- Picker Interdisciplinary Science Institute Announces 2024 Research AwardsPicker Interdisciplinary Science Institute Announces 2024 Research Awards Contributing Writer The Picker Interdisciplinary Science Institute (Picker ISI) has announced this year’s awards supporting interdisciplinary approaches in innovative research. The awards bring together Colgate faculty and other researchers with complementary expertise to open new areas of study and to tackle existing problems in creative, new ways. “I am pleased by the breadth and depth of research projects that we funded this year,” said Professor of Biology and Mathematics Ahmet Ay, director of the Picker Institute. “While distinct in scope, they all reflect Picker Interdisciplinary Science Institute's dedication to interdisciplinary research.” This year, there are six Picker ISI awards: Paul Harnik, assistant professor of earth and environmental geosciences; Rebecca Metzler, professor of physics; and Damhnait McHugh, professor of biology, have received a $100,000 award for their project “Determining the Impacts of Anthropogenic Climate Change on Calcifying Marine Animals.” Cosmin Ilie, assistant professor of physics — in collaboration with Katherine Freese (University of Texas), Andreea Petric (the Space Telescope Science Institute), and Jillian Paulin (University of Pennsylvania) — has been awarded $84,500 in funding for the project “Probing the Nature of Dark Matter With the First Stars and Galaxies in the Universe.” Kelly Isham, assistant professor of mathematics — in collaboration with Kartik Lakhotia (Intel) and Laura Monroe (Los Alamos National Laboratory) — has been awarded $31,250 for the project “Exploring the Mathematics of Large-scale Computer Network Design: Toward Zettascale.” Anzela Niraula, assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences and neuroscience, in collaboration with Jacques Robert (University of Rochester), has been awarded $9,581 for the project “The Immune System as the Brain’s Sculptor During Metamorphosis.” Associate Professor Wan-chun Liu and Professor Spencer Kelly, from the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Neuroscience, have received an award of $8,344 for their project “Song-Entangled Beat Gesture in Songbirds: A Window to the Mind and Brain.” Professor of Physics Beth Parks, with colleagues Silver Onyango (Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Uganda) and Crystal North (MGH/Harvard), has received an award of $7,120 for the project “Sensors for Enabling Personal Behavior Changes to Reduce Air Pollution Exposure in Uganda.” “These projects are important not only because of their scholarly merit but also because they will enrich the research opportunities our university provides for our students,” Ay said. “Furthermore, they lay the framework for creating new interdisciplinary courses and expanding our university’s curricula.” A brief description of each project can be found on the Picker ISI Funding History page.Academics Faculty News Research Centers and Institutes Faculty & Staff Picker ISI
- Colgate Students Are First Undergraduates to Present at Conference for the American Association of Teachers of FrenchColgate Students Are First Undergraduates to Present at Conference for the American Association of Teachers of French tmfonda@colgate.edu Kaitlin Maratea ’25 and Amelia Rastley ’25 recently became the first undergraduates to present at the Conference for the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF). Their presentation on the intersections of identity and the French language, titled “Multiple Voices from the Caribbean,” was delivered in Trois Rivières, Quebec, under the mentorship of Mahadevi Ramakrishnan, DA, senior lecturer in the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures. Ramakrishnan’s Introduction to French Language and Culture course introduced Maratea and Rastley to the history of language, culture, and colonial and post-colonial identity politics in the French-speaking Caribbean region. “After taking Madame Ramakrishnan’s French class, I fell in love with the language,” Rastley said. Rastley’s portion of the presentation focused on Aimé Césaire, a Francophone-Martinican poet and politician. With the help of Visiting Assistant Professor of University Studies Aleksandr Skylar, Rastley researched Césaire’s life and influence in relation to his essay “Discourse on Colonialism.” “I chose to explore a text that I struggled with in class,” said Rastley. “I wanted to discern how Césaire’s use of different rhetorical tools contributed to making this text a revolutionary work in decolonial writing.” To highlight another figure in French Caribbean history, Maratea researched Maryse Condé, a French novelist and critic. Maratea’s analysis of Condé’s autobiography, Le Cœur à rire et à pleurer, served as a reference for her presentation on cultural and socioeconomic hierarchies in the French Caribbean. “My research is really focused on the concepts of internalized oppression, hierarchy, and Condé’s alienation within that context,” said Maratea. At the convention, Rastley and Maratea met a variety of French-language speakers, researchers, and educators. “It was nice not only to immerse myself in the language but also to be with teachers,” said Maratea, who plans to fuse her interests in education and the French language into a teaching career. Following their presentation, Maratea, Rastley, and Ramakrishnan were invited to present their work again at the next AATF conference, taking place this summer in San Diego. A synthesized article of their work was published in the January issue of the AATF National Bulletin. “To watch my two former students, who were both sophomores at that time, present with so much confidence was an extraordinarily proud moment for me as an educator,” said Ramakrishnan. “And this is just the beginning for them.”Academics Arts and Humanities Research News and Updates Student Romance Languages and Literatures Kaitlin Maratea ’25 (left) and Amelia Rastley ’25 (right) at the Conference for the American Association of Teachers of French in Trois Rivières, Quebec.
