Williams professors in the news

Further Afield Illustration“Politically, it’s a major success … although Al Qaeda will still exist without Osama bin Laden.”
Political science professor James McAllister, who teaches the class “America and the World After September 11,” discussing how bin Laden’s death at the hands of U.S. forces signals both a victory for President Barack Obama and a turning point in the legacy of President George W. Bush. WAMC News, May 2

“By laying out a smooth trajectory, the hope is that it would minimize disruptions and prevent an overreaction.”
—Economics professor Kenneth Kuttner, a former Federal Reserve economist and co-author of research with Ben Bernanke, on Bernanke’s historic decision in April to hold news briefings on the central bank. Reuters, April 21

“We know that if you study something twice, in spaced sessions, it’s harder to process the material the second time, and people think it’s counterproductive. But the opposite is true: You learn more, even though it feels harder.”
—Psychology professor Nate Kornell on his and others’ research on how people learn. The New York Times, April 18

“Catastrophic events like the flooding we see following a hurricane or tsunami—these are often glimpses into our future with our gradual rise in sea level around the globe.”
—Geosciences and marine sciences professor Lisa Gilbert of the Williams-Mystic Program on the ecological impacts of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that struck the northern coast of Japan. WAMC News, March 21