College News In Brief

Williams professor Phebe Cramer wins psychology award

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. -- Phebe Cramer, professor of psychology, emerita, at Williams College, has been honored with the Society for Personality Assessment’s Bruno Klopfer Memorial Award.

The award, presented to Cramer at the society’s annual convention in March, is given each year for "outstanding, long-term professional contribution to the field of personality assessment."

The Society for Personality Assessment is an international organization dedicated to the development of personality assessment methods, research on their effectiveness, and the exchange of ideas on the theory and practice of assessment. Originally the Rorschach Institute, the organization was founded in 1938 by Klopfer.

At the society’s convention in Arlington, Va., Cramer delivered a talk titled "Empirical Studies of Defense Mechanisms" in conjunction with the award presentation. "I feel very honored to be receiving this award, for a lifetime of research work, from psychologists who are authorities for the study of personality," Cramer said.

At Williams since 1970, Cramer has taught courses on developmental psychology, children’s lives, and childhood disorders. Cramer also taught at the University of California, Berkeley, and Barnard College, and she conducted a private practice in Clinical Psychology. Cramer has written more than 100 research papers and five books, including The Development of Defense Mechanisms (1991), Story-telling, Narrative, and the Thematic Apperception Test (1996), and Protecting the Self: Defense Mechanisms in Action (2006).

Cramer received her B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, and her Ph.D. from New York University.

Williams College names Goldwater scholars

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. -- Williams College juniors Ben Augenbraun, Jesse Freeman, and Samantha Petti have been named 2014 Goldwater Scholars by the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation.

The students are three of 293 nationwide recipients of the scholarship, which is awarded to college sophomores and juniors who excel in mathematics, science, or engineering. Scholars receive awards of up to $7,500 to cover tuition, fees, books, and room and board.

Augenbraun is a physics major from Wilton, Conn., who spent last summer in the lab of Professor Robert W. Boyd at the University of Rochester conducting research on the quantum states of photons using a technique called direct measurement. Next year, Augenbraun will write a thesis with Williams Professor Protik Majumder.

After graduation, Augenbraun plans to pursue a Ph.D. in physics, specializing in quantum optics.

Freeman, from Bethesda, Md., is a mathematics major currently studying abroad with the Williams-Exeter Programme at Oxford. In the summer of 2012, he interned at the National Archives and co-authored a paper on text classification algorithms with Jason Baron. Next year, he plans to write a thesis in analytic number theory with Professor Steven Miller, and he hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in mathematics.

Also a mathematics major, Petti, from Buffalo Grove, Ill., plans to pursue a Ph.D. in mathematics or operations research. Last summer, Petti researched knot theory with Professor Colin Adams, as part of the SMALL Undergraduate Research Project, a nine-week summer program at Williams in which undergraduates investigate open research problems in mathematics. Next year, she plans to complete a thesis in mathematics.

Katerina King, director of fellowships at Williams, noted that it’s uncommon for three Williams students in one year to be named Goldwater Scholars. "But all our applicants were stellar students with significant research experience, and I must admit I knew this was going to be no ordinary year," she said.

These recipients bring to 42 the number of Goldwater Scholars from Williams since 1989. Last year’s winner, Jared Hallet ‘14, is currently completing his senior thesis in mathematics. The Goldwater Foundation was founded in 1986 in honor of Senator Barry M. Goldwater. The scholarship program is designed to foster and encourage exceptional students to pursue careers in mathematics, the natural sciences, and engineering.

MCLA professor elected as MLA delegate

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. -- Dr. Mariana Bolivar, an assistant professor of modern language at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, has been elected to a three-year term as a regional delegate of the Modern Language Association of America’s delegate assembly.

Founded in 1883 to strengthen the study and teaching of language and literature, the MLA serves as a platform for English and foreign language teachers to share scholarly findings and teaching experiences. The Association holds a yearly convention to discuss issues that are critical to these academic fields.

The delegate assembly’s main responsibility is to recommend actions to MLA’s executive council, and to initiate amendments to the Association’s constitution.

In addition, the delegate assembly is responsible for formulating and submitting resolutions on matters of public and institutional policy regarding the status of the language and literature professions represented by the Association.

The MLA delegate assembly consists of 108 delegates elected from seven geographic regions within the United States and Canada. It meets once a year during MLA’s annual convention. The 2015 convention will be held in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Area students named to Champlain College dean’s list

BURLINGTON -- The following area residents have been named to the Spring 2014 dean’s list at Champlain College, a private baccalaureate institution:

Leonard Kelley a resident of Bennington. Kelley is majoring in computer networking and information security.

Andrew Filippi a resident of Manchester Center. Filippi is majoring in accounting.

Brittani Woods recognized for leadership at SUNY Oneonta

ONEONTA, N.Y. -- Brittani Woods of Cambridge, N.Y., was recognized for leadership at SUNY Oneonta after achieving Platinum certification in the college’s Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) program during the spring 2014 semester. Woods is majoring in psychology, with a minor in women’s and gender studies.

Local student wins award at Hamilton College Class Charter Day

CLINTON, N.Y. -- Ianna M. Recco, daughter of Maria and John Recco of Hoosick, N.Y., was named the recipient of The Dr. Edward R. Fitch Prize Scholarships in Classical Languages at Hamilton College’s annual Class Charter Day, held May 12.

The Dr. Edward R. Fitch Prize Scholarships in Classical Languages, founded by E. Root Fitch, Class of 1886, are awarded annually to students who are registered for courses in either Greek or Latin. The awards are made on the basis of scholarship standing, character and salutary influence on the life of the College.

Recco, a sophomore majoring in art history and classical studies, is a graduate of Emma Willard School.

2 area students named to dean’s list at Southern New Hampshire University

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- The following local students have been named to the dean’s list for the Spring 2014 semester at Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester, N.H.

To be eligible for this honor, a student must compile a GPA of 3.5-3.699.

Kaitlin Blakeney of Bennington; AS in Baking and Pastry Arts. Emily Knudsen of Manchester Center; BA in Communication.

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