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David Simon, executive producer, writer and creator of HBO's The Wire, will present a lecture at Hamilton College, on Thursday, Oct. 2, at 4:10 p.m. in the Chapel. The lecture, titled "The Audacity of Despair," is free and open to the public. It is sponsored by the Dean of Faculty and hosted by the American Studies program.

The Marine Biology and Invertebrate Biology classes, taught by Professors Pat Reynolds and Ashleigh Smythe, respectively, explored the diversity and ecology of marine habitats along the Connecticut and Rhode Island shores during the weekend of Sept. 27 and 28.

James Bradfield, the Elias W. Leavenworth Professor of Economics, appeared on a news segment on NBC affiliate WKTV on Tuesday, Sept. 30, in an interview on the current state of the economy. Bradfield said that he felt certain that the college's many economics graduates could look forward to bright futures in business despite current market turbulence.

The Levitt Center will sponsor a panel discussion titled "Sustainability: Market Solutions" on Thursday, Oct. 2, at 7:30 p.m. in the K-J Auditorium. Panelists include Charter Trustee Rich Bernstein '80, Bob Fryklund '80, Hamilton Associate Professor of Economics Julio Videras, with Associate Professor of Economics and Director of the Levitt Center's Sustainability Program Ann Owen as moderator. Bernstein is Merrill Lynch's chief U.S. strategist and chief quantitative strategist, and Fryklund is vice president, industry relations, for IHS, a leading provider of information services to industries in the area of engineering and energy.

Campus food service provider Bon Appétit and local farmers are hosting the "Eat Local Challenge" on Tuesday, Sept. 30, at Hamilton, where much of the food served at lunch will come from local producers. A picnic will take place on Dunham Quad from 11:15 a.m. to 2 p.m, where 10 local food suppliers will display their products. Soper Commons and McEwen dining halls will be open as usual and also feature locally grown food.

As the keynote speaker for the 2008 New York Conference on Asian Studies, University of Michigan professor Barbara D. Metcalf spoke on Saturday, Sept. 27, about misconceptions related to Islam. Her talk, titled "Telling The Story of Islam in Asia: Reflections on Teleologies and Timelessness," used the work of several older sources to illustrate many of the ideas that continue to affect our perceptions.

Where have all the honey bees gone? Dr. John P. Burand tried to answer this question on Sept. 29 in his lecture, "Colony Collapse Disorder in Honey Bees: The Tip of the Iceberg." Burand, a professor of entomology at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, became interested in bees and the viruses that affect them more than a year ago.  He spoke at Hamilton as part of the Hamilton Environmental Action Group (HEAG) Green Week.

The Chapel resounded with 40 joyful voices on Sept. 26 and 27, as veteran singers and musicians as well as some new vocalists gathered for the 10th Annual Gospel Music Celebration. The weekend began with a workshop on Friday night and Saturday morning, where singers and musicians collaborated on treatment of various songs. Kirk Hatcher of Miami, Fla., directed the choir, and Edward "Chief" Menifee, Jr. provided piano accompaniment and led the gospel band. The weekend culminated in a music celebration on Saturday evening that was enjoyed by some 80 attendees.

A group of Hamilton students and psychology professors Jean Burr and Lynn Evans took a trip to the New England Center for Children (NECC) in Southborough, Mass. on Friday, Sept. 26, to learn more about the center's programming. NECC is a community-based residential school for children and adults with autism, behavior disorders, mental retardation and other related developmental disabilities.

Hamilton's classes take advantage of our proximity to the Adirondacks. On Sept. 28, the Ecology class (Biology 237) travelled up Whiteface Mountain in the Adirondack high peaks to study elevational zonation in the montane forest and the forms of alpine vegetation. Highlights on this annual trip were the flag trees at treeline, the lichen mats in the alpine, and the spectacular fall colors in the forest. Students included Dan Barrios '10, Gary Bedrosian '11, Megan Braaten '11, Clare Browne '11, Emma Domby '11, Anne Gravely '11, Wes Mayberry '11, Jon Pinney '11, Quillan Reed '11, Jen Santoro '11, Annie Scott '11, Alice Townsend '11 and Sara Venjohn '10. Ernest Williams, the Christian A. Johnson Professor of Biology, and Associate Professor of Biology William Pfitsch accompanied their students.