Lamkin to retire in June.  Michael Deane Lamkin, Professor of Music, will retire in June after thirty-three years as a faculty member in the Music Department at Scripps and as Director of the Joint Music Program of Claremont-McKenna, Harvey Mudd, Pitzer, and Scripps Colleges.  Though his primary appointment has been at Scripps, Professor Lamkin has been an active participant in departmental affairs here at HMC for over three decades, an affiliation from which the department has benefited immensely.  Besides being a wise contributor to departmental deliberations in all areas, he has been a cheerful and supportive colleague, and a much-loved teacher and mentor to our students.  We will miss him greatly, and we wish him well in all his future pursuits.

New Tenure-Track Appointment in Joint Music.  After an extensive search during fall, the Joint Music Program of Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, Pitzer, and Scripps Colleges, and the Department of Music at Scripps College, have appointed David Cubek to the position of Assistant Professor of Music and Director of the Claremont Concert Orchestra.  At present, Mr. Cubek is completing his Doctorate in Musical Arts in conducting at Northwestern University.  He will receive his degree this summer and join the faculty this fall.  While working on his doctorate, Mr. Cubek has conducted the chamber orchestra at the University of Chicago; he is also a frequent guest conductor in his native Venezuela.  The department looks forward to his arrival in Claremont and congratulates him on his appointment. 

Psychology Visitor.  This semester we add a third visiting faculty member to our ranks (see our Fall 2009 news page for information on our other current visitors, Jennifer Tucker and Jacque Wernimont).  Lisa Looney will teach two courses for us- Introduction to Psychology and Developmental Psychology-while Professor Debra Mashek is on leave.  Professor Looney earned her Ph.D. at the University of Maryland, College Park, and her B.A. at California State University, San Bernardino.  An active scholar the field of educational psychology, as well as a dedicated and enthusiastic teacher, Professor Looney has been an adjunct faculty member at California State University, San Bernardino, for the last five years.  She has also taught within the Claremont consortium at Claremont-McKenna College. 

Mayeri Awarded Prestigious Residency.  Rachel Mayeri, Associate Professor Media Studies, has been awarded a residency in May and June at the Aix-Marseille Institute for Advanced Study in Marseilles.  The institute brings together international researchers from different fields to collaborate on interdisciplinary projects that emphasize the "human dimensions of sciences."  Professor Mayeri will collaborate with researchers in cognitive science on the topic of decision-making among primates, in light of the current economic and environmental crises. She will also organize a conference on the topic of human and non-human primates, bringing together scientists and artists from the region.  The department congratulates Professor Mayeri on this honor!

AAUW Campus Action Grant Goes to Wernimont and Scripps Colleague.  Visiting Assistant Professor of Literature Jacque Wernimont-together with Scripps College Lecturer in Philosophy Susan Castagnetto, and a team of HMC and Scripps students-have been awarded a "Campus Action Grant" from the American Association of University Women. The group is one of ten recipients of a "CAP" grant nationally this year, receiving the grant for their proposal for the "Opportunities Clinic Program."  The Spring 2010 pilot program will involve faculty liaisons and four teams of Pomona high school students working with undergraduate mentors on specific STEM-related problems relating to the design of a sustainable garden for Pomona High School.  In addition to the grant itself, AAUW will pay for one student team member to travel to the national AAUW meeting in Washington D.C. this summer to report on the grant project. We congratulate Professor Wernimont and her students!

Alves Co-directing Microfest 2010.  Once again this year, Bill Alves, Professor of Music, will co-direct MicroFest, an annual festival of music that features microtonal performances, that is, pieces whose notes lie "in the cracks" between the keys of the piano. This year's festival features nine concerts across Southern California, including one at Pomona College on May 9 at 8:00 pm. This concert will feature new American compositions played by the Harvey Mudd College American Gamelan, a student ensemble of instruments from Java, Indonesia, which Alves directs. For more information, see www.MicroFest.org.

Hixon-Riggs Conference.  Organized by our Hixon-Riggs Visiting Professor Jennifer Tucker (see our Fall 2009 news page) and by Marianne DeLaet, Associate Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Hixon Forum, the theme of this year's conference is "Science: A Moving Image."  Panels will include scholars, filmmakers, and scientists, who will explore the ways in which film enters into science and science is represented in film and other visual media.  For further information see the conference website .