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

October 2009

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Kudos
President Obama nominated History Professor Adele Logan Alexander to the National Council on the Humanities.

Political Science Professors Sarah Binder and Forrest Maltzman have written a new book, Advice and Dissent: The Struggle to Shape the Federal Judiciary.

Katey Bruno, a senior Chemistry major, was one of 46 national winners of the National Consortium for Measurement and Signature Intelligence Research Scholars Program competition, which provides grants of up to $10,000 to undergraduates.

Theatre and Dance Chair Dana Tai Soon Burgess was honored for outstanding new choreography by the Metro DC Dance Awards for his multi-media dance, “Hyphen.“

Professors Martha Finnemore, Marc Lynch and Henry Nau served on the American Political Science Association’s Task Force on “U.S. Standing in the World: Causes, Consequences, and the Future.”

Political Science graduate student Colm Fox received a Matsushita International Foundation grant for research on decentralization in Indonesia and a Fulbright language grant to study advanced Indonesian.

Clare Rowley, BS ’05, won a Call to Service Medal for federal public service.

Stephanie Schulte, MA ’02, PhD ’08, won the 2009 American Studies Association prize for best dissertation.

Theatre and Dance Professor Valerie St. Pierre Smith's costume designs were seen on stage at the Kennedy Center presentation of “For the Love of Goldfish.”

History Professor Richard Stott has written a new book, Jolly Fellows: Male Milieus in Nineteenth Century America.

Max Utzschneider, BA ’09, won the 2009 Gauss Prize for Excellence in Philosophy.

Interior Design student William Winebrenner was spotlighted in the article “Hot Talent” in the September/October issue of Home and Design magazine.

Yasmin Yaver, BA ’05, is building the University’s Latino Alumni Association. Read more.

Upcoming Events
Solo Dance Festival
Oct. 15, 7:30 p.m.
Department of Theatre and Dance
2131 G St., NW, Washington, D.C.

Lewis Cotlow Student Research Conference
Oct. 16, 2 – 5 p.m.
Harry Harding Auditorium
Washington, D.C.

New Plays Festival
Oct. 16, 17, 7:30 p.m.; Oct. 18, 2 p.m.
Marvin Center, Dorothy Betts Marvin Theatre, Washington, D.C.

Colonials Weekend: Dean’s Breakfast
Oct. 17, 8:30 – 9:45 a.m.
Marvin Center, Columbian Square
Washington, D.C.

Hahn Moo-Sook Colloquium in Korean Humanities
Oct. 17, 9 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Harry Harding Auditorium, Room 213 Washington, D.C.

“Recovering the Lost Art of Political Conversation”
Oct. 17, 8:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Funger and Duques halls
Washington, D.C.

“From Political Revolutionaries to Cultural Missionaries”
Oct. 20, 2:30 – 3:45 p.m.
Department of Theatre and Dance
2131 G St., NW, Washington, D.C.

Russian poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko
Oct. 21, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
1957 E St. NW,
Washington, D.C.

Interior Design Open House
Oct. 22, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Mount Vernon Campus, Academic Building, Washington, D.C.

Reception and Conversation with President Steven Knapp
Oct. 22, 6:30 p.m.
The Waldorf-Astoria
New York, N.Y.

“The Gas Chamber and the Metro: Space, Mobility and Disability”
Oct. 23, 5 p.m.
Marvin Center, Continental Ballroom Washington, D.C.

Seminars on Economic Forecasting
Oct. 27, Oct. 29
2115 G St., NW, Room 321
Washington, D.C.

Society for Interdisciplinary Feminist Phenomenology: Lecture and Roundtable
Oct. 28, 7 p.m.
Gelman Library, Room 301/302 Washington, D.C.

Organizational Sciences Fellows Program Information Session
Nov. 10, 6:30 p.m.
Phillips Hall, Room 411
Washington, D.C.

Check out Columbian College’s New Web Site!
Don’t miss our redesigned and refurbished web site at www.columbian.gwu.edu. The site has many new features, including a “Happening Now at Columbian” window where you can read our daily postings on Twitter, as well as an expanded News Center, events calendar, "spotlight" section, and more. Check us out!

Interior Design: New Director Ushers in Fresh Ideas
Open House on Oct. 22
Students with both architectural and artistic passion will find inspiration from Stephanie Travis, the director of Columbian College’s Interior Design program. In her new role, she is creating a dynamic learning environment for not only undergraduates but also graduate students who hold degrees in fields other than interior design and are now looking for a new outlet to channel their creative talent.

“At all levels, we are providing students the tools necessary to create innovative, interior architectural spaces,” said Travis. For those interested in learning more about the program, an open house will be held Oct. 22 at GW’s Mount Vernon Campus.

