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Academe: Science on the Brain

Middlebury Magazine — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 17:57:14 +0000

Academe is Middmag’s occasional check-in on what students and faculty are talking about.

Last week President Obama announced an ambitious plan called The Brain Initiative—a $100-million project to study brain function. The goal is for scientists working in the field of brain research to further their understanding and continue to develop resources that will lead to breakthroughs in treating conditions such as Alzheimer’s, autism, and stroke.

That announcement got the attention of some neuroscience faculty and student researchers here on campus. Middmag caught up with Professor Tom Root and Stephen Lammers ’13, Ben Wagner ’13, and Deirdre Sackett ’13 during a break from their studies. Here’s what they had to say about Obama’s plan—and what it might mean for the future.

Solar Decathlon ’13 Team Kicks Off Spring Construction

Middlebury Magazine — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 15:07:30 +0000

Middlebury’s Solar Decathlon ’13 team gave students, faculty, staff, and the community a first look at their solar-powered home this week, and MiddMag was there for the fun.

Drawing On the Wall

Middlebury Magazine — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 16:53:05 +0000

The American artist Sol LeWitt was widely known in the 1960s for the temporary wall drawings he devised for others to produce per his instructions as part of a growing Minimalism movement.

In what might be the epitome of hands-on learning, a group of art history students installed LeWitt’s Wall Drawing #394 last week as part of their class, “Minimalism: Art, Objects, and Experience,” with professor Eddie Vazquez.

The drawing came to Middlebury’s Museum of Art with a detailed set of instructions, including specifications for materials used and orientation of lines. Museum designer Ken Pohlman and preparator Chris Murray created the pencil grid guidelines, and each student could choose from a limited selection of lines to draw. The whole process took about 50 hours to complete, and the finished product will be on view in the Overbrook Gallery through April 21.

Drawing On the Wall

Middlebury Magazine — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 16:53:05 +0000

The American artist Sol LeWitt was widely known in the 1960s for the temporary wall drawings he devised for others to produce per his instructions as part of a growing Minimalism movement.

Comfort for the Lovelorn

Middlebury Magazine — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 16:24:25 +0000

Before the meteoric rise of her second-ever short film, “The Scared is Scared” (which just passed a half million views on Vimeo), Bianca Giaever ’12.5 had already established herself as a multimedia storyteller to watch. Her first film, “Holy Cow Lisa” was a Vimeo staff pick. MiddMag sat down with Bianca and asked about the inspiration for “Holy Cow Lisa,” a short thoughtful and funny reflection on love and heartbreak, narrated by Professor Gregg Humphrey, senior lecturer in education studies. Humphrey’s own story of heartache during his years as a Middlebury student provided the narrative for the film.

More on Bianca’s second film later, but we thought this would be a fitting post for Valentine’s Day.

What Did You Do On Your “Febmester”?

Middlebury Magazine — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 16:02:19 +0000

Last week Middlebury welcomed the latest group of Febs to campus, and here’s what some of them had to say about their semester off. From delivering pizzas and teaching children to saving endangered birds and unicycling over mountains, each and every one of them has a great story to share.

Feb Cam!

Middlebury Magazine — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 22:17:27 +0000

This year MiddMag wanted to get a Feb’s eye view of the storied ski-down celebration at the Middlebury College Snow Bowl. So we recruited intrepid Feb (and awesome skier) Hanna Howell ’12.5 to be our photographer. Take a look at some of the things she saw today.

To read more about the Feb celebration weekend, click here.

What’s Happening at Old Stone Mill?

Middlebury Magazine — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 18:24:16 +0000

It may boast a stoic and traditional exterior, but behind the doors of Old Stone Mill, all kinds of crazy things are happening. Crickets are a nutritional snack, origami makes great jewelry, and ten strangers get together monthly for a dinner party.

Based on the premise that students need space to explore their ideas, the OSM, as it’s known, is a hub of student-driven activity. Interested students can present their non-academic and self-designed project ideas to the all-student board, who then select tenants for each semester.

Middmag went to OSM’s fall showcase and met up with some of the current tenants, including an app developer, a clothes designer, a group opening a beauty salon for women of color, and many other creative and ambitious young folks.

A Special Look at the Dalai Lama’s Return to Middlebury

Middlebury Magazine — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 18:28:14 +0000

When the 14th Dalai Lama visited campus for two days in October, our digital media producer Brendan Mahoney ’11 was afforded special access to His Holiness. This insightful, touching video is the result.

Capturing Creativity

Middlebury Magazine — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 20:34:58 +0000

Erik Greenberg Anjou ’83 always knew he wanted to be a writer. But it wasn’t until senior year at Middlebury when he took an American film genres course with Prof. Ted Perry that he began to realize his career path would be in filmmaking. The producer and director of several documentaries, he recently talked to MiddMag about the making of his latest endeavor, a full-length documentary entitled The Klezmatics: On Holy Ground. For over three years he and his crew traveled alongside this klezmer band, invading their private lives, filming their band tours, and documenting their conflicts and joys during the creative process. It was a journey of ups and downs with a fascinating group of people who have kept alive a klezmer and Yiddish heritage and who make what he calls “heavenly music.”