Faculty News Briefs

Walter T. Herbranson, associate professor of psychology and Ladley Endowed Chair, is a recipient of the Frank A. Beach Comparative Psychology Award. Herbranson received the award along with co-author Julie Schroeder for their paper titled “Are birds smarter than mathematicians? Pigeons (Columbia livia) perform optimally on a version of the Monty Hall Dilemma,” published in the Journal of Comparative Psychology. The award, selected by the editor and consulting editors, is presented annually in recognition of the best paper published in the journal. Each author will receive a certificate at the Business Meeting of Division 6, held at the American Psychological Association Annual Convention in Washington D.C. in August.

Nohemy Solórzano-Thompson, associate professor of Spanish, and Spanish major Tia Butler ’13 have co-authored an article on the cinematic portrayal of Mexican male immigrants for the online journal “Bad Subjects: Political Education for Everyday Life.” The article, titled "Danny Trejo’s Body: Immigrant Males, the Border, and Citizenship in the American Imagination," discusses the symbolic and material forms the war against immigrants manifests in the United States. Using the films of Mexican-American veteran actor Danny Trejo, the authors discuss the multiple forms anti-immigration sentiments performed and enacted in American popular culture since the late 1980s. Solórzano-Thompson and Butler’s article is part of the journal’s eighty-first issue devoted to a criticism of the acts of state-sponsored biopower in the Arizona-México borderlands.

“How I spent my summer vacation” – share your story!

Again this summer The Fountain offers staff and faculty the opportunity to share summer vacation and travel stories. Is this summer your turn for an exciting adventure? Or maybe a fascinating learning opportunity, whether to an exotic locale or to a scholarly or professional conference? Maybe you’ll participate in a service-oriented trip, lead a tour or just spend a relaxing vacation on a beach somewhere. And on your travels, maybe you’ll run into fellow Whitman folks or meet someone who knows about the college. Feel free to share your “summer vacation” stories; photos are encouraged! Email your story and photos to thefountain@whitman.edu.

Student Engagement Center open to visitors

Noah Leavitt, assistant dean for student engagement, invites the Whitman community to stop by the Student Engagement Center this summer, located in Reid 219 and open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. “I’m eager to hear from members of the Whitman community about how the center can be a partner and a resource in developing meaningful co-curricular opportunities for our students,” he says. He also notes that visitors can enjoy “lovely views of campus as well as excellent air conditioning” while at the center.

You can view the center’s updated website here.

Whitman hosts national foundation relations conference

Whitman is hosting the SCAFRO conference, an annual meeting of the directors of foundation and corporate relations from many of the top liberal arts colleges in the country. It takes place on campus July 12-15. Approximately 55 people will attend, representing such colleges as Oberlin, Reed, Wellesley, and Grinnell.  During the conference, attendees hear from speakers representing private foundations and participate in panel discussions about issues that are relevant to grantwriters. SCAFRO, which stands for "Some Corporate and Foundation Relations Officers," was formed about 20 years ago to provide a professional development forum that addressed the unique issues faced by foundation directors at liberal arts colleges, reports Rachna Sinnott, Whitman's director of foundation and corporate relations, who has organized the conference and will serve as the host.

Coming Events
All free unless otherwise noted

Friday, 7/15
Baseball: Whitman Night with the Walla Walla Sweets. Tickets are available on a first-come, first served basis, in the President’s Office from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday–Friday. Tickets must be picked up in person, limit two per staff/faculty member. 7:05 p.m., Borleske Stadium.

Parting Shot
By Greg Lehman, photographer/communications officer

It’s summer, but learning continues. In one of the chemistry labs on Friday afternoon, Haya Jamali ’12 and Julia Warren ’12, right, work with proteasome inhibitors, which, as everyone knows, are drugs that block the action of proteasomes, cellular complexes that break down proteins, like the p53 protein. Proteasome inhibitors are being studied in the treatment of cancer. Full size.

The Fountain is published by the Office of Communications. Send news to thefountain@whitman.edu. Photos are accepted. Submissions are due by Tuesday at 5 p.m. for the following week’s issue. Editor: Ashley Coetzee. Managing Editor: Ruth Wardwell Online: www.whitman.edu/fountain