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Where have all the honey bees gone? Dr. John P. Burand tried to answer this question on Sept. 29 in his lecture, "Colony Collapse Disorder in Honey Bees: The Tip of the Iceberg." Burand, a professor of entomology at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, became interested in bees and the viruses that affect them more than a year ago.  He spoke at Hamilton as part of the Hamilton Environmental Action Group (HEAG) Green Week.

The Chapel resounded with 40 joyful voices on Sept. 26 and 27, as veteran singers and musicians as well as some new vocalists gathered for the 10th Annual Gospel Music Celebration. The weekend began with a workshop on Friday night and Saturday morning, where singers and musicians collaborated on treatment of various songs. Kirk Hatcher of Miami, Fla., directed the choir, and Edward "Chief" Menifee, Jr. provided piano accompaniment and led the gospel band. The weekend culminated in a music celebration on Saturday evening that was enjoyed by some 80 attendees.

A group of Hamilton students and psychology professors Jean Burr and Lynn Evans took a trip to the New England Center for Children (NECC) in Southborough, Mass. on Friday, Sept. 26, to learn more about the center's programming. NECC is a community-based residential school for children and adults with autism, behavior disorders, mental retardation and other related developmental disabilities.

Hamilton's classes take advantage of our proximity to the Adirondacks. On Sept. 28, the Ecology class (Biology 237) travelled up Whiteface Mountain in the Adirondack high peaks to study elevational zonation in the montane forest and the forms of alpine vegetation. Highlights on this annual trip were the flag trees at treeline, the lichen mats in the alpine, and the spectacular fall colors in the forest. Students included Dan Barrios '10, Gary Bedrosian '11, Megan Braaten '11, Clare Browne '11, Emma Domby '11, Anne Gravely '11, Wes Mayberry '11, Jon Pinney '11, Quillan Reed '11, Jen Santoro '11, Annie Scott '11, Alice Townsend '11 and Sara Venjohn '10. Ernest Williams, the Christian A. Johnson Professor of Biology, and Associate Professor of Biology William Pfitsch accompanied their students.

Hamilton's Environmental Action Group (HEAG) is sponsoring a number of activities to celebrate Green Week, Sept 29-Oct. 3.  To start things off on Monday, Sept. 29, HEAG is hosting a lecture, "Colony Collapse Disorder in Honey Bees: The Tip of the Iceberg," by Dr. John P. Burand, associate professor of entomology at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Chemistry students from Hamilton and Colgate participated in a symposium, called CHOG, in which they presented short talks describing their summer research in organic chemistry during 2008 on Sept. 26. Presenting Hamilton students included David Brown, Louisa Brown, Michael Flanders, James Greisler, Graham Hone, Tom Irvin, Amy Klockowski, Lydia Rono, Ben Van Arnam, and Keith Willner. Their research was carried out under the direction of Professors Robin Kinnel, Ian Rosenstein and Nicole Snyder.

Kishi Animashaun Ducre, assistant professor of African Studies at Syracuse University, addressed the Hamilton community in a lecture titled "How to Become a Professional Hellraiser" on Sept. 27. Professor Ducre's presentation discussed activism within the field of environmental justice, providing her audience with a background of the field's pertinent social issues and emphasizing the importance of incorporating activism within a diverse range of careers. 

An opinion piece written by Assistant Professor of Government Peter Cannavo appeared in The Providence Journal on Saturday, Sept. 27, and in the Syracuse Post-Standard on Monday, Sept. 29, titled "Palins redefine paterfamilias" and "Palins shake up gender role debate" respectively.

Hamilton in New York students enjoyed the premiere of the Metropolitan Opera's 2008 season with a thrilling performance of Salome on Sept. 23. The Metropolitan Opera performance was one of several cultural activities sponsored by Kevin '70 and Karen Kennedy for the students participating in the Program in New York.

Visiting Assistant Professor of Art Jacqueline Brown is one of 13 artists participating in a group exhibition titled "Almost Famous" at the Reynolds Gallery in Richmond, Va. The show will be open through October 11. "Almost Famous" features select graduates from the MFA program at Virginia Commonwealth University.