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2015-2016 News

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Is inspiration contagious?

A new study by psychology professor Todd Thrash finds that inspiration spreads from writer to reader.

W&M visited by 27 UN peacekeepers from Africa

Psychology Professor Harvey Langholtz discussed the role of police in a society transitioning from war to stability with the officers, who are in training with Cameroon’s International School for Security Forces.

W&M professor shares his research on the wage gap

According to the U.S. president’s Council of Economic Advisers, women make up about 47 percent of the labor force. Women also hold 49.3 percent of jobs, therefore making them equal or primary breadwinners in the American household. That difference – often referred to as the gender wage gap – is a controversial topic in America and brings about strong arguments about its potential causes.

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Worshipping alone: Studies find divorce retains its sting in faith communities

The research of Sociology Professor Kathleen Jenkins was featured in a Huffington Post article titled Worshipping alone: Studies find divorce retains its sting in faith communities. The article discussed the lack of outreach and support religious groups give individuals going through a divorce.

The craft behind the comedy of Patton Oswalt ’91

Before he became a best-selling author, revered standup comedian, epicurean Pixar rodent, omnivorous pop culture critic and wide-ranging character actor, Oswalt was working as a paralegal, a sportswriter and a party DJ in Northern Virginia.

Old collection, new relevance

The W&M Herbarium is part of a global effort digitizing natural history collections. More than half of its roughly 81,000 specimen records are available for free online.

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Cirila Djordjevic Obituary

Professor Emerita of Chemistry Cirila Antolovic Djordjevic, 90, passed away on April 30, 2016, at Morningside House of Friendship in Hanover, MD.

The path forward: Brian Goebel and the American dream

Goebel’s latest creation, 2040matters.com, is a non-partisan political blog that highlights the declining trend in civic engagement and offers creative alternatives for political problem solving.

Students board the 'SHIP' to healthy living

It's not often school-age kids swarm for a taste of cabbage. But that's what happened at Clara Byrd Baker Elementary School, as students eagerly flocked to a cafeteria cart serving cooked samples of bok choy.

W&M student awarded Udall Scholarship

The scholarships are reserved for sophomores and juniors who intend to pursue careers related to the environment or American Indian nations.

Biblical ethics in the modern day

Visiting Assistant Professor of Biblical Hebrew and Biblical Ethicist Robin McCall recently sat down with William & Mary News to discuss how biblical ethics or Christian ethics (when interpreted from a Christian perspective) has defined morality from the Bible.

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New Allied Health Concentration

EPC approved the addition of the Allied Health Concentration in place of the Health Sciences Concentration.

VIMS helps steer visit of Polynesian sailing canoe

The role of William & Mary's Virginia Institute of Marine Science in steering the 62-foot double-hulled Hokule’a toward the Chesapeake Bay began a quarter century ago.

Mercury-ridden songbirds get an extra jolt during migration

W&M Professor Dan Cristol is one of the authors of a new paper that confirms an additional challenge for migratory birds, beyond the vicissitudes of weather, predators and the bad luck of running into a wind turbine or a window.

Claire Kaplan NSF Award Recipient

Claire Kaplan, a 2009 W&M undergraduate research student supervised by Prof. Gregory Smith, currently a Clinical Psychology doctoral student at University of Maryland College Park, receives NSF fellowship award.

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W&M wins Madison Cup. End of debate.

Debate team members Ben Marks and Venu Katta take home the top prize in the prestigious competition featuring 35 other schools.

Eta Sigma Phi Inductions 2016

On April 11, a number of students were inducted into the Honor Society for Classical Studies

W&M announces 2016 Plumeri Award recipients

From a globally recognized leader in international criminal law and a leading linguistic scholar to a widely published neuroscientist, the 2016 Plumeri Awards for Faculty Excellence will be bestowed to 20 talented and visionary professors across William & Mary's campus.

W&M makes history on One Tribe One Day

The university’s official day of giving back and paying it forward – One Tribe One Day – was a smashing success, with 10,358 members of the Tribe making a gift, bringing in nearly $2.2 million in a single day.

