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An Update from the Columbian College of Arts & Sciences |
January 2013 |
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Contents
Shadows for Sale
What Triggers Alcoholism University to Establish the GW Confucius Institute Barefoot Running Powerful Bite of the Piranha Alumna Named Associate GW VP for Research GWAA Seeking Nominations In Memoriam Selected Published Works Awards and Recognition  Fan us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.
 
Upcoming Events Jewish Literature Live Speaker: Lisa Zeidner January 24, 7:00 pm Location TBD Politics Speaker Series: Will Howell January 25, 12:15 pm Hall of Government, Room 428 Visiting Artist: Rocha-Pittenger January 27, 3:00 pm Jack Morton Auditorium Information Session: Graduate Programs in Organizational Sciences and Communication January 28, 6:30 pm Duques Hall, Room 451 Democracy in Action: Review of the 2012 Presidential Debates January 28, 8:00 pm National Press Building Out of Time: An American Crisis January 29, 7:00 pm Jack Morton Auditorium Information Session and Open House: MA in Media and Public Affairs January 30, 6:00 pm Media and Public Affairs Building, Room 406A Comparative Politics Workshop: Kelly Bauer February 1, 12:30 pm Hall of Government, Room 428 University Orchestra & University Singers with Professor Konstantinov: Lover's Tryst February 3, 3:00 pm Lisner Auditorium Information Session: Graduate Certificate in Exhibit Design February 5, 6:00 pm XX Theatre Space Jewish Literature Live Speaker: Jami Attenberg February 9, 7:00 pm Location TBD Alumni Events GW Culture Buffs: 1001 Inventions at the National Geographic Museum January 26, 11:30 am Washington, DC The Departed: West End Cinema Night Takeover with the DC Young Alumni Network January 28, 7:00 pm Washington, DC Ziffren Lecture in Religion January 29, 5:00 pm Marvin Center, Room 309 Department News Anthropology Art Therapy Chemistry East Asian Languages and Literature English Fine Art and Art History Geography History Judaic Studies Math Media and Public Affairs Medieval and Early Modern Studies Museum Studies Music Physics Philosophy Political Science Religion Science and Engineering Hall Sociology Speech and Hearing Sciences Statistics Theatre and Dance University Writing Program Womens Studies
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Shadows for Sale? Meet Artist-in-Residence Patrick Killoran
 As we bask in the warmth of a sunny day, fair warning to those strolling through the Foggy Bottom campus: Watch your shadow. Buying people’s shadows is the current business/research of visiting artist Patrick Killoran, whose work represents commentary on consumerism. The New York-based artist is on campus this semester as the first GW Artist-in-Residence, exploring consumer behavior and consumer culture through his work.“Although it might not make a good business, as a gesture buying shadows highlights many issues associated with consumerism. It always makes for engaging conversation,” said Killoran. Read more. What Triggers Alcoholism? Creating a Statistical Model of Genetic and Environmental Factors  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, excessive alcohol use accounts for 80,000 deaths each year in the United States, making alcoholism the third leading cause of preventable death behind obesity and smoking. In an effort to uncover the connection between genetic influences and environmental factors that may cause alcoholism, Assistant Professor of Statistics Tatiyana Apanasovich is employing statistical methodology to explore the complex interplay between the an individual’s environment and their genetic predisposition to alcoholism. The National Institutes of Health awarded her a two-year, $146,000 grant to develop this methodology
and a user-friendly software package to accompany it. Read more.
