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Richard Werner,  the John Stewart Kennedy Professor of Philosophy, presented "Hope and the Ethics of Belief" at the Third International Conference on Philosophy, June 2-5, in Athens, Greece. The paper argues that when the stakes are high it is rational to hope for and consequently believe in the best outcome as long as that outcome has a nonzero probability of success and even if it is not the most likely or best-supported outcome by the evidence. The argument continues that present world problems present us with high stakes where the likelihood of success is less than optimal but where hope for success is nevertheless rational.

Assistant Professor of Art Rebecca Murtaugh is currently showing her work titled "To Mark a Significant Space in the Living Room" in the exhibition "Made in New York 2008" at the Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center in Auburn, N.Y. The show opened on June 21 and runs until August 23. Murtaugh will give a public talk on August 3 at 2 p.m. in the gallery. For more information please visit www.schweinfurthartcenter.org.

Emily Chamberlain '10 feels she's been thrown into the real world with a vengeance. The rising junior is interning for the Honorable William K. Sessions III, a U.S. district judge for the District of Vermont and vice-chair of the U.S. Sentencing Commission.

Associate Professor of Mathematics Debra Boutin presented a talk titled "Distinguishing Classes" at the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) Conference on Discrete Mathematics held at the University of Vermont, June 16-19. In her talk, Boutin described a set of vertices that can be used to remove all symmetries from a network and presented her results on how surprisingly small these sets of vertices can be in some well-known network families.

Eugene Domack, the J. W. Johnson Family Professor of Environmental Studies, will present "The Polar Regions: Climate of Extremes on a Changing Planet," Monday, June 23, at 6 p.m. at the Uptown Theater in Utica. Domack's presentation is the first of three free events scheduled to raise environmental awareness in the Mohawk Valley.

Europe at Bay: In the Shadow of U.S. Hegemony, co-authored by Henry Platt Bristol Professor of International Affairs Alan Cafruny (with Magnus Ryner of Oxford University), has been shortlisted for the annual book prize of the International Political Economy Group of the British International Studies Association. The winner of the Award will be announced in December 2008. The IPEG Book Prize seeks to identify the best book published in political economy on an annual basis.

The corn may not be knee-high yet, but the Hamilton Community Garden is growing enthusiastically. The garden, a half-acre plot behind the Ferguson House parking lot, is being cared for by three students over the summer. Andrew Pape '10 and Chris Sullivan '09 are planting and tending the main garden, while Melissa Balding '09 will oversee the 1812 Heritage Garden.

Six Hamilton College faculty members will be promoted to the rank of professor, effective July 1. Associate professors Douglas Ambrose, history; Paul Hagstrom, economics; Lydia Hamessley, music, Stephenson Humphries-Brooks, religious studies; Catherine Kodat, English; and Onno Oerlemans, English, will receive the title of professor.

Tom Morrell '10 (Randolph, N.J.), a chemistry major, is working with Winslow Professor of Chemistry George Shields and Visiting Professor of Chemistry Thomas Castonguay to study how water clusters into small aerosol cores. Because increasing temperatures from greenhouse gases cause more water to enter the air via evaporation and this water, in turn, forms clouds that cool temperatures by reflecting sunlight, understanding how these water clusters form is an important component to studying global climate change. Building upon research he started last summer, Morrell's current project will focus on analyzing sulfuric acid and ammonium aerosol cores, which are both abundant in clouds.

Adrien Brody, best known for his Oscar-winning role as Wladyslaw Szpilman in Roman Polanski's 2002 film The Pianist, has made a major donation to For the Good, Inc., announced president and CEO Cassandra Harris-Lockwood K'74 on June 19. For the Good, Inc., is an independent nonprofit agency that promotes community development in the city of Utica, N.Y.