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One night last November, Max Currier '10 (Manlius, N.Y.) was thinking about his summer plans. It occurred to him at 3 a.m. that maybe he could get funding for his hobby of researching the current government and political situation; "regardless of what I did, I was going to be reading up on the war anyway," he thought. Later that year, he was awarded an Emerson Grant to research the Bush administration's actions regarding the War on Terror. Through extensive reading and analysis, Currier hopes to address the behavior of the Bush administration through the lens of Bush's key ministers.

One of the many highlights of Reunions 2007 was the dedication of Siuda House, the new home of Hamilton's admissions office. The former Sigma Phi fraternity house was dedicated in honor of Joy and Chet ’70 Siuda on June 1.

Beloved Hamilton College Dean Winton Tolles '28 and his wife, Patricia, were honored during Reunions 2007 when The Annex was formally dedicated and named the Tolles Pavilion on June 1. U.S. Rep. Michael Arcuri, Utica businessman Eugene Romano '49, president Joan Hinde Stewart and board of trustee chair Stuart Scott '61 were among the speakers.

Assistant Professor of Africana Studies Nigel Westmaas was a guest on WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3 on "Revolutionary African Perspectives," a program hosted by Sobukwe Shukura. Shukura interviewed Westmaas on the life and career of famed Guyanese historian Walter Rodney (author of How Europe Underdeveloped Africa) and his contribution to the Pan-African movement. Rodney was assassinated on June 13, 1980 but his impact on pan-Africanism and African and Caribbean political movements continue to resonate. The interview was on June 11.

Not all summer camps are about learning scissor kicks, tackles or goal tending. For elementary and middle school students who want to have a different summer camp experience, Hamilton College is offering a Public Speaking Camp, June 25-29.

Imagine rolling down the street in a brand-new convertible, secure in the knowledge that your latest extravagance is powered by renewable hydrogen fuel cells. Now consider the terrible implications if the hydrogen cannot be stored safely. Hydrogen in its pure form is an exceedingly reactive gas that must be kept at extreme pressures and temperatures not safe using traditional metal or plastic containers. Developing a light, low-cost receptacle that can withstand these conditions is the work of Sarah Cryer '10 (Stamford, Conn.) under the advisement of Assistant Professor of Chemistry Camille Jones.

A $370,000 gift from charter trustee David Solomon ’84 and his wife Mary will enable Hamilton College to make its campus completely wireless by the time classes begin again this fall.

A group of Hamilton students traveled to New Orleans for 10 days to contribute to post-Hurricane Katrina cleaning and rebuilding efforts. This was Hamilton's first summer service trip, and it was funded by both ASB and HAVOC. Participants were: Tamim Akiki '08, Mike Flanders '09, Sarah Gulack '09, Shane Knapp '09, Ashley Langer '09, Stacey Ng '10, Doug Paetzell '09, Emily Pallin '08, David Schlifka '09 and Stephanie Tafur '10.

Kyoko Omori, assistant professor of Japanese, has been awarded an SSRC/JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship to conduct year-long research at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan. She will be working on her book project titled “Detecting Modanizumu: New Youth Magazine, Tantei Shôsetsu [Mystery Fiction], and The Culture of Japanese Vernacular Modernism, 1920-1950.” Omori was also awarded a Japan Foundation Research Fellowship for next year.

With a record 1,617 alumni and guests on hand, Reunion Weekend 2007 represented a historic moment of transformation for the Hamilton campus, with three events that both change the face of the College and help mark its historic legacy.