A Guide to Arts and Sciences' News, Events and People

August 2009

Thank You!

Digging in Israel

Diplomacy and the Media

Alumni Board Connections

Research Pioneer Dies

In the Spotlight

Did You Know?

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Kudos
The Global Media Institute earned a prestigious international radio award for its tribute to legendary newsman Edward R. Murrow.  Read more

GW students have retained the top spot for political interest in The Princeton Review’s annual college rankings.  Read more

Charlotte Bravo, BA ’09, an interior design major, won the 2008 ASID Student Design Award Competition.  Read more

Chemistry Professor Christopher Cahill helped land two grants through the Energy Frontier Research Center, including an award totaling nearly $1.3 million for research focusing on radioactive elements to help develop nuclear energy systems.

A Dark Love by Margaret Carroll, BA ’82, to be published in September, was reviewed in the July 13 issue of Publishers Weekly.

History Professor Marcy Norton’s book, Sacred Gifts, Profane Pleasures, was awarded the Association for the Study of Food and Society Book Award.

Kelly Owen, MA ’09, a speech language pathology graduate, was awarded the distinguished student award from the D.C. Speech and Hearing Association.

Abdul Rahim, BA ’09, a geography major, was awarded a Shapiro Fellowship to conduct field research for a year in Bangladesh on the socioeconomic effects of immigration on development.

Greg Schaffer, BA ’85, has been appointed the Department of Homeland Security's Assistant Secretary for Cybersecurity and Communications.

Photographer Amy Wilton, BA ’90, recently published a book, A Passion for Sea Glass.  Read more

Upcoming Events
Academy 2009 featuring
GW art students
Aug. 1 - Sept. 4
Conner Contemporary Art
Washington, D.C.

"A New Court and a New Term: Understanding the Supreme Court"
Sept. 17, 6:30 p.m.
GW Alumni House, Washington, D.C.

Alumni Weekend: Highlights
Oct. 1 - 4

• Columbian College Dean's Office Open House
  Oct. 2, 3 - 7 p.m.
  Phillips Hall, Room 212
  Washington, D.C.
• “Dinosaurs Along the Silk Road” featuring Ronald Weintraub Professor of Biology James Clark
  Oct. 3, 11 a.m.
  Phillips Hall, Room 411
  Washington, D.C.
• "The Meaning of the Mind" panel discussion
  Oct. 3, 2 p.m.
  Phillips Hall, Room 411
  Washington, D.C.
• Alumni Museum Tour: Newseum
  Oct. 4, 1 - 3 p.m.
  555 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
  Washington, D.C.

Educating World Citizens for the 21st Century
co-sponsored by Columbian College
Oct. 8 - 9
DAR Constitution Hall
Washington, D.C.

GW Global Forum
Nov. 13 - 14
Hong Kong
 

Important Links
Columbian College Homepage
Support Columbian College
More News
Additional Events
 

Helping Women Become Part of the Equation
They’re smart, they love math, and they’re exclusively women. Sixteen of the nation’s top female undergraduates took part in Columbian College’s Women in Mathematics summer program, now in its 15th year. They spent five weeks learning advanced math applications with guest instructors from around the country, a unique experience that is providing a springboard for future academic pursuits.

Read more

New Leaders Take Charge
Kathryn Newcomer, a nationally recognized expert on program evaluation, has been named director of the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration. Newcomer, whose op-ed piece on the stimulus was recently published in the Washington Business Journal, helped brief President Obama’s transition team about general management across the federal government.

Critically acclaimed dancer and choreographer Dana Tai Soon Burgess, MFA '94, is now head of the Theatre and Dance Department. Burgess is the founding director of Washington, D.C.’s premier Asian American dance company. He will lead the department's efforts to develop new performing arts initiatives and programs designed to engage students and alumni.

 

Chinese Statisticians Begin 10-week Program
Visiting Chinese statisticians participating in the Statistics Department’s Professional Statistics Development Program were recently welcomed to campus at a reception hosted by Dean Peg Barratt. The 10-week program will focus on enhancing statistical knowledge and providing communications and leadership training. Statisticians were selected by the National Bureau of Statistics of China.
 

Molecule that Absorbs Greenhouse Gas Discovered
Columbian College geochemist John Tossell was part of a research team that discovered a molecule that soaks up greenhouse gas like a sponge. The finding creates potential for developing solutions to the buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Read more

Thank You!
“My background and the challenges I encountered and overcame shaped me into a socially conscious individual with a genuine interest in positively impacting others, as others have impacted me. Fortunately for me and for many other students, there are scholarships made to intervene in our lives and push us over the highest hurdles and towards our higher aspirations. Thank you so much for this opportunity.”

'Digging' the Opportunity to Join Archaeologists
Students and alumni got down and dirty this summer with a team of researchers and archeologists excavating Tel Kabri, a historic palace in Israel. A blog, Dig Kabri 2009, provides details and personal accounts from the volunteers. Eric Cline, chair of the Department of Classical and Semitic Languages and Literatures, led the staff on the six-week project.

Read more

Diplomacy and the Media in Today’s Web World
“Face-Off to Facebook,” a look at diplomacy and the media from the era of the Nixon-Khrushchev “Kitchen Debate” to today’s Web 2.0 world, attracted a packed audience to the Jack Morton Auditorium last month. The day-long event included panelists Sergei Khrushchev (left), a historian and the son of Nikita Khrushchev, and William Safire, a New York Times columnist and former Nixon speechwriter who attended the Kitchen Debate. Read The Huffington Post’s account of the conference.
 

College Boasts Strong Connections on Alumni Board
The Columbian College boasts strong representation on the GW Alumni Association Board. The newest member is Jonathan Nurse, CCAS BA '99, GWSB MPP '01. He joins several other representatives and officers with Columbian College degrees, including Laura Taddeucci Downs, CCAS BA '92, GSEHD MA '95, who serves as president. The board works with the Office of Alumni Relations to develop programs and services.

Read more

Alumnus and Research Pioneer Dies at Age 101
We regret the passing of Hans Lineweaver, BA ’30, MA ’33, who developed the Lineweaver-Burk equation for enzyme kinetics. He was 101. During a 40-year tenure at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, he led efforts in food processing and safety practices with eggs and poultry.
 

In the Spotlight
Ken Zweibel (right), director of GW's Solar Institute, spoke about the long-term practical and economic benefits of the development of solar energy before the House Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment. He touted solar as having the greatest potential payoff because it is the best available source of energy. Read more

Candace G. Kaplan (left), BA ’70, was selected inaugural chair of the Council of Chairs, which advises GW’s Board of Trustees on leadership matters and serves as a liaison to organize volunteer leaders from the individual schools. The Council is made up of representatives of the schools’ volunteer advisory boards. Kaplan is the former chair of the Columbian College’s National Council for Arts and Sciences.

Did You Know?
Graduate students interested in the popular certificate program in Survey Design and Data Analysis have more enrollment opportunities.  All four courses are now available during both semesters, doubling the enrollment capacity of the program. Classes are taught during the evening on different days of the week at GW’s Alexandria, Va., facility.

What do you want to read about? Have news to share? Let us know.  Submit your news to ccasnews@gwu.edu. Please include your name, year and contact information.