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Shantá Hinton Receives William Small Award

The William Small Award for Faculty Excellence remembers the contributions of 18th-century professor and Thomas Jefferson teacher William Small

‘Picasso at the Lapin Agile’ parallels COLL curriculum

The theatre department reached out to the physics department for insight as it prepared to perform 'Picasso at the Lapin Agile,' a comedy by Steve Martin that examines the intersection of art and science.

It takes a research university

It takes a research university to bring together the resources required to address big questions, but the term “research university” takes a bit of unpacking in the context of an institution that, as the charter mandates, "shall be called and denominated, for ever, the College of William and Mary."

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Celebrating 400 years of Shakespeare

April 23 is the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare's death. To commemorate, several W&M departments have teamed to host a sonnetathon at the Wren Building -- and you're invited.

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W&M senior named Carnegie Junior Fellow

Becca Brown ’16 is one of just 14 students nationwide selected for the program by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Mattachine Project unearths W&M's lost LGBTIQ history

Student researchers with the W&M Mattachine Research Project: Documenting the LGBTIQ Past in Virginia will present the fruits of long Saturdays spent in archives Monday afternoon in an event that is free and open to the public.

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Ultra-cold atoms deliver cool research

A Ph.D. student’s physics research on trapping and manipulating ultra-cold atoms will be honored at the Graduate Research Symposium on March 19.

W&M community electrified by new solar station

It didn’t take long for W&M students to start charging their laptops and phones with the new solar-powered charging station built into a picnic table Tuesday outside Sadler Center.

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Emotional States from Affective Dynamics

William A. Cunningham, University of Toronto, will be presenting a Psychology Alumni Talk on "Emotional States from Affective Dynamics" at 12pm on April 22, 2016 at the Sadler Center in Tidewater B.

The science of breathing

Ph.D. student Andrew Kottick has determined exactly which cells in the brain are responsible for respiration. His work will be honored at the Graduate Research Symposium March 19.

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On location in Cuba: Fostering creativity and forging connections

Reporter David Culver ’09 and Ann Marie Stock, professor of Hispanic studies and film and media studies, teamed up to report the opening of the U.S. Embassy in Havana this summer in an example of a uniquely W&M collaboration.

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The fabric of a forgotten Hawaiian community

Ph.D. student Summer Moore will be honored at the Graduate Research Symposium on March 19 for her work studying European cloth fragments recovered from Hawaii.

Geology rocks: Chuck Bailey '89 answers Earth's big questions

Bailey is a structural geologist, interested in understanding the architecture of the earth: how it's put together, what the structure actually looks like, and what happened to make it that way.

The significant digits of Walter Hickey

Walter Hickey '12 is the lead lifestyle writer for FiveThirtyEight, a website that uses statistical analysis to tell compelling stories about elections, politics, sports, science, economics and entertainment.

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W&M senior named Luce Scholar

International relations major Rebecca Schectman ’16 will spend a year working in Asia as a Luce Scholar, a nationally competitive fellowship program

W&M to host 112th CAMWS meeting

William & Mary’s Department of Classical Studies will be hosting the 112th annual Classical Association of the Middle West and South (CAMWS) conference on March 16-19.

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Knight: Academy, Oscars not necessarily what people think

American studies and English Associate Professor Arthur Knight, who has researched African Americans and the entertainment business, says people overestimate the influence movies have on societal change.

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W&M to celebrate St. David’s Day with tribute to Tom Jones

On March 1, English Professor Nancy Schoenberger will offer a free video tour of the Welshman's 50-plus-year career in show business. Joining her will be Bob Jeffrey, president of the Friends of Wales-Williamsburg chapter.

In with the Greeks, out with the Greeks

"The Oresteia" marks the final production for retiring theatre professor and director Richard Palmer. But the choreographer for the show, Denise Damon Wade, was a student actor in Palmer’s first production at W&M, 36 years ago. And that, too, was a Greek tragedy.

