Studying the Craft of Writing for Greater Conversations

Posted by  on Thursday, December 13th 2012     

Denise Frame Harlan

Writing is hard work, and reading great stories can be as inspiring as it is instructive for the aspiring writer. That’s why Denise Frame Harlan, adjunct professor and committee member for The Great Conversations courses at Gordon, models the writing life to her students. This month, for instance, the Englewood Review of Books invited Frame Harlan to reflect on a classic for its Advent print edition; she chose “The Complete Stories of Flannery O’Connor,” reviewing it under the title, “Sometimes it Takes a Lifetime to Read a Book.”

The High Calling—a daily blog for Laity Lodge in Texas—has published a series of Frame Harlan‘s stories about her parents and their work. The first   and second stories were published this summer. This month, The High Calling published her third story, which is about working with her brother at a resort over one Christmas break when they were college students.

Frame Harlan also has reviewed several books on the Englewood Review of Books site which she says, “would make excellent Christmas presents for readers who happen to be creative people, creatively tired people, or overwhelmed parents who wonder how to return to creativity and faith.”  To learn more about her work, visit her website.

category: Academics, English

Where Do Philosophical Problems Go When They Die?

Posted by  on Tuesday, December 11th 2012     

Brian Glenney

Some scholars say that philosophical problems should be annihilated or killed off once they’ve outlived their usefulness. But Brian Glenney, assistant professor of philosophy, believes they live past their usefulness for philosophy and can be resurrected by scientific experiments. In fact, Glenney’s recent article “Philosophical Problems, Cluster Concepts and the Many Lives of Molyneaux’s Question” explores this in the December online issue of the top-tier journal, Biology and Philosophy. The article will also appear in a later print edition. Here’s Glenney’s abstract:

“Molyneux’s question, whether the newly sighted might immediately recognize tactilely familiar shapes by sight alone, has produced an array of answers over three centuries of debate and discussion. I propose the first pluralist response: many different answers, both yes and no, are individually sufficient as an answer to the question as a whole. I argue that this is possible if we take the question to be cluster concept of sub-problems. This response opposes traditional answers that isolate specific perceptual features as uniquely applicable to Molyneux’s question and grant viability to only one reply. Answering Molyneux’s question as a cluster concept may also serve as a methodology for resolving other philosophical problems.”

To read the rest of the article, click here.

Imagining the Next Supercomputers with ‘LittleFe’

Posted by  on Tuesday, December 4th 2012     

Jonathan Senning, right, in his office with student Peter Story ’14 and the model supercomputer they built together.

Last month while attending SC12, an international conference on  high performance computing (HPC) in Salt Lake City, Utah, Jonathan Senning, professor of mathematics and computer science, did something he’d wanted to for a while: he built a hands-on model computer he can use in his class for the first time next spring. Thanks to the National Science Foundation, Senning and his student Peter Story ’14 also spent the week exploring ideas we’ll probably see in the future. Here’s how he described it:

“High performance computing is everywhere today. Weather forecasting, molecular modeling, mapping the genome, economic modeling, simulation, and visualization are just some of the areas that work with large data sets and need substantial computing power. So when Peter Story, a computer science & mathematics double major, and I were selected to participate in a fully-funded HPC Educators program for faculty and/or students from undergraduate colleges, I knew this was an exciting opportunity for Gordon. 

“We also received an additional grant for a small parallel cluster designed for HPC education and spent most of Monday assembling it as part of a ‘build-out’ event.  The cluster, named by its designers ‘LittleFe’—a play on ‘big iron’ which is a term originally used to describe large mainframe computers—is a model of a modern supercomputer.  It operates in the same way and has essentially all the same parts and programming modes as today’s supercomputers.  It’s just not as fast or large, and it certainly doesn’t use as much power.

“This spring I’ll be teaching a new course called Parallel and High Performance Computing and will be able to use LittleFe.  The course will explore the three main forms of parallel and distributed processing in use today: shared memory multiprocessing (the dual and quad core processor chips in our phones and laptops), cluster computing (modern supercomputers), and GPGPU (general purpose graphics processing unit) programming.  GPGPU-equipped systems are the current cutting-edge devices.  As of this fall it is possible to buy a GPGPU ‘card’ to fit inside a desktop or server computer that has 2,496 processing cores and is capable of over 1 teraflop per second.  To get close to these speeds, however, either existing programs must be rewritten or new programmed solutions must be developed. Our new LittleFe cluster supports all three main types of parallel architectures, and as a result allows us to explore hybrid approaches, combining various types of parallelism in the solution of a single problem.

“I learn best by ‘tinkering,’ and I’m convinced that many of our students will benefit from having hands-on experiences.  The LittleFe cluster fosters this sort of learning; its open frame, exposed cabling, and blinking lights invite students to be curious about it.”

Zheng Elected President of New England Society for Microscopy

Posted by  on Wednesday, November 28th 2012     

Ming Zheng

Ming Zheng, professor of biology, might be on sabbatical this semester, but he’s as busy as ever with his scholarship and professional contributions. In fact, on Friday, November 30th, Zheng will help lead Gordon in hosting the 46th Annual Fall Symposium & Business Meeting of the New England Society of Microscopy (NESM). Founded in 1967, the NESM’s purpose is to “increase, disseminate, and promote the interchange of microscopy and its applications in New England.”

