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Faculty News - Summer 2004

Derek Jones Receives Grant for Baltics Project

August 31, 2004
Irma M. and Robert D. Morris Professor of Economics Derek C. Jones has received another grant for a project titled "Economic Performance and Human Resource Management Policies: Econometric Evidence from the Baltics."  More ...

Cryer's "99 Questions" Receives Favorable Review at Scotland's Fringe Festival

August 30, 2004
Assistant Professor of Theater Mark Cryer's performance of "99 Questions You've Always Wanted to Ask an African American" at the Edinburgh (Scotland) Fringe Theatre Festival received a favorable review in Scotland's daily newspaper The Scotsman. The Edinburgh Festival is the biggest and best known arts festival in the world. The review says: "Cryer is a skilled and likeable performer, and it's to his credit that none of his characters feel cliched. That, of course, is part of the point: that we all need to see people, not pigmentation; individuals not types."

Isserman’s Reviews Featured in The Chicago Tribune

August 30, 2004
Two book reviews written by Hamilton College Professor of History Maurice Isserman were featured in The Chicago Tribune (Aug. 29, 2004). Isserman reviewed Mona Z. Smith's Becoming Something: The Story of Canada Lee (Faber and Faber) and Nadine Cohadas' Queen: The Life and Music of Dinah Washington (Pantheon) for the daily newspaper. Both Canada Lee and Dinah Washington were African-American pioneers in the world of entertainment, helping to achieve equal rights for African-Americans in both movies and music in the 1940s.  More ...

Peter Rabinowitz Writes Cover Article for Fanfare Magazine

August 30, 2004
Professor of Comparative Literature Peter Rabinowitz wrote the cover article for the current issue (September/October 2004; Volume 28, no. 1) of Fanfare Magazine. The article, "'Without Conviction, It's Going to be Worthless': Stephen Hough and Andrew Litton Record the Rachmaninoff Concertos," is an interview with pianist Hough and Litton (conductor of the Dallas Symphony) that took place while they were recording the Rachmaninoff Concertos last spring. It's the first commercial set of the concertos that's been taken from live performances and the first set of the concertos recorded in SACD surround sound. The interview is followed by a review of the CDs, which are "revelatory."

Rajan Appointed to Irwin Chair at Hamilton

August 24, 2004
Gita Rajan, associate professor of English and director of literature at Fairfield (Conn.) University, has been appointed to the Jane Watson Irwin Visiting Professor of Women's Studies chair for the 2004-2005 academic year at Hamilton College. The Irwin professorship supports the needs and interests of women at Hamilton.  More ...

Rowe Receives 2004-2005 ASCAP Award

August 23, 2004
Monk Rowe, a musician and The Joe Williams Director of the Hamilton College Jazz Archive, has been chosen as a recipient of the American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers (ASCAP) Popular Music Survey Award. According to ASCAP, the awards are based upon the unique prestige value of each writer's catalog of original compositions, as well as recent performances in areas not surveyed by the society.

Ravven Receives Best Paper Award

August 13, 2004
Heidi Ravven, professor of religious studies, received an International Institute for Advanced Studies in Systems Research and Cybernetics Best Paper Award for her paper, "Spinoza's Systems Theory of Ethics." She recently delivered the paper at the organization's international conference in Baden-Baden, Germany. Consequently, Dr. George Lasker, president of the IIAS, has offered to devote a symposium at next year's annual IIAS conference to Ravven's work on Spinoza and ethics.

Ravven Elected to Board of North American Spinoza Society

August 8, 2004
Professor of Religious Studies Heidi Ravven was elected recently to the governing board of the North American Spinoza Society. She also gave an invited paper on "Spinoza's Systems Theory of Ethics" at the 16th International Conference on Systems Research, Informatics and Cybernetics of The International Institute for Advanced Studies in Systems Research & Cybernetics in Baden-Baden, Germany.  More ...

Pfitsch and Williams Awarded Grant from Nature Conservancy

August 5, 2004
Associate Professor of Biology William Pfitsch and Leonard C. Ferguson Professor Ernest Williams of Biology have received a grant from The Nature Conservancy.  Pfitsch and Williams will continue work in their project "Rome Sand Plains lupine and frosted elfin management."

