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A Guide to Arts and Sciences' News, Events and People | October 2011 |
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Contents Meet Dean Peg Barratt Realizing a Great Idea Renowned Physicist Joins GW Anatomy of a Book's Creation Faculty Recognized for Extraordinary Teaching Skull Scans Reveal Missing Link DegreeMAP Comes to Columbian From Jeopardy to Columbian College Bouchet Graduate Honor Society Alumni Weekend Wrap-Up Nominate Your Fellow Alumni New Books Awards and Recognition Selected Published Articles
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Meet Dean Peg Barratt
In the Dean's Suite on the second floor of Phillips Hall, you will find a scholar of many dimensions: runner, sea kayaker, and backpacker-to name just a few. Most of you know Peg Barratt as dean of the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences; read on to discover what you didn't know about her research in parent-child interaction, her years as a student at GW, her wanderlust, and why she loves her role as dean. Read more.
Realizing a Great Idea: Creating the American Writers Museum 
Who is your favorite American writer? Which literary genre do you prefer? What makes a great museum experience? These are the questions GW alumnus Malcolm O'Hagan, Doctor of Science '66, wants answered. As founder and president of the nonprofit American Writers Museum Foundation, he's on a mission to establish the first national museum dedicated to the history of American literature and American writers. Joining him in his quest is a group of Columbian College undergraduate English majors who, through internships with the foundation, are cultivating ideas for exhibits and helping to build the museum from the ground up.
Read more.
Renowned Physicist Fills Gus Weiss Endowed Chair 
Renowned theoretical nuclear physicist Andrei Afanasev has joined the Columbian College this fall as the inaugural holder of the Gus Weiss Chair of Theoretical Physics and Energy Studies. Afanasev, who has been hailed for his nuclear research by such notables in the field as Physics Nobel Laureate Abdus Salam, comes to GW from Hampton University and the Jefferson Lab (Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility). "Andrei Afanasev is an exciting addition to our research efforts at GW," said Allena Opper, chair of the Department of Physics. "He is already collaborating with our faculty on research that could impact how we extract and store nuclear energy." Read more. Anatomy of a Book's Creation: Professor Recounts Decade-Long Process 
Richard Longstreth's fascinating account of twentieth century architecture and urbanism through the lens of the evolving American department store was well received when it was published last year. The American Department Store Transformed: 1920-1960 traces the changes in retailing resulting from the dramatic economic and urban developments of the time. Longstreth, a professor of American Studies, recently recounted the genesis of the book and the challenges-and rewards-of getting it produced. Read more.
Faculty Recognized for Extraordinary Teaching 
Among the six professors receiving GW's most prestigious teaching award this year were three from Columbian College: Assistant Professor of Chemistry Cindy Dowd, Professor of Chemistry Houston Miller, and Assistant Professor of English
Holly Dugan. The Bender Teaching Awards recognize undergraduate, graduate, and professional teaching and are presented annually at the start of the academic year. Endowed by university benefactor Morton Bender and the university, the awards provide a $500 prize to be used for faculty development activities. Read more.
Paleoanthropologists Discover Hidden Link between Early Humans 
A new CT scan study of extinct human species skulls, conducted by Brian Villmoare, a post-doctoral paleoanthropologist from GW's Center for the Advanced Study of Hominid Paleobiology, and William Kimbel, director of the Institute of Human Origins at Arizona State University, may help settle a long-standing debate over the relationships of our early ancestors. The study revealed hidden patterns in the internal anatomy of the Australopithecus face, which indicate that the highly specialized "robust" australopith species from both southern and eastern Africa likely shared a common ancestor. Read more.
Degree Advising Tool Removes Guesswork from Tracking Student Progress 
Last month, GW launched its new online degree advising tool for Columbian College undergraduates, allowing students and their advisors to track progress toward graduation with the click of a button. DegreeMAP, which stands for Measuring Academic Progress, complements and supplements the advising process, helping students have a better understanding of degree, GPA, and major/minor requirements. "Because students have access to this information at their fingertips, they will be able to plan ahead and feel confident that they are making the right choices," said Columbian College Director of Academic Advising Anna Regan. Read more. From Jeopardy to Columbian College 
Do you know the Suez Canal was nicknamed, "the highway to India?" Incoming first-year student Raynell Cooper did and his correct response resulted in winning the 2011 Jeopardy Teen Tournament title. Quite an achievement for a 16-year-old who, equipped with his passion for trivia, is now pursuing a double major in political science and geography at Columbian College. Read more.
