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Eleven. To many Hamilton students and faculty, this is the number of weeks remaining in a relaxing summer vacation. However, to Steve Bellona, Hamilton’s Associate Vice President for Facilities and Planning, the rest of the Hamilton College buildings and grounds crew and the builders from Barr and Barr, the next 11 weeks will be less than relaxing, as it is the number of weeks they have left to finish the $56 million science building construction project.

Hamilton welcomed back more than 1,200 alumni and their guests as it hosted its annual Reunion Weekend. Highlights included the dedication of the Delta Kappa Epsilon House in honor of Eleanor and Sidney Wertimer and a keynote lecture, Alexander Hamilton: The Life and Legacy of Our Most Elusive Founder, by Douglas Ambrose, the Sidney Wertimer Associate Professor of History.

Professor of Biology Jinnie Garrett is participating in the Dartmouth College Ethics Institute Summer Faculty program "Teaching Ethical, Legal and Social Implications of the Human Genome Project," June 12-17 at Howard University. The purpose is to train faculty to teach genetic literacy and to introduce some of the key ethical, legal and social implications of human genome research to undergraduate students. Garrett was competitively selected from a pool of applicants from liberal arts colleges and universities who demonstrate a commitment to teaching with a multidisciplinary approach. At Hamilton she teaches Genes and Genomes, which considers the social, medical and agricultural applications of genetic technologies.

Although the College bears his name, few students at Hamilton have had the opportunity to study Alexander Hamilton. Mike Mortimer ’07 (Montague, NJ) plans to become one of the Hamilton experts at Hamilton after his Emerson research project. His project explores the private Alexander Hamilton and his personal relationship with George Washington.

Carl Rubino, the Edward North Professor of Classics, was a guest on the Donovan Report, a news talk show on radio station KDXU in southern Utah on June 6. Rubino discussed the Star Wars movies' roots in ancient mythology. He teaches a class at Hamilton, "Heroism Ancient and Modern," which examines ancient and modern views of the hero, including the Star Wars series.

Peter Cannavo, visiting assistant professor of government, published a letter in The New York Times (6/10/2005). Cannavo's letter was in response to the article, "Bush Aide Edited Climate Reports," published June 8. He said "By reshaping the science to justify inaction on global warming, the administration has distorted the evidence available to policy makers and undercut their ability to make informed decisions."

Assistant Professor of Physics Seth Major has been awarded a grant from the Research Corporation, America’s first foundation for the advancement of science. Major’s project is a science award renewal titled "Discrete Geometry Phenomenology and an Inner Product for Cosmology." Through the Cottrell College Science Awards (CCSA) program, faculty at undergraduate institutions are challenged to explore new areas of science, to make new discoveries that contribute to their discipline and to initiate new research program that can be sustained by other funding sources, as well as with institutional support. A key element in these research programs is that they involve undergraduate students in meaningful ways. Research Corporation is a private foundation, established in 1912, that aids basic research in the physical sciences at U.S. and Canadian colleges and universities.

Eight Hamilton faculty members were approved for tenure by the College’s board of trustees during its recent meeting. The granting of tenure is based on recommendations of the vice president for academic affairs and dean of faculty, and the committee on appointments, with the president of the college presenting final recommendations to the board of trustees. All will receive the title of associate professor on July 1. Faculty receiving tenure are Mark Bailey, computer science; Debra Boutin, mathematics; Alistair Campbell, computer science; Mark Cryer, theatre; M. Cecilia Hwangpo, Hispanic studies; Marianne Janack, philosophy; Gordon Jones, physics; and Rob Martin, government.

A panel discussion, “Stem Cell Therapies: The Science and the Controversy,” will be presented on Friday, Sept. 30, at 1:30 p.m. in Hamilton’s new Science Auditorium as part of the College’s science center dedication weekend “Celebrating Science at Hamilton College.” The panel will feature Dr. Robert Almeder, author and a member of the Philosophy Department at Georgia State University and Dr. Susan Bryant (P' 08) dean of Biological Sciences at University of California at Irvine, and a member of the California Citizens Oversight Committee. The new $56 million science center is the largest construction project in Hamilton’s history.

Three local colleges actively engaged in assisting refugees in Utica have joined together as sponsors of a photo exhibit, "Many Cultures, One Community," a visual presentation of the city's cultural diversity presented by the Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees (MVRCR). The exhibit's opening was held on World Refugee Day, Monday, June 20, in the Red Room Gallery in the Stanley Theatre in Utica. The exhibition will run through July 20 and is free and open to the public. It is hosted by MVRCR in conjunction with The Central New York Community Arts Council.