Arts & Sciences News
Programs in the News
Biology and Biotechnology
Lynn Middle School Students Experience Endicott Through
Summer Learning and Leadership Program
Endicott College is proud to announce its involvement in a three-week academic and leadership program designed to serve high-achieving middle school students from Lynn, MA. The Learning and Leadership Program, developed by the Northshore Education Consortium (NEC) in collaboration with the Lynn Public Schools, is the first of its kind on the North Shore and will engage a select group of deserving students in advanced activities within the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields and the visual and performing arts.
From July 12-30, thirty-six exceptional eighth- and ninth-grade students, chosen for their interests and leadership potential from six middle schools in Lynn, will gather on the Endicott campus to participate in classes and workshops exploring possibilities within the fields of biotechnology, computer science, environmental science, visual art, and drama. They will devote over seventy-five hours to in-depth learning, interactive activities, group projects, leadership training, and field research, taking full advantage of Endicott's high-tech labs and equipment and the College's new Center for the Arts, as well as the campus's natural environment and sports facilities.
Students will live on campus for most of the three-week program, engaging day and night with professors, administrators, staff and each other. Endicott faculty members, along with teachers from the Lynn Public Schools, NEC's Northshore Recovery High School, and Gordon College, will lead classes and activities and will mentor students in the creation of original capstone projects to be presented on the final day of the program. Combining academic endeavors with residential living and recreational activities will enable the Lynn middle schoolers to enjoy a complete pre-college experience, one which will foster creativity, critical thinking, and leadership skills while introducing them to options for the future which they may not have otherwise considered.
The Learning and Leadership Program was developed after nearly two years of research, preparation and collaboration aimed at creating a fun yet challenging academic experience for qualified students, regardless of their ability to pay. The thirty-six students participating in this summer's inaugural program have all received full scholarships, provided by donations from Eastern Bank, the Lynn Teacher's Union, General Electric, the Lynn Business Education Foundation, and others. In the future, the program will be expanded to involve up to 150 students from schools throughout the North Shore.
Endicott Professor Receives NSF Funding to Study Web 2.0 Teaching Tools
Thanks to a recent grant award from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Dr. Joyce Shaw (Assistant Professor, Biology) joins a national collaborative of scholars, researchers, and scientists eager to discover ways to better assess the role of technology within undergraduate biology education. As Web 2.0 interfaces like online course portals, podcasts, video conferencing sites, and social networks (e.g. Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, blogs) are increasingly used to enhance education and facilitate faculty-student interactions, existing assessment tools must expand. Dr. Shaw and her colleagues will be working to develop criteria for evaluating such educational advancements. They recognize an urgent need for new methods to gauge which of the rapidly evolving technological developments really do improve student learning.
This NSF-sponsored project connects Endicott to institutions and networks across the country, bringing together experts in biology, instructional technology, assessment, and virtual networking. A primary goal is to create a large interdisciplinary research community committed to making the best possible use of advanced technology in the teaching of biology.
Criminal Justice
Professor Elected National Advisor
Dr. David Parry (Professor, Criminal Justice) was selected to be a National Advisor for Alpha Phi Sigma, the honor society for criminal justice students. Dr. Parry has been Endicott's chapter advisor since 1999, and in his new role, he will act as a consultant on matters of policy and procedure for the chapters established at colleges and universities throughout the country.
Back to top
English
Rave Reviews for English Professor's Latest Work
Dr. Charlotte Gordon (Assistant Professor of English) has been busy promoting her latest book, The Woman Who Named God: Abraham's Dilemma and the Birth of Three Faiths, a work that Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel calls "insightful, enriching, and rewarding." Recent interviews on NPR and CBC Radio as well as book talks scheduled locally and nationally - from Gloucester to Boston to San Francisco - are introducing a wide variety of readers to Dr. Gordon's retelling of the Biblical story of Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar. Within her study of a narrative common to Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, Dr. Gordon finds both the source and possible resolution for much of the religious and ethnic strife that dominates the Middle East.
Dr. Gordon is a scholar, essayist, and poet whose recent biography of Anne Bradstreet, Mistress Bradstreet, won a Massachusetts Book Award. She is the author of two poetry collections, When the Grateful Dead Came to St. Louis and Two Girls on a Raft, and she is currently working on a biography of the famous mother and daughter writers Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley, to be published by Random House.
Endicott Teams with Ibbetson Street Press to Promote Literary Arts
Endicott College has formed a partnership with Ibbetson Street Press to promote literary arts on campus and to connect Endicott's students with the thriving literary scene in the Boston/Cambridge/Somerville area and beyond. As part of the collaboration, Doug Holder, founder and publisher of the Somerville-based Ibbetson Street Press, will help develop a visiting author series that will bring writers to campus for public readings and classroom visits. The series kicks off with a reading by Sam Cornish, Poet Laureate for the City of Boston.
Holder will also help Endicott’s growing number of English majors, especially those concentrating in Creative Writing, network, publish their work, and secure internships throughout the region.
