Faires Faculty Forum

Faires Faculty Forum

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Dr. Barbara T. Faires, professor of mathematics emerita, established Faculty Forum in the fall of 1990 during her time as dean of the College and vice president for academic affairs. Since then the forum has continued to provide an opportunity for faculty members to meet weekly to share their schola…

Westminster College


    • Nov 20, 2013 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 43m AVG DURATION
    • 25 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Faires Faculty Forum

    Mankiw vs. DeLong and Krugman on the CEA’s Real GDP Forecasts in Early 2009

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 20, 2013 49:12


    Collaborative Research to Determine the Function of New Protein Players in Nuclear Protein Transport and Beyond

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 6, 2013 43:34


    Integrating Speech 111 Across the Westminster Curriculum

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 23, 2013 51:58


    Traveling in the Archives

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 25, 2013 41:12


    Westminster College's Faires Faculty Forum presentations will take place every Wednesday at 11:45 a.m. in Mueller Theater of McKelvey Campus Center (MCC).

    My Sabbatical with Graph Theory: Conflict, Problems, and Knighthood

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 18, 2013 41:30


    Westminster College's Faires Faculty Forum presentations will take place every Wednesday at 11:45 a.m. in Mueller Theater of McKelvey Campus Center (MCC).

    Westminster COEUR: The Heart of Engaged Teaching and Learning

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 11, 2013 54:39


    Westminster College's Faires Faculty Forum presentations will take place every Wednesday at 11:45 a.m. in Mueller Theater of McKelvey Campus Center (MCC).

    Sabbatic and Aftermath: 1 Year Off, 2 Retreats, 3 Productions, 4 Scripts, and 5 Days in Hospital

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 4, 2013


    Westminster College's Faires Faculty Forum presentations will take place every Wednesday at 11:45 a.m. in Mueller Theater of McKelvey Campus Center (MCC).

    Sabbatic and Aftermath: 1 Year Off, 2 Retreats, 3 Productions, 4 Scripts, and 5 Days in Hospital

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 4, 2013 44:23


    Westminster College's Faires Faculty Forum presentations will take place every Wednesday at 11:45 a.m. in Mueller Theater of McKelvey Campus Center (MCC).

    Crossing Bridges and Opening Minds

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 27, 2013 52:39


    Sherri Pataki, associate professor, Psychology and chair, Bridges Steering Committee, Michael Aleprete, assistant professor, Political Science, Amy Camardese, associate professor, Education, Linda Domanski, professor, Education, Charlene Klassen Endrizzi, professor, Education, Mandy Medvin, professor, Psychology, M. Eileen Morelli, associate professor, Education, with undergraduates Lyndsey Vogler, Psychology major and Kelcey Bailey and Teresa Whetstone, International Politics majors

    A Trip to the Amazon with Elizabeth Bishop

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 14, 2012


    Shortly after returning from the Brazilian Amazon, the American poet Elizabeth Bishop wrote in a letter that her trip was “one of the most amazing experiences of my life.” Last summer, with support from the Watto Award, Dr. Hicok followed in Bishop’s footsteps throughout Brazil, including a three-day, 500-mile boat trip down the Amazon River from Manaus to Santerém. Dr. Hicok’s talk will focus on the ways that Bishop wrote about this trip in letters, notebooks, prose and poetry and how she transformed that experience into art.

    A Trip to the Amazon with Elizabeth Bishop

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 14, 2012 41:55


    Shortly after returning from the Brazilian Amazon, the American poet Elizabeth Bishop wrote in a letter that her trip was “one of the most amazing experiences of my life.” Last summer, with support from the Watto Award, Dr. Hicok followed in Bishop’s footsteps throughout Brazil, including a three-day, 500-mile boat trip down the Amazon River from Manaus to Santerém. Dr. Hicok’s talk will focus on the ways that Bishop wrote about this trip in letters, notebooks, prose and poetry and how she transformed that experience into art.

    The Scoop on the Spoonbill: Structure, Function, and Morphogenesis

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 24, 2012 47:00


    The paddlefish or spoonbill (Polyodon spathula) is native to a number of large North American rivers, including the Ohio River. One remarkable feature of this awesome species is the prominent rostrum or paddle, an extension of the skull that grows rapidly soon after the fish hatch. Dr. Robertson will describe his collaborative research into the functional morphology and growth of the rostrum, including capstone projects and course-based studies.

    The Show Opens When? Adventures of Faculty/Student Collaboration on a Musical Set Design

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 17, 2012 1:25


    Meet Terry Jachimiak. He's a member of the Westminster College (PA) faculty teaching theater courses including theater design and technical production. Jachimiak shows us how working with Theatre Westminster showcases the liberal arts mission at work as students experience all aspect of a production as they focus on the audience.

