Radio Journalist and Entrepreneur Alex Blumberg ’89 Talks Future of Audio</h1> <article> <h1>Radio Journalist and Entrepreneur Alex Blumberg ’89 Talks Future of Audio</h1> <p>anagy — Thu, 12 Mar 2020 16:44:50 +0000</p> <span>Radio Journalist and Entrepreneur Alex Blumberg ’89 Talks Future of Audio</span> <span><span>anagy</span></span> <span><time datetime="2020-03-12T12:44:50-04:00" title="Thursday, March 12, 2020 - 12:44">Thu, 03/12/2020 - 12:44</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Radio journalist and podcast entrepreneur Alex Blumberg ‘89 told students that narrative storytelling skills will be critical for anyone hoping to break into a career in audio during a recent talk sponsored by �鶹��Ƶ’s Center for Innovation and Impact. </p> <p>Blumberg is the cofounder of <a href="https://gimletmedia.com/">Gimlet Media</a> <span aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-external-link"></span>, an award-winning podcast network that has produced the critically acclaimed shows <em>Reply All</em>, <em>Startup</em>, <em>Homecoming</em>, and <em>Heavyweight</em>. He got his start in public radio as a producer for <em>This American Life</em> and creator of <em>Planet Money</em>. </p> <p>Blumberg <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/oberlin/sets/72157713385866682/">spoke about his experiences</a> <span aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-external-link"></span> as a radio journalist, podcast producer, and entrepreneur as a prelude to �鶹��Ƶ’s annual LaunchU <a href="/news/launchu-awards-35000-startup-funds-students-and-alumni">pitch competition</a>. </p> <p>“I think we’re in the second ‘golden age’ of radio,” said Blumberg, explaining that on-demand audio changed the media landscape drastically, and it’s the reason why serialized storytelling is so common today. “The path for audio will continue to widen, but the biggest thing we need is talent.” </p> <p>Blumberg shared with students the important elements of narrative storytelling—skills that he acquired on the job at <em>This American Life</em>. </p> <p>“When I started <em>Planet Money</em>, we were watching digital audio take off. Seeing the trends happening, I decided to start a company. I had learned the narrative bootcamp of <em>This American Life</em> with Ira Glass; I had learned a lot of tricks about ‘what is audio good at.’ I thought I could make a business out of that knowledge.”</p> <p>In 2019, his company Gimlet Media was acquired by Spotify for more than $200 million. Blumberg told students he didn’t see himself as an entrepreneur, though.</p> <p>“I was in nonprofits my entire life. My first job in the public sector was when I started Gimlet. What �鶹��Ƶ taught me was to care about things other than money. That’s really important for entrepreneurship. What makes you a good entrepreneur is that the money is secondary—because you’re trying to do something differently or solve a problem or address a need. </p> <p>“The world changed around me by the time I became really good at what I was doing. All the conditions were in place, and I kept saying, ‘somebody should do this.’ Once I jumped into the waters, I realized that what was helping me was that I wasn’t in it for the money. I was in it for the craft and the vision.”</p> <p>Blumberg was invited to campus by fourth-years Johan Cavert and Sarah Dalgleish, producers of <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-weekly/id1299557943"><em>The Weekly</em></a> <span aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-external-link"></span>, a podcast in collaboration with the <em>�鶹��Ƶ Review</em> and �鶹��Ƶ College and community radio station WOBC-FM. </p> <p> </p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2020-03-12T12:00:00Z">Thu, 03/12/2020 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Amanda Nagy</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2395">Entrepreneurship</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2406">Innovation and Impact</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2368">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2569">Alumni-Student Connections</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25416">Politics</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/politics" hreflang="und">Politics</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Alex Blumberg '89 reflects on the �鶹��Ƶ entrepreneurial spirit, his experience with storytelling and podcasting, and the recent acquisition of his company by Spotify.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yvonne Gay</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Career Communities Prepare Students for Life After �鶹��Ƶ</h1> <p>anagy — Thu, 22 Aug 2019 21:26:21 +0000</p> <span>Career Communities Prepare Students for Life After �鶹��Ƶ</span> <span><span>anagy</span></span> <span><time datetime="2019-08-22T17:26:21-04:00" title="Thursday, August 22, 2019 - 17:26">Thu, 08/22/2019 - 17:26</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>An expanding internship initiative launched last year is helping students in their third and fourth years to visualize career outcomes through fully funded positions offered by alumni and �鶹��Ƶ parents. </p> <p>Developed in collaboration with Career Development Center, the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Office of Development and Alumni Affairs, �鶹��Ƶ’s <a href="/career/career-communities">Career Communities</a> connect students with alumni, parents, and faculty who share an interest or expertise in a particular employment sector. This summer, 80 students were selected through a rigorous application process and placed in financially supported internships in the areas of business and finance, nonprofit and public sector, arts and creative fields, and entrepreneurship.