- Former Representatives Discuss Political Careers and American UnityFormer Representatives Discuss Political Careers and American Unity tmfonda@colgate.edu On Feb 26, former congressmen Mike Capuano (D-Mass.) and John Faso (R-N.Y.) joined Colgate students in the Golden Auditorium for an honest dialogue about the representatives’ careers on Capitol Hill and their stances on several key issues. Ellie Markwick ’24, a student majoring in international relations and peace and conflict studies, moderated the panel, which was organized by the Max A. Shacknai Center for Outreach, Volunteerism, and Education (COVE) and co-sponsored by the Colgate Vote Project and Democracy Matters. The panel began with Capuano describing his time in office (1998–2019) as an advocate for progressive causes such as affordable housing, transportation infrastructure, and environmental protection. Capuano was involved in key legislation such as the Affordable Care Act and the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill. “In politics, you’re just not going to agree on every single issue, so politics should be the art of the possible,” Capuano said. “Take healthcare, for instance — I don’t want to say no to 20 million people just because we couldn’t secure a program for 30 million. But those other 10 million, we’re still fighting for them. We’ll get them next time.” During Faso’s term in the U.S. House of Representatives (2017–19), his priorities included fiscal responsibility, advocating for lower taxes, and reduced government spending. At the panel, he offered his continued support for these causes: “Financially, I think the biggest issue we [the United States] are currently facing is our fiscal imbalance — that is really going to threaten our ability to accomplish certain things because we’re in so much debt,” Faso said. Considering future generations, Faso asked the students in the audience to think carefully about how they’re developing their political perspectives. “As college students, you’re in this unique time period, these four years, before you go out into the real world,” he said. “In terms of political issues, my advice is not to silo yourself to only sources you agree with. Challenge yourself to listen, watch, and read about other viewpoints.” Capuano agreed that a hopeful, united future in American politics can be brought about by a public that is engaged in conversation. “To me, the most interesting work in politics is talking to people with different perspectives and really trying to learn from them,” Capuano said. “A lot of people don’t do that. It’s hard work, but it opens doors.”Campus Life News and Updates Student cove
- Chasing the EclipseChasing the Eclipse sliddell@colgate.edu “Unless you have been living under a rock on another planet, you have to be aware of what is going to be happening in just a few weeks,” Professor Emeritus of Astronomy, Anthropology, and Native American Studies Anthony Aveni told an audience in the Ho Tung Visualization Lab last week. A total solar eclipse will cross North America on Monday, April 8. That day, buses will ferry more than 200 Colgate University students, faculty, and staff to Hobart and William Smith Colleges, where they will join ranks with students and astronomers to observe the celestial event, which will not take place again in the region until 2079. “We partnered with Hobart William Smith to find the perfect location within the path of totality,” explained Joe Eakin, technical director and designer at the Vis Lab, who will be leading the expedition. “You have to be in the totality path to truly experience the magic of a total solar eclipse.” In this path, the eclipse will reach Hobart William Smith’s campus in Geneva, N.Y., between approximately 2:07 p.m. and 4:34 p.m., achieving totality for 2 minutes and 21 seconds at 3:21 p.m. The sky will darken almost completely, and the sun’s corona as well as the mountains of the moon will be clearly visible. In anticipation of the pilgrimage, Aveni briefed community members on the physics and folklore of the phenomenon, which he has viewed in totality numerous times, usually from ships on the ocean. “Sublime. That’s the word that is often used to