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Sigma Xi Funds Foster Research Legacy

Anna Klompen W&M '17, recently was awarded a Grant-in-Aid of Research from Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society. Jon Allen, her undergraduate research advisor, reflects on how this award became a springboard for his own career.

Civil rights pioneer Diane Nash to speak at Lemon Project symposium

William & Mary's sixth annual Lemon Project Spring Symposium, organized around the theme of "Jim Crow and Civil Rights in the Age of President Obama," will include a keynote address by civil rights pioneer Diane Nash and a performance by the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble.

Six projects receive IDEA grants

The Office of Diversity & Equal Opportunity recently granted Innovative Diversity Efforts Awards (IDEA) to six projects that aim to further diversity and inclusion at William & Mary.

With 13 scholars, William & Mary remains a top Fulbright producer

William & Mary has once again been named a top producer of Fulbright U.S. student grant recipients, the Chronicle of Higher Education announced today in its annual list of leading Fulbright-producing institutions.

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W&M faculty in the media this month

This recurring feature highlights faculty members from William & Mary who are quoted in the national and international media.

High performance computing key to campus research

W&M IT's High Performance Computing (HPC) team provides the computing power, technical skill and intellectual acumen to support research computing at W&M.

ScaAnalyzer: An award-winning tool to find computing bottlenecks

Xu Liu, an assistant professor of computer science, and Bo Wu, a 2014 alumnus of William & Mary’s Ph.D. program in computer science, have developed a tool to find elusive software bottlenecks and which will allow computers to run faster and more efficiently.

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Haines practices what King preached

Shana Haines, who is pursuing her Ph.D. in American studies, integrates the work of Martin Luther King Jr., and others, into her interdisciplinary course at Tidewater Community College. She recently won the college's 2016 MLK Award.

What to expect from the 2016 New Hampshire primary

Professor of government John J. McGlennon recently joined William & Mary News to discuss the upcoming 2016 New Hampshire primary, which is scheduled to take place February 9.

Creative Writing Program Announces Hayes Writers Series for Spring 2016

All events to be held in the Tucker Theater on the William & Mary Campus. All events are free and open to the public. The Writers Series is made possible by a generous bequest from the late Patrick Hayes, longtime friend of the College. For further information, contact Prof. Nancy Schoenberger at njscho@wm.edu or Brian Castleberry at b.castleberry@wm.edu.

All that jazz

Ginny Carr ’75 is the founder, musical director, alto vocalist, principal songwriter and arranger for the internationally acclaimed Uptown Vocal Jazz Quartet.

Ida Hall '72 fishes Virginia

Ida Hall's childhood was full of adventures on the water, and it was through them that she discovered her calling.

Suzette Kimball ’73 sworn in as USGS director

Suzette Kimball ’73 was sworn in on Jan. 8 as the director of the United States Geological Survey, the chief science agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior.

Brewed in Beijing

Alex Acker '00 and Jing-A Brewing ride the Chinese craft beer wave.

Making a serial killer

Adjunct Lecturer of Sociology Deborah Basket joined William & Mary News to discuss the traits of both male and female serial killers.

Four receive W&M Alumni Medallions

The highest and most prestigious award given by the William & Mary Alumni Association, the Alumni Medallion is presented to those who truly embody what the university has stood for during its revered history.

Dull corners of W&M get new life in John Lee’s paintings

A vacant hallway, a shadowy corner, a bathroom door, a couch from the 1970s, an entryway where the sunshine meets industrial lighting all provide inspiration for Painting Professor John Lee, who has done a series of paintings almost exclusively set in Millington and Andrews halls.

W&M student studies abroad with Meyers-Stern Scholarship

William & Mary student Josh Kim ’17, an international relations major, completed a semester abroad this fall at Tel Aviv University in Tel Aviv, Israel as one of the first recipients of the new Meyers-Stern Scholarship.

