Faculty & Staff
Newsbriefs, AY 2009-2010
Summer 2010
Whittier College Professors’ New Publications Deal with International Activism(08.04.10) Rebecca Overmyer-Velazquez, associate professor of sociology at Whittier College, recently published the book, Folkloric Poverty: Neoliberal Multiculturalism in Mexico (Penn State Press).
The book tells the story of an indigenous peoples movement in the southern Mexican state of Guerrero that gained unprecedented national and international prominence in the 1990s and yet was defunct by 2002. Folkloric Poverty examines the many challenges this, and other indigenous groups, face in trying to secure a foothold in the country's political and economic system.
Meanwhile, political science professor Joyce Kaufman co-authored the book, Women and War: Gender Identity and Activism in Times of Conflict (Kumarian Press).
Women and War examines how women respond to situations of national conflict and how conceptions of gender are deeply intertwined with ideas about citizenship and the state. As the authors show, women do more than respond to conflict situations; they are active agents in their own right shaping political and historical processes. Their conclusions encourage readers to rethink the prevalent assumptions of international relations, history, and feminist scholarship and theory. More
Professor Geetha Rajaram Speaks About Econometrics in Portland
(7.10) Economics professor Geetha Rajaram presented a paper titled "Teaching Econometrics using both Summative and Formative Assessments" at the Western Economic Association Conference in Portland, Oregon.
Professor Kay Sanders Presents Gathered Research on Teachers and Children
(06.10) Professor Kay Sanders presented at the Head Start 10th Annual National Research Conference in Washington D.C. Her presentation, "Race Socialization in Child Care and Its Effect on Self-Concept in Preschool Children." Sanders research and presentation dealt with pre-school children's racial socialization experiences in child care settings, the teacher-child relationship, and the four-year-old concept of self.
Spring 2010
Professor Fred Bergerson Returns to Vietnam Four Decades After the War
(06.01.10) Political science professor Fred Bergerson was featured in Bill Bell's Memorial Day column in the Whittier Daily News.
Bergerson recently led a group of alumni and friends of the College on a 10-day trip through Vietnam. For Bergerson, a Vietnam veteran, it was his first trip back in 42 years. The group journeyed from Ho Chi Min City (Saigon) to Hanoi, along the way stopping at various former military sites including Camp Radcliff, China Beach, My Lai, and Khe Sahn.
Former Captain in the First Cavalry Division (Airmobile), Bergerson participated in the relief of Khe Sanh, known as Operation Pegasus. Bergerson received a Bronze Star for his meritorious achievement in assisting in the planning of the successful relief of the base.
On the last leg of the trip, the group held a remembrance ceremony at a rural site that was once LZ Evans to honor four fallen soldiers -- Richard Frasca, Ray Robinson, Robert Wiedemann, and Ross Applegate -- who served with Bergerson.
To read the column click here.
Read more about the trip at www.wcvietnam.wordpress.com.
Professor Tony Barnstone is on the Road Again Due to his Newly Released Book
(04.10) English professor Tony Barnstone published Tongue of War: From Pearl Harbor to Nagasaki (BKMK Press 2009), a book of poems based upon 14 years of research and original interviews with veterans of WWII and their families. Barnstone has been on tour promoting the book this year, and has given readings in Greece, Mexico, and across the United States, including a 6-stop reading tour in the Seattle area in mid-May.
Additionally, two published interviews Barnstone worked on with former students have been reprinted in books in the past year. These include "A Usable Past: An Interview with Bharati Mukherjee," by Barnstone and Shefali Desai, published in Conversations with Bharati Mukherjee, edited by Bradley C. Edwards Jackson (University Press of Mississippi, 2009).
The second interview,
"The Body Is our First Music: An Interview with Yusef Komunyakaa," by Barnstone and Mike Garabedian, was published in Conversations with Yusef Komunyakaa, edited by Shirley A James Hanshaw (University Press of Mississippi, 2010).
