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Robert Spiegelman opened his lecture in the Kirner-Johnson Auditorium Friday by asking what comes to mind when someone mentions the "wild, wild West." Audience members offered obvious images such as cowboys, Indian tribes, and buffalo. Spiegelman, noted sociologist, multimedia artist and writer, admitted that the old West did have a certain amount of the cowboy and Indian drama, the kind that has been dramatized in the movies. But, before the days of wagon trains and cattle ranges, the wild, wild West was actually the wild, wild East. New York, said Spiegelman, was the first frontier, the conquering of which helped lay the framework for manifest destiny. Spiegelman was a guest at Hamilton through the Speakers in the Humanities series, made possible through the support of the New York Council for the Humanities, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

From an early age, Leeann Brigham has had an astute fascination for and a deep interest in science. As a child, she recalls playing with mini-microscopes and rock collections and having "an obsession with" the Nancy Drew mystery book series. Like the mystery books she so deeply loved as a child, today, Leeann views neuroscience, her major here at Hamilton, as "the ultimate mystery – asking questions like 'why do we behave the way we do' and 'how we have become the individuals that we are.'" To Leeann, neuroscience gives her "the perfect opportunity to explore those answers."

Assistant Professor of Economics Emily Conover was invited to attend and present at a conference held Dec. 6-7 at the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington D.C. The conference convened a group of economists to present and discuss their work on assessing productivity levels, dispersions and growth in different Latin American countries. The work Conover presented used firm level data to assess productivity levels in Colombia.

Bowie Sievers '11 helped lead Hamilton College to second place out of six teams at Wesleyan University's two-day Cardinal Invitational on Dec. 6 and 7.

A handful of athletes from Hamilton College's indoor track & field team competed in the multi-divisional non-team scoring Cornell Relays at Barton Hall on Dec. 6.

Megan Gibbons '12 finished first in five individual events to help lead Hamilton College to second place out of six teams at Wesleyan University's two-day Cardinal Invitational on Dec. 6 and 7.

The Web-based interactive video series Jazz It Up!, hosted and co-produced by Hamilton graduate Gregory Thomas '85, has been nominated for a Global Media Award in the category of Outstanding Long Form—Entertainment.

Meredith Harper Bonham, assistant to the president and secretary to the Board of Trustees, wrote an article for the latest issue of Trusteeship magazine. In "Awarding Honorary Degrees: Holding a Mirror up to the Institution," Bonham writes, "Conferring honorary degrees is a significant act, not only for what it says about a college or university, but also for the context it provides for the degrees conferred simultaneously on the members of a graduating class. The choice of recipients becomes an important part of an institution's self-definition and can reflect in fundamental ways the institution's mission."

Young filmmakers J.P. Sniadowski and Stephanie Spray will present their recent work as part of the Hamilton College F.I.L.M. (Forum for Images and Languages in Motion) series on Sunday, Dec. 7, at 2 p.m. in Hamilton's KJ Auditorium. It is free and open to the public.

Having been nominated by enthusiastic students earlier this fall and vetted by a committee of past teaching award recipients, Assistant Professor of Government Timothy (Ted) Lehmann was awarded a 2008 Class of 1963 Excellence in Teaching Award on Dec. 2. The Class of 1963 Excellence in Teaching Award was established in 1988 by members of the class on the occasion of their 25th reunion. This award recognizes a Hamilton junior faculty member, in a tenure-track position, or tenured in the last year, who demonstrates extraordinary commitment to and skill in teaching. The Lehmann announcement was made at the monthly Hamilton faculty meeting.