Gordon Jones Awarded NSF Grant

August 5, 2004
Assistant Professor of Physics Gordon Jones was awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation for a collaborative research project with professors from Tulane University, DePauw University and Indiana University. The grant will fund the development of an apparatus to measure the electron-anitneutrino correlation in free neutron beta decay. According to the project summary, "this work will employ graduate and undergraduate students and postdocs who will learn techniques specific to neutron science as well as broader methodologies such as vacuum technology, instument design, particle detectors, data acquistion electronics and data analysis. Neutron science is a growing field with broad impact on many areas of science and technology."

Vaughan Elected Fellow of American Psychological Association

August 5, 2004
Professor of Psychology Jonathan Vaughan was elected as a fellow of the American Psychological Association for 2004. The American Psychological Association is based in Washington, D.C. According to the APA Web site, the association is the largest association of psychologists in the world working to "advance psychology as a science and profession and as a means of promoting health, education and human welfare."

Aronoff Attends Conferences in Sweden and Israel

August 5, 2004
Assistant Professor of Government Yael Aronoff attended the International Society of Political Psychology annual meeting in Lund, Sweden, July 15-18. Aronoff chaired the roundtable discussions, "Eminent Scholar Panel Honoring Fred Greenstein" and "Academic Success: Mentorship and Personal Dimensions and Academic Success." She participated in the roundtable discussion "Building Networks for the Psychological Study of Leaders and Leadership." Aronoff also attended the Association for Israel Studies annual meeting in Jerusalem, Israel, June 13-17. She presented a paper, "The Political Psychology of Israeli Leaders During the Oslo Period," and was the chair and discussant for another panel, "The Language of Conflict in the Middle East."

Elgren Assumes Presidency of Council on Undergraduate Research

August 4, 2004
Associate Professor of Chemistry Tim Elgren assumed the presidency of the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) in June. He is also serving a three-year term on the CUR executive board. CUR is an organization that supports faculty and institutions that seek to promote undergraduate research on their campuses. Elgren also presented talks at CUR's national conference in La Crosse, Wis., in June. The talks were titled "So You Have Tenure, Now What?," "Report on the NSF Summit on Undergraduate Research" and "International Programs with Research Opportunities."

Briggs Teaches Graduate Program at Inter University Centre in Croatia

August 4, 2004
In June, Austin Briggs, Tompkins Professor of English Literature, Emeritus, taught at the Inter University Centre in Dubrovnilk, Croatia. The two-week graduate program on James Joyce featured an international roster of faculty assembled at the IUC, a center for advanced studies whose member institutions include such universities as Johns Hopkins, MIT, Cornell, Oxford, Upsalla, Parma, Beijing and Tokyo. Briggs delivered a lecture, conducted a seminar and participated in group reading sessions devoted to Ulysses and Finnegans Wake. Before Dubrovnik, Briggs attended the International James Joyce Symposium in Dublin, where he spoke on two panels, one of which -- on Joyce and the menstrual cycle -- he organized and chaired.

Silversmith Awarded Grant from National Science Foundation

August 2, 2004
Ann Silversmith, professor of physics, has been awarded funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for the acquisition of equipment for "Thermal and Optical Studies of Sol-gel Materials Containing Rare Earth Ions." Silversmith applied for the grant with Daniel Boye, professor of physics at Davidson College. According to their proposal, the project will be a "continuation of the fruitful interdisciplinary (physics and chemistry) collaborations between Davidson and Hamilton colleges in a study of the optical properties of doped sol-gel materials."  More ...

Cryer to Perform "99 Questions" at Edinburgh Fringe Festival

August 2, 2004
Mark Cryer, assistant professor of theater, will perform "99 Questions You've Always Wanted to Ask an African-American" at the Edinburgh (Scotland) Fringe Theatre Festival, Aug. 22-27. The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the biggest and best known arts festival in the world, with more than 20,000 performances, 10,000 artists and 200 venues. Cryer was also elected editor of The Beat, the newsletter of the Association of Theatre in Higher Education.