</p> <p>The initiative is extending its reach in the 2019-20 year. Several new communities will be offered: education; law and public policy; medical, public, and global health professions; science and technology; and a music and leadership community launching later in the fall. The fall semester track will accept up to 120 students. </p> <p>The mission of Career Communities is to create an opportunity for students to gain the skills and training they need to thrive beyond �鶹��Ƶ, explains Dana Hamdan, associate dean of students and interim director of the Career Development Center. </p> <p>Over the last three years, the college has implemented strategic programs aimed at improving retention and supporting students in their learning goals, all with the shared ethos of “Obies Helping Obies.” Beginning in their first year, students receive guidance and mentorship through the <a href="/dean-of-students/pal">Peer Advising Leaders</a> (PAL) program. The <a href="/career/set/soar">Sophomore Opportunities and Academic Resources</a> (SOAR), launched at the end of January 2019, was an outgrowth of PAL. Career Communities was conceived as the next building block in a student’s academic blueprint.</p> <p>“What our Career Communities are fundamentally about is helping students in the early stages of their undergraduate careers think about their lives after �鶹��Ƶ,” says President Carmen Ambar. “Through the Career Communities internships, students get the experience necessary to build strong careers and make positive change in the world.” </p> <p>Students who are accepted to join a career community are required to complete a one-credit cocurricular course taught by Career Development Center staff and faculty. The career communities meet in interactive workshops six times per semester with the learning goals of understanding and articulating the transferable skills they’ve learned at �鶹��Ƶ, how to develop a professional network of potential mentors and employers, and exploring potential career paths through an internship.</p> <h3>Obies Make a Difference</h3> <p>�鶹��Ƶ Board of Trustees Chairman Chris Canavan ’84 hosted an internship for fourth-year Maya English at Soros Fund Management. Canavan says what makes Career Communities a success is that the interns are Obies.</p> <p>“They bring to work those qualities we fellow Obies recognize immediately: the instinct to question, to probe; a cool skepticism of received wisdom; and a healthy irreverence,” Canavan says. “An intern who arrives with a fresh perspective and the self-confidence to ask questions—an Obie—can make a difference. That’s why I would host another intern again in a second, not only because it’s one way I can give back to �鶹��Ƶ, but because it’s another way that �鶹��Ƶ continues to give to me.”</p> <p>Jahkeem Wheatley ’19 applied for the arts career community because he intends to pursue a career in entertainment law. He says he gained exceptional knowledge of the entertainment industry from both a legal and creative perspective in his summer internship working with theater professional Mitch Weiss ’74 and his New York-based production and management company MW Entertainment Group. </p> <p>“The mentorship I have received from Mitch Weiss and everyone involved with the company has been amazing,” says Wheatley, a sociology and law and society double major. In terms of networking, I have been introduced to many individuals on Broadway in the theatre industry in various roles from house managers to presidents of organizations. I truly feel that everyone has been supportive of my career path and has provided advice and help in anyway they could.” </p> <p><a class="view-more" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/oberlin/albums/72157710544275038" target="_blank">View gallery of the spring 2019 career community internships</a></p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2019-09-04T12:00:00Z">Wed, 09/04/2019 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Amanda Nagy</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>By joining �鶹��Ƶ’s Career Communities, students learn how to apply their transferable skills and liberal arts training to an employment area of interest.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2403">Career Exploration & Development</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2569">Alumni-Student Connections</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2363">Academics & Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2583">College of Arts and Sciences</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">From left, actor Harrison Lee, Jad Kaiss ’19, Jahkeem Wheatley ’19, and management consultant Mitch Weiss ’74 get a backstage tour of The Lion King on Broadway.