Faculty News

With a well-known commencement speaker who holds controversial views, Hamilton may have anticipated a bit more national media attention to the event than in past years. What was not expected was additional focus on the dean of faculty.

Associate Professor of Africana Studies Nigel Westmaas presented a paper on the topic “The Historical and Contemporary Contours of Guyanese Philosophy” in Georgetown, Guyana, on May 23.

Roberta Krueger, the Burgess Professor of French, presented a paper titled “Other Bodies, Other Rooms: Moving Forward with Feminism in Medieval French Studies” at the International Congress for Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University on May 12. 

The Hamilton College Chapter of Sigma Xi, the scientific research society, initiated 13 members of the Class of 2016 to associate membership before the annual dinner in the Taylor Science Center Atrium on May 20. Family members in attendance enjoyed a program of observations by mentors about the students, their research and student plans to continue in research.

Paintings by Katharine Kuharic, the Kevin W. Kennedy Professor of Art, are currently on display in exhibitions at the Philip Slein Gallery in St. Louis and Manhattan’s Shirley Fiterman Art Center.

Associate Professor of Art Ella Gant was invited to serve on the (NYFA) Artists’ Advisory Board for a term of three years. The Advisory Board is the guiding body of the NYFA Program.

A May 17 American Public Media Marketplace broadcast titled “Why did inflation increase in April?” featured an interview with Ann Owen, the Henry Platt Bristol Professor of Economics. Responding to a U.S. Department of Labor report that the consumer price index or CPI rose in April, Owen pointed out that energy prices are increasing, although they still were not as high as they were a year ago.    

An article co-authored by Visiting Assistant Professor of Geosciences Carolyn Dash was recently published in the journal Landscape Ecology. “Land cover influences boreal-forest fire responses to climate change: geospatial analysis of historical records from Alaska” was written with Jennifer Fraterrigo and Feng Sheng Hu of the University of Illinois.

Associate Professor of Chemistry Adam Van Wynsberghe presented an invited seminar titled “Development of a multi-scale sampling methodology to examine the favored ligand binding pathways of influenza neuraminidase” at Union College on May 12.

Participants of the Spring 2016 New York City (NYC) program had opportunity to attend a performance of La Bohème at the Metropolitan Opera on April 29. For many, it was the first time to experience a live operatic production. La Bohème is a timeless love story set in Paris in the 1830s.