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

August 2011

Contents
Bequest Funds Scientific Scholarship

Welcome New Faculty!

Enhanced Curriculum Implemented

China Trip Brings New Opportunities

Mid-Summer Math

Chiswick Awarded Prestigious IZA Prize in Labor Economics

Aging Brains: Chimps vs. Humans

Art Therapy Celebrates 40th Anniversary

Textile Museum Joins GW

Alumni Weekend Kicks Off Sept. 15

Economics Professor Analyzes Financial Woes

A Year in Photos

In Memoriam

Kudos

Columbian College Video

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Upcoming Events
Information Session: Applied Quantitative Risk Analysis
Aug. 10, 6:00 pm
Arlington Graduate Education Center

International Student Orientation
Aug. 23-24, 8:30 am
Marvin Center

Colonial Inauguration
Aug. 24, 8:00 am
GW Campus

First Day of Fall Classes
Aug. 29, 8:00 am

Freshman Convocation
August 28
Charles E. Smith Center, University Yard

Information Session: GW District Youth Empowerment Program
Aug. 31, 7:30 pm
Multicultural Student Services Center, Room 209

MEMSI Lunch Seminar: Suzanne Miller
Sep. 9, 12:00 pm
Rome Hall, Room 771

Freshman Day of Service
Sep. 11, 12:00 pm
Foggy Bottom Campus

Information Session: How to Major in SMPA
Sep. 13, 7:15 pm
Media and Public Affairs Building, Room 306

Alumni Events
Night of Discovery
Aug. 11, 6:00 pm
Virginia Science and Engineering Campus

GW Culture Buffs: Kandinsky at the Phillips Collection
Aug. 25, 8:00 pm
Washington, D.C.

Alumni Weekend
Sept. 15-18
Washington, D.C.

Department News
Academy for Classical Acting

Africana Studies

Anthropology

Art Therapy

East Asian Languages and Literatures

English

Judaic Studies

Media and Public Affairs

Medieval and Early Modern Studies

Museum Studies

Philosophy

Physics

Political Science

Professional Psychology

Public Policy and Public Administration

Regulatory Studies

Romance, German, and Slavic Languages and Literature

Science and Engineering Hall

Solar Institute

Speech and Hearing Sciences

Statistics

Theatre and Dance

University Writing

Major Bequest Supports New Generation of Scientists
Activity on university campuses usually slows a bit during the lazy days of summer. That was not the case in GW's Bell Hall where, during the record heat wave, you would have found select undergraduate and graduate biology students involved in research activities ranging from injecting flies with bacteria to study immunity genes to examining spiny sea urchins to learn more about serotonin receptors. The students were participating in summer research workshops thanks to the Wilbur V. (Bill) Harlan Scholarship Trust, which was established through a $9 million bequest by his estate. Harlan, an alumnus who died in 2006, received a BS in botany in 1935.

"Bill Harlan was an accomplished man who never forgot his years at GW," said Diana Lipscomb, chair of the Biological Sciences Department "As a department, we are so grateful for his foresight in ensuring today's students also get immersed in biological research and have the opportunity to explore the natural world using cutting edge scientific methods." Read more.


Welcome New Faculty!
From award-winning researchers to international artists and sculptors, 17 new full-time faculty members will be joining Columbian College this fall. They join a community of more than 450 full-time scholars teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in the arts, the humanities, the social sciences, and the sciences. Read more.


Enhanced Curriculum Implemented
The fall semester will bring noteworthy change to the Columbian College academic curriculum. Most significantly, a new general education curriculum for incoming freshmen has been implemented. The curriculum's requirements encourage development of key analytic skills in creative thinking and scientific and quantitative reasoning, global and cross-cultural perspectives, and expertise in both written and oral communication. New benchmarks have been put into place to gauge expertise and achievement. Undergraduate students also have more choices when it comes to majors and minors. Africana Studies and Organizational Sciences are the two new choices of study among the 50 majors available to Columbian College students; and Mind-Brain Studies and LGBT & Sexuality Studies are now among the 60 minors offered.  Read more.


China Trip Brings New Opportunities
Following a productive, two-week trip to China by Dean Peg Barratt and her colleagues, Columbian College is poised to launch new partnerships and opportunities for students. Among them, Columbian will host a Jiangsu Cup Chinese Speech Contest, open to students studying Chinese who are not native speakers. Spearheading the contest is Aimin Cheng, dean and professor of the Institute for International Students at Nanjing University. Winning prizes include significant scholarships and funded trips to the Jiangsu province in China.

Dean Barratt also attended Summer Sendoffs in Beijing and Shanghai, where she met alumni, parents, and current and newly admitted Chinese students who will be arriving on campus within the coming weeks. In addition, she visited Wuhan University, where many GW students study abroad, and discussed ways the two universities can collaborate on future initiatives. In the photo above, Barratt exchanges gifts with Dean Aimin Cheng of Nanjing University.


Mid-Summer Math
A summer of numbers was in store for students participating in two visiting scholar programs in math and statistics: the Summer Program for Women in Mathematics and the Professional Statistics Development Program. The former brings undergraduate women from universities across the country to challenge them with rigorous graduate-level courses on a variety of math topics taught by preeminent women mathematicians. The latter program hosts Chinese statisticians who come to GW for intense training in enhanced statistical communications and leadership. Read more.


Chiswick Awarded Prestigious IZA Prize in Labor Economics
Barry R. Chiswick, chair the Department of Economics, has been awarded the 2011 Study of Labor (IZA) Prize in Labor Economics for his fundamental contributions to the economic analysis of migration. With his groundbreaking work, Chiswick set the stage for assessing migration flows and immigrant assimilation, as well as the consequences of immigration for the labor markets and welfare systems of host countries. His work provided researchers and policy-makers with the essential instruments to study some of the most pressing questions in public policy.