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Courtesy of Jahkeem Wheatley</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Environmental Studies Students Connect with Urban Farms in Cleveland</h1> <p>eulrich — Fri, 31 May 2019 14:13:52 +0000</p> <span>Environmental Studies Students Connect with Urban Farms in Cleveland</span> <span><span>eulrich</span></span> <span><time datetime="2019-05-31T10:13:52-04:00" title="Friday, May 31, 2019 - 10:13">Fri, 05/31/2019 - 10:13</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>In recent years, Fiskio and her students have taken field trips to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/VelsPurpleOasisGarden/" target="_blank">Vel’s Purple Oasis</a> <span aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-external-link"></span> , a grassroots urban farm located in Cleveland’s University Circle. Cleveland-based wellness advocate Vel Scott founded the Oasis in 2008, which serves as a hub for healthy food in the neighborhood. Scott has since expanded its reach by partnering with schools and organizations in Northeast Ohio. The Oasis was also a site in this past year’s Connect Cleveland program for incoming first-years.</p> <p>Fiskio, associate professor of environmental studies and comparative American studies, was introduced to Scott in 2010 through �鶹��Ƶ alum Brad Masi ’93, founder of the <a href="https://serve.oberlin.edu/agency/detail/?agency_id=35497" target="_blank">New Agrarian Center</a> <span aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-external-link"></span>. Fiskio, whose scholarship focuses on environmental justice and agrarianism and food justice says that her work with Scott has significantly influenced the course of her research and teaching.</p> <p>“I feel like when you start studying the histories of Black agrarianism and immigrant labor, you recognize that, ethically, you’re compelled to make some kind of change,” Fiskio says. “Students are often saying, ‘I never knew this history. Now, I’m going to have to think about agriculture differently.’”</p> <p>Scott and Fiskio have collaborated and supported each other in myriad ways. Fiskio’s students have supported the Oasis through grant writing, garden and building upkeep, and by working as summer interns. In 2015, Fiskio and Scott were awarded backing by �鶹��Ƶ’s <a href="https://www.greenedgefund.com" target="_blank">Green Edge Fund</a> <span aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-external-link"></span> to rehabilitate the Don Scott House, a community food center named in honor of Scott’s late husband. Along with environmental studies professor <a href="/node/5706" target="_blank">Rumi Shammin</a>, they also jointly authored ‘‘Cultivating Community: Black Agrarianism in Cleveland, Ohio” <span aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-external-link"></span> in <em>Gastronomica: The Journal of Critical Food Studies</em> in 2016.</p>  <figure class="captioned-image obj-right"> <figcaption>Students in Janet Fiskio's class.<br> Photo credit: Michael Hartman</figcaption> </figure> <p>By learning the histories of economically prosperous African American neighborhoods in Cleveland, students gain perspective on the origins of contemporary urban Black agrarianism. In addition to the Oasis, American Agricultures students also visit <a href="https://www.chateauhough.com/" target="_blank">Chateau Hough</a> <span aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-external-link"></span> , a Cleveland vineyard and winery founded by Cleveland native Mansfield Frazier.</p> <p>Third-year environmental studies and comparative American studies double major Nathan Carpenter says the class trip to Chateau Hough enriched his learning in the course. ‘‘It was really valuable to talk with [Frazier], who is actively engaged in the world of urban farming and to hear about the different tradeoffs that must be balanced in that work,’’ he says. “I found the experiential elements of the class extraordinarily helpful in expanding my understanding of the topics we were learning about.”</p> <p>When American Agriculture students have visited the Oasis in previous years, they spend the day gardening and lending a hand, but they also hear Scott’s story firsthand. Oftentimes, the trip sparks in students a continued interest in food justice. Throughout the years, Scott has mentored numerous �鶹��Ƶ students and alumni who have supported the Oasis through grant writing and by conducting research.</p> <p>“I think the course is self-selecting in that students who come to the class are already really committed to working in agriculture and food justice and want to learn more,” Fiskio says.</p> <p>Scott says that the continuation of the �鶹��Ƶ-Oasis relationship will support the longevity of the Oasis’ mission.</p> <p>“�鶹��Ƶ students and faculty can help us by continuing to share their vast knowledge of food justice and grant writing, and by bringing busloads of enthused, knowledgeable students to share their unique gifts and talents in helping us to continue to build and maintain the Oasis,” she says.</p> <p>Biology and environmental studies double major Juan Contreras ’19 says the field trip to Chateau Hough gave him a real-world look at the concepts he studied in class. “It’s in moments like these where I can see my liberal arts experiences at work, my majors informing each other, and all of that contributing to a productive and active classroom.”