Whittier College Hosts Citizens of Burma Award
05.14.10 Whittier College recently hosted the "Citizen of Burma Award." The event honored five finalists who presently help the poor and disenfranchised.
The winner was U Kyaw Thu, who along with several other initiatives, organized a society that provides free funeral services to the poor.
"The Citizen of Burma Award is by far the most historically important event that I have participated in as a person who teaches and writes about cultural events around the world," said religious studies professor Jake Carbine, who helped organize the event.
The Award ceremony opened with a dance by the well known Burmese performers Daw Lay Naing Ei, and closed with a comic performance by a Burmese youth organization from Oregon.
Votes for the award, collected and monitored by a third party via an internet polling system, numbered over 280,000 and came in from 54 countries around the world. The event was broadcast live into Burma, which has been ruled by a military regime since the early 1960s, via Radio Free Asia.
Professor Julie Camparo: Colaborative Work
(05.10) Professor Lori Camparo co-authored the chapter, "Contemporary Child Forensic Interviewing: Evolving Consensus and Innovation over 25 Years" for the book Children as Victims, Witnesses, and Offenders: Psychological Science and the Law. A second article co-authored by Camparo, "Interviewing children in custody cases: Implications of research and policy," will be featured in a special issue of the journal, Behavioral Sciences and the Law.
Camparo also presented her research with three students, Allyson Yuen, Adilene Vargas, and Stephanie Hui , at the Society for Research on Adolescence in Philadelphia, PA in March. The title of their presentation was "Conformity in Racial, Religious, Homophobic, and Gender Prejudices: Perceptions versus the Real Deal."
Professor Danny Jauregui's Work Exhibited in the Greenleaf Gallery
(05.12.10) The Whittier College Greenleaf Gallery's most recent exhibit featured work by art professor and emerging artist Danny Jauregui. The collection, There Goes the Neighborhood, features his most recent work, which deals with the impact of the AIDS epidemic on the gay movement in the United States.
Jauregui has shown his work widely and currently has a solo exhibit at Bowdoin Museum in Brunswick, Maine. In addition, his work is part of a traveling museum exhibition, Phantom Sightings: Art After the Chicano Movement, which premiered at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and is currently on view at El Museo del Barrio in New York city.
Jauregui's work can also be seen at www.dannyjauregui.com.
Professor Stephen Cook a New Online Piano Curriculum
(05.10) Professor Stephen Cook has co-authored an online piano curriculum for maestroconcept.com, incorporating a traditional piano instruction with music theory and performance video gaming. The online curriculum launched in May and will also be used in the maestro academies located in Orange County.
Cook also held a recital at Whittier College with artist-in-resident Yumi Livesay in May and performed with Broadway talent Susan Egan at Pepperdine University in April.
Social Work Students and Political Action in Sacramento
Professor Christine Marge and students in her Social Welfare Policy class traveled to Sacramento to meet with assembly members to discuss pending legislation about social welfare. The trip marked Professor Marge's class 6th year to participate in this statewide effort sponsored by the National Association of Social Workers. 900 students, faculty, and professional participants were expected at the event, with Whittier College as the first baccalaureate programs to participate.
Religious Studies Professor Joseph Price Discusses Earth Day and Spirituality in Whittier Daily News
(04.28.10) As Whittier College and the country celebrated the 40th annual Earth Day, Professor of Religious Studies Joseph Price spoke to the Whittier Daily News about the event's true origination.
"Although Earth Day was not one of the agricultural festivals during biblical times, the roots for it's celebration reach back into the earliest stories and statements of biblical faith, and the love of the earth has been expressed in psalms and hymns throughout the years."
Price describes that"the celebration of Earth Day goes hand in hand with spiritual practices" for the Earth can be found in a number of poems and songs celebrated by Christians centuries ago. More
Professor Robert Marks Completes New Books on Chinese History
(04.10) Richard and Billie Deihl Professor of History Robert Marks has completed two book manuscripts this year. The first, China: Its History and Environment, analyses nearly 10,000 years of Chinese history, from the Neolithic agricultural revolution to the present, in terms of the relations of the Chinese and others peoples in that region to the environment. It is being published by Rowman & Littlefield.
