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

February 2010

Humanity’s Origins? Anthropology Professor Alison Brooks is on the Case!
To call Alison Brooks “busy” is an understatement. The professor of anthropology is involved in the debut of the David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History; fielding calls and messages from people who saw her on the highly acclaimed PBS series The Human Spark; and working with graduate students on several research projects, one of which is exploring how the use of stone tools shaped the evolution of the human hand. Brooks’ high profile in the anthropology arena stems in part from her energy and relentless curiosity—and not a tiny bit from her daring. Read more.


Scholarship Benefactor Larry King Coming to GW
CNN host and GW honorary degree recipient Larry King will be participating in a “Conversation Series” interview with School of Media and Public Affairs Director Frank Sesno on March 4th.  King is a generous benefactor to the University, endowing a scholarship fund to provide financial aid to budding journalists. Since 2000, the fund has assisted 38 students, including journalism and communications senior Elizabeth Richardson.

“The best thing [about the award] was that I had peace of mind and could focus,” said Richardson, a California native whose parents were hit hard by the recession last year.  “It was so valuable to me to have help and be able to afford my tuition.” Read more.


GW Solar Institute Raises Alternative Energy Profile
It sounds simple—harnessing the power of the sun—but the GW Solar Institute, which is gearing up for its second annual symposium in April, is helping key policymakers, organizations, and the public understand just how complex and important a contribution solar energy is poised to make on a global scale.

“During its inaugural year, the institute did an outstanding job of putting trusted, scientifically sound information about solar energy before a large group of stakeholders here in D.C. and around the world,” said Columbian College Dean Peg Barratt “We look forward to much success in the years ahead as we continue to examine solar’s possibilities.” Read more.


New Graduate Certificate Bridges Medicine and the Arts
The demand for healthcare professionals who can move easily between the worlds of science and the humanities continues to grow, particularly in light of medicine’s ever-increasing role in public affairs. Columbian College’s new Certificate Program in Medicine, Society, and Culture addresses this need by going beyond the conventional biophysical paradigms to develop a more comprehensive understanding of health issues in the context of societal and cultural norms. The curriculum examines how human interaction can assist in pain management and healing, and explores the influence of medicine in and on public life. This interdisciplinary perspective encompasses the study of literature, political science, history, philosophy, anthropology, and sociology. Read more.


Summer Abroad: Transporting Students Beyond the Classroom
Dance salsa in Peru? Explore religion in the Mediterranean? Look for Neanderthals in France? Sign me up! Columbian College’s newest summer abroad programs promise to immerse participants in exciting and fun learning experiences that go well beyond the classroom, the museum, and the library.
Read more.


Sleuthing to See If Crime Pays
The National Museum of Crime and Punishment is a one-of-a-kind venue, taking visitors through three floors of exhibits and revealing how experts conduct crime scene investigations, similar to the CSI-style sleuthing that goes on in the TV series. Several of those workshops are developed and taught by students, recent graduates, and faculty from Columbian College’s Forensic Sciences Program. Among them is Olga Peterfalvy, MFS ’09, who serves as the museum’s CSI coordinator, responsible for overseeing the workshop program and writing the museum’s blog. Read more.


University Writing Class Remembers Holocaust Victims
Scattered diaries in homes. Scribbles in the margins of books. Writings on loose-leaf paper. While most of the 163,000 Jewish people in the Lodz Ghetto in Poland perished during the Nazi era, their words continue to haunt us. Hoping to keep the ghetto residents’ spirits and stories alive, students in Professor of Writing Cayo Gamber’s University writing class are working with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum to research the names left behind, looking for any details of who these children were. Read more.


Probing the Notorious Scottsboro Trial
In 1931, eight young black men were sentenced to death by an all-white jury for allegedly raping two white women on a train passing through Scottsboro, Alabama. In a new book, Remembering Scottsboro: The Legacy of an Infamous Trial, Chair of the Department of American Studies James Miller explores how the case has influenced American culture and perceptions of race, class, sexual politics, and justice. “It was certainly one of the more egregious cases of racial injustice in 20th-century America, and it continues to function as a reference point, a barometer by which racial atrocities in the United States are sometimes measured.” Read more.


Columbian College Alumni in the Arts
Columbian College’s location in Washington, D.C.—an area steeped in cultural venues—provides an unparalleled opportunity for students studying the arts. From music, museum studies, and the fine arts, to interior design, theatre, and art history, students come to GW to take advantage of all that the University and the city have to offer. And, their success stories are impressive. Read More.

Photo: "Toward the Still Point" by Carolyne King, MFA '08, courtesy of the Luther W. Brady Art Gallery.


In Memoriam: Robert H. Walker Jr.
We note with regret the recent passing of Robert H. Walker, Jr., a retired professor of English at Columbian College and a past director of the American Studies program. Dr. Walker, who joined GW in 1959, retired from the University in 1996. In addition to his teaching, he edited professional journals and other works on American studies and wrote two books: The Poet and the Gilded Age: Social Themes in Late Nineteenth Century American Verse and Everyday Life in the Age of Enterprise, 1865-1900.


Graduate Study: The Ticket to Professional Advancement
Imagine solving crimes as a forensic scientist, promoting mental health as an art therapist, creating architectural spaces as an interior designer, climbing the career ladder as a high-level manager, or developing energy policy as an environmental analyst. These are some of the professional possibilities available through the 20 PhD and 35 master’s/certificate programs offered through the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences. To apply online or for more information, visit www.columbian.gwu.edu/grad. For questions, call 202-994-4904.

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