</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2019-05-31T12:00:00Z">Fri, 05/31/2019 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Erin Ulrich ’18</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>For nearly a decade, <a href="/node/5661" target="_blank">Janet Fiskio</a> and her students have been studying and visiting urban farms in Cleveland. Students in Fiskio’s American Agricultures course, which is cross-listed in <a href="/node/25351">environmental studies</a> and <a href="/node/25311">comparative American studies</a>, contextualize the history of black agrarianism in the Rust Belt. They are immersed in this history firsthand through field trips to Cleveland.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2363">Academics & Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2398">Community Education</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2569">Alumni-Student Connections</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25351">Environmental Studies and Sciences</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25311">Comparative American Studies</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/jay-fiskio" hreflang="und">Jay Fiskio</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/md-rumi-shammin" hreflang="und">Md Rumi Shammin</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/environmental-studies" hreflang="und">Environmental Studies and Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/comparative-american-studies" hreflang="und">Comparative American Studies</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Associate Professor of Environmental Studies and Comparative American Studies Janet Fiskio with a student in her course, American Agricultures</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Michael Hartman</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>BorderLight Transcends Geographic Divides, Promises to Put Cleveland On the Map</h1> <p>eulrich — Wed, 07 Nov 2018 20:41:36 +0000</p> <span>BorderLight Transcends Geographic Divides, Promises to Put Cleveland On the Map</span> <span><span>eulrich</span></span> <span><time datetime="2018-11-07T15:41:36-05:00" title="Wednesday, November 7, 2018 - 15:41">Wed, 11/07/2018 - 15:41</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Four alumni will perform and direct shows in this summer’s festival. Anna Gelman ’16 will direct <em><a href="https://www.borderlightcle.org/why-do-you-always-wear-black/" target="_blank">Why Do You Always Wear Black?</a></em>, in which Ariana Silvan-Grau ’16 will perform. Arif Silverman ’15 will perform in his solo play, <a href="https://www.borderlightcle.org/galahad-and-the-dragons/" target="_blank"><em>Galahad and the Dragons</em></a>, which will be directed by Lillian White ’16. White will also direct <a href="https://www.borderlightcle.org/peter-pan-and-wendy/" target="_blank"><em>Peter Pan and Wendy</em></a>.</p> <p>By bringing in performers from around the world, BorderLight is promoting Cleveland as an international city and hub for the arts, across cultures and borders. Fostering civic unity and collaboration, BorderLight hopes to make Cleveland increasingly visible to the outside world. In a global political climate in which reinforcing borders has become increasingly ubiquitous and polarizing, <a href="/node/5621" target="_blank">Jeff Pence</a>, associate professor and chair of English and cinema studies, believes the festival’s diversity will counter these cultural narratives.</p> <p>“Especially in our current situation,” he says, “we want people to engage with one another across all imaginable borders—even when others don’t want this to happen.”</p> <p>When considering the location of such an ambitious festival—both logistically and in its mission—some may ask: why Cleveland? For Pence and cofounder and dramaturg Dale Heinen, the answer is simple: why not? “Decision-makers in Cleveland have an attitude of, ‘why not Cleveland?’” she says. “Perhaps more than anything, that shift in perspective has made BorderLight possible.”</p> <p>Cleveland, which has more than 70 theater stages, is a particularly apt location for the festival. Playhouse Square—one of the city’s two theater districts—is the country’s second largest performing arts center, after Lincoln Center in New York City. With the largest theater circuit in the country outside of New York City, Cleveland is well-positioned to host performances on a global scale, without having to reinvent the wheel.</p> <p>BorderLight is collaborating with local companies including Dobama Theatre, Karamu House (founded by �鶹��Ƶ grads), and Cleveland Public Theatre. The festival’s advisory committee is made up of executives from throughout the city, including Gordon Square Arts District, Cleveland Play House, Playhouse Square, and the Cleveland Museum of Art.</p> <p>The inception of the festival comes more than 50 years after the exodus of Clevelanders to the surrounding suburbs following WWII, which directly correlated with the rise of television and steady decline of theater audiences. Now, almost four decades following revitalization efforts to prevent the city’s five original venues from being boarded up, Cleveland is at the forefront of rebranding itself as an international destination for the arts.