Distinguished Paper Award at FSE 15

Mario Linares-Vasquez and Carlos Bernal-Cardenas, and Denys Poshyvanyk share in an ACM SIGSOFT Distinguished Paper Award at ESEC/FSE'15.

A place to call home

NASA Chief Scientist Ellen Stofan '83 searches the galaxy for life.

In Memoriam: Alastair Connell, MD

December 29, 1929 - May 29, 2015 It is with deep sadness that the Department of Kinesiology & Health Sciences reports the recent passing of Dr. Alastair Connell.

W&M Hispanic studies professor wins grant for international class

Ann Marie Stock, a professor of Hispanic studies and film and media studies at William & Mary, has been selected to receive funding totaling $14,000 to create a course that will bring student researchers to Cuba over spring break in 2016.

Southern Economic Association Meetings 2015

Every year the Southern Economic Association holds meetings. The 85th annual meetings are in New Orleans, November 21-23. William and Mary is represented in 8 different sessions where presenters showcase original economic research.

Thinking outside the pill box: a prescription for parks

The Greater Williamsburg Area Park Prescriptions Program provides local healthcare providers with the tools and training to prescribe their patients time in local parks to promote physical and mental health.

Painting and performing the words of Ntozake Shange

Ntozake Shange participated in a number of discussions with students and faculty, visited classes and attended a staged reading of her work in Andrews Hall Friday night.

Puppets take center stage in 'Avenue Q'

"Avenue Q" will hit the stage for a special two-weekend run starting Thursday, Nov. 12. The musical centers around a recent college graduate attempting to find his way in New York City.

Brooks shares copyright insights with W&M students

Tim Brooks, who retired in 2007 as executive vice president of research for Lifetime Television, met this week with several groups of students and faculty at William & Mary.

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King expands our knowledge of animal emotions

Chancellor Professor of Anthropology Barbara J. King captivates an overflow audience in delivering the recent Tack Faculty Lecture on “Wild Grief/Untamed Love."

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Homecoming 2015 Recap

If you were able to make it or not, see if you recognize anyone from our Biology Homecoming Open House

JLab Research Advances Niobium Film Deposition

The work of Physics Ph.D. candidate Matthew Burton and his advisor R.A. Lukaszew is featured in the Volume 31 Number 5 edition of Cold Facts, a periodical produced by the Cryogenic Society of America

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Library leads way in open access movement

Academic libraries nationwide are beginning to embrace the open access movement, an effort to provide unrestricted online access to research.

Fasil Alemante Publishes with Professors

Fasil Alemente conjectured and proved a theorem that is included in “Characterizing the Resolute Part of Monotonic Social Choice Correspondences”, forthcoming in Economic Theory. Mr. Alemante made his contribution as an economics major at William and Mary. Drs. Don Campbell and Jerry Kelly are the paper’s co-authors.

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A life lesson learned in Tibet

Naiwen Tian '16 spent three weeks in Tibet last summer on a Concord Traveling Scholarship. It wasn't quite what she expected.

Nuclear physics panel advances Electron-Ion Collider development

A set of recommendations on ways to advance nuclear physics research in the United States includes the significant development of programs at Jefferson Lab in Newport News, a facility where scores of William & Mary scientists conduct research.

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Economic Policy in Action

Thomas Arthur Vaughn Professor of Economics Alfredo Pereira and Dr. Rui Pereira were instrumental in the design and implementation of green fiscal reform in Portugal. Based on their recommendations, a new tax on carbon dioxide, indexed to the price of carbon dioxide emissions in the European Union Emissions trading system was approved by Parliament, and enacted on January 1st, 2015 through Decree-Law n.o 82-D/2014.

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Lang stands tall in the saddle

Katie Lang '18 recently won two national championships in a U.S. dressage competition in North Carolina.

Knocking on wood for a successful relocation of rare woodpeckers

Biologists from several agencies and organizations have come together to make preparations for a historic woodpecker translocation, a coordinated effort to move some red-cockaded woodpeckers to the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge.