"This is outstanding recognition of Barry's lifetime contributions to the field of economics and to human well-being," said Peg Barratt, dean of the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences. Read more.


Study Compares Aging of Human, Chimp Brains
Chimpanzees, the closest living relatives to humans, diverge from humans when it comes to aging. They do not experience a decrease in brain volume as they get older like humans do, according to a recent study led by Associate Professor of Anthropology Chet Sherwood.

"Although other animals experience some cognitive impairment and brain atrophy as they age, it appears that human aging is marked by more dramatic degeneration," said Sherwood. "What's really unusual for humans is the combination of an extremely long life and a large brain." " Read more.


Art Therapy Program Celebrates 40 Years
The Art Therapy Graduate Program has come a long way since its humble beginnings in 1971 at 2129 G Street. Now celebrating its 40th year, the program boasts a student-run art therapy clinic for the community at its new facilities in Alexandria, internship placements in local educational, psychiatric and medical settings, and opportunities to pursue degrees in art therapy, counseling, or trauma treatment. One of the first art therapy programs in the country, it has graduated more than 500 students who use art therapy in a variety of settings including schools, hospitals, geriatric centers, and mental health facilities.

"At the time the program was founded, only four other universities were considering establishing an art therapy program, so GW was really at the forefront," said Linda Gantt, MA '74, and a member of the first class of the Art Therapy Program. "The fact that we are now celebrating its 40th year really shows the strength of the program." Read more.


Textile Museum Joins GW
The Textile Museum, with its internationally acclaimed collection of 18,000 textiles and carpets dating from 3,000 BC, will have a new home on the GW campus beginning in 2014.  Exhibitions and programs will be presented to the public in an approximately 35,000-square-foot museum at G and 21st streets. The custom-built facility will bear the names of both GW and the museum, which is currently located in D.C.'s Dupont-Kalorama neighborhood. The building will also include the Albert H. Small Washingtoniana Collection and galleries and space for academic and scholarly activity, public lectures, and other forums, all of which will be integrated into a wide range of academic studies. Among the disciplines benefiting from this rich cultural resource will be anthropology, fine arts and art history, interior design, museum studies, and Judaic, Africana, and Americana Studies. Read more.


Alumni Weekend Kicks Off Sept. 15
Make plans now to return to GW to reminisce, enjoy the company of old friends, and learn more about what's happening at your alma mater. Alumni Weekend, which kicks off September 15, features a concert by the Grammy-nominated band Robert Randolph and the Family Band, and a performance by D.C.'s own, Chuck Brown, another Grammy nominee. Other activities include breakfast with Dean Peg Barratt, "Classes without Quizzes" featuring Columbian College faculty, the popular "Taste of GW" food fair, and a special reception for Columbian College alumni, students, and faculty to celebrate the college's 190th anniversary. Reunion parties will be held for the undergraduate classes of 2006, 2001, 1996, 1991, 1986, 1981, and 1961, as well as a reunion the former 21st Century/Stephen Joel Trachtenberg Scholars. In addition, a special celebration will be held for those graduating during the 1980s. Visit the Alumni Weekend website for more information and to register.


Economics Professor Analyzes the Nation's Financial Woes
Tara Sinclair, an assistant professor of economics and international affairs, is an expert on economic modeling and on forecasting business cycle fluctuations and growth. In a recent interview, she discussed the ramifications of the last-minute deal to raise the debt ceiling and provided new perspective on what the impact would be should America's credit rating be downgraded in the wake of a default. Read more.


A Year in Photos
It all began with a self-imposed challenge: 365 photos in 365 days.

One year ago, political science major Jahwai "Poppy" Lynch's launched Project 365, a blog that documented her efforts to improve her photography skills while discovering the beauty of everyday life. Two weeks before meeting her June 2011 deadline, the Massachusetts native emailed a link of her blog to several Boston-based publications with a brief explanation of her project. What happened next astonished her: The photo essay with 67 selected images was published in the Boston Globe Magazine and appeared on the newspaper's website in "One Year of My Life in Photos." Read more.


In Memoriam
We note with regret the passing of Stephanie Greco Larson, a former assistant professor of political science  during the 1980s and 1990s, noted author, and nationally recognized scholar in her field. Larson held a PhD in political science from Florida State University and, after her tenure at GW, was a faculty member at Dickinson College. Read more.


Kudos
The Matador, a production of the GW Documentary Center, was nominated for an Emmy Award for Best Original Score.

Professor of Physics Frank X. Lee and doctoral student Lai Wang published a computer software package entitled "MathQCDSR: A Mathematica package for QCD sum rules calculations" in Computer Physics Communications.

Caitlin Loehr
, BA '10, received a Fulbright for a nine-month study in radio communication in Senegal.

Stephen Molldrem, BA '11, launched a new consulting firm eLect Strategies only a few weeks after receiving his degree.

Ben Page, MPP '05, has been named special assistant in President Obama's Office of Management and Budget Director's Office.

Bernard Reich, professor of political science and international affairs, and Shannon Powers, a graduate student in political science, published "The United States and Israel: The Nature of a Special Relationship" in The Middle East and the United States: History, Politics, and Ideologies, 5th edition.

Rennie Silva, BA '05, was awarded a Fulbright grant to study media and political participation in Laos.

"Changing Planet: Clean Energy, Green Jobs, and Global Competition," one of a series of town hall meetings on the impact of climate change and featuring Ken Zweibel, director of the GW Solar Institute, aired July 26 on The Weather Channel.


 

 

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