</p> <p>BorderLight will take place over a four-day period and will have at its core an international showcase—featuring world-class artists and new work—as well as collaborations between Cleveland-based and international artists. The festival will also include a low-cost, open call Fringe Festival, which will take place in avant-garde fashion, in places such as grocery store lobbies and local pubs.</p> <p>In addition to cross-cultural engagement, one of the primary goals of the festival is to showcase new writing. Heinen, who has centered her career on such, says, “I believe the lifeblood of theater is new writing. Without a healthy new play ecosystem, a city will not be on the cutting edge of theater, nor have a national impact.”</p> <p>Colin Anderson ’16, the assistant producer for BorderLight, is coordinating the Fringe Festival and curating many of the festival’s acts based on the relationships he established as a student at �鶹��Ƶ. Anderson, who graduated summa cum laude with a double major in theater and English, first made contact with BorderLight immediately following his graduation. After developing hundreds of pages of BorderLight research with alumna Anna Gelman ’16, he has continued to work closely with Pence—who also oversaw his English senior capstone.</p> <p>The �鶹��Ƶ connection to BorderLight runs deep. Pence, who is also an alumnus, has been working with <a href="/node/4921" target="_blank">David Kamitsuka</a>, acting dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and <a href="/node/5576" target="_blank">Laura Baudot</a>, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, to develop hands-on experiences for current students. Many of BorderLight’s components include the work of �鶹��Ƶ graduates, offering opportunities for Obies to break new ground.</p> <p>BorderLight’s vision—to transform inward-looking cultural narratives that divide us—is an effort to not only broaden worldviews, but to encourage community through theater. “Theater is shared experience,” Heinen says. “It offers a forum for alternative worldviews, creates empathy for people we might easily turn a blind eye to, and challenges our understanding of how we’re living our lives. It holds up a mirror to American culture, and offers insight into other cultures.”</p> <p><a class="view-more" href="http://borderlightcle.org" target="_blank">Browse borderlightcle.org</a></p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2019-05-30T12:00:00Z">Thu, 05/30/2019 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Erin Ulrich ’18</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>BorderLight, an international theater festival cofounded and codirected by Associate Professor and Chair of English and Cinema Studies Jeff Pence, will launch in Cleveland this summer.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2414">Faculty</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2569">Alumni-Student Connections</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2372">Performing Arts</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25256">Cinema and Media</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25346">English</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/jeffrey-pence" hreflang="und">Jeffrey Pence ’88</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/cinema-studies" hreflang="und">Cinema and Media</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/english" hreflang="und">English</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Cleveland’s Playhouse Square at night</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Courtesy of Ihor Balaban</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Queer Country Singer Eli Conley ’08 Helps Others Find Their Voice</h1> <p>anagy — Tue, 30 Apr 2019 15:56:40 +0000</p> <span>Queer Country Singer Eli Conley ’08 Helps Others Find Their Voice</span> <span><span>anagy</span></span> <span><time datetime="2019-04-30T11:56:40-04:00" title="Tuesday, April 30, 2019 - 11:56">Tue, 04/30/2019 - 11:56</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Eli Conley chose �鶹��Ƶ for reasons that sound familiar to many current and future Obies: having trained as a musician but not necessarily interested in pursuing a performance major, the college’s broad-based liberal arts education appealed to him as much as the Conservatory of Music’s offerings.</p> <p>Conley found himself drawn to courses in comparative American studies. At the same time, he took voice lessons taught by conservatory students and performed in several musical ensembles.</p> <p>“Everything I was interested in was labeled comparative American studies,” recalls Conley, who was raised in a small town near Richmond, Virginia. “I’ve always been interested in issues of justice and how we build a world that actually serves the needs of everyone and not just the privileged few. I feel like the classes I took were incredibly transformational in opening my eyes to what intersectionality actually means. We can’t dismantle sexism if we aren’t also dismantling white supremacy and ableism and the ways of all forms of aggression interlock.”