McCormick and Elgren Receive NSF Grant to Acquire Raman Microscope

July 31, 2004
Assistant Professor of Biology Mike McCormick and Associate Professor of Chemistry Tim Elgren have received a grant from the National Science Foundation's Major Research Instrumentation program to support the acquisition of a Raman Microscope. This instrument will be used to support the geo-microbiology research activities in McCormick's lab and bio-inorganic studies in Elgren's lab. The instrument will also be incorporated into chemistry, biology and geology laboratory courses.  More ...

Blackwood Appointed to Conduct Pakistan Studies Contest

July 30, 2004
Russell Blackwood, the John Stuart Kennedy Professor of Philosophy Emeritus and a long-time trustee of the American Institute of Pakistan Studies, has been appointed by the institute to conduct a national undergraduate essay contest in Pakistan Studies. Contest winners will receive a financial prize and publication of abstracts of their papers in Pakistan Studies News.  Several current Hamilton students as well as Kamila Shamsie '94, visiting assistant professor of English, graduated from Karachi Grammar School.

Michael Gruen '06 Combines Love of Technology With Academics

July 28, 2004
Michael Gruen '06 (Englewood, NJ) has always been an avid gamer. So when given the opportunity to combine his love for computer technology with his academic studies, Gruen took full advantage.  More ...

De Swaan Awarded CEPA Residency

July 27, 2004
Photography Lecturer Sylvia de Swaan has completed two two-week segments of a six-week residency program awarded to her by the Center for Exploratory and Perceptual Arts (CEPA) in Buffalo.  More ...

Wendy Garratt-Reed '05 Studying Archaeology of St. George, Maine

July 26, 2004
For an archaeology major, classroom study is important but visiting an excavation site is key to understanding an area. Wendy Garratt-Reed, '05 (Reading, Mass.) was recently awarded an Emerson Scholarship from Hamilton College that will enable her to conduct an archaeological study of an early 19th century homestead in St. George, Maine. Working with Hamilton Professor Tom Jones, Garratt-Reed plans to spend six weeks this summer in St. George, doing archaeological excavations. After the excavations, Garrat-Reed will spend four weeks conducting research, pursuing any lingering questions regarding the history of the homestead site.  More ...

Kat McGrory '05 to Explore How Modern Technology Affects Journalists' Objectivity

July 19, 2004
As the editor-in-chief of Hamilton College's student newspaper, The Spectator, a staff writer for The Poughkeepsie Journal, and a guest columnist for the local Utica Observer-Dispatch, Kat McGrory '05 (Poughkeepsie, NY) has a deep interest in journalism and print media. Despite all her experience working in newsrooms, McGrory still had lingering questions about the history of journalism and how modern technology has been affecting journalists' ability to remain objective. As an Emerson scholar, McGrory hopes to explore this topic, examining objectivity in newsrooms and the role digital technology plays in reporting.  More ...

Rubino Plays Nathaniel Pendleton in Reenactment of Hamilton-Burr Duel

July 15, 2004
Edward North Professor of Classics Carl Rubino took a turn at acting on July 11, when he played the role of Alexander Hamilton's friend, Nathaniel Pendleton, in a historic reenactment of the Hamilton-Aaron Burr duel. Descendants of Hamilton and Burr posed as the historic figures in an event staged by the town of Weehawken, N.J., to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the duel. Rubino had a few speaking lines in the reenactment and is shown holding the injured Hamilton after he was shot.

Greek Letter Alternatives and Multicultural Organizations

July 12, 2004
Marc C. David, assistant dean of students for multicultural student affairs, presented a paper at the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity held in Miami, Fla., on June 1-5. The title of the presentation was "Greek Letter Alternatives: The Search for Brotherhood and Sisterhood in Emerging Multicultural Student Organizations."  More ...

Ravven Receives Ford Foundation Grant

July 12, 2004
Professor of Religious Studies Heidi Ravven has been awarded a four-year Ford Foundation Grant for a long-term project on the philosopher Baruch Spinoza. The project will result in a book titled Rethinking Ethics and American Pluralism.  More ...

