBUR's Radio Boston about women's rights, diplomacy, and breaking through the proverbial glass ceiling during a visit to campus in January. (Photo: Jessica Alpert, Radio Boston).

While on campus for the Albright Institute Wintersession, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright '59 revisted her old student haunts, including El Table cafe, where she had been student manager. The Globe reports on the unveiling of the cafe's new sandwich, the Madeleine All-Bite.

Seventeen Wellesley students traveled to New Orleans last week with leaders from the College's Center for Work and Service. They were there to build a home with Habitat for Humanity in an area still suffering from Hurricane Katrina devastation.

On January 24, the former Secretary of State and former World Bank president close the 2012 Albright Institute with a talk about how international organizations must face the challenges of changing times. In Diana Chapman Walsh Alumnae Hall at 4:00 pm. Free and open to the public.

Kamilah Welch '12 is one of 25 Fellows selected for the Woodrow Wilson-Rockefeller Brothers Fund Fellowships for Aspiring Teachers of Color. Fellows are nominated and chosen through a competitive selection process.  

During a volunteer trip, Charlotte Hulme '14 (l) was inspired by teenager Abdulai Sesay (r) to organize Arms Around Sierra Leone, which works with a local hospital to identify patients in need and raises money to fund prosthetic limbs for amputees, giving them new opportunities and hope.

A Boston Globe  story profiled Associate Professor of Chemistry David Haines and his wife, Nancy. The Haineses are among the world’s largest dealers of books by and about Quakers. (Photo: Debee Tlumacki for The Boston Globe)

Wellesley President H. Kim Bottomly and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright '59 talked to  British Vogue  and USA Today  about women in politics. The interviews look toward the Women in Public Service Project of the U.S. State Department and Seven Sisters Colleges.

Lynn Sherr '63, broadcast journalist and author of America the Beautiful: The Stirring True Story Behind Our Nation’s Favorite Song, takes issue with uninformed and inaccurate quoting of the anthem written by Wellesley professor Katharine Lee Bates in 1893.

The renovation of the Whitin Observatory at Wellesley College has received silver LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Certification by LEED is the recognized standard for measuring building sustainability in the United States and countries around the world.

Forty young women will learn how to become effective world leaders this month at Wellesley’s Madeleine Korbel Albright Institute for Global Affairs, which kicks off its Wintersession Program on January 4, 2012. The institute brings students into a hands-on world of policy-making.

Education specialist Elaine Wolfensohn '58 (left) and former World Bank President James Wolfensohn are the Mary Jane Durnford Lewis '59 Distinguished Visiting Professors and join former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright '59 in training Wellesley students for global leadership.

Twelve winning projects include leaders and team members from all three colleges. "We were gratified to see the number, quality, and variety and applications,” said Three-College Collaboration Director Adele J. Wolfson (left).

Wellesley joined Secretary of State Clinton, sister colleges, luminaries, and emerging leaders from around the world in Washington D.C. for the launch of the Women in Public Service Project, which envisions a world where political and civic leadership is at least 50 percent female by 2050. 

Joy St. John, Wellesley’s director of admission, appeared on the National Public Radio show  Tell Me More  recently to talk about how parents and students can succeed in navigating the college admissions process. 

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ‘69, with Wellesley and four sister colleges, launches an initiative to increase the number of women in public service. The Project’s first event takes place Dec. 15, gathering international leaders, policymakers, students, and researchers. 

At a recent London event on women and democracy featuring President Kim Bottomly, Madeleine Albright '59, and other Wellesley alumnae, journalist Charlie Beckett, director of Polis, spoke about Wikileaks and the changing media landscape from uprisings to mainstream politics.

Assistant Professor of American Studies Michael P. Jeffries analyzes two unconventional rappers with "Drake, Childish Gambino and the Specter of Black Authenticitiy" in The Atlantic.  

The London School of Economics and Wellesley's Madeleine Korbel Albright Institute for Global Affairs hosted a series of talks, panels, and discussions on global political challenges and women in democracy.  President Bottomly's blog describes the event; Albright's talk is online.  

With Italy's leadership shakeups and new "government of experts," Italian language newspaper America Oggi interviewed Professor of Italian Studies David Ward about the role of elites in public life. Ward's last book was about Piero Gobetti, a thinker and activist focused on elites.   

In a letter to the editor, Wellesley’s Courtney Coile and Philip Levine (left) respond to an op-ed that cited their book, Reconsidering Retirement. The econ professors point out the flat retirement rate since 2006 and challenge the opinion that the recession has caused retirement delays.

