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Pig Brooch, Inc. is an emergent New York City theatre company composed entirely of former Hamilton College students (Aurelia Fisher '03, Aaron Wilton '03, and Justin Tyler '01). Their first show, Happy Mundanes, will be part of the New York International Fringe Festival this year, August 13-29.  The inspiration for Happy Mundanes came from a year of travel and study on a Bristol Fellowship from Hamilton College.

Associate Professor of Biology William Pfitsch and Leonard C. Ferguson Professor Ernest Williams of Biology have received a grant from The Nature Conservancy.  Pfitsch and Williams will continue work in their project "Rome Sand Plains lupine and frosted elfin management."

Assistant Professor of Physics Gordon Jones was awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation for a collaborative research project with professors from Tulane University, DePauw University and Indiana University. The grant will fund the development of an apparatus to measure the electron-anitneutrino correlation in free neutron beta decay.  According to the project summary, "this work will employ graduate and undergraduate students and postdocs who will learn techniques specific to neutron science as well as broader methodologies such as vacuum technology, instument design, particle detectors, data acquistion electronics and data analysis.  Neutron science is a growing field with broad impact on many areas of science and technology."

Matt Smith '06 knows all about how confidence can equate to better play in athletics. One of the most versatile athletes at Hamilton, Smith's versatility and broad interests led him to question the powers of self-evaluative thoughts. "I wanted to look at the concept that thoughts affect performance and how it is applicable to many situations," says Smith.

Daniel Griffith '07 wanted to stand out as a Hamilton research student and hoped to work on not just one, but two different projects this summer. Griffith and Frank Pickard '05 worked together on an investigation of enediynes, potential anti-cancer agents that may eventually result in an anti-cancer drug. Griffith's other project involves him calculating values for phenols and organic acids that can be important in the process of designing medications.

Director of Adventure Programs Andrew Jillings published the article "Mental Safety Skills" in July/August 2004 issue of American Whitewater magazine.

Professor of Psychology Jonathan Vaughan was elected as a fellow of the American Psychological Association for 2004. The American Psychological Association is based in Washington, D.C. According to the APA Web site, the association is the largest association of psychologists in the world working to "advance psychology as a science and profession and as a means of promoting health, education and human welfare."

Assistant Professor of Government Yael Aronoff attended the International Society of Political Psychology annual meeting in Lund, Sweden, July 15-18. Aronoff chaired the roundtable discussions, "Eminent Scholar Panel Honoring Fred Greenstein" and "Academic Success: Mentorship and Personal Dimensions and Academic Success." She participated in the roundtable discussion "Building Networks for the Psychological Study of Leaders and Leadership."  Aronoff also attended the Association for Israel Studies annual meeting in Jerusalem, Israel, June 13-17. She presented a paper, "The Political Psychology of Israeli Leaders During the Oslo Period," and was the chair and discussant for another panel, "The Language of Conflict in the Middle East."

Hamilton alumnus and former FBI agent Christopher Whitcomb '81 is the author of a new novel, Black (2004, Little Brown & Company). Publishers Weekly says: "Whitcomb (Cold Zer Inside the FBI Hostage Rescue Team) parlays the experiences and expertise of a 15-year career with the FBI into a cutting-edge counterterrorism thriller. Imaginative plotting, rock-solid prose, fascinating technology and blasts of furious action will hold readers hostage until the last surprising pages...This is a stellar thriller from an exciting new voice."  

After spending a year abroad in Paris, Nii Ato Bentsi-Enchill '05 came back to campus with a sense of focus. Even though he has grand visions for himself in the future, Bentsi-Enchill has been concentrating on his psychology major and his current investigation on how values influence the development of teenagers.