Rubino to Participate in Commemoration of Hamilton, Burr Duel

July 9, 2004
Edward North Professor of Classics Carl A. Rubino will participate in a commemoration of the historic duel in which Alexander Hamilton, first secretary of the treasury, was shot and killed by then Vice President Aaron Burr. To mark the bicentennial of this tragic event in the early history of the U.S., the Weehawken, N.J., Historical Commission has planned a full day of activities for Sunday, July 11, including a reenactment of the duel by descendants of Hamilton and Burr. Weehawken Day of Commemoration

Cheng Li Publishes Article in China Leadership Monitor

July 8, 2004
Cheng Li, the William R. Kenan Professor of Government, published the paper, "Bringing China's Best and Brightest Back Home: Regional Disparities and Political Tensions," in issue No.11 (Summer 2004) of the China Leadership Monitor.

Amanda Bennett '06 to Study Pequot Indian Narratives

July 6, 2004
Amanda Bennett '06 (Enfield, Conn.) believes her Emerson scholarship will allow her to acquire interdisciplinary research skills. She has spent the last two summers conducting research for Hamilton's Chemistry Department. However, this summer her research will go in an entirely different direction.  More ...

Ravven Publishes Essay in Women and Gender in Jewish Philosophy

July 1, 2004
Heidi M. Ravven, professor of religious studies, has published an invited essay in  Women and Gender in Jewish Philosophy, edited by Hava Tirosh-Samuelson (Arizona State University) and published by Indiana University Press.  In her paper, "Spinoza's Ethics of the Liberation of Desire," Ravven shows the ways in which Spinoza was inspired by and modernized the biblical model of Jewish liberal ethics and democratic politics.  Ravven concludes that Spinoza's ethics is a far better point of departure for a contemporary feminist ethics of liberation than the several standard versions of contemporary feminist philosophic ethics.

Derek Jones Receives Grant, Attends Annual Conference on Transition Economies

July 1, 2004
Professor of Economics Derek Jones participated in the Annual Conference on Transition Economies in Hanoi, Vietnam. Jones discussed two papers, "Local Protectionism and Regional Specialization: Evidence from China 's Industries" by Chong-En Bai et al and "Revenue Sharing and Control Rights in Team Production: Theories and Evidence from Joint Ventures" by Zhigang Tao et al. The conference was sponsored by the William Davidson Institute, Center for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) and the Ford Foundation.  More ...

Dan Walker '05 Studying Conspicuous Concealment in Novel

June 30, 2004
Last summer, while working as an assistant in the English department offices, Dan Walker '05 (Marcellus, NY) was able to begin reading and researching with Hamilton College Professor Onno Oerlemans about an idea called "conspicuous concealment" and its role in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Blithedale Romance. This summer, Walker will pick up where he left off on his research last summer with his Emerson summer collaborative grant.  More ...

Isserman Presents Paper on Cold War at Moscow Conference

June 29, 2004
Professor of History Maurice Isserman presented a paper titled "Cold War in a Cold Place: The 1963 American Mount Everest Expedition" at a conference held at Moscow State University in Moscow, Russia. The conference featured both American and Russian historians and was organized to mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Fulbright Program's Distinguished Chair in American History at Moscow State University. A dozen American historians who have held the chair over the past three decades, including Isserman who was the Fulbright Distinguished Chair in 1997, were in attendance at the two-day conference.  More ...

Ann Hapanowicz '05 Studying Links Between Human Resource Management and Business Performance

June 28, 2004
Ann Hapanowicz '05 (Rome, NY) already has some professional experience in the bank, literally. As a participant in the Hamilton College New York City program in the spring of 2004, Hapanowicz interned at Chase Manhattan bank in New York, N.Y. As an Emerson scholar during the summer of 2004, she will continue to explore her interest in banking. She will work with Economics Professor Derek Jones on a project that will collect and analyze case study data to investigate the links between "human resource management practices" and business performance. Hapanowicz hopes to work with new data from firms in Central New York, more specifically local banks, to study productivity in the work place.  More ...