Wellesley's Tiana Ramos '13 was awarded the Environmental Protection Agency’s Greater Research Opportunities Fellowship, an endowment that provides financial support and a paid summer internship at an EPA facility.

Jonathan Imber, the Jean Glasscock Professor of Sociology, analyzes recent student protests at Harvard and Penn State in Education News this week in an article called "When Adolescent Culture Goes to College." He regularly teaches Social Problems of Youth, among other courses.

Wellesley College student teams recently won honors in computer interface design competitions, including American Computing Machinery’s Symposium on UIST 2011 Student Competition and the International Genetically Engineered Machine 2011 Americas Regional Jamboree.

Flavia Laviosa, senior lecturer in Italian Studies and faculty for the Cinema & Media Studies major, is the creator and editor of the newly established Journal of Italian Cinema and Media Studies .  Ljubica Ristovska '13 serves as the journal's editorial assistant. 

Wellesley College Athletics had several major victories this fall. From Crew's sweep of the Seven Sisters Championship to Tennis’ big win at the 2011 New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Championship, and more, Wellesley Blue enjoyed a successful sports season.

Wellesley's Mala Radhakrishnan, assistant professor of chemistry, uses clever analogies in her poetry to teach subjects like thermodynamics, kinetics and molecular reactions. She recently spoke with PBS NewsHour about her book "Atomic Romances, Molecular Dances." 

National Public Radio aired a StoryCorps-recorded conversation between NPR journalist Linda Wertheimer '65 and Wellesley Professor Emeritus Karl "Chip" Case about his early years at Wellesley, how he "tricked" students into understanding economics, and his own educational journey.

The Washington Post today published an op-ed by Knafel Assistant Professor in the Social Sciences Hahrie Han. The piece appears in the Innovation Section (edited by Emi Kolawole '04), and suggests means to increase the capacity for compromise among lawmakers.  

Governor Deval Patrick today announced $7.4 million in grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund to support building projects for nonprofit arts, heritage, and science organizations across the Commonwealth. The Davis Museum and Cultural Center is among the recipients. 

The first “Women in Public Service Summer Institute" will be held at Wellesley in June 2012. As part of a State Department project announced in March by Secretary Hillary Clinton '69, the project seeks to increase the number of women in public service leadership positions worldwide. 

Donald Elmore, Associate Professor of Chemistry, has been awarded a Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award for $60,000 from the Dreyfus Foundation for research on antimicrobial peptides, bacteria-killing proteins that may be an alternative to antibiotics. 

Professor Kathy Moon was invited to an October State Luncheon in honor of the visit of Republic of Korea President Lee and Mrs. Kim Yoon-Ok. Professor Moon met author and novelist Chang-rae Lee (both pictured). The event included opening remarks by Hillary Clinton ’69. 

Jenny Lu (pictured) and Zsofia Schweger will each receive grants from the Pamela Daniels '59 Fellowship to pursue their dream projects: For Lu, a study on cochlear implants and deaf children's development; for Schweger, a multimedia exploration of the meaning of "home."

A team of students led by Professor Kim McLeod, chair of the Astronomy Department, used the 24-inch telescope in Wellesley's Whitin Observatory to record the 1,300-meter diameter asteroid that passed within about 201,700 miles of Earth.  

William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Political Science Marion Just was invited by The New York Times to contribute to its "Room for Debate" feature this week, tackling the topic: Should voting be mandatory?

Samira Daswani ‘12 (pictured), Lucy Liu ’13, and Sophia Mo ’14 are the recipients of the 2011 Katharine Malone Prizes for Academic Excellence. The annual prizes are given to students who contribute to the Wellesley College community and achieve academic excellence.

The Globe interviews two bellfounders from England here at Wellesley this week to clean and calibrate the bells of the carillon in Galen Stone Tower, as well as Margaret Angelini '85, teacher and advisor to the 25-member student Guild of Carillonneurs.

Wellesley Art Dept. Chair Pat Berman led the organization of an exhibit opened by (l-r) Crown Princess Mary of Denmark; Edward Gallagher, president of the American-Scandinavian Foundation; King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, Queen Silvia of Sweden behind Berman, and President Tarja Halonen of Finland.

Assistant Professor of Political Science Paul K. MacDonald's article, "The Wisdom of Retrenchment," co-authored with Joseph Parent of University of Miami, is a cover story in the current issue of Foreign Affairs.