Zheng—whose most recent research interests include ethical, legal, social, and economic impacts of genetic engineering—has been a member of NESM since 2003, which is also when Gordon began hosting the symposium. From 2008 through 2011, he  served on the Board as one of three biological directors. Last fall, he was elected president and will begin in that role January 1, 2013. As president, Zheng will plan monthly Board meetings, organize spring, fall and February conferences as well as the fall symposium and business meeting held annually on the Gordon campus. NESM members and speakers represent a wide variety of research institutions such as Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Harvard University, and  Zelenograd, Moscow. Here’s what Zheng said about his involvement in NESM:

“In a way, I see myself as a small fish swimming in a big pond, considering many of our members and speakers are researchers from strong research institutions like Harvard, MIT, Wellsley, etc. But our participation in the NESM provides a window for the wider academy to see the quality of our institution. It also allows some of our students to showcase their research and ability. For instance, Tiffany Hurlbut, ’07, presented her research with me in 2006 at Gordon and connected with a Harvard professor as a result. She then went to, and graduated from, Harvard’s graduate school. Other students have won first and second-place poster competitions. It’s rewarding to be a part of NESM because of the opportunities it provides our students to learn, and to contribute their outstanding work to a wider academic audience, which often leads to post-graduate opportunities. And it has affected my own scholarship by providing me with wonderful opportunities for enrichment, professional development and academic networking.”

The Big Deal About Green Chemistry

Posted by  on Friday, November 16th 2012     

The many shades of green are hardly exclusive to the art world. For Dwight Tshudy, associate professor of chemistry, the path to becoming green has involved many steps, including inspiration, research and outreach. Tshudy explored each in his October 25 talk entitled, ”Green Chemistry and Sustainability, What’s All This Then?” which he gave as the fall lecture for the North Shore Chapter of Sigma Xi. His talk reflected just a few of the many things happening in green chemistry at Gordon. Below is the abstract for  Tshudy‘s lecture:

Dwight Tshudy

“The term ‘green’ has been used by many as a synonym for ‘good for the environment.’ Green chemistry has also been touted for a number of years as a new and better way of doing chemistry. Sustainability has now become a buzzword to cover a multitude of activities, and its use has become fashionable in many circles. But what is the connection between ‘green’ and sustainability? How might it make a difference that would really matter to us?  These are big questions that should be discussed, debated, disagreed with and modified as we learn more of the world around us.

Sustainability and green chemistry are not black and white ideas, but ones that come with many shades and variations. There will be successes and also opportunities, both for green chemistry and sustainability. Ultimately we must act on the best of these ideas. At Gordon, we are exploring how TAML (tetra-amido-macrocyclic-ligand) catalysts can be used for chemical synthesis and degradation. These catalysts were developed by Terry Collins at the Institute for Green Science (at Carnegie Melon University) using biomimetic principles to try to mimic what naturally occurring enzymes are able to accomplish. Chemical approaches using catalytic reactions like these fall under the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry. Our understanding of sustainability and green chemistry can guide what takes place in the classroom, in the teaching laboratory, in the research laboratory, and beyond.”

Making the Music of History . . . at the Smithsonian

Posted by  on Wednesday, November 14th 2012     

David Goss (center in red shirt) and The 2nd South Carolina String Band at the Smithsonian Institute.

It wasn’t the first time David Goss, assistant professor of history and director of museum studies, performed at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. But it was still, well, the Smithsonian. So Goss and his Civil War band, The 2nd South Carolina String Band, traveled back last month to play their period instruments and music in honor of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. They played in the room where Lincoln held his second Inaugural dinner; the event attracted over 6,000 guests. 

Goss plays guitar and is the lead singer of the band, which performed over 25 songs from the era with period instruments. Last spring, he and his band members also played when Documentarian Ken Burns, who directed the PBS television series on the Civil War, was the keynote speaker. Some 300 audience members attended that event at the Smithsonian.

“Playing again (at the Smithsonian)  underscores the reality that this era in American history is becoming more popular within the culture, not just the academic community,” Goss said. “And it shows why the Civil War was so important on so many levels. Everything in our country changed from that point on: from states’ rights and race relations to the influence the federal government would have on states and how they would operate from then on. It really was a pivotal time for our country.”

Voting and Coolness, Lectures and Leadership

Posted by  on Tuesday, November 6th 2012     

Faculty contributions beyond the classroom have been many during the past few weeks. Here’s a sampling:

On election day, Paul Brink, associate professor of political science, was a featured guest on the “John Hall and Kathy Eamons Show” at 5 o’clock p.m. for the Salem Network Radio affiliate in Pittsburgh, PA, to discuss a Christian approach to voting.

Jonathan Gerber, assistant professor of psychology, published the results of his study, “Measuring the existence of cool using an extended Social Relations Model” in the current edition of peer reviewed online journal Psychnology. Gerber was also recently interviewed about his study by a reporter for the Boston Globe for a story that was published in the print and online editions, Thursday, Nov. 8.