</p> <p>In addition to performing in <a href="/dean-of-the-conservatory/saa/large-ensembles">Collegium Musicum</a>, �鶹��Ƶ’s early music a capella choir, and smaller baroque ensembles, Conley began writing his own original music. At age 19, he played his first performance at the Cat in the Cream Coffeehouse.</p> <p>After graduating with a degree in comparative American studies in 2008, Conley relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area, where he has built a business as a voice teacher to support his songwriting and performing. He describes his music as country-tinged folk, and it’s no small coincidence that he writes songs about people who want a better world.</p> <p>Conley returned to campus and the Cat in the Cream in April as part of his “<a href="https://www.eliconley.com/">Chasing Spring</a>’’ tour. During his visit, he performed a folk acoustic show opened by the �鶹��Ƶ student-composed South Professor Band, and for the first time ever outside of San Francisco, he led a newly created Songs of Social Justice Workshop.</p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-right"> <figcaption>Eli Conley grew up listening to country and folk music, and he trained in classical singing.</figcaption> </figure> <p>Conley says the workshop was inspired by the nine-week program of singing classes he teaches to LGBTQ adults and allies.</p> <p>“I teach songs from a lot of different social justice movements and give the history of how the song fit into that movement,” he explains. “We did a song called “Singing the Spirit Home” from the South African anti-apartheid movement; a chant called “Forget Your Perfect Offering, based on the lyrics of the Leonard Cohen song “Anthem”; a song from the Black Lives Matter movement called “I Can’t Breathe” based on the death of Eric Garner; and the song “We Shall Not be Moved,” which has come from a lot of different movements and protests.”</p> <p>Social justice themes are ever-present in Conley’s own songs. “Being a queer, transgendered person from a small town in Virginia”—that shows up, too. “A lot of my music connects to themes of what it feels like to be an outsider in a rural area and in a place that doesn’t accept you automatically,” he says.</p> <p>“I’m fortunate to have progressive and accepting parents, but I grew up around a lot of kids who did not accept me.”</p> <p>Conley grew up female and transitioned at �鶹��Ƶ. Consequently, his singing voice changed, too.</p> <p>“I was a classical singer. I had done jazz and musical theater. Part of the reason why I’m a voice teacher is because of my experience at �鶹��Ƶ getting to work with teachers through the process of my voice changing,” he says. “I don’t think I could have done it on my own. As a teacher, I work with a lot of trans and nonbinary singers to help guide them through the process.”</p> <p>In addition to writing, performing, and teaching, Conley organizes and hosts the “Queer Country West Coast” concert series four times a year in San Francisco. The show features LGBTQ-identifying country artists. “I love country music. It’s a fun way to carve out more space for queer country people in country music and country music in queer communities.”</p> <p>Second-year Carson Dowhan, a singer and guitar player with the South Professor Band, says he appreciates seeing an artist who is comfortable with his identity and uses his voice to lift others. Dowhan, who also is from the Bay Area, participated in Conley’s song workshop.</p> <p>“Eli did such a great job making singing accessible for people who weren‘t seasoned musicians. Seeing him perform was just something else too—his songs were so well-crafted, and I was freaking out in the back of the Cat just totally immersed in his lyrics.”</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2019-04-30T12:00:00Z">Tue, 04/30/2019 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Amanda Nagy</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Eli Conley ‘08 found his voice at �鶹��Ƶ. Now he‘s helping LGBTQ singers and carving a space in country music for queer people.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2368">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2569">Alumni-Student Connections</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2548">Concerts and Recitals</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2392">Social Justice</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2370">Ensembles & Orchestras</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25311">Comparative American Studies</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/comparative-american-studies" hreflang="und">Comparative American Studies</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Eli Conley, center, leads a Songs for Social Justice Workshop at the Cat in the Cream Coffeehouse.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Michael Hartman</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>�鶹��Ƶ Writing Partnership Brings New Collaboration to High School</h1> <p>hhempste — Wed, 27 Feb 2019 19:29:26 +0000</p> <span>�鶹��Ƶ Writing Partnership Brings New Collaboration to High School</span> <span><span>hhempste</span></span> <span><time datetime="2019-02-27T14:29:26-05:00" title="Wednesday, February 27, 2019 - 14:29">Wed, 02/27/2019 - 14:29</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Students who go to school in the city of �鶹��Ƶ have access to high-caliber resources, many of which include collaborations with the college. The <a href="https://serve.oberlin.edu/agency/detail/?agency_id=30701">Ninde Scholars Program</a> and the <a href="https://www.oberlinsites.org/">Spanish in the Elementary School</a> (SITES) program offer tutoring and language services, respectively. But until fall 2018, there was no program dedicated to offering high school students consistent in-classroom assistance with writing and composition.