describe an eclipse,” said Aveni. According to the professor, an eclipse sparks a variety of natural phenomena as well as awe. During totality, birds fall silent, nocturnal animals emerge from hiding, winds can pick up, and temperatures plummet. Faces of friends can look grotesque in the odd shadows. Perhaps strangest of all, wavy dark and light lines or “shadow bands” are seen on surfaces immediately before and after the eclipse. “Weird things happen during totality,” Eakin confirmed. “And best of all, they’re going to happen right next door.” Colgate is hosting a wide range of activities in the weeks leading up to the eclipse including planetarium shows and an exhibition from Albright College artist Kristen Woodward inspired by the eclipse. Visit colgate.edu/calendar for dates and details. Academics Arts News and Updates Faculty & Staff Student Department of Physics and Astronomy Department of Sociology and Anthropology Pitris
- Jessica Johnson ’22 Named NIH Oxford-Cambridge ScholarJessica Johnson ’22 Named NIH Oxford-Cambridge Scholar mniedt@colgate.edu Jessica Johnson ’22 has been selected for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Oxford-Cambridge Scholars Program, an individualized and accelerated doctoral training program for outstanding students committed to biomedical research careers. NIH Oxford-Cambridge (OxCam) students partner with two investigators — one at the NIH and another at the University of Oxford or University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom — to perform a single collaborative dissertation project. “The NIH OxCam program is so incredibly unique,” Johnson states. “It allows me to utilize the resources of vastly different, yet highly adept, research institutions. In a way, this synergetic international collaboration is a macrocosm of my own interdisciplinary interests.” Johnson, an astrogeophysics major and German minor, is keenly interested in aerospace medicine, studying sustainable human health in weightlessness and extreme climates. Her research interests, at the intersection of physics, planetary science, and the cardiovascular system, guided her proposed research with OxCam. Johnson will be heading to Oxford in the fall to work with Ellie Tzima, PhD. They will study endothelial cell mechanosensor response to turbulent blood flow and shear stress in human vasculature. These effects are inherent factors of venous diseases and adverse fluid circulation in microgravity. While at Colgate, Johnson was highly engaged with the physics and German departments, tutoring for both. She worked closely with Professor Joseph Levy, researching boulder banding across Martian glaciers; the remote sensing of desert playa hydropatterns in Alvord, Oregon; and organic matter accumulation and distributions along water tracks in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. This work spanned three years and culminated in a six-week field expedition to Antarctica in December 2022. In addition to being highly focused on her research and academics, Johnson has been a strong proponent of advocacy through outreach. She was a founding member of the Colgate Student Coalition, for which she served as an adviser to the Internal Affairs Committee in the spring of 2020. This group created the social justice series 13 Days of Education and raised $75,000 in support of bail funds for individuals arrested as part of protests in the wake of George Floyd’s death. She was also a German language coordinator for the Foreign Language Program at Hamilton Central School, sharing her knowledge of German language, history, and customs with local second graders. Additionally, Johnson was an active student leader on campus. She was the president of the German Club, co-president of both the Senior Honors Society and Star ’Gate, and a student language ambassador at the Keck Center for Language Study. Johnson’s focus and academic achievement have not gone unnoticed. She has been honored with the Valentine Piotrow Prize in German Excellence, DAAD Rise Fellowship, Delta Phi Alpha, Phi Beta Kappa Daniel H. Saracino Prize for Scholarship of Exceptional Merit, Physics and Astronomy Joseph C. Amato and Anthony F. Aveni Award