Kiplinger personal finance magazine has listed Wellesley among its top 10 values in liberal arts education, noting, "This elite school provides need-based financial aid to 60 percent of its students and meets the full need of those who qualify."

Professors Eni Mustafaraj (pictured) and Panagiotis Metaxas will develop an application to explore digital “trails of trustworthiness” and provide real-time information about a message sender’s reputation on social media.

The Susan and Donald Newhouse Center for the Humanities presents Deborah Treisman, fiction editor for The New Yorker , with writers Hilton Als and Aleksandar Hemon in a conversation about working in the genres of fact and fiction on December 8, 2011.

The Davis reopens for the academic year with four remarkable exhibits: Double Solitaire: The Surreal Worlds of Kay Sage and Yves Tanguy , Global Flora: Botanical Imagery and Exploration , The Reveal: Sculptures from the Davis Collections , and Five Watercolors by Madame Chiang Kai-shek '17 . Opening Celebration Oct. 19, 5-7 pm.

In 2010, Wellesley's Eni Mustafaraj and Panagiotis Metaxas found that Twitter could not reliably predict congressional election outcomes; their work was cited in a Wall Street Journal article this month.

Five of England’s top Shakespearean actors bring Shakespeare's The Tempest to life for three performances only at Wellesley College, October 20-22. Free and open to the public.

Louise O’Neal, former Director of Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation, was honored on October 10 with the Nike Lifetime Achievement and Legacy Award, given to those who help further women in sports through participation and leadership.

On view from October 19 through January 15, Wellesley presents Double Solitaire: The Surreal Worlds of Kay Sage and Yves Tanguy, the first major touring exhibition to feature both Surrealist artists. All events are free and open to the public.

CIO Ravi Ravishanker is rolling out a desktop virtualization infrastructure for Wellesley College networks, and Network World magazine interviewed him about the college's approach and strategic benefits to implementing this relatively new technology.

Opening October 19, the Davis Museum at Wellesley College presents Global Flora: Botanical Imagery and Exploration , an exhibition linking the history of botanical imagery with the adventure of exploration and effects of globalization on our contemporary world.

The New York Times Education section today focuses on flash mobs as a new part of student life, and talks to First-Year Dean Lori Tenser about Wellesley's Orientation 2011 flash mob. On the website BostInnovation, Wellesley's "Firework"-driven dance was voted best flash mob.

In a letter to the editor, Wellesley College President H. Kim Bottomly points out weaknesses in the report covered in a  Times  article, "Single-Sex Education Is Assailed in Report," and calls attention to the confidence and skills of Wellesley graduates.

This fall, the Concert Series at Wellesley College brings a diverse array of internationally renowned performers to campus, featuring both visiting artists and members of the performing faculty. All concerts are free and open to the public. 

Psychology Professor Angela Bahns was lead researcher for a study on friendship at small and large colleges. Her article “Social ecology of similarity," recently published in  Group Processes and Intergroup Relations,  indicates friends are more dissimilar but closer at small colleges. 

Wellesley Centers for Women senior research scientist Nan Stein was among invitees—individuals who have worked to promote awareness for gender and sexual violence—at a reception hosted by Vice President and Dr. Biden honoring the 17th Anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act.

A $55,000 gift from the Mellon Foundation will establish innovation awards and help launch the first inter-campus academic program in sustainability at Babson, Olin, and Wellesley.

Wellesley Professor Stephen Marini will lend knowledge of American hymnody in a $657,000 Mellon Foundation initiative that will explore a cross-disciplinary approach to incorporating religion studies into college curricula around the world.

After learning she was at risk for a hereditary condition, Anne West investigated the genome of her family, including her mother, Judy West '79. The family's findings were published in a study co-authored by Anne and her father. (Photo: C.Johnson/WSJ)

This fall Wellesley brings six cutting-edge writers and poets as part of the Susan and Donald Newhouse Center for the Humanities Distinguished Writers Series. Readings are free and open to the public.

US News & World Report has put Wellesley in its list of top 10 liberal arts colleges nationwide, as it has since 1983, and gives Wellesley pride of place among all women's colleges.

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation continues its longstanding support of Wellesley with a grant that will fund postdoctoral fellows and strengthen the College’s foreign language and literature offerings.

President Obama asked colleges to hold a Time of Remembrance and Service for 9/11. Wellesley will gather for reflection and service projects, and hundreds of Wellesley volunteers will make a difference across Greater Boston.