The second, Chinese Radicalism Revisited: Essays in Honor of Maurice Meisner, is an edited volume of essays on twentieth-century China, written and published in honor of one of the giants of modern Chinese history, Maurice Meisner. The book is being published by Lexington Press.
His earlier book, Tigers, Rice, Silk, and Silt: Environment and Economy in Late Imperial South China (Cambridge, 1998), has been issued in a paperback edition (2009-10), and a Chinese-language edition is being published in September by Jiangsu Peoples Press.
Marks has also co-authored a book chapter with Georgina Endfield of the University of Nottingham entitled, "Environmental Change in the Tropics in the Last Thousand Years" in Sarah Metcalf and David J. Nash eds., Quaternary Environmental Change in the Tropics, being published by the University of Nottingham press.
Moreover, Marks has also been traveling this spring. He presented a paper, “The Qing Era in Environmental Historical Perspective,” at the Association for Asian Studies annual meeting in March and was invited to three universities to lecture on his work.
A Poet Presents in Front of the Renaissance Society of America in Italy
(03.10) Professor Wendy Furman-Adams presented a paper, "The Fate of Place: Three Illustrators Reading Milton's Paradise" for a special panel sponsored by the Society for the Study of Early Modern Women, at the annual meeting of the Renaissance Society of America in Venice, Italy.
Moreover, three new essays written by Furman-Adams have recently appeared in print: "Visions of the Nativity," in Dreams and Visions, published in the Netherlands (Brill 2010); "Shifting Contexts: Artists' Agon with the Biblical Samson and with Milton's," in Visionary Milton (Duquesne University Press 2010); and "Visualizing Paradise Lost: Artists Teaching Milton," in Approaches to Teaching Paradise Lost (MLA 2010).
“Greenleaf Report” Brings Politics to Life
(03.25.10) Capitalizing on the recent surge of political interest among young people--an offshoot of the 2008 presidential elections--political science professor Eric Lindgren decided to take politics out of the classroom and onto the airwaves.
Lindgren and a dedicated group of students hit the air every Wednesday night for “The Greenleaf Report” - a talk show broadcast on KPOET radio that covers news headlines and offers in-depth reports and interviews about current events and politics.
The group has interviewed professors from the economics and political science departments. Topics have ranged from military strategy, to refugees, to politics of a recession.
“The show provides an avenue for students to engage real world current events and political happenings in more concrete ways,” said Lindgren. “The show’s format forces them to formulate their opinions, organize their thoughts and then coherently state and defend their arguments.”
In addition, Lindgren contributes a “Politics 101” segment each week, which sheds light on some part of American government or politics.
Professor Joseph Price Discusses Religion and Baseball on Talk Radio
(03.24.10) Professor of Religious Studies Joseph Price was on CR Radio today speaking about faith, American life and baseball. Price, author of Rounding the Bases: Baseball and Religion in America , joined a conversation about the relationship between America's favorite pastime and religious life.
CR Radio regularly explores the issues, questions, and opportunities facing faith communities and their leaders today.
To listed to the full program click here.
Student-Faculty Research Presented at American Chemical Society National Spring Meeting
(03.23.10) Chester and Olive McCloskey Junior Faculty Chair in Chemistry Ralph Isovitsch, and Associate Professor of Chemistry Amy Moskum, along with Whittier students Michael Galbreath '11 and Andres Villapando '11, presented collaborative student-faculty research at the annual professional conference of the American Chemical Society (ACS) in San Francisco March 21-25.
Professor Ann M. Kakaliouras Takes Her Knowledge to UCLA and Brazil
In March, Assistant Professor of Anthropology Ann M. Kakaliouras attended an invitational international symposium in Teresópolis, Brazil sponsored by the Wenner-Gren Foundation. The symposium, organized by Susan Lindee (University of Pennsylvania) and Ricardo Ventura Santos (Museu Nacional, Rio de Janeiro) was entitled: "The BIological Anthropology of Modern Human Populations: World Histories, National Styles, and International Networks." At the conference Professor Kakaliouras held workshops on her pre-circulated paper, "An Anthropology of Repatriation: Contemporary Indigenous and Biological Anthropological Ontologies of Practice," which will be published in a special issue of the journal , Current Anthropology,focused on the symposium by early 2012. Click here for more information.
