Faculty and Staff Notes

Associate Professor of Sociology Greggor Mattson was a featured guest on KERA Dallas Public Radio discussing why gay bars matter, how they have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and what their vulnerabilities and resilience tell us about their future.

Visiting Assistant Professor of Cinema Studies Jennifer Blaylock has published the article “‘Who wants a BlackBerry these days?’ Serialized new media and its trash” in the journal Screen. In the article, she looks at seriality and its connection to racial capital by discussing the Nigerian film series BlackBerry Babes (2011-12).

Professor Emeritus of Chemistry Rob Thompson gave testimony in front of Ohio’s Redistricting Commission on August 27 at Ohio State University, Mansfield. Thompson has been active with Fair Districts Ohio (www.fairdistrictsohio.org) and has presented to many groups about reapportionment, redistricting, and gerrymandering. The full statement can be found on the commission’s website.

The Ohio Redistricting Commission will draw the state’s House and Senate district maps, while the Ohio Legislature will draw the Congressional map. A citizens’ rally for fair districts is planned for Tuesday, September 21, at the State Capitol in Columbus. 

Assistant Professor of Jewish Studies Shari Rabin and Visiting Assistant Professor of Jewish Studies Matthew Berkman both had pieces published in the journal American Jewish History’s new special issue on antisemitism.

Professor of Philosophy Todd Ganson has published a review of the book Representation in Cognitive Science in the journal Mind.

Margaret Kamitsuka, emeritus professor of religion, edited a special issue of the Journal of Religious Ethics (August 2021) with a focus on reproductive ethics. She wrote one of the seven essays in this issue, which included an essay from Oberlin alum and religion major Rebecca Epstein-Levi. 

In an article for NPR Books, Myriam J.A. Chancy cites The Immortals by Makenzy Orcel, translated by Oberlin Visiting Assistant Professor of French Nathan H. Dize, as one of four books to understand why Haiti should be hold our attention through earthquakes and tropical storms. The Immortals was one of the first novels written about the January 12, 2010, earthquake in Haiti and one of the first of these novels to be translated into English.

The latest book by Professor of Politics Stephen Crowley, Putin's Labor Dilemma: Russian Politics Between Stability and Stagnation, is now out from Cornell University Press. The book questions the popular assumption that Russia's workers are Putin's "core supporters," and explores the challenges the Russian leadership faces between undertaking painful reforms to boost economic growth, and preventing economic grievances from leading to demands for political change.

Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Shuming Chen and Anthony Gao '21 published two research articles on transition-metal catalysis: "Mechanism and Selectivities in Ru-Catalyzed Anti-Markovnikov Formal Hydroalkylation of 1,3-Dienes and Enynes: A Computational Study" in the Journal of Organic Chemistry; and "Catalytic α-Deracemization of Ketones Enabled by Photoredox Deprotonation and Enantioselective Protonation" in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. The latter work was published in collaboration with Professor Eric Meggers' research group at the University of Marburg, Germany.
 

Oberlin Conservatory's multiple Grammy-nominated harp professor Yolanda Kondonassis is releasing new music on Azica Records. She performed Aaron Jay Kernis’ Elegy . . . for those we lost with Michael Sachs, Principal Trumpet of The Cleveland Orchestra, for the orchestra's Adella.live In Focus Concert Series in June 2021. That concert video—Episode 12, Celestial Serenades—is still available to series subscribers through the summer at www.adella.live. The world premiere recording on Azica will be available as a digital single on September 17, 2021.