Dan Sichel brings his Federal Reserve Board experience and expertise to Wellesley's Economics Department for the semester. He specializes in macroeconomics, technological change and growth, and monetary economics.

Art Department chair Pat Berman has been a consultant for an exhibition of Edvard Munch's work not seen for 100 years before its current restoration. Norway’s Queen Sonja formally opens the exhibit in Oslo on Sept. 3. (photo:  News & Views of Norway )

Wellesley medical historian Susan Reverby’s discovery of 1940s U.S. government syphilis experiments in Guatemala prompted a White House response and investigation. Professor Reverby spoke with the Washington Post  and others after the investigation’s release of key findings.

Kwanza Fisher '09, founder and executive director of Neighborhood Mathematica, a supplemental math education program for Atlanta students in grades 1-8, met last week at the White House with 10 other youth entrepreneurs honored by the President's Champions for Change program.

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation awarded $2.9M to the Wellesley Centers for Women (WCW) to expand the National SEED Project on Inclusive Curriculum, co-led by WCW Associate Director Peggy McIntosh, Ph.D., founder and co-director of SEED.

Soo Hong, assistant professor of education, examines the intersection of school and community life in urban neighborhoods. Her book  spotlights the success of the Logan Square Association in Chicago, using its model to develop new understandings of parent engagement.

Traversing the state on two wheels, April Bello ’14 (at left) and Sam Burke ’14 work with college students and community leaders to craft local solutions to the climate crisis. (Photo credit: Wicked Local/Kathryn Koch)

Edith Stix Wasserman Professor of Asian Studies Katharine Moon informed Time 's article, "Will Agent Orange Hurt the U.S.–South Korea Military Alliance?" She also spoke with Seoul Daily on foreign relations, and funding college curricula about foreign countries as public diplomacy.

Wellesley's Betty Freyhof Johnson '44 Professor of Political Science Robert Paarlberg merges issues of agriculture, aid, history, politics, and food in an Atlantic article called " Famine in Somalia: What Can the World Do about It? " and spoke to NPR on mitigating future famine .

Today Show host Ann Curry talks with Princeton Review editor Robert Franek about the just-released "Best 376 Colleges," in which Wellesley College wins top rating by students for best professors.

Victoria Budson '93 was elected chair of the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women. She was appointed to the panel by Governor Deval Patrick last year. Budson majored in sociology at Wellesley, and now directs Harvard Kennedy School’s Women and Public Policy Program.

The American Association of Spanish & Portuguese Teachers has named Michelle Geoffrion-Vinci '90 the College/University Teacher of the Year. Joy Renjiliian-Burgy, associate professor of Spanish at Wellesley and Geoffrion-Vinci's mentor, received the organization's Outstanding Service Award.

Consuelo Valdes '11, researching human-computer interactions this summer at Wellesley and preparing for grad school, told The Post, "If I had loans I had to pay off, I wouldn’t do this." In 2008 Wellesley eliminated loans for families earning $60,000 or less and set caps for others. 

Professor Sally Theran’s paper in the journal  Personality and Individual Differences , “Authenticity in Relationships and Depressive Symptoms: A Gender Analysis,” reveals that levels of authenticity with parents, but not peers, predicted depressive symptoms in adolescents of both genders.

Courtney Sato '09 (shown), Elizabeth Kim '09, and Mimosa Burr '08 each accepted a full grant for a year's study abroad. Three English Teaching Assistantships went to Wellesley alums with two more named as alternates. Two students were accepted to the U.K. Fulbright Summer Institute. 

Kafka scholar Jens Kruse has annotated The Metamorphosis and In the Penal Colony in a completely new format. Taking advantage of e-book technology, Kruse provides extensive notes, introduction, bibliography, and thematic essays via inline links for use with iPad, Kindle, and other readers.

Louisa Kasdon '72 and the Museum of Science in Boston co-launch Let's Talk About Food , a new initiative that explores issues of food, health, and sustainability. Wellesley environmental studies professor Samuel Barkin, and author of Fish, presents on fisheries and sustainable seafood.

Debbie Chen '11 (shown) and Michele Bornstein '11 have been awarded Watson Fellowships for 2011-12. They are two of just 40 fellows awarded "dream grants" by the Thomas J. Watson Foundation—receiving $25,000 for a year of travel and independent study.