Judith Oleson, associate professor of social work, has been asked to lead a pre-conference session at the American Academy of Religion’s Annual meeting Nov. 16th in Chicago for evangelical theologians/scholars involved in the Postcolonial Theological Network. The session entitled, “Enhancing and Equalizing the Roundtable in Postcolonial Theological Dialogue” will explore themes such as the power of dialogue, and power dynamics within dialogue across culture, traditions and historical contexts.

Dwight Tshudy, associate professor of chemistry, was the invited speaker for the Fourth Annual Sigma Xi (Northshore chapter) Lecture in October. Dwight’s lecture on green chemistry and sustainability was delivered to an audience of students and faculty from Endicott College, Gordon College and Salem State University.

Peter Iltis, professor of kinesiology and horn, gave a talk entitled, “Musician’s Dystonia: What do we know, and what can be done?” on October 24th at the New England Conservatory. Attendees included students, faculty, several clinicians and medical people who work with dystonia patients, and at least one patient suffering from dystonia as a violinist.

During the last weekend of October, Joel Boyd, associate professor of chemistry, lead a group of nine students to Boston’s Museum of Science where they facilitated the museum’s outreach activities. The Museum’s annual event during National Chemistry Week brings hundreds of visitors to participate in hands-on activities.

Sean Clark, associate professor of  kinesiology, gave a lecture entitled, ”Exercises for Balance and Mobility: From Fitness to Fall-Prevention” at the Massachusetts Clinical Exercise Physiologist 2012 fall meeting. Clark’s talk included a practical, learning by doing component where attendees performed various progressive exercises similar to those in our program at the Center for Balance, Mobility and Wellness.

Camus: An Imaginative and Complex Literary Guide

Posted by  on Monday, November 5th 2012     

Last year, Emmanuelle Vanborre, assistant professor of French, spent a lot of time, so to speak, with French philosopher Albert Camus. During her  sabbatical, Vanborre re-read many of Camus’s works while editing a new book of essays on him that’s just been released (by Palgrave Macmillan Publishers) entitled, The Originality and Complexity of Albert Camus’s Writings.

Emmanuelle Vanborre

The book is an extension of Vanborre‘s research on twentieth century fiction, literary theory, and Francophone literature. Her articles and book reviews on French and Francophone literature focus especially on Camus, Maurice Blanchot and Maryse Condé. She is also the author of another book on Camus, Lectures blanchotiennes de Malraux et Camus.

The publisher describes Vanborre‘s new book this way: “Fifty years after Camus’s untimely death, his work still has a tremendous impact on literature. From a twenty-first century vantage point, his work offers us coexisting ideas and principles by which we can read and understand literature, the other and ourselves. Yet Camus seems to guide us without directing us strictly; his fictions do not offer clear-cut solutions or doctrines to follow. This complexity is what demands that the oeuvre be read, and reread. The wide-ranging articles in this volume shed light, concentrate on the original aspects of Camus’ writings and explore how and why they are still relevant for us today.”

Neither Male Nor Female: Voters on Human Issues

Posted by  on Friday, November 2nd 2012     

As the presidential election draws to an end, philosophy professors Lauren Swayne Barthold and Brian Glenney raise some interesting questions in the following editorial about why the candidates won’t get “women voters.” 

Why There Are No Women Voters and No Women’s Issue

By Lauren Barthold and Brian Glenney

Lauren Barthold

Brian Glenney

Binders or not, there are no women voters. Period. There is, we mean, no unique demographic of women, whose vote Governor Mitt Romney is supposedly losing and whose vote President Obama is supposedly gaining (or maintaining), depending on which news you heed (See “‘Gender Gap’ Near Historic Highs” by Nate Silver, New York Times, October 21, 2012.)

In the second presidential debate, when Romney described his process for hiring qualified women for his cabinet, he did not confuse and frustrate women voters, but any prospective voter. Nor did his description prompt the abortion debate or any other issue that allegedly concerns only women voters because there are no “women’s” issues.

Consider this noteworthy term “women.” As philosophers, we of course feel compelled to ask, “Do women even exist?” A recent consideration of the history of western thought by Denise Riley  shows the use of the label “women” to be, well, erratic at best: at some points in history it suggests equality to men in terms of passion, at others superiority in terms of social morality, and at others inferiority in terms of intellect. In other words, historically we have never been able to agree on an unequivocal definition of “women.”

Read the rest of this entry »

How Then Should a Christian Vote?

Posted by  on Friday, November 2nd 2012     

In the November 2, 2012, Capital Commentary published by the Center for Public Justice, Paul Brink, associate professor of political science, offers a Christian perspective on why and how to vote.

How Should We Vote?

By Paul Brink

First of all, we should vote.  I join others in saying that to vote is actually part of our Christian calling. Given the responsibility of the state to pursue justice, the chief goal of democracy is not to give citizens the right to determine the state’s purpose, as secular justifications for democracy might suggest.  Rather, when citizens vote, they share with their fellow citizens the duty to discern and pursue together justice and the common good. This is a responsibility we may not ignore. It’s a remarkable privilege—and a daunting one.

READ MORE HERE.

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