University to Establish the GW Confucius Institute  Columbian College will soon be home to the GW Confucius Institute to promote the study of Chinese language and culture, support Chinese teaching through instructional training and certification, and enable prosperous growth of research on China Studies. Named for the famed Chinese philosopher (551-479 BC), the institute will be one of 350 worldwide and the first to be established in Washington, D.C.“We’re excited to offer this extensive global learning opportunity with our partners in China,” said Columbian College Dean Peg Barratt, who recently traveled to China to help put the partnership in place. Read more. Barefoot Running: All about Style  Did you jump on the barefoot running craze? You may want to reconsider tossing out your sneakers. Doctoral candidate in Hominid Paleobiology Kevin Hatala and Associate Professor of Anthropology Brian Richmond
recently published a paper debunking the barefoot running movement popular with recreational runners. Published in the journal Public Library of Science, the paper shows that the running foot strike patterns vary among habitually barefoot people in Kenya due to speed and other factors such as running habits and the hardness of the ground. These results are counter to the belief that barefoot people prefer one specific style of running—forefoot first to avoid the high impact forces typically associated with a heel strike. Read more.
The Powerful Bite of the Piranha  The black piranha and the extinct giant piranha, or megapiranha, have the most powerful bites of carnivorous fishes, living or extinct, once body size is taken into account. According to an article in Scientific Reports
co-authored by Guillermo Ortí, Louis Weintraub Professor of Biology, the piranhas’ specialized jaw morphology allows them to attack and bite chunks out of much larger prey. Read more.
Alumna Named Associate Vice President for Research  The university recently hired Columbian College alumna Jennifer Pelt Wisdom, PhD ’01 and MPhil ’00, for the newly-created role of associate vice president for research. Wisdom has a background in clinical psychology and health services research. She comes to her new role from Columbia University, where she was assistant dean for research resources.
Read more.
GWAA Seeking Alumni Leaders! The George Washington Alumni Association (GWAA) is seeking candidates to serve as members of their Board of Directors for terms of office beginning in June 2013. Applications are now being accepted for a group of 10 to 14 at-large member seats, as well as two officer positions (secretary and vice president for Financial Affairs/Treasurer). All applications must be received no later than February 28. Read more. In Memoriam: Lloyd Elliott  Former GW President Lloyd Elliott, who died in early January at age 94, is remembered as a gracious and unassuming leader who consistently put students’ best interests above all else. Elliott led GW for 23 years and helped transform it from a “commuter” school into a respected residential academic institution. During that time, he increased the university’s endowment from $8 million to $200 million, oversaw the building of three libraries on the Foggy Bottom Campus, and emphasized the study of world affairs.
Read more.
Selected Published Works Brandon Bartels, assistant professor of political science, published "On the Ideological Foundations of Supreme Court Legitimacy in the American Public" in the January issue of the American Journal of Political Science. Evgeny Finkel, assistant professor of political science, co-edited Coloured Revolutions and Authoritarian Reactions (Routledge, 2013). Henry Hale, associate professor of political science and international affairs, published an article in Russian “Dinamika praviashchego rezhima v Rossii” [“Regime Dynamics in Russia”] in Pro et Contra. Melanie Hudson, MA ’78, co-edited the 4th edition of Professional Issues in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology (Delmar-Cengage Learning, November 2012). Eric Lawrence, associate professor of political science, published "The Adoption of Direct Primaries in the United States" in Party Politics 19. Kimberly Morgan, associate professor of political science, published "America's Misguided Approach to Social Welfare" in Foreign Affairs. Harris Mylonas, assistant professor of political science and international affairs, co-authored the article "Greece" in the most recent issue of the European Journal of Political Research. Awards and Recognition Robert Colgin, BA ’68, was honored for his philanthropy by the Association of Fundraising Professionals Greater Atlanta Chapter at the 2012 National Philanthropy Day Awards Luncheon. Daniel Martinage, BA '75, was recently named the new executive director of the Industrial Designers Society of America, the world’s oldest and largest membership organization for industrial design. Jozef Przytycki was awarded the title of Professor of Mathematical Sciences by the President of Poland, Bronislaw Komorowski, at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw. Professor of Political Science and International Affairs David Shambaugh's book China Goes Global: The Partial Power (Oxford University Press, February 2013) was included in the Denver Post’s 25 Foreign Policy Books to Read in 2013. James Skoufis, BA ’08, was elected to the New York State Assembly (99th District), making him the state's youngest serving assemblymember at age 26.
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