Aside from her work in Brazil, Professor Kakaliouras has recent publications in the American Anthropologist and the School of Advanced Research Press Seminar series. They include "Leaving Few Bones Unturned: Recent Work on Repatriation by Osteologists," (American Anthropologist 110) and "Toward a New and Different Osteology: A Reflexive Critique of Physical Anthropology in the United States Since the Passage of NAGPRA" (Opening Archaeology: Repatriation’s Impact on Contemporary Research and Practice).
Professor Kakaliouras was also asked to be a panel member in UCLA's Fowler Museum OutSpoken Panel discussion marking the 20th anniversary of the passage of the federal law that governs the repatriation of Native American human remains and artifacts to their descendants, NAGPRA (Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act). The panel was entitled "Culturally unidentifiable human remains and the politics of NAGPRA affiliation," and took place on May 6.
Professor Marie-Magdeleine Chirol Featured in the Journal of African Cinemas
(03-10) French professor Marie-Magdeleine Chirol's article "Ruin and renewal in Idrissa Ouédraogo's Yaaba" was recently published in a special issue of Journal of African Cinemas (Dec. 2009).
Chirol also presented a paper on a fictional documentary by G. Kaboré and P. Ouedraogo, "Désertification et mise en situation cinématographique," at the 36th African Literature Conference on Eco-Imagination, at the University of Arizona in March.
Additionally, she was the main organizer of workshops on "Francophonie Asiatique" for the Southern California Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF-SC). This event took place in February 2010 at Mirman School, Los Angeles, and was attended by high school teachers, college/university professors, and college students.
A New Place for Physics
(02.10) The physics department has moved into the space that was formerly occupied by the Center for Academic Success in the first floor of the science building. The new space provides a study lounge with computers loaded with special math and science programs for math, physics, and astronomy students. The lounge also holds a a small physics and math library, a white board and several couches.
The departments have also been hosting afternoon colloquia, featuring guest speakers, for students and faculty.
Professor sal johnston to Lead Greening of Wanberg Hall
(02.22.10) Sociology professor sal johnston will be the new Hartley House faculty master for fall 2010. As part of his new post, johnston, who also coordinates the environmental studies program, is leading the charge of converting Wanberg resident hall—situated next to Hartley House—into a green living environment.
"How do you take an existing dorm, with a structure that wasn't built to be particularly sustainable, particularly efficient, and make it more so?" asked johnston in an interview with Whittier College's QCTV. "There are some interesting things we can do, heating and cooling [techniques], strategic placement of trees. There are some really, really low cost, low tech [strategies] that have been implemented other places."
This project is one of several "green" projects initiated by johnston at Whittier. Beginning in 2008, johnston's environmental students class worked to reduce the amount of food waste produced by students in the Campus Inn. According to research, food waste produces carbon gases that negatively impact the environment. The educational campaign led by the class, coupled with the elimination of trays in the dining hall, helped reduce food waste from 7.4 ounces per person in the fall to 2.7 ounces in the spring.
To view QCTV segment click here.
Whittier Receives Grant from W.M. Keck Foundation to Launch Centers for Cross Disciplinary Learning
(1.29.10) The W.M. Keck Foundation has awarded Whittier College a grant for $250,000 to launch two interdisciplinary learning centers: the Center for Science, Health, and Policy (CSHP), and the Center for Collaborations with the Arts (CCA). The funding from the Keck Foundation will primarily support cross-discipline course development and student fellowships. Theatre professor Jennifer Holmes will serve as CCA's inaugural director, and biology professor Dave Bourgaize will serve as the inaugural director for the CSHP.
