April 2011

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News & Events

Third Annual Academic Capstone Carnival — May 2-3
Work Day 2011
Seven students receive Derieux research awards
Katie Spotz ’08 to speak on campus May 12
Commencement 2011
Spring Owl & Spade now online
Weekend@Wilson: Learn, Laugh, Live
TONIGHT: Alumni event in Asheville
Building Healthy & Sustainable Communities — June 2-3
Did you know?
In the media
Links

Third Annual Academic Capstone Carnival — May 2-3

The Academic Capstone Carnival is a two-day campus conference where students present their senior capstone work to the public. First, second and third year students have an opportunity to see what capstone research and internship experiences entail, and the College can celebrate its culture of original scholarship and academic engagement.

This year, students in the following academic programs are presenting their work: sociology/anthropology, global studies, psychology, social work, theater, English, geospatial technology, math, natural sciences, philosophy, business, economics and writing. In addition, students from other classes — not capstones — are doing presentations, including the cultural psychology class that went on a service trip to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, the psychology research methods class and the advanced GIS class.

The Academic Capstone Carnival keynote speaker is Mark Gibney, the Belk Distinguished Professor at UNC Asheville. He will present the lecture "'Who's Sorry Now?' The Role of Apologies in International Relations" on May 3, 6:15-7:15 p.m. in Jensen Lecture Hall.

Now in its third year, the Academic Capstone Carnival has grown from a coalition of social science departments to include most departments at the College. Departments and divisions will nominate top research work for publication in a journal of undergraduate research to be published in fall 2011.

Academic Capstone Carnival schedule and abstracts.

Info: Ben Feinberg

Work Day 2011

Although the exact year is difficult to pin down, sometime in the early 1980s the need for a stone wall between the College Chapel and DeVries Gymnasium became a priority. The problem was that the wall as envisioned would be a few feet high and many feet long, thus requiring long hours of labor by a lot of people. The solution? Schedule a campus Work Day. Read more.

2011 Work Day on YouTube and photos on Flickr.

Seven students receive Derieux research awards

Seven students who presented their research at the annual meeting of the N.C. Academy of Science in March have been awarded Derieux Prizes for Excellence in Undergraduate Research. The following students received prizes for original research: Alissa Gore, first place, and Taija Ventrella, second place, chemistry and biochemistry; Amy Wagner, first place, and Octavia Sola, third place, zoology; Jesse Rickard, first place, and Linden Blasius, second place, environmental science; and Laurel Thwing, second place, botany. Over the years Warren Wilson students have won more N.C. Academy of Science awards for papers on their research than students from any other college or university in the state. A total of 11 Warren Wilson students presented results of their original research at the 2011 meeting.

Katie Spotz ’08 to speak on campus May 12

Spotz, the youngest person ever to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean, returns to campus May 12 to give a presentation about her adventures. Spotz’s presentation, free and open to all, will begin at noon in Canon Lounge. Currently a marketing representative for Kinetico Inc. water systems, Spotz rowed some 2,800 miles in 70 days from Africa to South America, completing her epic journey in March 2010. In doing so, she raised more than $100,000 for the Blue Planet Network, a nonprofit whose goal is to bring clean drinking water to the estimated billion people worldwide who lack it.

Before rowing across the Atlantic, Spotz became the first person to swim the length of the Allegheny River — all 350 miles of it. As with her ocean row, her nearly month-long swim was undertaken to raise money for Blue Planet’s ongoing efforts to provide safe drinking water. Now Spotz is pointing toward a new endurance challenge: cycling across the United States. Beginning June 18, Spotz and cycling partner Sam Williams will ride from Oceanside, Calif., to Annapolis, Md. — a 3,000-mile journey — to raise money for Blue Planet Network Farm Africa water projects.

Info: Sarah El-Attar, 828.771.5810 or sel-attar@warren-wilson.edu

Commencement 2011

Pioneering oceanographer Sylvia Earle, currently National Geographic Society Explorer-in-Residence, will deliver the main address at the 2011 Commencement on May 14. Since her first scuba dive at age 17, Earle has logged more than 6,000 diving hours while leading more than 50 expeditions. A longtime champion of the preservation and exploration of marine ecosystems, she was named the first “Hero for the Planet” by Time magazine and a “Living Legend” by The Library of Congress.

Spring Owl & Spade now online

In the spring issue of Owl & Spade you’ll find stories on the College’s tradition of crafts, the Swannanoa Gathering’s 20th anniversary, Costa Rican connections, and how service is a way of life for Katie Spotz ’08.

Weekend@Wilson: Learn, Laugh, Live

Come to campus June 24-26 for a fun-filled weekend of workshops, dorm living, music and ice cream for alumni and friends. Workshop topics include kayaking, cruising the great loop, basket weaving and more. Click here for a full workshop list. Online registration begins in early May. Hope to see you there. Info: Ally Donlan

TONIGHT: Alumni event in Asheville

Join the WWC Alumni Board for a gathering on April 28, 5:30 p.m., at Pisgah Brewery. Wooden Toothe, an alumni band, will begin playing at 8 p.m. Info: Rodney Lytle or 828.771.2046.

Building Healthy & Sustainable Communities — June 2-3

Building Healthy & Sustainable Communities, a partnership between Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) and the College’s Environmental Leadership Center, is a conference for those who want to learn about and discuss best practices so Western North Carolina can improve its ability to serve as a healthy, sustainable community. Topics discussed include sustainable and green construction, real estate, development, planning and design. Find out more and register for the conference.

Did you know?

A veteran member of the MFA Program for Writers poetry faculty, Maurice Manning, was one of the two finalists for this year's Pulitzer Prize in poetry for his book, The Common Man.

In the media

An article on page 3A of the April 20 issue of USA Today titled, “Students seek greener pastures when they consider colleges,” included prominent mention of Warren Wilson as a campus sustainability leader, along with photos from the College farm and garden — the only photos used with the print version of the story. The story, though not the photos, is available online. USA Today, with a print circulation of 1.83 million, is the nation's second largest daily newspaper, trailing only The Wall Street Journal.

A sidebar in Your Life magazine’s “Guide to Green Living” this spring features the ever-popular EcoDorm in a feature titled, “Life in Warren Wilson’s EcoDorm.” The sustainability work of WWC students also is mentioned in the adjacent lead article titled, “Pictures of Tomorrow.” Your Life is published by USA Today.

Rev. Steve Runholt, pastor of the College Chapel, helps organize a Good Friday fast

A heartwarming win for a heartbreaking tale: Anthony Doerr, MFA fiction faculty, wins Sunday Times Short Story Award and the Story Prize