    The Show Opens When? Adventures of Faculty/Student Collaboration on a Musical Set Design

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 17, 2012 49:15


    From early May 2011, when the most preliminary of design meetings happened, to the end of October 2011, when the lights finally brought the design to life, Mr. Jachimiak and Sophomore Josh Scott developed a memorable home for the characters of The Drowsy Chaperone. Reaching across multiple disciplines, the pair utilized techniques such as critical thinking and abstract research to create a world for the actors and actresses to live in. Mr. Jachimiak will share his insights into the design process with a student, including successes, struggles and implications for future collaborations.

    De Re Publica Romana et Re Publica Americana: Some Surprising Discoveries

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 10, 2012


    The Founders of the American Republic looked to the ancient Roman Republic as an inspiration when designing—and “selling”—the form of government embodied in the U.S. Constitution. In developing a document of Latin terminology for a presentation at Septimana Californiana (“California Week”), Dr. Castro discovered how the realities of modern American government necessitated exploring more than just the Republican period of Roman history, in order to adequately describe in particular one of the Branches of the U.S. government.

    De Re Publica Romana et Re Publica Americana: Some Surprising Discoveries

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 10, 2012 49:42


    The Founders of the American Republic looked to the ancient Roman Republic as an inspiration when designing—and “selling”—the form of government embodied in the U.S. Constitution. In developing a document of Latin terminology for a presentation at Septimana Californiana (“California Week”), Dr. Castro discovered how the realities of modern American government necessitated exploring more than just the Republican period of Roman history, in order to adequately describe in particular one of the Branches of the U.S. government.

    Italian Food Production and Culture in an Era of Globalization

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 3, 2012


    The Slow Food movement began in Italy as a reaction to the globalization of food production and consumption. Fearing the erosion of local food cultures that have traditionally been a defining feature of Italian identities, the slow food movement in Italy seeks to localize food production processes and consumption patterns. Dr. Aleprete’s talk stemming from his CIEE travels will explore the slow food movement’s impact and the intersection of the local and global pressures on food production in modern Italy.

    Italian Food Production and Culture in an Era of Globalization

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 3, 2012 50:03


    The Slow Food movement began in Italy as a reaction to the globalization of food production and consumption. Fearing the erosion of local food cultures that have traditionally been a defining feature of Italian identities, the slow food movement in Italy seeks to localize food production processes and consumption patterns. Dr. Aleprete’s talk stemming from his CIEE travels will explore the slow food movement’s impact and the intersection of the local and global pressures on food production in modern Italy.

    Shale Happens: An Investigation of the Environmental Chemistry of Hydraulic Fracturing

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 26, 2012


    Dr. Boylan has been doing collaborative research with undergraduates on environmental analysis of hydraulic fracturing for over a year. This talk will explore the pros and cons of shale gas extraction in the context of undergraduate research. Experimental results on frack water and future plans involving air quality monitoring will also be discussed.

    Shale Happens: An Investigation of the Environmental Chemistry of Hydraulic Fracturing

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 26, 2012 44:17


    Dr. Boylan has been doing collaborative research with undergraduates on environmental analysis of hydraulic fracturing for over a year. This talk will explore the pros and cons of shale gas extraction in the context of undergraduate research. Experimental results on frack water and future plans involving air quality monitoring will also be discussed.

    Searching for Exoplanets

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 12, 2012


    Exoplanets – or planets orbiting other stars – are the hottest topic in astronomy right now. In the past few years, hundreds of exoplanets have been discovered, many of them drastically different from the planets of our own Solar System. These discoveries are reshaping our understanding of how planets form and evolve. Dr. Oberst will talk specifically about the “transit” method of observing exoplanets, the (known) exoplanets he and his students have recently observed from Westminster’s campus, and his plans to hunt for new exoplanets.

    Searching for Exoplanets

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 12, 2012 37:31


    Exoplanets – or planets orbiting other stars – are the hottest topic in astronomy right now. In the past few years, hundreds of exoplanets have been discovered, many of them drastically different from the planets of our own Solar System. These discoveries are reshaping our understanding of how planets form and evolve. Dr. Oberst will talk specifically about the “transit” method of observing exoplanets, the (known) exoplanets he and his students have recently observed from Westminster’s campus, and his plans to hunt for new exoplanets.

    A SAGE Approach to Modeling the 1918 Pandemic

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 5, 2012


    At least twenty seven percent of the world was infected by the so-called Spanish flu of 1918-1920. Mathematical models help explain the rapid spread, why the epidemic is over before all are infected, and the reason some quarantines are unsuccessful in limiting the spread. Based on her recent sabbatical exploration, Dr. Cuff will explain how she used differential equations and a computer algebra system to create and examine the basic model.

    A SAGE Approach to Modeling the 1918 Pandemic

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 5, 2012 45:11


    At least twenty seven percent of the world was infected by the so-called Spanish flu of 1918-1920. Mathematical models help explain the rapid spread, why the epidemic is over before all are infected, and the reason some quarantines are unsuccessful in limiting the spread. Based on her recent sabbatical exploration, Dr. Cuff will explain how she used differential equations and a computer algebra system to create and examine the basic model.

    Fall 2012 Faires Faculty Forum Schedule

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 1, 2012


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