"We are very excited about this partnership," said Dr. Mark Herlihy, Chair of Humanities at Endicott. "Doug is incredibly well-connected. The writers he’ll bring to campus will enrich the culture at the College. He will also be a terrific resource for our English majors."
"This is a wonderful opportunity to be aligned with a rising academic institution," said Holder, an adjunct faculty member at Endicott as well as the Arts Editor for The Somerville News. "I want the literary community and the community at large to know about the vital literary and arts programming at Endicott. And with their new Arts Center and their commitment to the arts in general, I am hoping to be involved in the creation of the Hub for the Arts on the North Shore."
Sam Cornish, the first to present on campus as part of the Endicott-Ibbetson authors series, is the author of six poetry collections and has had a distinguished career as a poet, essayist, editor of children's literature, photographer, educator, and figure in the Black Arts movement. Celebrated authors Miriam Levine and Burt Stern will also visit the campus for a joint reading at a later date.
Back to top
Environmental Science
Students Launch Endicott's Second NOAA Research Buoy
Endicott College students once again collaborated with faculty members, the local fishing community, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to launch a drifter buoy that will monitor currents in the Atlantic Ocean.
The research buoy, dubbed Nomad II, was brought out to sea by Julian Dufresne of Acton, MA (Psychology/Criminal Justice, 2012) and Megan Alonso of Wilton, CT (Environmental Science, 2013), who rode aboard Captain Therese Sauvageau's lobster boat, Sea Anchor, stationed in Beverly, MA. Capt. Sauvageau has been working with NOAA and other agencies for the past few years to monitor lobster populations and track temperature trends within the Gulf of Maine in an effort to preserve local marine resources. A GPS tracking device attached to Nomad II transmits precise position data, which will be used to help predict surface currents that carry lobster larvae and spread aquatic dangers such as toxic algal blooms.
This is the second time that Endicott has been involved in this important initiative, thanks largely to the efforts and associations of Dr. Mari Butler, Assistant Professor of Environmental Science, with the assistance of Dr. Matthew Staffier, Associate Professor of Chemistry and Environmental Science. Nomad I, the first research buoy to be built by Endicott students, was launched in November 2008 and continued to provide data to researchers until February 2009, when its last-known location was west of Georges Bank, heading toward Nova Scotia. So far, Nomad II seems to be a similarly successful endeavor as it documents its crazy ride through the spring currents off the coast of Massachusetts, sending signals every two hours.
The data transmitted by the buoy will be combined with that collected from its predecessor, Nomad I, as well as from research buoys deployed by institutions and organizations throughout New England. The goal is to create refined simulations and models which will be used by scientists, fishermen, conservationists, and students to help maintain a healthy marine ecosystem for future generations.
Track Nomad II's journey here: http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/drifter/drift_endicott_2010_1.jpg
Alumnus Lands Job at Major Biopharm Company
Dan Granfield (ENV, 2009) recently accepted a full-time position at Shire Human Genetic Therapies, a biopharmaceutical company based in Cambridge with affiliates throughout the world. Dan was hired to work on large-scale media as a technician in the company's new Lexington facility, and he credits the Environmental Science program and professors with helping him make this significant step. "I hope there are more students in the younger classes signing up for Environmental Science," he wrote in a recent letter to his faculty mentors. "I loved the education."
History
History Major Lands Impressive Internship
 |
Endicott student Sarah Desmond examines historic documents as part of her internship at the Massachusetts Historical Society.
|
Sarah Desmond (History, 2010) has been spending the fall semester interning at the prestigious Massachusetts Historical Society (MHS) in Boston, where she has been combing through over 200 years' worth of letters sent from and to American presidents. To aid MHS staff in compiling a comprehensive subject guide for their extensive collection, which includes papers from nearly every U.S. president, Sarah has been reading through letters, cataloging their contents, and deciphering often-illegible notes from historical leaders such as George Washington, John F. Kennedy, Theodore Roosevelt, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Bill Clinton, and Richard Nixon. Sarah is also preparing a public exhibit of the letters, poring over not only the documents themselves but also all of the visual materials held at the MHS - prints, engravings, photographs, and assorted illustrations. She has presented her findings to staff at the MHS, who are delighted with her efforts and the caliber of her work and who are enthusiastic about creating more internship opportunities for Endicott students in the future.
First Governor John Endecott Memorial Scholarship Awarded to Endicott College History Major
Endicott College and the Endecott-Endicott Family Association, Inc. (EFA, Inc.) recently awarded the first Governor John Endecott Memorial Scholarship to Rachel Lovett of Abington, MA, a senior History major at Endicott. Founded in honor of the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, this scholarship program is the result of a collaborative effort on the part of Endicott College and EFA, Inc. to support endeavors to research colonial history and uphold John Endecott's legacy.
