A Guide to Arts and Sciences' News, Events and People

December 2010

Kudos
The article "Should the Government Prepare Individual Tax Returns?" co-authored by Joseph Cordes, professor and associate director of the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration, is one of the top ten downloads in its category on the Social Science Research Network.

Associate Professor of Media and Public Affairs Lori Brainard co-authored "Virtual Government-Citizen Relations: Informational, Transactional, Collaborative?" in Administration & Society.

J. Jacques Carter, BS '74, received the 2010 Harvard Medical School/Harvard School of Dental Medicine's Dean's Community Service Lifetime Achievement Award for his work with the Community Prostate Cancer Screening and Education Program.

Eric Cline, chair of the Department of Classical and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, was featured in the "Quest for Solomon's Mines" on PBS.

Mike Coble, MFS '97, PhD '04, part of the team who used forensic DNA testing to identify the two missing Romanov children (Maria and Alexei),  was featured in a story about Tsar Nicholas II in the November issue of Smithsonian Magazine.

Graduate students Allyson Criner (MPA) and Rebecca Hinze-Fifer (MPP) won the Herbert Roback Award from the National Academy of Public Administration.

The First Federal Congress Project received a $30,000 grant from the William Nelson Cromwell Foundation and an additional $13,000 in matching funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Daniel Friedman, BA '92, was a semi-finalist in the Variations Theatre Company's Harvest One-Act Play Festival in New York City. Friedman's play has subsequently been optioned for a film production.

Congratulations to the GW Geography team on winning the Mid-Atlantic regional World Geography Bowl Competition.

PhD candidate in American Studies Matt Kohlstedt will be published in the Center for American Studies and Research at the American University of Beirut 2010 conference proceedings.

Professor and Deputy Chair of the Department of Statistics Hosam Mahmoud authored the article "Gaussian Phases in Generalized Coupon Collection" in Advances in Applied Probability.

Director of Creative Writing Thomas Mallon authored "Cynthia Ozick's Homage to Henry James" for the The New York Times Book Review and his essay "Off the Rim" was published in The New Yorker.


Blogs/Newsletters
Dean's Blog

Anthropology Department

Art Therapy Program

Chinese Program

English Department

Geography Department

History Department

Japanese Program

Judaic Studies Program

Korean Program

Medieval and Early Modern Studies

Philosophy Department

Political Science Department

Regulatory Studies

School of Media and Public Affairs

Solar Institute

Speech and Hearing Sciences Department

Theatre and Dance Department

University Writing Program

Popular, Prolific, and Political
Why is political science the most popular major at Columbian and its graduate programs ranked among the best in the country? The answer: A confluence of factors that includes a prime location at the epicenter of politics and policy-making, a faculty engaged in the political conversation and at the forefront of research, and a challenging curriculum that encourages inquiry and analysis.

"GW seems to seamlessly integrate itself into the city around it and no department benefits more from this unique position than the Political Science Department," said recent graduate Julie Silverbrook, BA '09. "As students learn about the structures and institutions of government, they can walk out their front door and live the experience." Read more.


Student Spotlight: From Refugee to Author
It has been a long and difficult road for philosophy major Makwei "Joseph" Mabioor Deng. At an age when most students are completing secondary school, Deng was living at the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya, having fled there with his family to escape atrocities taking place in his southern Sudanese village. But, thanks to the Banaa Scholarship and his sheer determination to not just survive but make a difference, the Columbian College junior just published a book in his native language, Dinka, and has aspirations for law school.

"Wars and conflicts are endemic in Sudan," wrote Deng in an autobiographical sketch. "I want to replace battlefield with courtroom, guns and bullets with legal representation, and open confrontation with negotiation around the table." Read more.


Chiswick to Chair Department of Economics
Barry R. Chiswick, a renowned economist whose seminal research on labor markets and immigration has helped inform the nation's public policy debate, will join Columbian College in January as the new chair of its Department of Economics. A former economist on the President's Council of Economic Advisers, Chiswick comes to GW from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), where he served as a distinguished professor and founding director of the UIC Center for Economic Education.

"We are thrilled to have someone of Barry's caliber join our ranks," said Columbian College Dean Peg Barratt. "His scholarship will greatly advance our reputation as a premier research university, one that is engaging the world from the nation's capital on the pressing issues of the day." Read more.


