The Power of Presence
An increasing number of students are drawn to Pittsfield, Mass., to work in and learn from the community. In the fall of 2017, Halle Schweizer ’21 walked into EOS@Eagle Street, an alternative high school program in Pittsfield, Mass., with high hopes and an offering: a party-sized sandwich platter from a local deli. Ten minutes later,…
In Good Company
On the occasion of his 90th birthday, Stephen Sondheim ’50 is the subject of a campus celebration and deep reflection on his musical theater—and Williams—legacies. UPDATE: For the health and safety of our community, Sondheim events from 3/12/20 onward have been canceled. The thought of Stephen Sondheim showing up for a course about the history…
Complicated Collections
During a visit to Williams for his exhibition The invisible enemy should not exist, conceptual artist Michael Rakowitz shared his thoughts on the role and responsibility of museums, the relationship between artworks and ghosts, and how his work connects on many levels to two of the college museum’s most important works of ancient art….
On Course
In addition to the usual offerings, students had 77 new courses to choose from during the spring semester. Among the highlights are The Economics and Ethics of CO2 Offsets, taught by Ralph Bradburd, the David A. Wells Professor of Political Economy, which examines whether offsets are successful and if there’s something inherently wrong about selling…
A Nuclear Narrative
Sociology professor James Nolan’s forthcoming book, based on his grandfather’s letters and recollections about working on the Manhattan Project, sheds light on the early atomic age. In the year after the Los Alamos National Laboratory opened, U.S. Army Capt. Jim Nolan, M.D., delivered 80 babies at its hospital. With his training in radiology, the obstetrician…
Decoding Drug Resistance
Antibiotic resistance is nearly as old as antibiotics themselves. Not long after penicillin became widely used in the 1940s, an enzyme called TEM showed up and started destroying its structure on the molecular level, thus inactivating it. In response, scientists came up with new antibiotics. And in response to that, the enzyme adapted. Today, scientists…
Close Looking
“You can see the individual hairs in his beard,” a student says, using a magnifying glass to study a 17th-century portrait of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan that’s displayed on the wall of the Williams College Museum of Art (WCMA). “Yeah, and also shadows on his face!” says another. Associate Professor of History Aparna Kapadia steps…
Creative Programming
“Digital data is being infused throughout the entire physical world, escaping the computer monitor and spreading to other devices and appliances, including the human body,” Assistant Professor of Computer Science Iris Howley writes in the description for Electronic Textiles, a new course she taught in the fall. The course had students stitching together coding skills…
Sheer Greatness
Last fall, ESPN.com published its list of the 150 greatest coaches in college football’s 150-year history. Coming in at number 138 was Williams’ own Dick Farley, who led the team to a 114-19-3 record from 1987 to 2003. This photo, taken by Berkshire Eagle photographer Bill Tague, captures the moment Farley capped his first perfect…
Newly Tenured
In January, seven Williams faculty members were promoted to associate professor with tenure, effective July 1. Williams Magazine asked what they enjoy most about their role as educators. Learn more about their teaching and research at bit.ly/wmstenure2020. “I have seen my students succeed in the…
Recently Published
American Symphony Suiyi Tang ’20 was about to leave Williams for a year on a Wilmers travel fellowship when her advisor, Professor of American Studies Dorothy Wang, made a suggestion. “She remarked that I should write something for others who were also trapped in the empty parking lot of queer Asian American womanhood,” Tang says….
Momentous and Timely
Note: Williams College Archives and Special Collections has organized a small celebration on April 30, 2021, in honor of Sterling Brown’s 120th birthday. Register for the virtual events here. The Chapin Hall columns are immediately recognizable behind a young Sterling Allen Brown, who strikes a contemplative pose in the black and white photograph—hands in his…
Zaki Named Dean of the Faculty
Professor of Psychology Safa Zaki will become Williams’ next dean of faculty, starting July 1. She succeeds Cluett Professor of Religion Denise Buell, who announced she is returning to teaching and research in July. Zaki is chair of the cognitive science program and teaches courses including Experimentation and Statistics; Concepts: Mind, Brain and Culture; and…
On Inquiry and Inclusion
In November, President Maud S. Mandel and the Faculty Steering Committee, chaired by Professor of Classics Amanda Wilcox, released a statement on inquiry, expression and inclusion at Williams. The statement was informed by recommendations from the Ad Hoc Committee on Inquiry and Inclusion and reviewed by the entire faculty. The statement affirms Williams’ commitment to…
At A Glance: Seeking Alumni Stories
The Williams College Society of Alumni is turning 200 next year, and alumni will be celebrating throughout 2021 in ways large and small. As part of the early planning, a team of alumni volunteers is seeking stories about the ways Ephs connect with each other and with Williams. The stories will become part of a…
Agent of Change
Williams’ 40th Rhodes Scholar, Summiya Najam ’20, an economics major from Islamabad, Pakistan, aims to bridge the gap between policy and minority experiences. Before she heads to Oxford in the fall, she spoke with Williams Magazine about her passion for leadership and social justice. What inspired you? After coming across the economic and institutional marginalization…
Grants that Advance
Two faculty members have received a total of more than $250,000 in grants to support their ongoing research in computer science and in climate change research and advocacy, respectively. With a grant from the National Science Foundation, Assistant Professor of Computer Science Shikha Singh’s research looks at the problem of verifying that computation outsourced to…
In Memoriam
Williams said goodbye to William “Bill” Chase Grant Jr., the Samuel Fessenden Clarke Professor of Biology, Emeritus, in November 2019. He was 95. During his 35 years at the college, he served as chair of the biology department and chair of the Science Executive Committee. He also spent a year at Oxford University as a…
Timeless and Timely
At Williams, we love our traditions. We can’t resist a chorus of “the Mountains.” There isn’t enough purple clothing in the world to satisfy us. We cherish Mountain Day and grilled honeybuns. The college also has a remarkable ability to innovate within our curriculum in ways relevant to each era while still being rooted in…
Balancing Act
Interview by Abe Loomis A professor of law at UCLA School of Law, Jon D. Michaels ’98 is a widely published expert on presidential power and the separation of powers. “Over the years,” Michaels says, “I’ve come to appreciate the degree to which presidents of both parties have taken it upon themselves to exercise more…
Comment
Quoted “Adequate resources in childhood matter a lot for self-sufficiency and well-being later in life. If we restrict benefits available to children who will grow up to be adults, in the long run we may be doing more harm than good.” —Tara Watson, professor of economics, in a Jan. 29 PBS NewsHour digital story about…