Ms. Lovett, who studies seventeenth-century New England and helped launch Endicott's student History Guild, will embark on a year-long thesis project to explore the intertwining of John Endecott's political career, religious activity, and personal convictions. Her award-winning proposal outlined her plans to contribute a fresh perspective by combining a thorough analysis of Endecott's own writings, first-hand accounts from his contemporaries, and historical records with a look at public commemorative events and literary texts such as Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story "Endicott and the Red Cross." In doing so, Ms. Lovett hopes to arrive at a deeper understanding of one of the earliest and most influential settlers of Cape Ann.
The establishment of the Governor John Endecott Memorial Scholarship marks the beginning of a five-year partnership between EFA,Inc. and Endicott College, named for the colonial governor. A total of $5000 will be awarded to upper-level history scholars who possess an overall GPA of at least 3.0 and who design original research projects aimed at illuminating new aspects of John Endecott's life and times. The scholarship program is a valuable addition to the many resources available for students to study early American history at Endicott, both on campus with noted faculty experts as well as within the important historical locales that surround the College.
EFA, inc. was established in 2002 to preserve and promote the heritage of the Endecott-Endicott family. Membership is open to descendents of Governor John Endecott and all others who are interested in the history of the family.
Back to top
International Studies
International Studies Professor Invited to Debate Global Issues in Washington, DC
Dr. Vitaly Kozyrev (Assistant Professor, Politics/International Studies) recently participated in the First Annual Seminar on Policy and Diplomacy at George Mason University (GMU) in Washington, DC. Dr. Kozyrev, a noted expert on Russia's security policy and Russo-Chinese relations and a former advisor to the Moscow City Government, was invited to join key researchers from GMU, Saint-Petersburg State University (Russia), The Elliott School of International Affairs, and the Pew Research Center. Throughout the two-day seminar, the group debated pressing global issues such as international security, the impacts of the Obama Administration's new U.S. foreign policy, the rise of China, the dynamic relationship between the U.S. and other world powers, and the future of U.S.-Russian relations. Their conversations will continue through an innovative online "chain publication," a series of interwoven essays in which these international scholars will expound upon the topics discussed throughout the seminar and comment on each other's contributions. Dr. Kozyrev's insights and the perspectives of his esteemed colleagues will strengthen the courses he teaches in politics and international relations, exposing Endicott students to in-depth, evolving analyses of some of the most significant global questions of today.
Languages
Grad School and Fellowship for Endicott Senior
Shelly Ortelt (SP 2009) recently received word that she has been accepted into a Masters program at Suffolk University where she will study Political Science and International Relations. Shelly was also awarded a very competitive fellowship at the Counseling Center at Suffolk, where she will work while completing her degree. The Spanish language courses Shelly took here at Endicott, along with the semesters she spent in Buenos Aires and Madrid, intensified her interest in global affairs and made her a perfect fit for the program, as proficiency in a second language is required for acceptance. Shelly is very excited about starting in the upcoming fall semester and continuing her studies in language and cultural relations.
Back to top
Liberal Studies
Endicott Students Create Honor Society
Three Endicott students have created what is believed to be the nation's first honor society for Liberal Studies majors. Shannon Ferguson initiated the project after seeking to start a local chapter of a national Liberal Studies honor society. Finding that no such national organization exists, Shannon teamed up with fellow seniors Erin Fay and Kristen Micho to propose the creation of Iota Gamma Chi, a new honor society intended to bring recognition to Endicott's Liberal Studies program and the impressive accomplishments of its majors. The students' proposal gained widespread support, and the society received official approval from Endicott's president, Dr. Richard Wylie, and the entire College community in February 2010.
It is the hope of its three pioneering founders that Iota Gamma Chi will further unite Endicott's community of Liberal Studies majors and serve as a resource through which students can learn about career and internship options, research fields, graduate school programs, and community service opportunities. Members will be required to maintain a 3.2 cumulative grade point average and devote at least fifteen hours per semester to volunteering on campus or in the local community. The organization's focus on service and on collaborations between extraordinary students pursuing diverse interests highlights both the experiential nature of an Endicott education and the unique ways in which Liberal Studies students discover countless connections - across academic disciplines, inside and outside of the classroom, with each other and with the world around them.
At the society's inaugural induction ceremony, to be held on April 27, fifteen students will be initiated as members - the first cohort of what is anticipated to be a growing membership of exceptional Liberal Studies majors at Endicott and beyond.
Back to top
Psychology
Endicott Faculty Member Receives Prestigious Fulbright Grant
Dr. Karen Edwards (Professor of Psychology) was recently awarded a very competitive Fulbright grant to study cultural shifts in China. Dr. Edwards will travel through four different regions of the country this summer, where she will speak with Chinese social scientists and students to better understand the effects that recent political and economic changes have had on the people of China. Both academic and local perspectives will give her a broad understanding of how rapid transformations in China have affected relationships, gender roles, and family dynamics. The connections Dr. Edwards makes and the insights she gains will add new dimensions to Endicott's cultural psychology offerings and will initiate collaborative projects linking students at Endicott with their Chinese peers.
Back to top