The wanderers: Satellite tracking reveals where the wild peregrines go

Over a decade beginning in 2001, Center for Conservation Biology researchers deployed satellite transmitters on 61 young peregrine falcons to answer several questions about migratory strategy, winter destinations, the process of establishing breeding territories and the nature of the dispersal period.

Jill Ellis '88 honored as Tribe Champion for Life

The William & Mary Athletic Department honored United States Women’s National Team coach and former women’s soccer player Jill Ellis ’88 with the Tribe Champion for Life award at halftime of the football game on Saturday night.

Donaldson to explore ‘the impossible craft’ on Thursday

Scott Donaldson, biographer and W&M English professor emeritus, will speak Thursday afternoon on his latest book, "The Impossible Craft: Literary Biography," in an event free and open to the public.

Joe Mondoro, W&M MPP'93, named Chief Financial Officer of Fairfax County

Joe Mondoro was appointed chief financial officer (CFO) and director of the Department of Management and Budget (DMB) by the Board of Supervisors today at its meeting. He has been the acting CFO and director of DMB since April and prior to that was deputy director of DMB since 2004.

Nanomagnetism

A new book on nanomagnetism, edited by Physics Professor Ale Lukaszew.

Slevin one of first non-psychologists to win APA award

The American Psychology Association recently announced that Kathleen Slevin is the 2015 recipient of the Florence L. Denmark Award for Contributions to Women and Aging.

Dana Bradshaw recognized for commitment to woodpecker recovery

The Center for Conservation Biology recently recognized the work made by research associate Dana Bradshaw '81, M.S. '90, toward the recovery of an endangered bird population in Virginia.

Study finds Asian men, black women underrepresented in magazines

Researchers examined photos in six popular, American magazines and found that Asian men and black women were underrepresented, potentially due to stereotypes that associate femininity with Asian people and masculinity with black people.

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Narrative medicine examines charts and hearts

Collaborative program between W&M and Eastern Virginia Medical School is teaching that the stories behind the illness are important for good healthcare, too.

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BNU students experience 'The American Way'

Forty students from Beijing Normal spent five weeks of summer school here taking a variety of courses. It was the first-ever collaboration of this type between the two universities.

Va. Supreme Court Justice Mims ’79 to speak at Convocation

William & Mary alumnus Bill Mims ’79, current Virginia Supreme Court Justice and former Virginia attorney general, senator and delegate, will speak at 5:15 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 26, at the university’s annual opening convocation ceremony welcoming students for the academic school year.

Elisabeth Custalow '01 fights for animal rights

The W&M alumna works as counsel for an animal advocacy organization and serves as executive director for Four Feet Forward, an organization that strives to prevent animal abuse and neglect.

Scientists expect evolutionary changes from loud and bright world

In a review published in the journal Trends in Ecology and Evolution, an international group of ecologists and evolutionary biologists outlined the ways in which evolutionary responses to human-produced lights and noise might be measured and how researchers might separate evolutionary changes from changes in behavior that are not long-lasting.

William & Mary & Andrew

The first cohort of students in the St Andrews William & Mary Joint Degree Programme graduated in May and June ceremonies at both universities.

CCB expands eagle nest locator to add more functions, other birds

The Center for Conservation Biology has expanded its Virginia Bald Eagle Nest Locator, an online platform launched in 2009, adding geospatial data on additional bird species as well as added functionality.

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Milkweed Research Featured by Local Press

Research conducted in efforts to protect Monarch Butterflies, by Biology Dept. Assistant Professors Harmony Dalgleish and Joshua Puzey

National grants let Root explore ‘Tillett Tapestry’

With a National Endowment for the Humanities and Center for Craft, Creativity and Design grants in hand, Associate Professor of Hispanic studies Regina Root is continuing research on what is known as the “Tillett Tapestry,” an embroidery chronicling the conquest of the Aztecs.

Alumni bring natural food to Los Angeles

David '06 and Rose Hess Lawrence '06 own and operate Red Bread, an organic kitchen and grocer that serves the Los Angeles area.