"Support from the Keck Foundation to launch the Centers affirms Whittier's approach to education--that we are educating students to see the world from multiple perspectives--and applauds Whittier faculty for their excellent commitment to interdisciplinary teaching. The Keck Foundation award also will further enable us to recruit talented students who can make significant contributions to these fields in the future," said President Sharon Herzberger.
Professor Eric Lindgren Comments on Proposed Spending Freeze
( 1.27.10) In anticipation of the State of the Union address, political science professor Eric Lindgren comments on President Barack Obama's proposed three-year federal spending freeze for the Spanish-language daily La Opinion. "In reality it does not sound like a good idea; freezing spending is not something you should do in a recession. Government spending helps reactivate the economy and I believe that it has helped the country, in particular minority communities."
EXCHANGING KUDOS
(01.15.10) Katie Hunter ’05, director of international programs, traveled to Denmark with professors Mike McBride (political science) and Judith Wagner (childhood education and development) to help celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Danish Institute for Study Abroad (DIS) program in Copenhagen. During the closing banquet, Whittier College was honored by DIS Director Anders Uhrskov for the large part Whittier played in the creation of the program in 1959. Mike McBride was honored with an award at this ceremony as well.
While there, the trio also dined with 10 former Danish exchange students to Whittier College from the last six years. “It was a rare pleasure to hear from these students about the importance of their time at Whittier, and the amazing effect that experience has had on their lives,” said Hunter.
Beloved Theatre Professor Robert Treser Dead at 83
(1.12.10) Professor Emeritus Robert Treser, 83, passed away on January 7. Treser joined the Whittier faculty full-time in 1965 as a theatre professor and served as department chair for 18 years. During his three decades at Whittier he directed countless number of plays and regularly taught his notoriously rigorous theater history course. He also served for a period of time as director of the Copenhagen Program through the Danish Institute for Study Abroad. As noted by his former student, "What a great man and teacher. He saw things in people that they hadn't found yet in themselves. All of our lives are richer for having known him."
Treser graduated from Lehigh University and earned an MFA from the University of Oklahoma and a Ph.D. in theatre arts from Tulane University. He is survived by his daughter Nancy and son David. The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Whittier College in honor of their father's memory. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 13 at 1:00 pm at the La Habra United Methodist Church, 631 N. Euclid Street, La Habra, CA. There will be a reception after the service.
Fall 2009
College Continues to Expand New Curricular Program
(10.09) Since 2003, enrollment in Chinese language courses at the Whittier College has grown exponentially. In response Whittier recently launched a major in Chinese language with an enthusiastic response from students.
The major is part of an ongoing effort to expand the College’s East Asia studies program. In conjunction with this, Chinese professor George Da Roza ’78 led a Jan Term class on a week-long trip through China.
Supplementing this new curricular focus, a keynote lecture was given in fall by Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow and renowned Asia expert Richard Halloran, who spoke about the approaching rise of China’s political and economic might. “Living and working out in the middle of the Pacific, in Hawaii, I get the feeling that our political leaders and our press, really don't pay enough attention to China and its rise in our world. Just as Chinese suffer from ignorance [of the United States] that can cause miscalculation, so can American inattention cause miscalculation on this side of the Pacific," warned Halloran during his lecture, further encouraging those in the audience to learn more about the region.
The development of Whittier College’s East Asia Studies Program has largely been made possible through a federal grant secured with the help of U.S. Congresswoman Linda Sanchez.
Music Professor Competes for Kansas
6.6.09 Commissioned by the Kansas Music Teachers Association (KMTA) for an original work to represent their state at the National Competition in 2010, composer Teresa LeVelle has created “Earth Songs.” The three-movement for piano, vibraphone, and cajon premiered in summer, with a special performance in late November on the Whittier College campus. The concert was recorded and used for the competition, and following, composer LeVelle and the musicians hosted a discussion on collaboration and instrument choices and an audience question-and-answer session.