Knafel Assistant Professor of Natural Sciences Bevil Conway, neuroscientist and artist, was co-author on a study on stereo vision, published in the journal Psychological Science. The New York Times this week described some of the experiments in the study.

The Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association has named Wellesley College's head rowing coach Tessa Spillane the 2011 Division III National Coach of the Year. In addition to Spillane's honor, the Blue placed six rowers on the National Scholar-Athlete list.

Robert Paarlberg, Betty Freyhof Johnson ’44 Professor of Political Science, was quoted in the New York Times blog "Green," in a post called "Can the Yield Gap Be Closed--Sustainably?" Paarlberg's work focuses on international food and agricultural policy.

Wellesley Track ended its successful first season at NCAA Championships in Ohio, capped by a third place medal in the 1500m and All-America honors for Randelle Boots. (Boots' photo (left) also appeared in an ad for the NCAA that ran in Delta's Sky magazine !)

Capping a record season, Wellesley crew placed third overall at the Division III NCAA Rowing Championships in California, on May 28, taking a third-place medal and a 10th place finish in the Varsity 8 event. 

President Kim Bottomly awards the Anna & Samuel Pinanski Teaching Prize to Stacie Goddard , assistant professor of political science; Carlos Ramos, professor of Spanish; and Yuichiro Suzuki , assistant professor of biological sciences, quoting commendations from students for each.

Students packing for home donate unwanted items for a fall rummage sale, reducing waste and making it cheap and easy for new students to furnish their rooms. Proceeds go to support other sustainability projects on campus, and donated clothing goes directly to charity.

Associate Professor of Political Science Christopher Candland was a panelist today at "Pakistan 2020: A Vision for Building a Better Future" at the United States Institute of Peace. C-SPAN2 broadcast the panel (rebroadcast scheduled for May 23); video available online .

Kimberly Eaton '11, a Shepherdstown, W.V., native and pre-medical student, was also named a first-team All-American by the National Golf Coaches Association, as well as a first-team All-Region selection.

Wellesley education professor Soo Hong's new book is A Cord of Three Strands, about how low-income, non-English-speaking parents became advocates, leaders, and role models in their children’s schools.

Lela Jgerenaia '13, a student from the Republic of Georgia, created—with contributions from 23 other Wellesley students— Translations from World Literature , a book of English translations of literature from 17 languages, including some rarely translated into English.

On May 5, President Kim Bottomly welcomed Shelby (right), Gale (left), and Kathryn Davis to campus to recognize Wellesley's Davis United World College Scholars , saying, "We are proud to be one of the five founding institutions that have benefited from your generosity."

Wellesley President H. Kim Bottomly announces that Laura Daignault Gates ’72 will serve as next chair of the college's Board of Trustees, starting July 1. Elected unanimously at the Board's annual April meeting, Gates succeeds Alecia DeCoudreaux ’76, who steps down June 30.

Geosciences major Laura Stevens '11 of Lexington, Kentucky won the 116th Annual Hoop Rolling down Tupelo Lane.  She was met at the finish by President H. Kim Bottomly, who presented her with a bouquet of yellow flowers, representing her class color.

Wellesley College Trustee Sidney R. Knafel stands with Annie Smith '11 (left) and Christina Gossmann '11, who will each receive a $25,000 Susan Rappaport Knafel '52 Scholarship for study abroad. Both seniors are, coincidentally, Davis United World College Scholars .

Rebecca Ely '13 was the student winner. The haiku (60 from students, 33 from faculty and staff) will give the Sustainability Advisory Committee "a window into our community's current aspirations upon which we can build a long-term vision for sustainability on campus," says Professor Dan Brabander.

Rebecca Ely '13 was the student winner. The haiku (60 from students, 33 from faculty and staff) will provide the Sustainability Advisory Committee " a window into our community's current aspirations upon which we can build a long-term vision for sustainability on campus," says Professor Dan Brabander, Geosciences.

The Wellesley College crew team won the 2011 New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Women's Rowing Championship on April 16 in Worcester. The title was the first for the Blue since the 2003 event.

Anne Patterson '71 (left), former U.S. ambassador to Pakistan, and Maleeha Lodhi, former Pakistani ambassador to the United States, will discuss "Breaking Down Walls," April 21, at 5:30 pm. Carolyn A. Wilson 1910, a pioneering reporter for the Chicago Tribune , endowed this annual lecture.

WCW will receive $1.3M over five years from the National Institute of Mental Health for work with the University of Chicago evaluating a unique depression prevention intervention program for teens. WCW researcher Tracy Gladstone is one of the project's two principal investigators.

