ADVANCE BLACK EXPERIENCES AT WILLIAMSDesignate your gift to the Alumni Fund to support initiatives on campus like Minority Coalition groups, Davis Center spaces and programs, the first year of the Africana Studies major, and so much more. By being one of the first 89 donors (89 in honor of the Class of 1889's first Black graduate of Williams, Gaius Charles Bolin) you will help unlock an additional $40,000 from a generous group of alums. Learn more and make a gift!
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New Summer Opportunties siteStudents will find one-stop shopping for all funded opportunities available to Williams students on this new site. Funding removes the financial barriers to immersive summer learning experiences, so all students can explore their passions. Students can search by category—internships, fellowships, and academic opportunities—and find specific application information linked within each opportunity. Our goal is for all students to know about the amazing funded opportunities that are available to them!
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Alumni in the News- As a member of the Congressional Artificial Intelligence Caucus, Northern Virginia Congressman Don Beyer ’72 is pursuing a graduate degree in computer science with emphasis on machine learning.
- Sports analyst Jim Duquette ’88, former general manager of the New York Mets and the Baltimore Orioles, chats with MLB Trade Rumors about all things baseball.
- CEO and president of Greyston Bakery Joseph Kenner ’96 continues the organization’s Open Hiring strategy—welcoming anyone who signs up for a job, regardless of background—and teaches other businesses to do the same.
- Ethan Lasser ’99 was appointed by President Joe Biden to serve on the Committee for the Preservation of the White House, tasked with establishing museum function policies.
- “I feel more determined than ever to support younger generations ready to face our climate challenge head-on,” says Bill Moomaw ’59 in an essay on the website Common Dreams about the importance of tall trees in our environment.
- Grand Caillou/Dulac Chief Devon Parfait ’22 talks to Rolling Stone about his work to protect his tribe’s share of the crumbling Louisiana coastline.
- Miguel Ángel Payano ’03 finds his place in the art world after returning to New York from 15 years in Beijing—and after a Parkinson’s diagnosis.
- David Strathairn ’70 speaks with Decider about his 40-year career in film, including his latest: Remember This, a solo performance in which he portrays WWII hero Jan Karski, the member of the Polish Underground who carried eyewitness reports of the Holocaust to the West.
- “There would have to be a lot of human decisions that go wrong first before we get to a position where [artificial general intelligence] is doing something terrible,” says Melanie Subbiah ’17 in a discussion of the pros and cons of AI with Columbia News.
Read the Latest Williams People
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The new Bouldering Barn opened in Pond House Garage this month, offering climbing challenges year-round.
Photo by Bradley Wakoff/Berkshirian Images
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News from the collegeFellowships and ScholarshipsMany Williams students and alumni have received prestigious fellowships and scholarships this spring. Among them is Alexander “Sasha” Shashkov ’24, who was named a Goldwater Scholar to pursue a research career in pure mathematics. Check out the online list of awards for frequent updates. Meanwhile, artist Pamela Council ’07 and Edward McPherson ’99, who were recently named Guggenheim Fellows for exceptional creative ability in the arts and outstanding scholarship, respectively. Streaming LecturesAgriculture at WilliamsThe Williams Seed Library opened this month, housing a collection of various seeds to withdraw from—and eventually deposit to after the plants have grown. The project is under the direction of Sawyer Library’s Head of Access Services Nadine Nance and is open to the community. And just yesterday, sheep from Brattle Farm in Pittsfield, Mass., arrived on campus to kick off Earth Week events and graze beneath the solar panels next to the Class of 1966 Environmental Center. Chair and Professor of Classics Amanda Wilcox orchestrated the event for Parilia 2023, an ancient Roman celebration marking the time shepherds move their sheep to pasture.
Faculty in Focus
- “The hierarchy and the politics of high school separate us from one another so there’s that sense of ‘I’m the only one,’” Assistant Professor of Art Cecilia Aldarondo tells The Wrap of her desire to connect with audiences through the autobiographical documentary You Were My First Boyfriend, which premiered at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas, in March. Deadline reports that United Talent Agency has signed Aldarondo, and the film will air on HBO in the fall.
- Assistant Professor of Computer Science Rohit Bhattacharya talks with Nature about incorporating models of causality into machine-learning algorithms to help artificial intelligence make human-like decisions.
- Sam Crane, Williams’ Edward S. Greenbaum 1910 Professor in Political Science, has been named the next director of the Williams-Exeter Programme at Oxford University, serving as academic and personal adviser to 26 students, beginning in July 2024.
- Physics Magazine features the research of Assistant Professor of Physics Kate Jensen and student co-authors Caroline Tally ’21.5, Heather Kurtz ’20 and Rose Tchuenkam ’23 that explains how a “capping” water droplet can stop a leaking pipe.
- Owen Thompson, associate professor of economics, speaks with the podcast Education Next about whether gifted and talented programs in schools contribute to racial segregation.
- Amanda Wilcox, classics professor and department chair, speculates on the name of NASA’s Artemis program and the significance of the moon in ancient culture on Space.com.
Student HighlightsFor more news about the Williams Community, visit Williams Today.
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