Whittier Hosts Workshop on Peace and Conflict Resolution
(9.14.09) Dozens of high school and community college educators participated in a two-day workshop at Whittier College, Causes of War: Paths to Peace. Organized by political science professor Joyce Kaufman, the Center for Active Learning in International Studies at the University of Southern California, and the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) in Washington, D.C., the goal of the seminar was to teach educators about issues related to peace and conflict.
The workshop was prompted by the 20th anniversary of Whittier College's International Negotiation Project, a program started by Kaufman with a grant from USIP to teach high school students about the use of the internet as the tool for negotiating on a range of global issues.
Kaufman is a specialist in international relations, American foreign policy, and Asian politics. In 1989, she founded the International Negotiation Project, a program started with a grant from USIP for high school students to research the use of the Internet as a tool for global negotiations.
Former child soldier George Elunai Latio gave the keynote address on Saturday afternoon. Latio was born in Juba and joined the Sudanese Peoples Liberation Army at 14. He was subsequently demobilized, arriving in the U.S. in 2003. Latio graduated from Bluffton University in the fall of 2007 with a bachelors in communications.
Federal Grant to Support Professor's Groundbreaking Childcare Research
(10.01.09) The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) have awarded Whittier College a grant for $102,000 to support educational research in the pre-school level. The study, "Exploring Child Care Cultural Congruency: Predictors and Pathways to Social and Emotional Outcomes in Kindergarten," will be led by education and child development professor Kay Sanders.
Sanders' research will analyze information from the 1997 Head Start Family ang Child Experiences Survey study to explore how cultural practices at home and in childcare coincide to benefit children from low-income families. In particular, the study will look at whether issues associated with cultural diversity and cultural responsiveness influence outcomes, particularly children's readiness for school.
"In the past, the impact and influence of cultural aspects has not been a focus of inquiry at the childcare level. Presently, there is quite a bit of talk about the quality of child care and how quality relates to children's well-being. [But] many of the ways in which that quality is measured fails to find strong evidence for a connection between high quality care and children's outcomes," said Sanders.
Sanders has extensive applied and research experience in national- and state-subsidized childcare programs for low-income families. Prior to Whittier College, she worked with childcare programs as a teacher, and later as a site supervisor and program director for Head Start. In addition, she has written at length on culture and development in childcare. Child development major Mark Juaton ’11 will be her undergraduate research assistant on the project.
Political Science Professor to Lead 12-Day Tour to Vietnam--His First Return Since the War
(10.12.09) Fred Bergerson, political science professor and veteran of the Vietnam War (Captain, U.S. 1st Cavalry Division/Airmobile), will lead a 12-day tour for alumni and families through some of the most well-known battle sites and share recollections and analyses of his time spent in the military service, notably on major strategic campaigns including the Tet Offensive and relief of Khe Sahn.
This will be Bergerson's first visit to the country since his tour of duty ended in 1971. As he notes in his letter of invitation to prospective travelers: "I am not sure what we will find there; I am certainly not sure what I will find there. I know that when I was called to active duty in 1966, I was a grad student focused on the politics of Indonesia. And when my tour ended and I came home, I vowed never to return to South East Asia and definitely to stay away from Vietnam. But after years of teaching courses such as Warfare: In Pursuit of Military Security, Military Strategy and Arms Control, my intellectual interests are now focused squarely on the meaning of the war—in its time, and for contemporary American politics, civil-military relations, and national security policy. Geographically and intellectually, my life has taken its twist and turns, and now I find myself willingly, albeit cautiously, traveling back through a door I thought firmly closed."
This travel opportunity is open to all Whittier College alumni, students, their families and friends, and space is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Non-College parties interested in joining this trip may be placed on a waiting list, should spots become available. For a full trip itinerary, cost, and for registration information, please click here.
