November 17, 2005

Around Campus

Two New Plays Open WPI’s Little Theatre

WPI’s brand new Little Theatre opens this week with a production of two original plays: In Bad Taste by Dean O’Donnell, instructor in WPI’s Interactive Media and Game Development major (formerly instructor of drama/theatre), and Prime Time Crime: Teal Version by Catherine Darensbourg ‘02, who has had 16 of her plays produced at WPI.

The evening, titled "New Works for a New Theatre," is a co-production of Masque, the WPI theater organization, and the Humanities and Arts Department. Performances are set for Friday, Nov. 18, at 8 p.m., and Saturday, Nov. 19, at 5 and 8:30 p.m. in the Little Theatre, lower level of Sanford Riley Hall. Tickets, $5, may be reserved by calling 508-831-6407. For more information, visit www.wpi.edu/~ltheatre/.

Holiday Concert Set for Nov. 30

WPI’s annual Holiday Concert, featuring the WPI Orchestra and Chorus, will take place Wednesday, Nov. 30, at 7:30 p.m. in Alden Memorial. The concert is free and open to the public. In keeping with the holiday spirit, WPI will be accepting donations of new, unwrapped toys to be donated to Toy for Tots.

President’s IQP Award Finalists Announced

The Interactive Qualifying Project is the most distinctive element of WPI’s unique approach to education. Each year, WPI recognizes the best projects with the President’s IQP Awards. The recipients are chosen from among dozens of entries.

Five projects have been chosen to receive the 2005 awards; another five will receive special commendation. The WPI community is invited to hear the teams present the results of their projects to President Berkey and a panel of distinguished judges at a special event on Dec. 7 starting at 1:45 p.m. in Higgins Labs Room 116.

Finalists, in no particular order:

Special commendation recipients:

Nominate a University Ambassador

Members of the WPI community are invited to nominate faculty, staff, and students for the University Ambassador Awards, which recognize excellence in representing WPI to the outside world. Nominations are due Friday, Dec. 9; winners will be announced early in C-Term. For more information and to nominate individuals or groups, visit www.wpi.edu/ UAA.

Care for a Taste of Culture?

The International Student Council’s 19th annual International Dinner, with food and entertainment from around the world, will take place at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3, in Alden Memorial. Tickets, available in the International House, 28 Trowbridge Road, are $8 for ISC members and $10 for nonmembers. For more information, call ext. 6030 or e-mail isc@wpi.edu.

People

Gibson Hosts Microscopy Society

The New England Society for Microscopy met in Higgins House on Oct. 12. Dan Gibson, assistant professor of biology and biotechnology and president-elect of the society, organized and chaired the dinner meeting. The 35 attendees reflected the membership’s broad range of interest in imaging materials from biological to metallurgical to mineral.

Eric Overström, head of WPI's Biology and Biotechnology Department, was one of three after-dinner speakers. He told the audience about his research into optimizing oocytes for nuclear transfer, a technique useful in cell cloning.

Michael Jercinovic of UMass Amherst recounted the development of a trace element electron microprobe that can determine the age of mineral deposits with great precision. Philp Klausmeyer, conservator of paintings at the Worcester Art Museum, spoke on the application of microscopy in art conservation. Learn more about the New England Society for Microscopy by visiting nesm.cims.harvard.edu.

Publications and Presentations

Chemical Engineering

Brunetti, M., J. Wilcox, "A Theoretical Cluster Approach to Understanding Mercury Adsorption on Bromine-Embedded Activated Carbon," presented at AIChE Conference, Cincinnati, Ohio, Nov. 1-4, 2005.

Callaghan, C. A., I. Fishtik, R. Datta, "A Systematic Microkinetic and Mechanistic Analysis of the Water-Gas-Shift Reaction Kinetics on Low- and High-Temperature Shift Catalysts", presented at AIChE Conference, Cincinnati, Ohio, Nov. 1-4, 2005.

Camesano, T.A., Y. Liu*, and P.A. Pinzon-Arango*, "Role of Cranberry on Molecular-Scale Adhesion and Surface Characteristics of Escherichia coli," presented at Ocean Spray Cranberries Inc., Lakeville-Middleboro, Mass., (invited), Oct. 14, 2005.

Caulkins, J., J. Wilcox, R. W. Thompson, A. Erdem-Senatalar, A. Giaya, N. Koryabkina, O. Yazaydin, "Removal of Hazardous Organics from Water: Theoretical Basis for Understanding the Interactions of Organics with Microporous Solids and Predictions for New Systems," presented at AIChE Conference, Cincinnati, Ohio, Nov 1-4, 2005.

Datta, R., "Fuel Cell Technology I: Overview," Chair, at AIChE Conference, Cincinnati, Ohio, Nov. 1-4, 2005.

Datta, R., P. Choi, N. H. Jalani, "Sorption and Transport in Polymer Electrolyte Membranes," presented at AIChE Conference, Cincinnati, Ohio, Nov. 1-4, 2005.

Datta, R., I. Fishtik, "Structural Constraints on the Microkinetics of Complex Overall Reaction Pathways Comprising Parallel and Sequential Steps," at AIChE Conference, Cincinnati, Ohio, Nov. 1-4, 2005.

Datta, R., J. Nikhil, "Development of Composite Membrane Electrode Assemblies (Cmeas) for Higher Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells," at AIChE Conference, Cincinnati, Ohio, Nov 1-4, 2005.