"Excellent screams through Wellesley," proclaims one New Balance poster. "The only thing louder than the voice inside you saying, 'Keep going,' is the scream tunnel at Wellesley," says the company website. Wellesley students will line Central Street on April 18 to cheer on the runners.

Wellesley President Kim Bottomly and the presidents of Babson and Olin Colleges present Wade Robison, professor of applied ethics at Rochester Institute of Technology, with the lecture "Embedded Values and Virgin Eyes." (6:00 pm, April 7, Babson)

The Harry S Truman Scholarship Foundation recently announced its 2011 Scholars, and Maryland native Dominique T. Hazzard '12 was among them. Recipients must be in the top quarter of their class, have outstanding leadership potential and communication skills, and be committed to careers in government or the nonprofit sector.

 “John Udvardy: A Sculptor’s Vision,” will be on display at the Jewett Art Gallery from March 28 through April 22. Udvardy is a sculptor reknowned for his ability to make elegant cubist-style sculptures from the most mundane materials. The exhibition is free and open to the public.

Please join Professor  Jim Besancon  of the Geosciences Department and Professor Kathy Moon , director of the East Asian Studies Program Thursday at 12:30 in Pendleton Atrium or live online to discuss the scientific, social, and political impact of recent events and crises in Japan.

The New Yorker magazine's blog The Book Bench interviews Adam Schwartz, senior lecturer in the Writing Program at Wellesley, about his recently published book, A Stranger on the Planet . Parts of the book appeared earlier as New Yorker short stories.

President Kim Bottomly sponsors the Wellesley Debates and strongly endorses them. Good intellectual communities are diverse and respectful, she says. "Their members see disagreement as an opportunity for engagement and a chance to broaden perspectives and sharpen focus.”

Geosciences Associate Professor Daniel Brabander and other soils experts urge testing for lead and other toxins in urban gardens in an AP story on ABC News today.

In his blog, Freakonomics author Stephen Dubner focuses on a new working paper co-authored by Kristin Butcher, Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach '95, and Patricia M. Anderson, and asks: Does "No Child Left Behind" contribute to obesity? 

The Offices of the President, Dean of Students, Religious and Spiritual Life, Intercultural Education, and Slater International invite the Wellesley College community to convene in Houghton Chapel on Wednesday, March 16, at 12:30 pm to share our prayers and wishes for the people of Japan, and to honor the lives lost to the earthquake.

The NEA invited neuroscience professor and artist Bevil Conway to write a guest post on how the creative process is the same or different in the arts and in the sciences. "It seems to me that the spark that motivates both pursuits is essentially the same," he writes. Read the whole post .

Sophomore Randelle Boots won the mile run and junior Leah Clement placed 6th in the 800m. Both students earned All-American honors at the 2011 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.

Bloomberg News interviewed Nan Stein, WCW senior research scientist, after the White House Conference on Bullying. Dealing with bullying requires more than a conference or action by Facebook, said Stein, urging that mental health be addressed more seriously in schools.  

Wellesley first-years Rosemary O'Connor (pictured) and Emma Haley will compete at the College Squash Association (CSA) Individual Championships this weekend at Dartmouth College where they will have the opportunity to play against the best squash players in the country.

Persis Drell '77, director of the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, joined fellow national lab director Thomas Mason to pen an article for Sunday's Washington Post, outlining how proposed budget cuts to research adversely affect the country's economics and competitiveness.

The presidents of Wellesley, Babson, and Olin colleges host a lecture series as part of the three-college collaboration. Carolyn Hotchkiss, dean of faculty and professor of law at Babson, presents “Leadership, Ethics, and Entrepreneurs” on Feb. 24, at 6:00 pm at Babson.

The Wellesley College track team is ranked eighth in the latest Division III track and field rankings by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Led by Wellesley's long-time cross-country coach John Babington, the track team's debut varsity season has been a resounding success.

Alumnae Marilyn Crandall Jones ’70, Sarah Milledge Nelson ’53, Reena Raggi ’73, and Susan Wunsch Rice ’67 will each be presented with a Wellesley College Alumnae Achievement Award Thursday, Feb. 17, at 5:30 pm in the Diana Chapman Walsh Alumnae Hall.

With Thug Life: Race, Gender, and the Meaning of Hip-Hop, Assistant Profesor of American Studies Michael Jeffries has published the first academic book that investigates the meaning of hip-hop by talking to everyday people, rather than artists or music critics.

