WESeminars

WESeminars provide opportunities to revisit the classroom and experience firsthand the academic excellence that is the essence of Wesleyan, with presentations by scholars, pundits, and other experts in their fields. Programs run approximately 60 minutes, followed by audience Q&A. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis, and because of the state fire code, the University is unable to offer standing room space on the floors or aisles of venues.

A complete schedule of all of the Weekend’s events can be found on the Schedule page.

Events

Friday, October 29, 2021

2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
WESEMINAR Wesleyan Abroad: Everything Your Student Might Forget to Mention
Join the Office of Study Abroad staff and students to discuss what families need to know about study abroad for Wesleyan students. Topics will include affordability and financial aid, sites and kinds of programs, credit transfer, health and safety, and the benefits of spending a semester or year studying in another country. Please come with questions.
Presenter: Emily Gorlewski, Ed.D., Associate Director, Office of Study Abroad at the Fries Center for Global Studies
Class of 1950 Classroom (Room 302), Fisk Hall
3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
WESEMINAR Teacher, Banker, Coder, Artist: Learning Career Management in a Liberal Arts Environment
Sharon Belden Castonguay, Executive Director of the Gordon Career Center, will discuss why a liberal arts education is critical preparation for navigating careers in the 21st century. Hear about the Center's innovative approach to career education, which encourages students to design their own careers by exploring the intersection among their interests, the skills they have and wish to acquire, and market demand and learn about the career services and resources available to Wesleyan students throughout their undergraduate years and beyond. Staff members will also be present to answer specific questions.
Presenter: Sharon Belden Castonguay joined the Gordon Career Center at Wesleyan in May 2013 from Baruch College’s Zicklin School of Business, where she was the Director of the Graduate Career Management Center. She holds a doctorate in human development & psychology from Harvard.
Olson Commons, Gordon Career Center (Show in Map)
4:00 PM to 5:00 PM
WESEMINAR Celebrating Seniors: Research Excellence at Wesleyan
Members of the Class of 2022 will share their summer and fall projects, representing a cross-section of student research and creativity. Students will share their work and discuss the process that guided their explorations.
Moderator: Michael L. Guerrero, Dean for the Class of 2022
Presenters: Ben Garfield ‘22, Tashfia Jilu ‘22, and Shoko Narasaki ‘22
Room 116, Judd Hall (Show in Map)

Saturday, October 30, 2021

11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
WESEMINAR Where On Earth Are We Going: The 19th Annual Symposium of the Robert Schumann Institute of the College of the Environment: Recent Glacier-Related Flood Events in High Mountain Environments

The development of glacial lakes from receding glaciers, contained by either terminal moraines or bedrock, is commonly linked with global warming trends that have occurred since the end of the Little Ice Age (LIA). Such lakes are prone to sudden and catastrophic drainage, popularly known as glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF). Although GLOFs continue to dominate the focus of both peer reviewed and popular media articles alike, a range of other cryospheric processes and hazards exist that are in need of further research attention and mitigation technologies. Those discussed in the multi-media presentation include (a) englacial conduit floods, (b) periodic and recurrent flooding of lakes created by glacier- or ice-dammed lakes, (c) permafrost-linked rockfall and debris flows, and (d) earthquake-linked glacier floods. It is suggested that our understanding of these hazards could be strengthened through the use of more field-based studies; the investigation of glacier flood events as soon after their occurrence as possible; and incorporation of the insights and experiences of local people. How scientists can more quickly and effectively share the results of their high mountain hazards research with decision-makers; and how decision-makers and governments can deliver more timely mitigation programs, are areas that are also suggested as being in need of further strengthening.
INTRODUCTIONS BY: Frederick M. Cohan, Huffington Foundation Professor in the College of the Environment and Suzanne O’Connell, Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Professor, Integrative Sciences and Harold T. Stearns Professor of Earth Science 
PRESENTER: Alton C. Byers, Ph.D., Institute for Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR) at the University of Colorado at Boulder and Distinguished Visiting Scholar in the College of the Environment is a mountain geographer, conservationist, and mountaineer specializing in applied research, high altitude ecosystems, climate change, glacier hazards, and integrated conservation and development programs.
Tishler Lecture Hall (Room 150), Exley Science Center (Show in Map)

11:30 AM to 12:30 PM
WESEMINAR The Latest in Civic Engagement at Wesleyan
Moderator: Clifton Watson, Director, Jewett Center for Community Partnerships
Panelists: Sophie Williamson ’22, Kate Ciolkowski-Winters ’23, Bryan Chong ‘21, Gabby Guzdek ’22
Sophie Williamson ’22 is a psychology and Education Studies double major. She is a research assistant at Wesleyan's Blue Cognitive Development Lab, a former tutor for and currently a student coordinator for the Traverse Square After-School Program.
Kate Ciolkowski-Winters ’23 interest in advocacy and organizational work around criminal justice reform has led her to volunteer with Decarcerate Western Mass, the Katal Center for Health, Equity and Justice, and the Correctional Association of New York (CANY). She is currently enrolled in Wesleyan’s Community Impact Residency program.
Bryan Chong ’21 was a double major in government and psychology. A passionate student organizer, Bryan was elected to the Wesleyan Student Assembly during his senior and chaired the Civic Engagement Task Force, while serving as vice chair of the Community Committee. He has also been an active participant in the greater Connecticut community – contributing to the work of the Middletown Mutual Aid Collective, New Britain Racial Justice Coalition, and Central Connecticut Democratic Socialists of America. Bryan is currently the Civic Engagement Fellow at the Allbritton Center.
Gabby Guzdek ’22 is a double major in Biology and Science in Society. Gabby is interested in pursuing a future in public health or health law. She is a member of Wesleyan Field Hockey Team and is on the student board of directors of WESU/88.1 FM where she serves as its Director of Events - coordinating all WESU events, both on and off the Wesleyan campus.
Allbritton 311
1:30 PM to 2:30 PM
WESEMINAR Minority Rule? The Recent History and Uncertain Future of the Senate Filibuster
A defining feature of the contemporary Senate is the 60-vote, supermajority threshold required to end debate on most matters. Over the last decade, senators have lowered this threshold to a simple majority for judicial and executive branch nominees while keeping the supermajority requirement in place for most legislation. Momentum is building among progressives to end the legislative filibuster as well, but pivotal Democratic senators remain opposed. This WESeminar will examine the recent history of filibuster reform while discussing the prospects for and barriers to future reforms.
Introduction: Mark Davis '96, Director of Planned Giving, Office of Advancement
Presented by: Logan Dancey, Associate Professor of Government
Kerr Lecture Hall (Shanklin 107), 237 Church Street (find in map)
3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
WESEMINAR The Liberal Arts Behind Prison Walls: Learning with the Center for Prison Education
Join us for a conversation with the Center for Prison Education - an academic program in which Wesleyan faculty teach credited courses at two CT correctional facilities. Our students work toward an Associate degree from local partner Middlesex Community College, and subsequently a Bachelor’s in Liberal Studies (BLS) from Wesleyan. You will hear from members of the first cohort of Center for Prison Education BLS graduates, who received their degrees in May 2021, and who will share their reflections on college in prison, the liberal arts, and being Wesleyan alumni.
Presenters: Michael Braham '21, Joshua Hinman '21, and Clyde Meikle '21
Moderator: Allie Cislo, Program Manager, Center for Prison Education (CPE)
Taylor Meeting Room (108), Usdan University Center