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A team of Hamilton faculty led by Associate Dean of Faculty for Diversity Initiatives Steve Yao was recently awarded a grant of $6500 from the Consortium on High Achievement and Success. It was in support of their proposal for "A Pedagogical Practicum for Fostering Productive Dialogue in the Diverse College Classroom." The grant will fund an ongoing practicum for Hamilton faculty to address the pedagogical challenges that arise from addressing "difficult" topics such as race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality and class within an increasingly diverse classroom environment. Other signatories to the grant include Professors Shelley Haley, Nancy Rabinowitz and Stephen Orvis.

Meredith Harper Bonham, executive assistant to the president and secretary to the Board of Trustees, has been selected as an Accent on Excellence winner by the Utica Observer-Dispatch and Northland Communications. The annual award, sponsored by the two organizations, recognizes the significant contributions that 10 individuals, all younger than 40, have made to the community. 

Before researchers can develop treatment for Type II diabetes, they must improve their understanding of the disease's biological progression. So far, it is clear that diabetic mice often exhibit osmotic red blood cell fragility, meaning that their red blood cells are more likely to burst than normal cells in aqueous solutions. Osmotic red blood cell fragility can cause diseases such as retinopathy, a disease of the retina that results in blindness. In an effort to lay the groundwork for diabetic medical developments, Sven Oman '10 (Watertown, N.Y.) is investigating the progression of red blood cell fragility in diabetic mice with Assistant Professor of Chemistry Nicole Snyder and Professor of Biology David Gapp. 

After spending the past year abroad with the Hamilton College Academic Year in Spain, Emily Powell '09 (Merion, Pa.) is putting her language skills to good use. Powell is working this summer as an undergraduate intern with the Safe Horizon Domestic Violence Law Project in Brooklyn, N.Y.. Her internship, she says, allows her to improve her Spanish skills and to learn about the dynamics of domestic violence, family law and public benefits.

Associate Professor of Theatre Craig Latrell presented a paper titled "Cultural Ownership and the Malaysian Chinese" for the panel "Dramatic Representations of the Chinese Diaspora in Southeast Asia" at the Association for Theatre in Higher Education 2008 Annual Conference in Denver, Colo., on August 2.  The paper concerned the history and representation of the Chinese population in Sarawak, East Malaysia, and how it relates to current political developments in the country.

Marianne Janack, the Sidney Wertimer Associate Professor of Philosophy, has been awarded a National Science Foundation grant from its Science and Society division.  The $93,000 grant is to support work on her book on the metaphysics of experience and the theory of mind. The book is titled The Educability of Experience: Value, Theory, and the Problem of Objectivity. 

Human Group, a theater company founded on the Hill by students Lindsey Hope Pearlman '08, Randi Rivera '08 and Nicholas Fesette '09, will present its inaugural production of August Strindberg's classic play Miss Julie this week in Manhattan. Performances will take place on August 8, 9, 10 at 8 p.m. at The Red Room, located at 85 East 4th St. Reservations are required.

Need a suggestion for a good movie? Ask Joshua Hicks '09, a rising senior from Newton, Mass. Hicks is collaborating with Professor of Religious Studies Stephenson Humphries-Brooks on a project titled "Romans, Movies, and the Disappearance of the Bible." The project is funded by the Emerson Foundation Grant Program, which provides students with significant opportunities to work collaboratively with faculty mentors, researching an area of interest. The students will make public presentations of their research throughout the academic year.

While many of his fellow students worked in internships or in the library doing research, Stephen Rowe '09 (Niskayuna, N.Y.) was walking through the streets of Darjeeling and Calcutta. "I didn't want to spend the summer in an office," the rising senior said. Instead, he spent it experiencing monsoon season firsthand, walking through streets flooded with one or two feet of water to collect personal observations for his project on deliberative democracy. Rowe's research collaborates with Associate Professor of Government Robert Martin, and was funded by a fellowship from the Arthur Levitt Public Affairs Center.

"What do you want to be when you grow up?" It's the perennial question at family reunions and holiday dinners. When rising senior and communications major Stacey Klein was asked that question by her boss at CNBC this summer, she had the answer. After spending nine weeks at CNBC's Global Headquarters, she replied, "a television news producer." On Sunday, Aug. 3, the first television production in which she has played a role, "Made in China: The People's Republic of Profit,"  will air on CNBC at 10 p.m. ET.