Anna Heil ’16
Professors discussed how they use technology in their teaching during the first Tech on Tap event in Donovan’s Pub.
maps depicting troop locations during Operation Desert Storm and the Korean War. Meanwhile, although many professors discourage the use of Wikipedia for their classes, the web-based encyclopedia became the focal point of Aisha Musa’s Islamic Jurisprudence course. Musa, assistant professor of religion and Middle Eastern studies and Islamic civilization, designed a set of Wikipedia editing projects to develop her students’ writing, research, media literacy, and collaboration skills. After reading published articles by various scholars, her students edited relevant Wikipedia articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. “The project is reflective of the way people know things today as opposed to twenty years ago; now we often look to electronic literature instead
of published literature,” explained Nancy Pruitt, who, as associate dean of the faculty, is spearheading many of Colgate’s technology initiatives and helped organize the event. Beyond sparking conversation among professors, Tech on Tap is part of a larger working group in Colgate’s strategic planning process that focuses on the role of technology in teaching and learning. Colgate is also collaborating with other members of the New York Six Liberal Arts Consortium (Hamilton, Skidmore, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, St. Lawrence, and Union). Pruitt hopes that in the near future, students will be able to benefit from the unique faculty expertise at each college. “This generation has been engaged with technology from day one,” she said. “We need to take advantage of their way of knowing the world and use it to help expand the educational experience.” — Laura D’Angelo ’14
gained in Professor Nicole Simpson’s class titled Fed Challenge. They researched U.S. macroeconomic data as well as analyzed historical and international macroeconomic episodes and policy responses. The class traveled to New York City in October for an orientation and meeting with Chris Burke ’89, vice president and director of Domestic Money Markets and Reserve Management at the New York Fed. Over lunch, Burke gave the students advice and told them the inside scoop on what it’s like to be in Federal Open Market Committee meetings with Chairman Ben Bernanke. Then, in November, five students — all junior and senior economics majors — gave their presentation summarizing the current state of the U.S. macro economy, including its weaknesses and threats, and made a monetary policy recommendation for the Fed. “It was great to focus on a topic and be questioned about it in front of true experts,” said Zachary Pitkowsky ’15. The team received support from the economics department faculty and seven economics classes, who viewed their presentations in advance and provided feedback. In addition, J.S. Hope ’97, Colgate’s director of investments, and Ellie Schmidt ’12, an investment analyst who also works in Colgate’s finance and administration office, previewed the presentation and asked the team questions. “This ‘road show’ made [the team] far better presenters and responders to probing questions,” said Pitkowsky. Ultimately, the team did not advance to the semifinals, but “win or lose, their enthusiasm has created a fun buzz around the department among our students, faculty, and alumni,” said Simpson. “I am very proud of them, and deeply appreciate the hard work they did and how much we all learned in the process.” — Hannah O’Malley ’17
College Fed Challenge In November, student economists had the chance to take their understanding of the U.S. economy and make a recommendation for the Federal Reserve at the College Fed Challenge. Taking on 36 other universities, for the first time, Colgate’s economics department participated in the national competition hosted and judged by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The students applied knowledge
Psychology major Casey Sherman ’14, who is looking into how we process memories, is featured on Colgate’s new research blog series. Read his entry and others from students teaming up with professors to explore everything from climate change to causes of cancer at http://news.colgate.edu/category/studentresearch.
Natalie Sportelli ’15
High-tech space focuses on foreign-language teaching The W.M. Keck Humanities Resource Center, located in Lawrence Hall, has been transformed from a quiet computer lab into a high-tech space for foreign language learning. A recent renovation allows for more student interaction with professors and language interns. Complete with new software, computers, and
Live and learn WRCU on the road In late October, several members of WRCU’s Board of Directors attended the National Student Electronic Media Convention, facilitated by College Broadcasters, Inc. (CBI). Music director Zac Coe ’14 reflects: Wanting to learn more about how to make WRCU the best station possible, I flew to San Antonio, Texas, with Assistant Music Director Frances Yin ’14, Program Director Zac Lomas ’15, Publicity Director Natalie Sportelli ’15, and General Manager Brandon Fiegoli ’14 for the CBI conference. We attended panels on program syndication, remote broadcasting, FCC compliance, digital streaming, supporting local music, automation, and pursuing careers in broadcasting — just to name a few! For a music director and an aspiring music journalist like myself, every panel was a new opportunity to understand potential careers. Many of the workshops, like those that focused on building a brand and maximizing the effectiveness of a social media presence, were just as applicable to my impending job hunt as they were to WRCU as a whole. We interacted with students from all over the country, as well as some notable radio personalities and professional college radio station managers. We also familiarized ourselves with San Antonio cuisine; “the other” Zac and Brandon even tackled an all-you-can-eat barbecue dinner and lived to tell the tale. We came back with innumerable longterm and short-term goals for the station. The first change we are implementing is an exciting new technology that allows listeners to interact with an on-air WRCU DJ instantly via text message. It was thrilling, and a little bit humbling, to begin to understand WRCU within the context of the national college radio scene. I also came away with a newfound appreciation of what makes WRCU a unique resource for Colgate students: college radio is a form of self-expression like no other. WRCU has been a defining part of my time at Colgate, and I am very proud of the work we’ve done for the station this year.
News and views for the Colgate community
15