STRATTON HALL OPEN HOUSE
Friday, September 28
Two sessions: 2:15 – 3:00 p.m. and 3:15 - 4:00 p.m

Multidisciplinary demonstrations and performances by Wells College faculty and students will take place throughout the building. Signage in Stratton Hall will direct participants to different sessions.
 

“Getting Psyched About Sustainability”
Presenter: Associate Professor of Psychology Milene Morfei
Location: Stratton 104
This session will illustrate how the application of psychological principles can be useful in understanding and changing environmentally destructive behavior. After an introduction to relevant psychological concepts and issues of sustainability, participants will be actively involved in generating solution strategies.

“Valdez Redux”
Presenter: Professor of Art William Roberts
Location: Stratton 304
A display of selected paintings executed in 1990 as a response to the catastrophic Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince Edward Sound off the coast of Alaska in 1989. Approximately 53 million gallons of oil spilled into the sound wreaking havoc on the local wildlife and fauna. The work was done in response to a talk given on campus at Wells by Sheila Nickerson, poet laureate of Alaska, who had worked on the Valdez clean up. Her presentation was the inspiration for the series of paintings. The paintings were included in an exhibition at Cornell’s Johnson Museum entitled “Message to the Future.”

"Sense and Deception: Perceiving the World"
Presenters: Associate Professor of Biology Christina Wahl and Visiting Assistant Professor of Psychology Deb Gagnon
Location: Stratton 106
Seeing is believing…but should it be? While your sensory systems provide the ‘clues’ as to ‘what’s out there,’ your perceptual system combines these clues along with your experience to make ‘sense’ of it all. The result is that sometimes things aren’t always what they seem to be. Hands-on demonstrations and perceptual illusions will illustrate how the mind uses sensory input and experience to arrive at its interpretations of the world. This activity will be a series of self-paced demonstrations lasting from 10-20 minutes, depending on individual interest.

“Worms, Worms Galore!” 
Presenter: Hilary Lukas ’09
Location: Stratton 102
Worms play a vital role in the world of compost. Learn how to start your own worm, or Vermicomposting, bin that turns household food scraps into usable compost. 

“What Were They Thinking?”
Presenters: Professor of History Cynthia Koepp and Professor of Chemistry Chris Bailey
Location: Stratton 218
Several scientific principles presented in the early 18th century encyclopedia of natural history, Spectacle de la Nature, will be examined in light of early 21st century knowledge.

“The Buzz about the Hive”
Presenter: Professor of Biology & Environmental Studies A. Thomas Vawter
Location: Stratton 318
Since the publication of E. O. Wilson’s Sociobiology in 1975, the study of social insects has played a central role in our understanding of evolution. How can the “evolution game” of passing on as many copies as possible of one’s genes result in a sterile “worker” caste that passes on none of its genes? Come watch the buzz about the beehive and find answers to this and other interesting questions.

“The Science Behind Crime Scene Investigations: 
How Evidence can be Used to Identify You”
Presenter: Assistant Professor of Chemistry Amy Godert
Location: Stratton 306
What are the chances that your fingerprints match someone else’s? How about your shoe size? Have you ever wondered if what you see on shows like CSI is true or how it works? Though there are many different types of evidence that can be found at a crime scene, we will be taking an in-depth look at two particular techniques that are used to uniquely identify an individual: fingerprinting and DNA analysis. We will examine how these forms of evidence are left at a crime scene, how they are analyzed, and why they can be used to identify a particular individual.

“Plants in Society”
Presenter: Assistant Professor of Biology Jackie Schnurr 
Location: Stratton 312
Plants are integral to society - not only as foods and medicines, but also as clothing, housing and for adding beauty to our lives. But how much do you really know about the plants that you use everyday? This session is presented as multiple stations - some with tastings, others with hands-on activities - designed to increase your knowledge about plants we use every day.

“Test Your Intuition”
Presenter: Assistant Professor of Physics Xiaoliang “Leon” Zhu
Location: Stratton 311
Challenge your intuition with a few simple predict-and-verify activities. No specific physics background is necessary. Takes about 2 to 5 minutes and can be repeated many times.
 
 

“Playing with Waves” 
Presenters: Professor of Physics Scott Heinekamp and Assistant Professor of Music Victor Penniman
Location: Stratton 303
Come hear and see synthetic sound played and displayed. Why don't YOU play with knobs to change the sounds and sights? Two guys in very different fields (physics and music) will help you do that in an interactive demonstration of the College’s Moog synthesizer. The Moog’s design is a first-rate example of how science and music interact. And it was built in nearby Trumansburg! 

“Group Activities”
Presenter: Associate Professor of Mathematics Tom Stiadle
Location: Stratton 220
Groups of symmetries occur in a variety of settings — art, geometry, chemistry, biology, physics, and more. Participants will see examples and demonstrations from several disciplines and can then try on their own to determine the groups associated with simple, hands-on objects. 
 
 

“Of Bones, Stones, and Open Spaces”
Presenter: Professor of Dance Jeanne Goddard
Location: Stratton hallways and atrium
Professor Goddard performs in the hallways and lobbies of Stratton Hall with an ensemble of student dancers. Dance celebrates science with choreography that explores osmosis, angular momentum, rock falls, and other inescapable elements of the physical universe.
 
 

Schedule of Events  |  Places to Stay

Key Speakers  |   Directions
 

Please call 315.364.3416 or email CelebratingConnections@wells.edu for more information or to let us know you will be joining us. We hope to see you on campus September 27 – 29, 2007 to Celebrate Connections and officially open Stratton Hall.

Last updated 09/14/2007