Carol Donelan, associate professor of cinema and media studies and the department chair, is the focus of a feature on Northfield Patch for the book she recently published entitled Electric Theater: The Emergence of Cinema in Northfield, 1896-1917. According to Patch, “Electric Theater unfurls the history of these theaters and the magic within them, sprinkled with strange and fascinating stories that add special interest to the events of the time (including an unexpected case of anti-Norwegian prejudice).” Donelan is signing books at the Northfield Historical Society during the town’s annual winter walk celebration on Thursday, Dec. 8 from 6-9 p.m. The book will be available for purchase during the signing.

The Dec. 3 edition of the Star Tribune covered the Carleton Singers’ White House appearance. Higher education reporter Jenna Ross spoke with Lawrence Burnett, Carleton professor of music and choral director via phone from Washington, D.C., and he told Ross  the group will perform a wide-ranging program that “includes as many traditions, as many cultures as possible.” A student with a Ukrainian background will sing “Carol of the Bells” in Ukrainian. In honor of President Obama, a student from Hawaii will sing a verse of “Silent Night” in Hawaiian. Then there are carols from Africa, Spain and Finland. And one from Nat King Cole.

Tun Myint, assistant professor of political science at Carleton, appeared on Dec. 2 an LinkAsia TV regarding Secretary of State Hilary Clinton’s recent visit to Burma/Myanmar. Myint’s appearance comes a little under four minutes into the segment. He spoke about what reforms might be possible within the country and which the current regime are likely to oppose.

Deanna Haunsperger, professor of mathematics at Carleton College, has earned the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) M. Gweneth Humphreys Award. The award recognizes a commitment to undergraduate students of mathematics. Haunsperger, together with professor of mathematics Stephen Kennedy, conceived of Carleton’s summer mathematics program to mentor talented women early in their undergraduate studies. Colleagues at Carleton credit her with the helping to build and sustain the strong community of math majors at the College. She has served as co-editor of Math Horizons and as second vice president of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA).

The Carleton Singers have been selected to perform at the White House during its annual holiday tours. The performance will take place on Saturday, December 3, from 3:30-6 p.m. EST. The Carleton Singers, under the direction of Lawrence Burnett, Carleton professor of music and choral director, is a highly select, mixed choral ensemble of 16 voices that presents annual concerts of short and extended works from classical, ethnic, and cultural repertories, including works for mixed, women’s, and men’s voices. Under Burnett’s direction, the ensemble has been lauded for energetic and emotional performances while sustaining high degrees of excellence in choral singing.

Susan Singer, the Laurence McKinley Gould Professor of the Natural Sciences, co-authored a paper that ran in Nature on Nov. 16. Entitled “The Medicago Genome Provides Insight into the Evolution of Rhizobial Symbioses,” the abstract is now available for viewing. The entire paper is available only to subscribers. It marks Singer’s first published piece in the esteemed science journal.

Roy Grow, the Frank B. Kellogg Professor of International Relations at Carleton, spoke with Minnesota Public Radio on Nov. 14 regarding President Obama’s 9-day trip through the Asia-Pacific region. Grow appeared on the Midday program with Gary Eichten, outlining the areas where Obama might focus his time visiting various countries, with a special focus on the United States’ relationship with China, which continues to grow more competitive on many levels.

Jack Schneider, the Robert A. Oden, Jr. Postdoctoral Fellow for Innovation in the Liberal Arts in Educational Studies, wrote an op-ed piece in the Nov. 13 LA Times entitled “Gutsy — but not always right.” In the article, Schneider asks “When, one has to wonder, did so much knowledge move to the gut? When did instinct begin to trump argument?” He goes on to discuss how, 40 years ago, going with one’s gut was considered risky and ill-informed. Schneider examines how that trend has changed over time and that current research shows it might not be for the better.

Susan Singer, the Laurence McKinley Gould Professor of the Natural Sciences, was one of the guests on NPR’s “Talk of the Nation” regular Friday segment, “Science Friday,” as she and other guests discussed alternative ways to teach children and engage them in the sciences on Friday, Nov. 11. Audio from the show is available on demand.

Deborah Gross (Associate Professor of Chemistry) and Debby Walser-Kuntz (Professor of Biology) co-authored a talk presented at the American Association for Aerosol Research National Meeting, entitled “Particulate Matter and Asthma Triggers in Homes: A Combined Civic Engagement and Research Project for Undergraduate Students.” The talk focused on a joint ACE project in CHEM 100 (Fall 2010) and BIO 310 (Winter 2011) that is ongoing. Gross also presented a talk entitled “Characterization of Particle Emissions from Great Lakes Shipping and Other Sources” with undergraduate co-authors Alison Smyth (’12) and Samantha Thompson (’11), as well as collaborators from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and St. Louis University.