Gorilla Graveyard Unearths Discoveries

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Each year, 100,000 young women in the U.S. alone are ensnared by the sex trafficking trade. So why is society so quick to blame the victim? Sociology alumna Priya Dhanani, MA ’14, teaches teens and adults to overcome myths about human trafficking—and challenges them to take a hard look at their own biases. Read more.

Gorilla Graveyard Unearths Discoveries

The massive bones of mountain gorillas—the world’s largest primates and one of man’s closest genetic relatives—hold hints to human evolution and clues to conservation. That’s why anthropologist Shannon McFarlin and her students traveled to Dian Fossey’s Rwandan field site and exhumed the apes’ remains. Read more.

On the Cutting Edge of Innovation

In his 20 years at GW, Akos Vertes pioneered research on everything from cancer treatments to autism. Now he’s embarking on his most ambitious project: developing a way to combat biological and chemical threats. In a video conversation with Dean Ben Vinson, he discusses the challenges of addressing public health crises. View video.

Student Star Realizes His Dancing Dream

In his young dance career, sophomore Ben Sanders has joined international tours and performed at Washington institutions like the Kennedy Center—all by the age of 20! Now the theatre and dance phenom has pulled off another triumph: a professional contract with the Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company. Read more.

Shanahan Remembered as Beloved Teacher, Passionate Journalist

We note with regret the passing of Michael Shanahan, a revered professor in the School of Media and Public Affairs and a seasoned political reporter who electrified classrooms with his 40 years of journalism experience. A dedicated mentor, colleagues praised Shanahan for encouraging students to become better writers and reporters as well as better citizens. Read more.

Corcoran Student Looks at Latin Identity Through Technology’s Lens

Corcoran junior Mariana Rivera approached her curated exhibition with the Mexican Cultural Institute as a means to explore Latin American identity through an uncommon perspective: the intersection of individuality and technology. Through the work of photographers from Mexico, Central and South America, Spain and Portugal, she’s built a mosaic of Iberoamerican experiences. Read more.

Confucius Institute Event Encourages Cultural Exchange, Study Abroad

Columbian College’s GW Confucius Institute and the Chinese Embassy’s Education Office welcomed college students from around the country to an event focused on bolstering the number of Americans studying in China. 'Student ambassadors’ shared their study-abroad experiences and promoted cultural exchange opportunities. Read more.

Columbian College Marks Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week

Columbian College students raised awareness of D.C.’s homelessness epidemic and highlighted ways to fight hunger during GW’s annual Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week. Student-organized activities included a food drive, expert panels, a performance by the Street Sense Players and a simulation “hunger banquet.” Read more.

In the Spotlight

Katherine Birmingham, MA ’10, received the John L. Cotter Award for Excellence by the National Park Service for her multi-year research project, “Archeological Investigation of the L’Hermitage Slave Village.”

Jonathan Chaves was awarded the American Literary Translators Association’s Lucien Stryk Asian Translation Prize given annually for the best translation from an Asian language into English for his book Every Rock a Universe (Floating World Editions, 2013).

Eric Cline received the American Schools of Oriental Research 2014 Award for Best Popular Book for his 1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed (Princeton University Press, 2014).