Faculty and Staff Notes

Professor of Dance Ann Cooper Albright, who authored the biography Simone Forti: Improvising a Life, was featured on the BBC obituary podcast Last Word to discuss the remarkable accomplishments and influence of the postmodern dancer, along with insights about her personal life beyond the spotlight.

An article by Special Collections and Preservation Librarian Ed Vermue was published in the latest issue of Artifact & Apparatus: the Journal of Media Archaeology. It relates to the building of Oberlin's Early Media Collection, which includes the Letterpress Studio and the Pre-Cinematic Collection.

Assistant Professor of Cinema and Media Grace Wilsey recently published an article in the journal Convergence titled "From the Mind of J.K. Rowling: How Harry Potter Fan Destinations Mediate a Tainted Authorship Brand."

Longman Professor of Physics Jason Stalnaker and four recent Oberlin students coauthored a paper on the development of a nuclear-spin oscillator as a possible detector for dark-matter searches. It was published in the journal Universe.

Assistant Professor of Data Science and Computer Science Joshua Davidson recently published a paper in the journal Applied Mobilities with Sophie Lee (Emory University) and Megan Ryerson (University of Pennsylvania). Titled "Navigating transit spaces: an assemblage approach to daily travel," the paper looks at the ways public transit users organize and think about their travel practices in diverse spatial environments.

Visiting Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Nicholas Anderman authored "Paranoid Space: Conspiracy theory and the new politics of logistics" for the journal Environment and Planning D: Society and Space.

Roxanne Ocasio, Administrative and Project Coordinator for the Office of Institutional Equity, has a short story featured in Hope is Not Passive, an anthology benefiting Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), which provides legal services to unaccompanied minors. It can be ordered in eBook or paperback via the Quills and Cosmos website or other major retailers. It will be available August 25.

Oberlin Alumni Magazine editor Annie Zaleski published a new book, Dolly Parton: The Stories Behind the Songs, on August 11. As the title states, it’s a deep dive into the country icon’s storied career. This is Zaleski’s second book of 2026: In May, she published Stevie Nicks in 50 Songs, about the legendary Fleetwood Mac singer.

Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Catherine Oertel served as chair of the Gordon Research Conference on Solid State Chemistry, held July 26-31 in New London, New Hampshire.

Professor of Classics Christopher Trinacty recently published a chapter in the (aptly titled) What More Can We Say About Seneca? (DeGruyter Brill). His chapter, "The Very Image of Death: Seneca's Consolatio ad Marciam," investigates how Stoic visualization techniques and an understanding of Stoic Natura can help one process trauma.