Edward A. Bouchet Graduate Honor Society 
In September, GW marked its commitment to diversity in doctoral programs by hosting its first event as a member of the Edward A. Bouchet Graduate Honor Society. Named for the first African American doctoral recipient in the U.S., the Bouchet Society recognizes outstanding scholarly achievement and promotes diversity and excellence in doctoral education and the professoriate. GW has inducted seven students since becoming an institutional member in 2008. Among them are five from Columbian College: Anna Holster, Laurie Lahey, Elizabeth Pittman, Amber Wiley, and Erin Marie Williams. "Our Bouchet students represent the highest level of scholarship and service in the field," said Associate Dean for Graduate Studies Tara Ghoshal Wallace, a member of the Bouchet Society's steering committee. "And our collaborative work with other universities committed to diversity recognizes the national dimension of our mission." Alumni Weekend Wrap-Up 
The air was chilly but the spirit was warm and inviting at GW's 2011 Alumni Weekend, where more than 2,000 GW graduates returned to Foggy Bottom to celebrate their GW experience and reconnect with classmates. Signature events included a concert with Chuck Brown and Robert Randolph
& the Family Band, Taste of GW, the Alumni Achievement Awards,
multicultural alumni events, class and affinity reunions, and an Open
House with President Steven Knapp.
Read more about the weekend's events and view the online photo gallery.
Nominate Your Fellow Alumni Recent Alumni Trustee The GW Alumni Association Nominations Committee is soliciting nominations for the position of Recent Alumni Trustee on the GW Board of Trustees to serve a term beginning July 1, 2012. For more information, visit alumni.gwu.edu/gwaa/trustees.html. Alumni Outstanding Service Awards The GW Alumni Achievement Awards Committee is also soliciting nominations for individuals meriting consideration for the Alumni Outstanding Service Award and the Jane Lingo Alumni Outstanding Service Award. For more information, visit alumni.gwu.edu/gwaa/asa/nomination.cfm. New Books Forrest Maltzman, professor of political science and senior vice provost for academic affairs and planning, co-authored The Constrained Court: Law, Politics, and the Decisions Justices Make. Kimberly Morgan, associate professor of political science and international affairs, authored The Delegated Welfare State: Medicare, Markets, and the Governance of Social Policy. Clay Warren, Chauncey M. Depew Professor of Communication, co-edited and co-translated The School for Life: N.F.S. Grundtvig. Douglas M. Wicklund, BA '83 and MA '86, senior curator for the National Firearms Museum, is co-author of The Illustrated History of Firearms. Awards and Recognition Assistant Professor of Political Science Brandon Bartels received a $110,713 grant from the National Science Foundation for his project "The Constraining Capacity of Law on the U.S. Supreme Court." Professor of Sociology Bill Chambliss was included in the book Fifty Key Thinkers in Criminology. Associate Director of the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration Joseph Cordes was elected to be a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. Ruth Weintraub Professor of Biology Gustavo Hormiga received a $24,186 grant from National Geographic to conduct fieldwork for his study, "Playing the Tape Twice: Parallel Colonization and Diversification of Laminacauda Spiders in the South Pacific and South Atlantic Archipelagoes of Juan Fernandez and Tristan da Cuhna." The Modern Language Association (MLA) Executive Council just appointed Associate Professor of English Alexander Huang to the Committee on the New Variorum Edition of Shakespeare for a four-year term. Assistant Professor of History Chris Klemek won The Paul Davidoff Award of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning, which is presented biennially for an outstanding book in the field. Klemek's book, The Transatlantic Collapse of Urban Renewal: Postwar Urbanism from New York to Berlin was published in the spring. Derek Malone-France, interim executive director and associate professor of the University Writing Program, will be a referee for the Kluge Prize at the Library of Congress. The GW Solar Institute Director Ken Zweibel was honored as this year's recipient of the "SOLAR Award for Excellence - Professional." Selected Published Articles Professor of Classics Elizabeth Fisher authored the article "Ovid's Metempsychosis: The Greek East" in Ovid in the Middle Ages. Professor of Mathematics Valentina Harizanov co-authored "Effective Categoricity of Injection Structures" in the volume Models of Computation in the Context, Springer Lecture Notes in Computer Science.
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