Faculty Organize Interdisciplinary Panel at Nature and Culture Symposium

June 28, 2004
Associate Professor of English Onno Oerlemans and Associate Professor of Biology Pat Reynolds organized a panel on "Interdisciplinary Teaching on the Adirondacks" at a symposium on "Nature and Culture in the Northern Forest." The symposium was sponsored by the Association for the Study of Literature and Environment and held June 4-6 in Crawford Notch, N.H. Ernest Williams, the Leonard C. Ferguson Professor of Biology, was panel chair and addressed "Interdisciplinarity vs. multidisciplinarity in teaching and learning about the Adirondacks."  More ...

Schultes '98 Presents Paper on Technology Enhanced Classrooms at CLAC Annual Meeting

June 28, 2004
Gretchen Schultes '98, lab and classroom user services manager, presented a paper at the Consortium of Liberal Arts Colleges (CLAC) annual meeting, held June 10-12, at Colorado College in Colorado Springs. This year's conference explored the many facets of "sustainability" and how it relates to information technology in higher education. Her presentation was titled "TE Classroom Support and Sustainability at Hamilton College."  More ...

Keller Serves on Steering Committee for International Teaching Project

June 25, 2004
Associate Professor of History Shoshana Keller will serve on the steering committee for an international teaching and research resource project developed by the Social Science Research Council. The two-year project, titled "Histories of Central Asia," received funding from the Department of Education and should start work in the fall. The project will create an on-line "teaching resource tool" on comparative histories of Central Asia.  More ...

Roberts Organizes North American Serials Interest Group Conference

June 24, 2004
Director of Technical Services Connie Roberts served on the program planning committee for the North American Serials Interest Group Annual Conference in Milwaukee, June 17-20. NASIG is a professional association of librarians, publishers and vendors concerned with journal publishing. Roberts helped plan programs on developing pricing models for electronic resources and recent trends in scholarly publishing. She also initiated the first joint session between NASIG and members of the National Women's Studies Association who were also meeting in Milwaukee.

Becky Conrey '05 Examines Identity Construction Within Socially Deviant Relationships

June 24, 2004
As a sociology major, Becky Conrey '05 (Burnt Hills, NY) knows what it is like to study human behavior and social norms. However, even after her extensive coursework in the field, Conrey still had some lingering questions about social norms, deviant behavior, and its effect on identity construction. In order to answer these questions, Conrey will collaborate with Hamilton College Professor Jenny Irons on an Emerson Summer Research Project titled "Identity Construction within Relationships Socially Marked as Deviant."  More ...

Sanchez-Casal is Organizer of Future of Minority Studies Conference

June 23, 2004
Susan Sanchez-Casal, associate professor of Spanish and women's studies, is among the organizers of the "Future of Minority Studies Conference" held at Cornell University from June 24-27. Future of Minority Studies (FMS) is a national research project composed of a broad group of scholars (faculty and students) and universities devoted to research, scholarship and pedagogy involving minority identity, education and social transformation. Hamilton College will co-sponsor a one-day pedagogy retreat, "Conceptualizing the Realist Classroom" during the conference.  More ...

Bonta Elected Honorary Member in Society for Seventeenth-Century Music

June 22, 2004
Stephen Bonta, the Margaret Bundy Scott Professor of Music Emeritus, has been elected to honorary membership in the Society for Seventeenth-Century Music. SSCM is dedicated to the study and performance of 17th-century music and related arts. The society currently includes more than 280 members plus 100 additional international subscribers to its electronic newslist.

Pillow Appointed Associate Dean of the Faculty

June 10, 2004
Associate Professor of Philosophy Kirk Pillow has been appointed to the position of Associate Dean of the Faculty for a three-year term beginning on July 1. Pillow, who earned his doctoral degree from Northwestern University, has taught at Hamilton since 1996.  More ...

Ravven Publishes Invited Article

June 9, 2004
Professor of Religious Studies Heidi Ravven published an invited article, "Did Spinoza Get Ethics Right? Some Insights from Recent Neuroscience" in Studia Spinozana, volume 14 (1998), Wurzburg: 2004, Konigshausen & Neumann. It is a volume on the theme "Spinoza on Mind and Body" edited by J. Thomas Cook and Lee Rice. Studia Spinozana is the premier journal of Spinoza studies.