DiBiasio, D., S. Blaisdell, C. Hill, N. Mello, "Integrating Ethics, Socio/Cultural Awareness, Diversity, and Contemporary Global Issues into the Introductory Chemical Engineering Curriculum," at AIChE Conference, Cincinnati, Ohio, Nov. 1-4, 2005.

Dixon, A. G., "Computational Fluid Dynamics in Chemical Reaction Engineering," Chair, at AIChE Conference, Cincinnati, Ohio, Nov. 1-4, 2005.

Emerson, R. J.*, T. Bergstrom*, and T. A. Camesano, "The Influence of Surface Texture and Surface Chemistry on the Adhesion of Staphyloccus epidermidis," presented at the WPI Surface Metrology and Applied Grinding Research Laboratories Seminar, Oct. 24-25, 2005.

Emerson, R. J. *, E. R. Soto-Villatoro, T. Bergstrom*, W. G. McGimpsey, and T. A. Camesano, "SAM-modification of Biomaterial Surfaces as an Antimicrobial Therapy," presented at the AVS 52nd International Symposium and Exposition, Boston, Mass., Oct. 30-Nov. 4, 2005.

Rodriguez, G., P. A. Pinzon*, and T. A. Camesano, Role of Cranberry Juice Cocktail on Adhesion of Uropathogenic E. coli," presented at the Biomedical Engineering Society Annual Meeting, Baltimore, Md., Sept. 28-Oct. 1, 2005.

*WPI Graduate Student

Humanities and Arts

Dollenmayer, David, translator, Perikles Monioudis, Im Äther/In the Ether , bilingual edition (Aachen: Rimbaud Verlag), 2005.

Gottlieb, Roger, "The Human Material is Too Weak," John Roth, ed., Reflections on Genocide and Human Rights: A Philosophical Guide, (NY: St. Martins), p. 287-297, 2005.

Gottlieb, Roger, "The Holocaust and the Environmental Crisis," in Bron Taylor, ed. Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature (London and New York: Continuum), pp. 783-785, 2005.

Gottlieb, Roger, "Teaching Disability Issues and Social Justice," Spotlight on Teaching, American Academy of Religion, Spring 2005.

Gottlieb, Roger, "Religious Environmentalism and Ecological Democracy," presented at the Philosophy Colloquium, University of New Hampshire, October 2005.

Gottlieb, Roger, guest editor, Social Theory and Practice: Special Issue on Religion and Politics, May 2005.

Mott, Wesley T., editor, Bonds of Affection: Thoreau on Dogs and Cats, (with introduction, "Inclining to Affection"), foreword by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, engravings by Barry Moser, Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 2005. [Bonds of Affection is one of three new books in "The Spirit of Thoreau" series; Mott is series editor for the Thoreau Society. The other new titles are Nature's Panorama: Thoreau on the Seasons, edited by Ronald A. Bosco (University at Albany, SUNY) and Daily Observations: Thoreau on the Days of the Year, edited by Steve Grant (writer on natural history for the Hartford Courant). The series, started in 1999, now has eight titles and is published by the University of Massachusetts Press.]

Interdisciplinary and Global Studies

Vernon-Gerstenfeld, S., "Curriculum Development for Integrating Sustainable Development Into the Classroom," panel participant in Engineers for a Sustainable World (ESW) Annual Meeting, Austin, Texas, Oct. 5-9, 2005.

Mathematical Sciences

Servatius, Brigitte, Workshop leader, "Rigidity of Braced Grids," MAA Maryland/DC/VA section meeting, Montgomery College, Md., Nov. 4, 2005.

Servatius, Brigitte, panelist for discussion on "Using Writing to Aid Students in the Learning of Mathematics," Project NEXT, MAA Maryland/DC/VA section meeting, Montgomery College, Md., Nov. 5, 2005.

Servatius, Brigitte, "Combinatorics Catalogs Geometry-Geometry Generates Combinatorics," invited address, MAA Maryland/DC/VA section meeting, Montgomery College, Md., Nov. 5, 2005.

Mechanical Engineering

Hoffman, A. H., K. N. Liadis, and B. Boettcher, "Work in Progress-Developing a Project-Based First-Year Design Course," in proceedings of the 35th ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, Indianapolis, Ind., pp. F3C 9-10, Oct. 19-22, 2005.

Social Science and Policy Studies

Little, R., and E. A. Weaver (in process), "Protection from extreme events: Using a socio-technological approach to evaluate policy options," in International Journal of Emergency Management. Vol. 2, No. 4.

Year-End Holiday Schedule

Thanskgiving Holidays

Thursday, Nov. 24 - Friday, Nov. 25
Winter Break Holidays

Monday, Dec. 26 - Tuesday, Dec. 27
Presidential Paid Personal Days

Wednesday, Dec. 28 - Thursday, Dec. 29
New Year's Holidays

Friday, Dec. 30 - Monday, Jan. 2

Update Your Campus Directory

Please change the phone number for Cingular Wireless (page 5) to 866-246-4852.

Community Notes

Kristen Billiar, assistant professor of biomedical engineering and his wife, Cori, welcomed their daughter Lucille on Nov. 3.
Naomi Carton, director of residential services, and her husband, Doug, welcomed their daughter Felicity Katherine on Nov. 9.

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Last modified: February 13, 2008 14:43:02