The Science Center Café opened Thursday, Feb. 3, in the building’s atrium. Besides coffee and light fare it brings a space for meeting and collaborating, as well as displaying and interacting with ongoing science research.

Jennifer Redfearn '03 (environmental studies) coproduced and directed Sun Come Up, a film about the relocation of Carteret Islanders, whom the film calls the first climate change refugees. Sun Come Up is up for an Academy Award in the Documentary (Short Subject) category.

Massachusetts Secretary of Health and Human Services JudyAnn Bigby '73 has been tapped to serve on the Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health to provide coordination and leadership at the federal level and help plan strategy.

Wellesley's Martin Brody, Catherine Mills Davis Professor of Music, was commissioned by Harvard’s Fromm Music Foundation to write a composition for the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, a chamber symphony in residence this year at Wellesley. The work will premiere on Jan. 29.

For the 13th consecutive year, Wellesley College took home the team title at the Seven Sisters Swimming and Diving Championships on January 23. Wellesley swimmers Dana Dutton '11 and Keelin Nave '14 led all athletes with five wins each.

Chair of the Wellesley College Board of Trustees Alecia DeCoudreaux '76 (B.A., English and political science) will become president of Mills College on July 1. DeCoudreaux also earned a law degree and was a senior executive at Eli Lilly & Co. See video interview.

Black Radishes, English Professor Susan Lynn Meyer's debut novel, was named a Sydney Taylor Honor Book for Older Readers. The award honors new books for children and teens that exemplify the highest literary standards while authentically portraying the Jewish experience.

The upcoming exhibit of Belgian-born, Mexico-based Francis Alÿs at the Davis Museum at Wellesley College (February 16–June 5) is among 10 "must-visit" exhibits in New England that The Boston Phoenix touts for early 2011.

Wellesley College is listed prominently in a ranking of the top 100 schools that "deliver a high-quality education at an affordable price," according to the Kiplinger report.

Wellesley Theatre Department Director Nora Hussey directs The Last Night of Ballyhoo, running through Jan. 30. The gravity underlying the humor in this story of assimilation and intimacy really became clear to Hussey when her actors brought it to life, she tells the Globe .

The Boston Globe is among many publications noting former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright's role in founding and nurturing the Albright Institute for Global Affairs at Wellesley College. The Institute is now in session; a dialogue with Albright on January 18 is open to the public.

A team including Wellesley College Professors Martha J. McNamara (art and architecture) and David Teng Olsen (art) and 2010 graduate Rebecca Spitzer (pictured) has launched a website to capture the life and times of Revolutionary Boston.

Leslie E. Kobayashi '79, a federal magistrate judge in Honolulu, has been selected by President Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as a district judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has appointed Akemi D. Arakaki '95 to the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Judge Arakaki was formerly deputy public defender for Los Angeles County. She majored in Spanish at Wellesley and earned her J.D. from Loyola Law School.

Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete will launch "The New Harvest, Agricultural Innovation in Africa," at a retreat of East African Community Heads of State in Tanzania today. The report, with contributions by Robert Paarlberg, Betty Freyhof Johnson '44 Professor of Political Science, concludes that Africa can transition to agricultural self-sufficiency in a single generation.

Performing music faculty member Lois Shapiro (piano) received a Yale School of Music alumniVentures grant for the creation of two-part secondary-school residencies in Boston public schools that bring musical processes to life through students' multisensory experiences.

Randelle Boots '13 earned All-America honors at the 2010 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships on Nov. 20 at Wartburg College in Iowa. The national meet capped a brilliant season for Boots, in which she earned All-America, All-Region, All-NEWMAC, and All-Seven Sisters honors.

In You Know I'm Right , CNBC anchor, journalist, and Wellesley economics graduate Michelle Caruso-Cabrera takes on the big issues—from deficit to immigration, and more—and calls for a fiscally conservative, socially liberal solution. She talks about it on talk-radio's Summit Your Life .

The Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education, a consortium based at Harvard's Graduate School of Education, has listed Wellesley College in the top 10 baccalaureate institutions for beginning tenure-track faculty. More from the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Turf specialist John Ponti and the fields under his care are highlighted as the cover story in October's issue of SportsTurf. Wellesley's fields get high marks from soil tests and from coaches and competitors (NEWMAC athletes as well as visitors such as Celtic United soccer).