Geoscientist Seeks to Reduce Greenhouse Gas
Most of us are catching on to the environmental benefits of reusable bags, recycled newspapers, and hybrid cars, but the steady increase in greenhouse gases continues to plague our planet. Armed with a substantial grant from the Department of Energy, Columbian College's Henry Teng is working across disciplines and continents to address this critical concern. Read more.


New MFA Program for Professional Performers
Contemporary dancers from D.C. to Dubai now have an opportunity to continue their education and not miss a beat. The Department of Theatre and Dance (TRDA) will offer a new Master's of Fine Arts in Dance for mid-career dancers, performers, and choreographers across the globe. Lead by department chair Dana Tai Soon Burgess, MFA '94, the graduate degree program will enable dancers to refine individual style, technique and repertoire while developing professional relationships with the international dance community. With matriculation slated for June 2011, the 18-month program offers an initial eight-week residency at GW, two semesters of supervised distance learning for artists working full-time domestically or internationally and completion of a performance portfolio submitted via electronic media. Read more.


Gift Creates Fellowship in Speech & Hearing Sciences
Harriet Green Kopp (1917-2007) was a pioneer in the development of visible speech technology to assist deaf individuals with their communications skills. In honor of Kopp's memory, her niece, Kathryn Green, BA '77 -a member of Columbian College's National Council for Media and Public Affairs -has established the Harriet Green Kopp Graduate Fellowship in Speech and Hearing Sciences through a generous gift. The fellowship will fund an annual award in Columbian College's Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences for graduate students planning to work with deaf and hard-of-hearing clients. The first award is expected to be distributed in fall 2011.


Helping Pilot the Wiki Public Policy Initiative
This fall, students from Columbian College's Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration are making a difference in the Wiki world of public policy through the Wikipedia Public Policy Initiative. The School is one of the first in the nation to participate in this pilot project sponsored by the Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit that oversees Wikipedia. The goal is to improve the quality of public policy-related articles on Wikipedia through student contributions.

Wikimedia selected graduate students Erin Farr and PJ Tabit to serve as campus ambassadors for the program under the leadership of Director of the Master of Public Policy Program Donna Infeld. In addition to GW, seven other universities are also participating in the initiative.


Senior Gives Voice to Minorities through Journalism
Although the Petworth neighborhood in Washington, D.C., is only about five miles from the Foggy Bottom Campus, Sam Collins, a senior in Columbian College's School of Media and Public Affairs, noted they're worlds apart. Collins is working to close that divide at GW through his publication, Ace Magazine. "Most of the students here don't know a world beyond their own surroundings, but there is a lot more to D.C. than government buildings and the downtown area," said Collins. Read more.


Jumpstart Your Startup
Attention all faculty, students, and alumni: Do you have a great business idea but lack the startup funds to implement it? No matter what field you're in, the GW Business Plan Competition can help bring your plan to fruition! Deadline for submission is January 31, 2011. The winning plan will receive $25,000 in seed money; the second place winner will receive $10,000; third place, $4,000; and the fourth place award is $1,000. Read more.


In Memoriam: Ronald E. Pump
We note with regret the passing of Ronald E. Pump, BA '64, whose deep commitment to GW and Columbian College was made evident through years of dedicated service and support. A lawyer by profession, Pump was a founding member (1993) and then valued emeritus member of the National Council for Arts and Sciences, an all-volunteer advisory board serving the Dean of the Columbian College. His philanthropy included a significant gift to establish The Ronald E. Pump Endowed Scholarship Fund for arts and sciences students in need of financial assistance.

Just this past summer, Pump wrote to Dean Peg Barratt of his concern for the arts in the wake of the economic downturn: "Will there be poets tomorrow to soothe the minds, artists whose canvasses capture the beauty and nuance of the human spirit, or novelists who enrich and excite our imagination?" At Columbian College, Ron Pump will be forever remembered for his legacy in ensuring the strength of a liberal arts education thanks to his generous support. A memorial service will be held Friday, February 4, 4:30 to 6:30 pm, in the City View Room at GW's Elliott School of International Affairs (1957 E Street NW). Please contact cadence@gwu.edu for more information.

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