Read more.

Energy Research a Top Priority
Energy is among the hot-button topics of our national dialogue. It is also the research focus for a number of faculty members, whose research ranges from batteries and fuel cells to nuclear storage and solar energy conversion. Faculty members and graduate students spend hours in labs testing and recording results, supported by grants that enable year-round research both on campus and at top facilities around the world. Click on each of the following bullets to read more about the exciting work they do.

• Nuclear Energy—No Longer a Dirty Word
• Greenhouse Gas Generates Energy
• Shedding Light on Fuel Cell Catalysts
• Using Lasers to Develop Sensors
• Tiny Materials Provide a Boost to Batteries

They Met in Art History; The Rest is History
They met as art history classmates in Columbian College’s master’s program, but their GW friendship grew into something more special. Kelly and Paul Kuglitsch, now married and living in Milwaukee with their two children, credit the University with shaping their lives and their careers—as lawyers!

 Read more.

Grant Boosts TB Drug Research
Promising drug research by Chemistry Professor Cynthia Dowd to treat tuberculosis will be accelerated and expanded thanks to an NIH Challenge Grant in Health and Science Research, funded through The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. From the more than 20,000 applicants, NIH selected only 1 percent of the proposals, including the one by Dowd.

Read more.

Program Brings Emerging Filmmakers to World Stage
A fellowship program at Columbian College’s Documentary Center that brings the work of emerging international documentary filmmakers to the world stage has been expanded thanks to a second consecutive $400,000 grant from the Department of State. Last year, 10 individuals participated in the six-week intensive fellowship, and 20 will be invited this year.

“This unique fellowship opens the door for filmmakers to engage on a global scale,” said Nina Gilden Seavey, the founder and director of The Documentary Center. “It provides opportunities for these talented emerging directors to bring their work to worldwide attention and encourages them to develop new documentary films that cross cultural bridges and transcend national divides.”

Read more.

Columbian College Alumni Honored for Achievement
Vincent Gray, BA ’64, and Andrew Brown, MPA ’08, were among five graduates honored with achievement awards by GW President Steven Knapp and the Alumni Association. Gray, the president of the D.C. City Council and an advocate for social services, children and families, received the Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award. Brown was honored with the Recent Alumni Achievement Award for developing the nonprofit Global Languages Network while a student at GW.

Read more.

Thank You!
“I am grateful for your confidence in my academic abilities and your willingness to empower my pursuits. After I graduate from GW, I plan on going to medical school where I will pursue a medical doctorate and actualize my dream of being a physician. Because of the help of this scholarship, I feel all the closer to [realizing] this dream.”

Clinton, Gates: SMPA Event Airs Around the World
GW's Lisner Auditorium was host to a remarkable and historic public forum featuring Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. Moderated by School of Media and Public Affairs Director Frank Sesno and CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, the news-making event was part of SMPA's Public Affairs Project Conversation Series. The program aired on CNN and CNN International, with Pakistan and Afghanistan domestic networks translating and broadcasting the CNN feed. In addition, a one-hour radio special was produced and distributed by America Abroad Media internationally and to 240 public radio stations in the U.S.

Read more.

Attention Students!
Meet the Dean at J Street
Join Columbian College Dean Peg Barratt in an informal setting during “Meet the Dean at J Street” at noon Oct. 20 in the food court of the Marvin Center. No RSVP necessary—just show up!

Join New Student Advisory Group
Columbian College invites freshmen to be part of a new advisory group to meet regularly with Dean Peg Barratt on issues relating to the College. If interested, send an e-mail to Anna Regan at asolosky@gwu.edu by Oct. 23.

Hop the Fast-track to Success
Columbian College offers 26 combined bachelor’s and master’s degree options for juniors seeking to accelerate their education. Students can choose from a variety of fields in the arts and sciences and complete both degrees in just five years. Read more.
 

CSI: Forensic Sciences Students Show How It’s Done
Forensic Sciences graduate students demonstrate their investigative skills at the National Museum of Crime and Punishment in Washington, D.C. The students conduct workshops for visitors, who learn how technicians recover latent fingerprints, make 3D casts of shoe prints, analyze blood spatter patterns and conduct other analyses at crime scenes.
 

Global Forum Connects GW’s Worldwide Community
GW’s worldwide community will convene Nov. 13 - 14 in Hong Kong for the first-ever GW Global Forum. Participants will gain insight on U.S. relations with Asia, learn from presentations and attend panel discussions led by international experts on foreign policy, economics, business and security. Speakers will include GW President Steven Knapp and Ambassador Susan C. Schwab, PhD ’93, who served as U.S. Trade Representative under President George W. Bush.
 

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