Wor(l)ds of Poetry

More than 40 students participated this afternoon in this year's "Wor(l)d of Poetry" event sponsored by the Department of World Languages and Literature.  Students read poems in French, Italian, Spanish, and Tagalog.  A special thanks goes to Dr. Alba Skar, associate professor of Spanish, for organizing the event.

Update: Kevin Gaughan, Fulbright

Recent WCSU grad Kevin Gaughan is currently on a Fulbright at the University of Tartu in Estonia.  Kevin is featured in "WCSU student awarded Fulbright scholarship:  Graduate student says Western put him on the right track" on the WCSU web site.  Way to go, Kevin!

Welcome, NEPCA!

WestConn is hosting the 2011 Northeast Popular Culture Association (NEPCA) conference this weekend.  Welcome, NEPCA members!

Congratulations to CHE major Anthony DiDomenico

Drs. Yuan Mei-Ratliff and Russ Selzer, co-chairs of the Chemistry Department, share this terrific news:

"[O]ne of our students, Anthony DiDomenico, recently took 1^st place at the 14^th Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County for outstanding research.  He offered the paragraph below to give a synopsis about this award.

"On Saturday, October 22^nd, 2011 the University of Maryland at Baltimore County hosted the  symposium in which undergraduates could present their research. This symposium was available to selected schools from around the Maryland area. The University of Maryland is an honors college and has an excellent reputation for academics and research. The symposium consisted of two poster sessions and a workshop concerning the importance of Mass Spectroscopy followed by a tour of the facilities.

"To wrap up the day’s events, an awards ceremony was held to announce 1^st and 2^nd place winners for outstanding poster presentations. The awards were given out to outstanding presenters in chemical, biological, and biochemical & molecular chemistries independently.

"Out of over 200 presenters, Anthony DiDomenico, an undergraduate chemistry major at WCSU, took home 1^st place for his research conducted during a summer research experience for undergraduates (REU) at James Madison University during the summer of 2011. REU programs are competitive summer programs that allow undergraduates to get a feel for what research is like at the graduate level. Accepted students are expected to complete a 10 week program involving in-depth research followed by a presentation to sum up their findings. These research experiences provide an excellent way for students to network as well as promote their educational resume for possible admission to graduate school.

"Taking home 1^st place during this event is not only a personal achievement, but also brings up WCSU’s name at an event where most participating schools are more nationally known. This means that WCSU’s chemistry program is not only successful at producing students ready for grad school, but also has a competitive program that allows students to excel in chemistry. Contending recipients came from universities such as: John Hopkins, Penn State, University of Delaware, Georgetown, University of Maryland, James Madison, and Villanova. "

Way to go, Anthony! 

Dr. Jean Twenge to speak about "Narcissim Epidemic" tonight

Dr. Jean M. Twenge, author of The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement (with W. Keith Campbell) and Generation Me: Why Today’s Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled—and More Miserable than Ever Before, will give this year's President's Lecture on "The Narcissism Epidemic: Implications for Education & the Workplace" tonight (Wed., Nov. 9th) at 7:30 p.m. in the Ives Concert Hall.  

Tune in tonight for "Election Eleven!" coverage

Dr. JC Barone, assistant professor of Communication, invites the A&S community to watch "Election Eleven!" tonight:

"Tune in to WCSU's first televised LIVE coverage of the Nov. 8 elections this Tuesday  (Nov. 8) from 8-11pm! Join the Department of Communication for a CNN-styled live  broadcast of “Election Eleven!” through Charter Community Access, Channel 21. This program will also be simulcast over WXCI-FM 91.7, and through live video streaming at www.wcsu.edu/live. As soon as the polls close at 8 pm, the program begins!

"With over a year and a half of planning and involvement from over 45 students, faculty, and staff from 11 different departments and offices at WestConn, this broadcast will be a historic first while providing a vital service to the community.

"Students are using technology such as smartphones to conduct live video field reports from various towns, virtual studio environments, blogging, and instant messaging. The three-hour live broadcast features faculty anchors and commentators Dr. Chris Kukk, Dr. Jay Brower, and Dr. Truman Keys, with Dr. Trish Crouse reporting and analyzing regional race results. Prof. Tammy McVey-Camilleri is assisting in the field. Media Arts Production majors include Kevin Jones directing, with Christa Laukevicz and Billy Trotta, producing.  COM  and Poli Sci students are ramping up for the live broadcast election night. COM 394 Live News and Election Broadcast instructor and executive producer is Dr. JC Barone. University Computing is providing technical support."

"Election Eleven!" already has garnered news coverage in The Litchfield Times in "WCSU Students to Cover Elections."