Professors Danilo Lozano and David Muller Present Wind Ef Fusions
(11.7.09) Grammy-award winning flautists Danilo Lozano and accomplished bassoonist David Muller celebrated the release of their new album, Wind Ef Fusions, with a recital of music for flute and bassoon, drawn from their new CD, at the Ruth B. Shannon Center for the Performing Arts. The CD was recorded at the Shannon Center in 2008 and was released on Crystal Records. All artist proceeds from CD purchases will be used to help support the cost of private music instruction for Whittier College students. Muller and Lozano spent an entire semester rehearsing the pieces heard on the album which included a repertoire of classical music from Hanning Schroder, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Pierre Gabaye, Jan Bach and more.
Professor Karen Redwine Presents New Study on Testosterone
(12.09) Neuro-economist and visiting professor Karen Redwine made the media rounds (New Scientist, Toronto Star, Financial Express, and Times of India) with a new study that links testosterone, the hormone that creates brawn in men, with generosity. "Our broad conclusion is that testosterone causes men essentially to be stingy," says Redwine, who presented the work at the Society for Neuroscience's annual meeting in Chicago last fall.
Redwine is a neuroscientist whose research focuses on applied cognitive psychology, with a focus on cognitive neuroscience.
Biology Research On Lifespan
Trained immunologist professor Sylvia Vetrone’s spent part of last summer working with Dr. Lynn Carta at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington D.C. receiving specialized training on the use of microscopic nematodes (roundworms) called Caenorhabditis elegans for scientific study. Accustomed to working with human cells or animal models, she chose to adapt her research methods to create a science project that could involve her undergraduate students.
According to Vetrone, nematodes make a good model species because they have a short lifespan and their entire genome has been sequences.
The project, which includes four biology students, began last summer and involves understanding the role of phytoestrogens—estrogen hormone-like chemicals found in plants—on longevity.
Phytoestrogens are chemicals found within plants that "mimic" the activity of estrogen, but do not induce feminizing effects. Previous studies have shown that estrogen is able to raise the production of naturally occurring antioxidants; an increase has been correlated to an increase in life span.
Professor Ivannia Soto-Hinman co-writes Comprehensive Guide for English Learners
Assistant Professor of Education Ivannia Soto–Hinman co–wrote The Literacy Gaps: Bridge-Building Strategies for English Language Learners and Standard English Learners, a comprehensive guide designed to help teachers promote basic learning for English learners.
Soto–Hinman recently completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University. She has also worked as an educational consultant.
Professor Joseph Price Appears in Forbes Magazine
Joseph Price, Genevieve Connick Shaul Professor of religious studies was quoted in Forbes, regarding the flashing "John 3:16" signs at sporting events. Price notes that holding religious banners up for TV is a thoroughly modern phenomenon."Even in Rome, most of the fans in the Coliseum were not literate," he said, so signs with any words wouldn't have made sense.
Professor Chuck Hill Discusses Romantic Relationships in Wall Street Journal
Professor of Psychology Charles “Chuck” Hill appeared in the Wall Street Journal discussing the differences between men and women and how they may affect romantic relationships. Hill asserts that adhering to social expectations in terms of displaying emotions can be the root of many problems. "Women can go to their friends and talk and ask, 'Does he love me? What do you think?'" says Hill in the article. "If men went to their friends and said, 'Do you think she loves me?' They would say, ‘Get a grip.”’
Professor Ralph Isovitch is named the Chester and Olive McCloskey Junior Faculty Chair
Assistant Professor of Chemistry Ralph Isovitch has been named the Chester and Olive McCloskey Junior Faculty Chair for the 2009-10 academic year. As part of the appointment, made possible by a gift from alumni Chet ’40 and Olive ’44 McCloskey, Isovitch will receive funds to support his research on inorganic photo chemistry.
Professor David Hunt Presents Paper at the Annual Society for Neoplatonic Studies Conference
Professor of Philosophy David Hunt attended the annual International Society for Neoplatonic Studies conference in Krakow, Poland this summer. Hunt presented a paper on recent developments in the philosophical debate over free will that was anticipated by Plotinus, the third century founder of Neoplatonism.
