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Associate Professor of Chemistry Ian Rosenstein and three students participated in the 40th National Organic Symposium, sponsored by the Division of Organic Chemistry of the American Chemical Society at Duke University, June 3-7. The students, Daniel Griffith, Silas McKee and Rebecca Parkhurst, all graduated from Hamilton in May. The three students made four poster presentations. Griffith was a co-author on two posters, one with Rosenstein and the other co-authored with Associate Professor of Biology Herm Lehman. McKee's poster was co-authored by Greg Nizialek '08 and Assistant Professor of Chemistry Camille Jones and Rosenstein. Parkhurst and Rosenstein were the authors on her poster.

Thirteen students from Geosciences 295: The Geology of Tasmania, along with the Joel W. Johnson Family Professor of Geosciences Gene Domack and Associate Professor of Philosophy Katheryn Doran, are traveling through the country to study the geology of Tasmania and wilderness ethics. The students participating are: Andrew D'Amico '08, Samuel Bromley '08, Taylor Burt '08, Abigail Carpen '09, Katherine Goodwin '08, Alyssa Kanagaki '10, Julia MacDougall '09, Michael Millar '09, Richard Munschauer '09, Ryan Murphy '08, Sarah Powell '09, Kimberly Roe '08 and Cody Westphal '08. The group is filing reports from their trip.

Associate Professor of History Lisa Trivedi is the author of a new book, Clothing Gandhi's Nation: Homespun and Modern India (Indiana University Press).  The book explores the making of one of modern India's most enduring political symbols, khadi: a homespun, home-woven cloth. According to the publisher's Web site, "The image of Mohandas K. Gandhi clothed simply in a loincloth and plying a spinning wheel is familiar around the world, as is the sight of Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and other political leaders dressed in 'Gandhi caps' and khadi shirts. Less widely understood is how these images associate the wearers with the swadeshi movement—which advocated the exclusive consumption of indigenous goods to establish India's autonomy from Great Britain—or how khadi was used to create a visual expression of national identity after Independence. Trivedi brings together social history and the study of visual culture to account for khadi as both symbol and commodity. Written in a clear narrative style, the book provides a cultural history of important and distinctive aspects of modern Indian history."

Edward Walker '62, Christian A. Johnson Distinguished Professor of Global Political Theory and former U.S. ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Israel, presented his views on current U.S. relations in the Middle East as a featured speaker during Reunion Weekend on Saturday, June 2.

Associate Professor of Music Lydia Hamessley presented a paper titled “Commercial Folk: Dow Chemical’s ‘Human Element’ Campaign” at the Music & The Moving Image conference, held at New York University on May 18-20. Her paper examined Dow Chemical’s $20 million advertising campaign, “The Human Element” (2006).

Dean of the Faculty Joe Urgo is the editor of two new books on William Faulkner, published by University Press of Mississippi. Both are co-edited with Ann J. Abadie, associate director of Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi. The books -- Faulkner and Material Culture and Faulkner's Inheritance -- are collections of essays originally presented at the annual Faulkner and Yoknapatawpha conferences in Mississippi.

Hamilton President Joan Stewart and nearly 100 friends and family members of John Root '44 gathered on April 27 at The Links Club in New York City, to celebrate John's more than 60 years of volunteer service to the College. Although he has served in virtually every volunteer capacity, it is his work with the Committee on the Visual Arts, including more than a decade as its chair, that stands out. In his honor, $260,000 was raised to establish the John B. Root '44 Exhibition Fund. Income from this fund will enhance annual exhibitions at Hamilton's Emerson Gallery, or its successor, currently in planning as part of Hamilton's Excelsior Campaign. Members of Hamilton's arts faculty and Emerson Gallery staff were among those honoring Root.

The life of 1st Lt. Michael Cleary, a graduate of the class of 2003 killed in Iraq, was remembered by his sister Erin Flanagan '91 on NBC's Today Show on Thursday, June 7. The Today Show interview came about following a question Flanagan posed during CNN's Republican presidential debate in New Hampshire on Tuesday, June 5. As a member of the audience, she asked U.S. Senator John McCain to explain his Iraq exit strategy. In posing her question, she talked about her brother and his death.

Cheng Li, William R. Kenan Professor of Government and Brookings Institution Fellow, gave a presentation on the leadership of China and the upcoming 17th Party Congress on June 6, in Washington D.C. at the board meeting of the U.S.-China Business Council. Attending members included Citibank CEO William Rhodes, New York Life International CEO Joseph Gilmour, former U.S. Trade Representative Carla Hill and William Cohen, former U.S. Secretary of Defense.

Carl T. Hayden '63 has been nominated to serve as chair and member of the State University of New York (SUNY) Board of Trustees by New York Governor Eliot Spitzer. Hayden will also serve as chair of the search committee that will conduct a nationwide search for a permanent SUNY Chancellor.