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Raymond Kierstead, Richard F. Scholz professor of history and humanities, emeritus, was honored with the Distinguished Bowdoin Educator award. The award, given by Bowdoin College’s alumni council, recognizes outstanding achievement by a Bowdoin alumnus in education. The citation noted that Kierstead’s “record of scholarly research and service to Reed College over the years was most deserving of recognition.” Kierstead, a 1956 graduate of Bowdoin, will receive the award at the college’s convocation in June.

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The artwork of Gerri Ondrizek, associate professor of art, was exhibited in two Oregon galleries this fall in conjunction with “Crossing Boundaries: East-West Symposium in Print Art.” Her work from the last two years on stem cells and cellular tissues was shown in the Fairbanks Gallery at Oregon State University in Corvallis. Ondrizek also created a new installation, Recoding Bird Songs, for the Littman Gallery at Portland State University. She recorded bird songs in her garden, then made sonograms from them. She enlarged the sonograms and carved them in to nine-foot planks that she had milled from a fir tree, creating giant block prints. She then printed the sonograms onto 10’ x 12’ pieces of linen and rice paper (see at right). They are hanging as part of an installation that includes the original bird song recordings and the carved fir planks; in its use of woodblock prints it refers to the ancient history of printmaking. Recent graduates Jeremy Wingfield ’01 and Donna White ’01 worked with Ondrizek on many aspects of the installation.


 

Darius Rejali, associate professor of political science, was recently a special consultant for The History of Punishment and Torture, a three-part television series that aired in Britain in November, and Punishment: Cruel and Unusual, which aired for the first time in the U.S. in November on Court TV. Rejali has been studying the effects of violence, and torture in particular, on modern societies and teaching a class on state violence for several years. He also recently gave talks at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C., the World Affairs Council, and Reed College on “Iran beyond Tehran: Afghan Refugees and Provincial Politics.”

In 2001 Rejali travelled through rural and urban Iran examining Iranian politics. He focused on the Afghan refugee crisis and the emergence of civic politics in provincial cities. Looking in towards Tehran from the margins gave him a new perspective on Iranian politics, Iranian-Afghan relations, and the electoral coalitions contributing to President Khatami’s victory.


Two Reed professors were recently guests on National Public Radio programs Ellen Stauder acting dean of the faculty and professor of English and humanities, appeared on Talk of the Nation in a discussion on December 11 on academic standards and grade inflation. You can read about the show or listen to it here. Ottomar Rudolf, emeritus professor of German and humanities, was a guest on NPR’s On the Media program in November, speaking on indoctrination and reflecting on his past in Germany. A transcript may be found on the web here.

  Genetics, a package incorporating an extensively reworked fifth edition genetics textbook and a new CD-ROM by professor of biology Peter J. Russell, was published this fall by Benjamin Cummings.

The CD-ROM includes 50 animations illustrating key and difficult concepts of genetics, 24 iActivities (interactive exercises for students to promote problem-solving), and 600 quizzes. Russell says, “I was involved with the development of the animations and iActivities from start to finish to ensure that the material was correctly integrated with the text. Usually CD-ROMs are developed after a book is complete and with minimal involvement of the author.” Russell’s textbook is one of the top genetics textbooks in the nation, in use by more than 150 colleges and universities. His active research in the field has gained him grants and recognition from such foundations as NSF, NIH, and the American Cancer Society.

David Schiff ’s Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra, Canti di Davide, had its world premiere in October, performed by distinguished clarinetist David Shifrin with the Virginia Symphony at Chrysler Hall in Norfolk, Virginia. The concerto was dedicated to Shifrin and to the memory of renowned pianist David Golub, who died a year ago at age 50. The three Davids were friends, colleagues, and fellow artists for over 20 years. Schiff described the concerto as “a musical journey which begins in shock and turmoil and . . . finds peace.” Since Golub divided his life between Italy and America, Schiff composed Canti di Davide as a journey eastward to Italy, with the movements alluding to various aspects of Golub’s life and character. The Virginian-Pilot wrote in a review of the concert that “Schiff’s music is attractive and accessible. . . . the concluding pages are especially memorable for their quiet resignation.” Schiff is the R.P. Wollenberg professor of music.

Mark Bedau ’77, associate professor of philosophy and humanities, was cited as an expert in the philosophy of biology in a December 18 New York Times article on how the definitions of life have been changing. In “Defining the Undefinable: The Living Cell,” written by Natalie Angier, Bedau weighed in on the current state of life and technology: “The question is especially interesting now that science and technology are continually pushing the boundaries of what living or lifelike systems exist, and what they may look like in the future,” he said. Bedau also discussed “supple adaptation,” the ability of groups and populations to respond to changes with new adaptations, as the key to life. Others quoted in the article came from UC-San Diego, Case Western Reserve, Princeton, the University of Massachusetts, Rockefeller University, and the City University of New York. End of Article


 

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2001

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