Cheng Li Named Trustee of Foundation

June 7, 2004
Cheng Li, the William R. Kenan Professor of Government, was named to a three-year term as trustee of the Institute of Current World Affairs. The institute was founded in 1925, "to provide talented and promising individuals with an opportunity to develop a deep understanding of an issue, country or region outside the United States and to share that understanding with a wider public." This is Li's second appointment as a trustee. He was a fellow of the institute from 1993-95 and served as secretary in 2003-2004.

Hagstrom Named to Utica Mutual Board of Directors

June 7, 2004
Paul Alan Hagstrom, associate professor of economics and director of the Arthur Levitt Public Affairs Center, has been named to the board of directors of the Utica Mutual Insurance Company, principal member of the Utica National Insurance Group. Hagstrom assumes a post left vacant by Jacob Worner, who retired from the board in February.  More ...

Alumni, Faculty Discuss Nation Building

June 4, 2004
Two Hamilton alumni and one professor participated in a panel, "Nation Building—Winning the Peace," on June 4 as part of Reunion Weekend. John Hewko '79 talked about the transition from communism to capitalism in the former USSR. Visiting Assistant Professor Carlos Yordan spoke about reforming U.S. foreign policy in Iraq. Maria Zammit '74 discussed Iraq and the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.  More ...

Ravven Publishes Essay

June 2, 2004
Heidi Ravven, professor of religious studies, has published an invited essay, "Hegel's Epistemic Turn --or Spinoza's?" in a special issue of the journal Idealistic Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Philosophy devoted to Spinoza and Idealism. The essay appears in volume 33:2 - 3 Summer-Fall 2003.

Brad Sinrod '92 Featured in Philadelphia Inquirer

June 2, 2004
Brad Sinrod '92 was recently featured in an article published in the Philadelphia Inquirer. The article profiled Sinrod through the careers he has pursued since graduating from Hamilton, from fund raiser to internet start-up tycoon to real estate developer, and the MBA program that helped him along the way. Sinrod received his master of business administration last May from Penn State Great Valley and was voted outstanding management student of his class.  More ...

O'Neal Conducts Research in Neuchâtel, Switzerland

June 1, 2004
Professor of French John O'Neal travelled to Neuchâtel, Switzerland, in May to conduct research in the area which inspired to a large degree Jean-Jacques Rousseau in his Reveries of the Solitary Walker. While there he viewed the only extant copy of the original manuscript of Reveries, which is in Neuchâtel's library. He also visited the town of Môtiers, where Rousseau lived for three years and was "stoned." O'Neal then travelled to the Island of Saint Peter in the Bienne Lake, which figures prominently in the Reveries and where Rousseau engaged in botanizing plants and flowers for his herbaria. O'Neal also participated in the annual meeting of the Swiss Rousseau Society in Geneva in May.

Adams Proposal Receives Funding from Mellon Foundation

June 1, 2004
A research project being conducted this summer by Visiting Professor of Rhetoric and Communications John Adams, Joshua Huling '05 and Instructional Technology Specialist Janet Simons has been funded by the Mellon Foundation Northeast Regional Center for Educational Technology (CET) in Middlebury, Vt. The project, "Video Cellphones, War Metaphors and Micro-Documentaries: Exploring the Rhetorical Constraints of Time and Place," had been accepted for inclusion in Vassar's Summer Institute in Media Studies. Amy McGill and Bryan Alexander, co-directors of CET, funded the purchase of cell phones and Sprint service in hopes to learn from the Hamilton team about this technology and to use this project as the basis for continued experimentation with the multimedia and cell phone technology.

HILLGroup Members Participate in Train-the-Trainer Workshop

June 1, 2004
Bryan Alexander and Bret Olsen from the Mellon Foundation Northeast Regional Center for Educational Technology conducted a train-the-trainer workshop on "The Multimedia Narrative" for members of Hamilton's HILLgroup on June 2-4. Hamilton will also host instructional technology participants from Colgate University and Skidmore College. This workshop is designed to assist instructional technologists and librarians in their efforts to support the use of multimedia in the academic program. HILLgroup will be offering workshops in "The Multimedia Narrative" to faculty in Fall 2004.