Gustavo Geirola Writes Book on the Psychoanalytical Approach to Acting Techniques
Gustavo Geirola, Hazel Cooper Jordan Chair in the Arts and Humanities, is working on a new book about the psychoanalytical approach to acting techniques. Related travel and research has taken him to Washington D.C., the Caribbean, and Eastern Europe. In Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, he interviewed well-known directors for his the fifth volume of Arte y Oficio del Director Teatral en América Latina. He also taught a one-week workshop in Munich on Constantin Stanislavski, psychoanalysis, and acting to a group that produces Spanish-language plays.
Professor Marie-Magdeleine Chirol Writes Reviews on African Films
French professor Marie-Magdeleine Chirol wrote two reviews on African films, “Delwende de Pierre Yameogo: Quand la femme file un mauvais coton,” and “Sia, Le Rêve du Python de Dani Kouyaté: Sous le signe du temps,” that will be translated into Italian and will appear in the book Invisible Screens, Guide to the Fantastic Cinema and its Variations.
Professor Joe Dmohowski Attends the 2009 International Association of Media and History Conference
Assistant Professor of Library Studies Joe Dmohowski attended the 2009 International Association of Media and History Conference in Aberystwyth, Wales, delivering a paper on award-winning, blacklisted screenwriter Michael Wilson and his unaccredited work on the The Bridge on the River Kwai.
Professor Judith Wagner Appears as a Guest Editor in the International Journal of Education Research
Judith Wagner, Broadoaks director and professor of childhood education and development, served as guest editor for a special issue of the International Journal of Educational Research and co-authored a feature article with psychology professor Lori Camparo, adjunct physics professor James Camparo, and alumna Vera Tsenkova '04. The article explored the topic "Do anti-immigrant sentiments track into Danish classrooms? Ethnicity, ethnicity salience, and bias in children’s peer preferences." Additionally, the trio of Camparo, Wagner, and Camparo co–wrote the article "In the Eye of the Beholder: Quantifying Individuals' Preferences and Biases Using Peer Nominations," which appeared in the journal Applied Psychological Measurement.
Professor David Paddy Teaches in Copenhagen
English professor David Paddy spent last spring in Copenhagen teaching a course in “Literature of Ice and Snow” for the Danish Institute for Study Abroad.
Paddy is also busy at work on a book on J. G. Ballard. Commissioned by an English press, Ballardland: Imperial Terrains and Political Geography in J. G. Ballard’s Fiction will offer a literary geography of Ballard's work and an examination of how his novels and stories have mapped the changing dynamics of imperialism since World War II.
Professor Wendy Furman-Adams Presents Paper on John Milton
English professor Wendy Furman-Adams presented the paper "Ecofeminist Eve," at the Conference on John Milton at Middle Tennessee State University; a longer version of this essay will be published in a forthcoming work, In Dialogue with Nature: Ecofeminist Approaches to Early Modernity. Other works by Furman-Adams are slated for publication, including a chapter on “Milton and the Visual Arts” in the book Milton in Context, and several entries in the upcoming Milton Encyclopedia.
SUMMER 2009
A Summer of Shakespear for Whittier College
(07/09) Whittier College faculty have been working hard this summer with two different Shakespeare Festivals in southern California. Professor Brian Reed returned as scenic designer on two productions for the Kingsmen Shakespeare Company in Thousand Oaks, California. This summer he designed both a Shakespearean tragedy, MacBeth (June 26-July 12) and a comedy All's Well That Ends Well (July 17-August 2). He was joined by Whittier College student and theatre major, Caitlyn O'Connor. O'Connor interned in the costume shop for Kingsmen Shakespeare Company this summer.
In Garden Grove, Assistant Professor Gil Gonzalez retured for his second season with Shakespeare Orange County. Previously, he performed with the company for their production of Henry V (2008). This summer, he was once again onstage in productions of As You Like It (July 9-25), directed by Carl Reggardio and The Merchant of Venice (August 6-22), directed by Tom Bradac. David Palmer, theatre manager for the Ruth B. Shannon Center for the Performing Arts, designed lighting for this production of As You Like It. Palmer was assisted by theatre major Emma K. Ah Sing '12.