The Wellesley Debates are a hallmark of intellectual passion on campus. Since 2008 these colorful events have enticed Wellesley community members to put aside their computers for face-to-face debates on the most provocative issues of the day. The next Wellesley Debate will be Nov. 16 at 6:00 pm in Diana Chapman Walsh Alumnae Hall.

The Committee on Curriculum and Academic Performance has announced this year's Schiff Fellows. Thanks to a generous gift from the Jerome A. Schiff Charitable Trust, merit awards are granted to support the scholarly work of students enrolled in the senior honors program. Schiff Fellows receive a minimum award of $2000.

Daniel Brabander, his students and colleagues have studied lead in Boston backyard gardens in conjunction with The Food Project, a nonprofit focused on food security, nutrition, and urban agriculture. They found that 81 percent of gardens studied had lead levels above U.S. EPA limits.

Wellesley students contributed this video to the nationwide "It Gets Better" project. In an effort to keep LGBTQQI youth from despair and even suicide, adults—young, old, male, female, famous, private, queer, straight—post YouTube videos relating their experiences and assuring young people that, tough as life can be as a gay teenager, it does get better.

Wellesley College has received an “A-“ on the annual College Sustainability Report Card, released by the Sustainable Endowments Institute today. The report recognizes colleges and universities that are leading by example on sustainability.

President Barack Obama will nominate Pamela Spratlen '76 to the post of ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic, according to the White House. She is a career member of the Foreign Service with the rank of counselor, serving most recently as deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Kazakhstan.

The Institute of Jamaica awarded its 113th annual Musgrave Awards to recognize outstanding Jamaicans in science, arts, or literature. Colin Channer, author and Newhouse Visiting Professor of Creative Writing at Wellesley College, received the Silver Musgrave Medal for his contribution to literature.

The current Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine carries the results of an NIH-funded medical study on the effects of yoga versus walking on mood, anxiety, and the level of a brain chemical believed to control mood. Liz Owen is a part-time faculty member in Wellesley's P.E., Recreation, and Athletics Department, and co-authored the article with Chris Streeter, M.D., at B.U. Medical Center.

Stephen Marini, Elisabeth Luce Moore Professor of Christian Studies, is featured in a new PBS series, God in America, premiering Oct. 11. The program  focuses on the tumultuous 400-year relationship between religion and American democracy.

CEO of Johnson Publishing and former White House social secretary Desiree Rogers '81 will deliver the Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Lecture tonight at 7:30 in Diana Chapman Walsh Alumnae Hall. Free and open to the public.

Wellesley Centers for Women researcher and professor Susan Reverby talks to the BBC about the hazards of using a "war metaphor" to guide disease-fighting. Her research uncovered records of a 1940s U.S. syphilis study using soldiers, prisoners, and prostitutes in Guatemala as unwitting subjects. See more coverage .

Karl Case, Wellesley professor emeritus and co-creator of the S&P/Case-Shiller index, told "Bloomberg Surveillance" today that the U.S. housing market has reached its nadir and will return to growth slowly. “It’s bouncing along the bottom; it stopped that freefall,” Case said.

Forbes says, "The serene liberal arts college for women, on the edge of Lake Waban near Boston, is considered the crowning jewel of the prestigious Seven Sisters campuses. Architect Natalie Shivers says both 'the historic and contemporary have always been beautifully integrated with the natural topography.' A recent master plan only reaffirms '"the key role the natural landscape plays in the character of the campus."'

Alice T. Friedman, architectural historian and professor of American art history, and author of American Glamour and the Evolution of Modern Architecture, talks about the role of glamour in mid-century modern American architecture.

During talks at the National Organization for Women 2010 annual conference, and later in the week at the Aspen Ideas Festival, President Bottomly stressed the need to prepare and educate women for positions of leadership in every realm.

Research by Wellesley faculty members Courtney Coile and Phillip Levine finds workers forced into early retirement may lose 20 percent of their Social Security income.

Wellesley's Let's Get Ready program has had great success under the direction of  junior Anna Morris. The program aims to help local high school students improve SAT scores.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded Graduate Research Fellowships to nine Wellesley College alumnae to support their study in master’s or doctoral degree programs. The fellowships aim to ensure the vitality of science, technology, engineering and mathematics studies in the United States and to reinforce its diversity. The fellows will receive a $30,000 stipend and $10,500 cost-of-education allowance annually for three years. They will also be eligible for a one-time $1,000 international travel allowance.