for Student Research, NIH Intramural Research Training Award (IRTA), and the Antarctica Service Medal. Most recently, she was recognized as one of 100 Polar Women by the Women in Polar Science Network and featured on the Black Women in Science Podcast for her research at Colgate, in Antarctica, and at the NIH. Currently, Johnson is completing the second year of her IRTA fellowship in the Multiscale Imaging and Integrative Biophysics Unit at the NIH under Dan Benjamini, PhD. They utilize novel, frequency-dependent multidimensional diffusion MRI techniques in the in vivo human brain to characterize tissue microstructure and degeneration. The goal is to apply this work to age-related diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and dementia. She is also a semifinalist for a Fulbright Research Grant in Germany. “In life, do something you enjoy, even if it makes no sense to anyone else, and always take a moment to recognize the pillars who uplift you and challenge you to be your best,” advises Johnson. “I want to thank my family; professors Joe Levy, Jonathan Levine, and Matthew Miller; Steve Wright and ONFS and the many others who have provided critical guidance along my journey.” To learn more about the NIH OxCam Scholars Program or other national competitive awards, reach out to Meghan Niedt, mniedt@colgate.edu, in the Office of National Fellowships and Scholarships to schedule an appointment.Alumni Outcomes University Statements News and Updates Alumni onfs Department of Physics and Astronomy Department of German Jessica Johnson ’22
- Colgate Loses Tight Game to Cornell, 15-13HAMILTON - Lauren Thompson and Devon Maillet combined for eight goals but it wasn't enough as Colgate fell to Cornell 15-13 on Tuesday night at Andy Kerr Stadium.
- Raiders Ride Into Super Sixteen of WNITPROVIDENCE, R.I. – Taylor Golembiewski and Alexa Brodie combine for 30 points as Colgate advanced to the Super Sixteen of the WNIT after a 54-41 win over Providence on Monday night at Alumni Hall.
- Colgate Drops Series Finale in BethlehemBETHLEHEM, Pa. — Niamh Dougherty's first-career home run and a two-for-three day at the plate for Quinn Livesay were not enough to push the Raiders past the Mountain Hawks on Monday afternoon. With the 9-2 loss, the Raiders dropped to 0-3 in conference play.
- Baker Announces Five Additions to Incoming ClassHAMILTON – Colgate University Volleyball Head Coach Ryan Baker has announced the Class of 2028, featuring five newcomers set to join the three-defending Patriot League champions in 2024.
- This Week in Colgate Athletics: Mar. 25 - Mar. 31
- Colgate University @colgateuniv Aug 3, 2023A team of three astrophysicists — Katherine Freese at the University of Texas at Austin, in collaboration with Colgate Assistant Professor Cosmin Ilie and Jillian Paulin ’23, have found some of the strongest evidence for dark stars to date.https://t.co/5Ugm9LgjtL
- Colgate University @colgateuniv Aug 2, 2023The Longyear Museum of Anthropology hosted “Imagining Indigeneity in a Global Future,” curated and designed by Justice Wysinger ’23 last spring.https://t.co/9w6lonwCYP https://t.co/e9eED4sTad
- Colgate University @colgateuniv Aug 1, 2023Colgate University has added vocational and trade schools to its benefit for employees’ children.The University offers financial support for employee children who attend an accredited college or university and now, trade or vocational schools.https://t.co/hKMIsC3Hz5 https://t.co/l4ZrCoOMzt
- Colgate University @colgateuniv Jul 31, 2023Professor DeWitt Godfrey's piece, Belken, has been chosen as one of the 2023 CODAawards Top 100. Public voting for the People's Choice Award is happening now. https://t.co/SSKOogA8o2 https://t.co/Vu3LMG0pLq
- Colgate University @colgateuniv Jul 30, 2023The Colgate men's and women's soccer programs will host the annual "Kick with the Raiders" event Wednesday, Aug. 9, at 5:30 p.m. Participants will be able to meet team members and take part in drills and games.https://t.co/iD6JHjWJbn https://t.co/7SaLVrhmie
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- MosaicConnecting multicultural alumni with Colgate, current students, and each other through fellowship and mentorship.