Legacy of Empires Past Traced From Middle East to Brexit

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With the collapse of European empires after World War II, the era of colonial powers gave way to independent nation-states. But as History’s Dane Kennedy explains in his new book, decolonization was a violent transition that left behind conflicts we still haven’t resolved today—from turmoil in the Middle East to Britain’s Brexit. Read more.

New Research Targets Immune System Vulnerabilities

T-cells are the human body’s first line of defense in the war against infections and diseases, from AIDS to cancer to diabetes. But sometimes our natural defenders need defending. A new discovery by Physics’ Weiqun Peng may strengthen our immune systems’ soldiers and help fight off the most virulent toxic invaders. Read more.

Cisneros Institute Appoints New Leadership

The GW Cisneros Hispanic Leadership Institute announced two new executive appointees. Elizabeth Vaquera, scholar of Latino immigration and ethnicity, was named the institute’s director, and Louis Caldera, former University of New Mexico president and Secretary of the Army, will serve as the institute’s senior fellow. Read more.

Rabbi Ticktin Remembered as Scholar, Mentor and Friend

We note with regret the passing of Rabbi Max Ticktin, an iconic former professor of Hebrew and cornerstone of Judaic Studies at Columbian College. A beloved teacher, influential leader in the Hillel movement and cherished friend and mentor, he was the inspiration for the creation of the Max Ticktin Professorship of Israel Studies. Read more.

Maltzman Named University Provost

Forrest Maltzman was appointed provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, overseeing academic matters across GW’s 10 schools, the Division of Student Affairs and Athletics. A Columbian College faculty member since 1993 and former chair of the Political Science Department, his goals include enhancing diversity and advancing the GW strategic plan. Read more.

Scientists Catch First 'Wind Nebula'

Led by a Physics postdoctoral researcher, a team of scientists have detected the first example of a cloud of high-energy particles—dubbed a “wind nebula”—surrounding an ultra-rare star more than 13,000 light years from Earth. The discovery offers a unique window into the properties, environment and outburst history of magnetars, the strongest magnets in the universe. Read more.

Corcoran Archive Pages Through History

An archive of 2,000 historical documents and artifacts from the former Corcoran Gallery have been donated to GW and will be available to the public as part of Gelman Library’s collection. The archive includes architectural drawings by Ernest Flagg of the Beaux-Arts building and records of a canceled Robert Mapplethorpe exhibition. Read more.

Digital Humanities Network Debuts

A $500,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation will help launch a cross-disciplinary research project in the digital humanities at GW and other academic institutions. Spearheaded by Deans Ben Vinson and Geneva Henry, the venture will foster partnerships and provide experiential learning opportunities. Read more.

In the Spotlight

Forensic Outreach named GW as one of the top five schools for attaining a degree in forensic sciences.

Eileen Guenther authored the book In Their Own Words: Slave Life and the Power of Spirituals.

Peter Nemes was named an Emerging Investigator by the journal Analyst. His article “Single-cell mass spectrometry with multi-solvent extraction identifies metabolic differences between left and right blastomeres in the 8-cell frog (Xenopus) embryo” was chosen as the publication’s cover story.

Hua Liang was awarded a $146,190 grant from NSF to develop statistical analysis tools that address challenges in interpreting complex bioinformatics data.