Smithsonian Scientist to Discuss Bird Migration

CHESTERTOWN, MD—Peter Marra, a research scientist with the Migratory Bird Center at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, will visit campus on Tuesday, November 13, to share his expertise on bird migration. His slide lecture, “Studying Birds in the Context of the Annual Cycle: Carry-over Effects and Seasonal Interactions,” will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Litrenta Lecture Hall of the John S. Toll Science Center. The event is free and open to the public and will be followed by a wine and cheese reception.  

Marra is an ornithologist who specializes in the study of urban ecology. His “Neighborhood Nestwatch” program enabled citizens of the Washington, D.C. area to become backyard biologists, collecting data on the activities of local bird populations. His research on the American redstart included the world’s longest running winter territory study. In addition to his study of urban ecology and migratory biology, Marra researches emerging infectious diseases such as West Nile Virus.

He holds a Ph.D. from Dartmouth and has published numerous articles on the behaviors and survival of migratory birds.

The lecture is sponsored by the Joseph H. McLain Program in Environmental Studies and the Center for Environment and Society. 

Hopkins Researcher to Share Chemistry Expertise

CHESTERTOWN, MD—J.D. Tovar, professor in the Chemistry Department at Johns Hopkins University, will speak on “Controlling energy migration through ‘plastic’ organic electronic materials” at Washington College on Monday, October 22 at 4:30 p.m. in Litrenta Lecture Hall, Toll Science Center. 

The event, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by the Washington College Chemistry Department as part of National Chemistry Week.

Tovar joined the faculty at Johns Hopkins University in 2005. His current research focuses on charge transport through synthetically complex organic materials, with interests in small molecule, polymeric and bioelectronic supramolecular systems.

He completed his undergraduate training in chemistry at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he performed research with Julius Glater and Menachem Elimelech in Civil Engineering and later with Yves Rubin in Chemistry.  He then moved to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to pursue a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry. There, he  worked for Timothy M. Swager and developed his thesis on the development of new synthetic methods to construct large thiophene-based polycyclic aromatics.

Before joining Hopkins, he was a Baxter Postdoctoral Fellow in the labs of Samuel I. Stupp and Mark C. Hersam at Northwestern University, where he researched self-assembling biomaterials with useful electrical properties.

Click here for more on Dr. Tovar’s research. 

A Natural Builder Presents "Earth, Art, and Fire: Reviving Traditions for Post-Industrial Dilemmas"

Kiko Denzer with one of his mud ovens.

CHESTERTOWN, MD—The Center for Environment & Society (CES) at Washington College will present “Earth, Art, and Fire: Reviving Traditions for Post-Industrial Dilemmas” by Kiko Denzer at Litrenta Lecture Hall in the Toll Science Center at Washington College on Tuesday, October 30 at 7 p.m. This talk is free and open to the public.

A leading proponent of natural building, Kiko Denzer has worked with earth as a building material since 1994. His work has included low-cost, friendly structures for schools, playgrounds, gardens, and community events. The goals of his work are two-fold: “to bring the art and beauty of life and nature into spaces where we work and live, and to inspire people to create what they need with the materials they have on land.” In order to accomplish these things, Denzer begins with primary tools such as our hands and bodies.

Since 1994 Denzer has been involved in numerous projects involving mud – constructing mud ovens, stoves, fireplaces, and sculptures. His other interests include stone- and wood-carving, teaching and writing.

Based in Oregon, he self-publishes how-to books on natural building methods through his company Hand Print Press. His first book, Build your own Earth Oven, is widely regarded as the authority on the construction of traditional earth ovens. He also has written and published Dig Your Hands in the Dirt: A Manual for Making Art out of Earth, and Make a Simple Sundial.

Denzer’s talk at Washington College is sponsored by the Center for Environment and Society, the Student Environmental Alliance, the Anthropology Department, and the Anthropology Club. For more information, visit http://www.ces.washcoll.edu or call 410-810-7161.

Scholar Offers Insight into Dead Sea Scrolls

CHESTERTOWN, MD—One of the foremost experts on the Dead Sea Scrolls, Lawrence Schiffman, will lecture on the topic at Washington College on Monday, October 22. His presentation,  “Scholars, Scrolls and Scandals: The Dead Sea Scrolls, Judaism and Christianity,” will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Litrenta Lecture Hall of the John S. Toll Science Center on the College campus, 300 Washington Avenue.

            The talk is sponsored by the Department of History, the Department of Philosophy and Religion, and the Institute for Religion, Politics & Culture and is free and open to the public.

            Schiffman, who serves as Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education at Yeshiva University, is a specialist in Judaism in Late Antiquity, the history of Jewish law, and Talmudic literature. He has published widely, including numerous scholarly articles on the history and significance of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the 1995 book Reclaiming the Dead Sea Scrolls. His expertise has landed him in the PBS Nova documentary “Secrets of the Dead Sea Scrolls,” as well as in four BBC documentaries, the McNeil-Lehrer Report, and a Discovery special. He also consulted on the recent Franklin Institute exhibit, “Dead Sea Scrolls: Life and Faith in Ancient Times,” in Philadelphia.

             Schiffman is a fellow with the American Academy for Jewish Research, as well as a member of the Board of Directors of the Dead Sea Scrolls Foundation. His most recent books include The Courtyards of the House of the Lord:  Studies on the Temple Scroll (2008)  and Qumran and Jerusalem: Studies in the Dead Sea Scrolls and the History of Judaism ( 2010). 

Former Exec to Share Business and Tech Lessons from CIA Venture-Capital Fund, In-Q-Tel, Sept. 25

CHESTERTOWN, MD—Dr. Christopher K. Tucker will share his experiences as the Chief Strategic Officer of the CIA’s venture capital fund, In-Q-Tel, in a free public lecture on Tuesday, Sept. 25 at Washington College. The talk will take place at 7 p.m. in Litrenta Lecture Hall on the main campus, 300 Washington Avenue, Chestertown.

         Tucker will discuss the problem that In-Q-Tel was created to solve, the business model that was created and some challenges the organization faced at its inception. He also will provide an overview of a variety of investments made under his watch, both the successful and not-so-successful, and share lessons learned for entrepreneurs, investors, national security leaders and other public sector decision makers.

            Throughout his career, Tucker has worked at the intersection of technology, strategy, geography, and national security. He now manages Yale House Ventures, a portfolio of social ventures and technology companies that span the worlds of energy, geospatial technologies, cyber-security, open-source software and hardware, and social media technologies. In that role, Tucker addresses issues that span the domains of defense, international affairs, civilian government, commercial industry, NGOs and academe.

            Prior to his time in industry, he served as Special Advisor to the Executive Vice Provost of Columbia University, where he focused on strategic R&D portfolio development and federal science technology and policy. He also co-founded what is now the Consortium on Science, Policy and Outcomes.

         A leader in the geospatial industry, he serves on the boards of the U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Foundation, the Open Geospatial Consortium, and OpenPlans and its open-source software division OpenGeo. Tucker has served on numerous task forces and committees and currently serves as an independent advisor to the director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.

            Tucker’s talk is sponsored by the College’s GIS Program, the GRW Program, the Center for Environment & Society, and the Business Management Department.

            While at Washington College, Tucker also will give students presentations on his new MapStory Foundation social venture. He will speak to the “Navigating Maps” GRW class at 8:30 a.m. and the “Introduction to GIS” class at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 26.  Guests are welcome to sit in on these classes, as well. For more on the Washington College GIS program, please visit http://gis.washcoll.edu/.