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Lecturer in Economics and Women's Studies Nesecan Balkan participated in the Sixth World Social Forum in Caracas from January 24-29. Balkan organized a workshop along with colleagues from the Union of Radical Political Economists (URPE) titled "Progressive Economic Organizing in the U.S" and presented a paper about students' anti-sweatshop and other labor-related activism. The paper focused specifically on the activities of the United Students against Sweatshops which is an umbrella organization for more than 200 college groups involved with economic issues.

On February 5, half of the students in Sophomore Seminar 220, “The Natural and Cultural Histories of the Adirondacks,” hiked through the Adirondacks toward Middle Settlement Lake over snow, rocks and mud, and had a true Adirondack springtime experience. Following the hike, the students paid a visit to the Old Forge Hardware Store, a source for a wide variety of Adirondack items. The students were accompanied by course instructors Professor of Chemistry Robin Kinnel and Professor of Archaeology Tom Jones. This field trip provides the students with a good opportunity to get a sense of the countryside and the present day culture of the area. The other half of the class is scheduled to take the hike on February 12.

Brian J. Glenn, visiting assistant professor of government, recently published an article in the latest issue of Studies in American Political Development assessing the contributions of Louis Hartz's book, "The Liberal Tradition in America," published 50 years ago. Glenn argues that if the book is a classic, it is because several important lines of research stemmed from the book, and continue to do so.

Visiting Instructor of Comparative Literature Janelle Schwartz recently brought her Comparative Literature 311 “Fields of Visibility: Science and Literature in European Romantic Thought” class to Professor of Biology Pat Reynolds’ lab to look at worms through microscopes and put their theoretical knowledge of worm generation and regeneration into practice. The class is an interdisciplinary course that attracts students interested in the sciences and the humanities.

A liberal arts college might not be the first place you would expect to find undergraduates dedicated to scientific research. Hamilton College chemistry professor George Shields says "The quality of student learning in such a highly attentive atmosphere is one of the reasons why a disproportionate number of Ph.D. chemists receive their baccalaureate training at small liberal arts college like Hamilton."

A liberal arts college might not be the first place you would expect to find undergraduates dedicated to scientific research. Hamilton College chemistry professor George Shields says "The quality of student learning in such a highly attentive atmosphere is one of the reasons why a disproportionate number of Ph.D. chemists receive their baccalaureate training at small liberal arts colleges like Hamilton."

The Department of Music presents the College Choir in “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” at Wellin Hall in the Schambach Center for Music and the Performing Arts. The choir, directed by G. Roberts Kolb, will perform on Friday, Feb. 3, and Saturday, Feb. 4, at 8 p.m. and on Sunday, Feb. 5, at 2 p.m. The musical, written by Rupert Holmes, is a play-within-a-play that centers on the Music Hall Royale’s production of an unfinished Dickens mystery. Notable musical numbers include “The Wage of Sin,” “Perfect Strangers,” and “Both Sides of the Coin.” The production culminates in the audience voting on a solution, which leads to an extremely unusual finale.

Frank Pickard '05, Becky Shepherd '06, Amber Gillis '06, Meghan Dunn '06, former postdoctoral associate Steve Feldgus, Visiting Professor of Chemistry Karl Kirschner, Winslow Professor of Chemistry George Shields, and two colleagues at Florida State University published an article in the Journal of Physical Chemistry A titled "Ortho-Effect in the Bergman Cyclization: Electronic and Steric Effects in Hydrogen Abstraction by 1-Substituted Naphthalene 5,8-Diradicals."

Nancy Sorkin Rabinowitz, the Margaret Bundy Scott Professor of Comparative Literature, presented her paper, “Liberating Medea: Political Theater,” in a Faculty Brown Bag talk on February 1. In her talk, Rabinowitz discussed the political implications of the Medea Project, a prison-education initiative that encourages female prisoners to use Euripides’ Medea to develop a sense of personal agency.

Associate Professor of Chemistry Tim Elgren delivered an invited talk at the Protein Derived Radicals, Cofactors, and Quinones Gordon Research Conference in Ventura, Calif. in January. The talk was titled "Sol-Gel Encapsulation of Enzymes: Mechanistic and Spectroscopic Studies."