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“I’ve always been thinking about this sharp transition from the traditional big family to the ‘124 family’ (one child, two parents, four grandparents),” said Xin Wang ’09 of her Levitt summer research project. Advised by Cheng Li, the William R. Kenan Professor of Government, Wang spent her summer researching Chinese single children from different socioeconomic backgrounds with a special focus on their consumptive patterns.

Tumelano Gopolang ’08 (Orapa, Botswana) spent her summer chasing money. As an intern with the Trinity University Haiti Program in Washington, D.C., Gopolang researched the uses and delivery of economic aid pledged to Haiti in 2004.

Nicholas Tampio, visiting assistant professor of government, presented a paper on “Kantian Principles” at the 2006 American Political Science Association Conference, held in August. The paper argues that Kant’s heirs should create new principles rather than retain Kant’s original principles. The panel included several prominent Kant scholars, including Elisabeth Ellis, William Galston, Patrick Riley, and Susan Shell. Tampio’s paper is part of his book manuscript on Kant’s legacy in contemporary political theory.

Visiting Instructor of History Christopher Hill wrote a book review titled "They Killed the King," that was published in The Wall Street Journal (Sept. 6, 2006). Hill reviewed The Tyrannicide Brief, by Geoffrey Robertson (Pantheon). The book tells the story of John Cooke, England's solicitor-general in 1649, and his role in the treason trial of King Charles I. Hill noted that the trial and Charles' execution "arguably began the separation of Europe from authoritarian rule." In the review, Hill wrote that Cooke "became a martyr to the Puritan cause he had championed." He called the book "superb" and said the author believes Charles' trial "is the precedent for our admirable, modern-day efforts to call tyrants to account in courts of law. Hill noted: "Mr. Robertson's occasional enthusiasm for Cooke, however, cannot obscure the great success of his book: illuminating the heroic role played by the Puritans in curtailing authoritarian rule."

Assistant Professor of Japanese Masaaki Kamiya (with Seiki Ayano in Mie University in Japan) gave a presentation at Formal Approaches to Japanese Linguistics at Osaka University in Japan during August. The talk was titled "Verbal Nouns in Japanese are so called for good reasons."

Associate Dean of Faculty and Associate Professor of Philosophy Kirk Pillow has been appointed to the Museum of Art Advisory Committee of the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute in Utica. The committee advises Paul Schweizer, director and chief curator of the Museum, and Milton Bloch, president of the Institute, on museum policy, exhibition planning, and other matters. Pillow's appointment was recently approved unanimously by the Institute's board of trustees. The appointment extends his involvement in the local arts community; Pillow already serves as president ofthe board of directors of Sculpture Space, an artists' residency program currently celebrating its 30th anniversary year.

Last winter, fresh from a semester in France, Sara Feuerstein ’07 (Rochester, N.Y.) headed to Washington, D.C. for a second semester off campus. While there, she did some extensive Internet research, called the French Embassy and asked for an interview. Hired “on the spot,” Feuerstein spent the summer as an intern in the Publications Office of the French Embassy.

Xiaobo Ma ’09 (Chengdu, China) thinks big. Interested in the trend of growing individualism in Chinese college students, the sophomore math and economics major applied for and received an Emerson grant to investigate them, advised by Cheng Li, the William R. Kenan Professor of Government.

Jessica Lewis ’07 (West Rutland, Vt.) started her summer with culture shock. Going directly from a study abroad program in Spain to a high-profile internship in Washington, D.C., Lewis dived straight into serious work experience as a research intern at the Institute for Women’s Policy Research.

Professor of Psychology Jonathan Vaughan assumes the position of chair of the Psychology division of the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR). CUR is an organization that supports faculty and institutions that seek to promote undergraduate research on their campuses. Vaughan has also been honored by election to Fellow status in Division 6 of the American Psychological Association (Behavioral Neuroscience and Comparative Psychology). He is also a Fellow in Division 3, Experimental Psychology.