Faculty and Staff Notes

Professor of Mathematics Bob Bosch delivered the banquet address on November 6 at the MD DC VA Fall Sectional Meeting of the Mathematics Association of America. The address, "Opt Art," was a survey of Bosch’s efforts to use mathematical and computer science-based optimization techniques to design visual artwork.

On November 9, Bosch participated in the opening of the exhibition In the Realm of Forms at the Pearl Conard Gallery at the Ohio State University, Mansfield. The exhibition is open through December 8.

Finally, Bosch’s 2006 continuous line drawing Knot?, an early example of his TSP Art, makes an appearance in art historian Lynn Gamwell's new book "mathematics + art: a cultural history".

Denise Birkhofer, Ellen Johnson ’33 curator of modern and contemporary art at the Allen Memorial Art Museum, contributed a text on Chilean artist Roberto Matta to the catalogue for the exhibition Superposiciones: Arte latinoamericano en colleciones mexicanas. The exhibition, curated by James Oles for the Museo Rufino Tamayo in Mexico City, was held from May 23 to October 4, 2015.

Donald R. Longman Professor of English Sandra Zagarell presented a paper on the connections between Alice Dunbar-Nelson and W. E. B. DuBois in a panel on “Recovering Alice Dunbar-Nelson for the 21st Century” at the 2015 conference of the Society for the Study of American Women Writers. Zagarell, Professor Kate Adams of Tulane University, and Professor Caroline Gebhard of Tuskegee University are co-editors of a special issue of Legacy: A Journal of American Women Writers on Alice Dunbar-Nelson, to be published fall 2016.

Professor of Comparative American Studies Gina Perez’s new book “Citizen, Student, Soldier - Latina/o Youth, JROTC, and the American Dream” has been released by the New York University Press. Read more about the book on the NYU Press website.

Assistant Professor of Neuroscience Patrick Simen’s article “Scale (In)Variance in a Unified Diffusion Model of Decision Making and Timing” was published in Psychological Review. The article was written with student coauthors Ksenia Vlasov '13 and Samantha Papadakis '15.

The article derives behavioral predictions from a simplified mathematical model of neural activity, and it describes the results of human behavioral experiments carried out by students at Oberlin to test these predictions. Most of the predictions held up, suggesting that timing and perceptual decision making depend on a common process in which neural activity builds up over time at a constant rate.

Professor of Psychology Nancy Darling presented an invited workshop on dynamic systems modeling at the prestigious Theory Construction and Research Methodology pre-session of the National Council of Family Relations in Vancouver, British Columbia.

The three-hour session introduced dynamic systems modeling as a complement to more traditional statistical techniques in the study of human development and the family. The hands-on component of the workshop focused on using Nova, a software product developed by Richard Salter, professor of computer science, for dynamic systems, agent-based, and spacial modeling (novamodler.com).

Models of teacher-adolescent interactions and romantic attachment grew out of work done with students in Darling's upper-level course on advanced methods for the study of adolescent development. Additional models of longitudinal change in romantic pairings were developed with Ian Burns ’10. Other models presented include Excel models developed with Elizabeth Lockman ’12.

East Asian Studies professor Sheila Miyoshi Jager was the guest speaker at the Amherst, Ohio, Veterans Day ceremony on November 11. A mural honoring veterans of the Korean War was dedicated joining previous murals for World War II and the Vietnam War.

Jager remarked that the mural honors not only veterans who served in the war between 1950 and 1953, but also the millions who have served and are still serving today to defend South Korea in the "unending" war. She pointed out that the legacy of their service and sacrifice is the prosperous and vibrant democracy that is today's South Korea who plays a leading role in preserving peace and promoting prosperity in the world.

Jager's latest book, Brothers at War: The Unending Conflict in Korea, is a history of the fraternal conflict that has lasted for more than half a century. The book was recognized at the 2013 National Book Festival and was selected as one of the best books on Asia in 2013 by Foreign Affairs magazine.

See more information on the mural and the dedication ceremony from the Oberlin News Tribune, Amherst News-Times, and Cleveland.com.

Professor of Physics Stephen FitzGerald published the paper "Orientational ortho-H2 pair interactions in the microporous framework MOF-5” in the international journal Physical Review B. The paper was co-authored by Christopher Eckdahl '17, Cooper McDonald '15, Jocienne Nelson '14, Kai Shinbrough '17, Holden Lai '15, and the late Assistant Professor of Chemistry Jesse Rowsell.

Vice President and Dean of Students Eric Estes participated on a panel and helped facilitate a discussion on institutional responses to and support for student activists calling for greater access and inclusion for undocumented applicants and enrolled undocumented students at the 2015 COFHE Academic and Student Services Conference in November at Rice University.

Shelley Lee, associate professor of comparative American studies and history, was quoted in the article “‘April’s Way’ Captures Stories of Korean-American Merchants During L.A. Riots” that appeared on the NBC News website. Lee was interviewed by journalist Monica Luhar for the piece.