Gaudeamus

Donald St. John, professor of religion, published “Technological Culture and Contemplative Ecology in Merton’s Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander” in the Summer 2002 issue of the international journal Worldviews: Environment, Culture, Religion. Don describes Conjectures (1965) as “one of the most creative and challenging works” by the Trappist monk and mystic Thomas Merton, “packed full of insightful but unsystematic reflections.” The article describes Merton’s critique of Western modernity, with its claim to enlightened rationality and paradoxically irrational faith in self-destructive technologies.

Three-fifths of the Chemistry Department—professor and chairman R. Daniel Libby, associate professor Albert Martin, and adjunct professor Carol Baker Libby—went to the seventh Biennial Conference on Chemical Education, July 28-August 1 at Western Washington University. Al and Carol ran a symposium on women chemistry-textbook authors. Dan gave a paper, “Creating a Lectureless Organic Course,” in a symposium on “Active Learning Throughout the Chemistry Curriculum.”

St. Luke’s Hospital Commemorative School of Nursing at Moravian College established a Nursing Honor Society in a ceremony held Sunday, September 15, in Borhek Chapel. Seniors Regina Lacombe, Andover, Conn.; Erica Miller, Tatarny; Allen Smith, R.N., Allentown; Lauren Spencer, Manahawkin, N.J.; Nikki Spangler, Walnutport; and Jennifer Wagner, Riegelsville, were inducted, along with more than 50 community nursing leaders. Regina, Nikki, and Jennifer participated in May in the first student exchange program with the University of Southern Queensland in Australia. Allen, who already has his nursing certificate, is among the R.N.’s who have returned to school to complete their B.S. in nursing.

Dana Dunn, professor of psychology, went to the American Psychological Association annual meeting, August 22-25 in Chicago, and presided over the awards given by the Society for the Teaching of Psychology.

At the same convention, Art Lyons, professor of psychology, was named president-elect of the APA’s Division of Humanistic Psychology. He will assume office at the APA convention in Toronto next summer and give the presidential address in Honolulu in 2004. (Those psychologists plan ahead.) Because of his new responsibilities, Art will relinquish editorship of The Humanistic Psychologist at the end of the year.

Heikki Lempa, assistant professor of history, went to the annual conference of the International Society for the Study of European Ideas, July 22-27 at the University of Wales in Aberystwyth, and presented a paper on “Emotions as Mutual Recognition: Understanding Honor in 19th-Century Germany.”

Lisa Fischler, assistant professor of political science, presented “Gen-dering of Women and Politics in China” at a conference of the Center for European Studies and Center for International Studies at Renmin University, July 15-17 in Beijing. It was co-sponsored by the Ford Foundation and the Chinese government.

A Summer Place

Moravian’s entire math faculty, even those who hadn’t officially started yet, attended the annual summer Mathfest of the Mathematics Association of America, July 31-August 3 in Burlington, Vermont.

Kay Somers, governor of the Eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware region of the association, attended the national meeting of governors and also presented a paper on field studies by math students.

Alicia Sevilla took a short course in cryptography and Fred Schultheis a mini-course on mathematics and music. Sylvia Forman and Doris Schattschneider, as well as incoming faculty members Michael Fraboni and Gordon Williams, also attended the conference.

“It was pretty unusual for all of us to go,” Doris said.

Fei Sun ’03, China, a double major in mathematics and computer science, presented a paper called “A New Way of Computing the Area of the Polygon” at the national Pi Mu Epsilon meeting held in conjunction with Mathfest. She also took fourth place in a problem-solving competition.

MAA president Ann Watkins recognized Moravian for its attendance record.