</p> <p>A graduate of both �鶹��Ƶ High School and �鶹��Ƶ College, Liam McMillin ’17, who majored in religion, worked as a tutor both on his own and in several programs, including the Ninde Scholars Program and the <a href="/arts-and-sciences/resources-and-support/wap">�鶹��Ƶ College Writing and Speaking Associates Program</a>. Through this involvement, he identified a gap in the type of assistance offered to �鶹��Ƶ High School students. “While there were tutors for languages, there was a lack of English writing tutors,” says McMillin.</p> <p>Identifying this opportunity led to the creation of �鶹��Ƶ Writing Partnership, a program that places �鶹��Ƶ College students as tutors in �鶹��Ƶ High School. The �鶹��Ƶ Writing Partnership works in collaboration with the �鶹��Ƶ College Writing Associates Program, which provides the training framework for tutors.</p> <p>The new program is part of the <a href="/bcsl">Bonner Center’s</a> <a href="/bcsl/programs/community-work">Community Based Work-Study Program</a> (CBWSP) that enables students with a Federal Work-Study award to earn their work-study with one of the Bonner Center's community partner organizations.</p> <p>“The Community Based Work-Study Program is essentially at capacity, but through a competitive application process, we were able to take on a few new partners this fall,” says Tania Boster, associate director of the Bonner Center.</p> <p>“What was so appealing about Liam’s program is that he wasn’t just presenting this idea that he had and wanted to impose upon the high school; he had existing relationships and the trust of the teachers there. He knew there was a need in the community, and he created a program that allowed him to address the need.”</p> <p>When he launched �鶹��Ƶ Writing Partnership, McMillin had two primary goals. First, he wanted to improve writing aptitude for students in �鶹��Ƶ Public Schools. His other intention was to create an additional bridge between the college and town that would further ally the two entities.</p> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>In the classroom, Conway assists high school students with how to write presentations and essays.</figcaption> </figure> <p>During fall semester, the program operated as a pilot, with three tutors placed both in the classroom and in the library’s writing center. In the classroom, tutors operate similarly to a traditional teaching assistant and provide ongoing support to the teacher. Tutors are also stationed in the school’s library and are available for drop-in sessions where any student can seek tutors for assistance.</p> <p>Sophomore comparative literature and studio art major Bridget Conway joined the program as a tutor in order to participate in the community.</p> <p>“I have been working as an English tutor for the past four or five years, so coming into my second year at �鶹��Ƶ, I knew I wanted to dedicate more time to the �鶹��Ƶ community,” says Conway. “When I saw the job posting for this, I thought that it would be the perfect meeting of those two interests of mine. It’s been super rewarding, and I really like working in the community and in the high school.”</p> <p>Conway goes to the high school twice a week and assists for two periods in an eleventh-grade classroom and for two periods in the library’s writing center.</p> <p>“In the classroom, I’m helping the teacher with activities, and I’m helping the students with brainstorming and how to write presentations or essays. In the library’s writing center, I get to work with the entire school. Students there have gotten more comfortable coming up to me over the course of the semester, and I’ve built a relationship with a handful of the them. It’s really useful to be available so consistently.”</p> <p>When thinking beyond the program’s inaugural year, McMillin has aspirations to grow the program beyond its current level of classroom tutors. “I would love to have three tutors in all of the departments,” he says.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2019-02-28T12:00:00Z">Thu, 02/28/2019 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Hillary Hempstead</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>New program founded by Liam McMillin ’17 places �鶹��Ƶ College students as tutors in �鶹��Ƶ High School.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2410">Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2381">Bonner Center</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2569">Alumni-Student Connections</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2368">Alumni</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25316">Comparative Literature</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25436">Studio Art</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25421">Religion</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/comparative-literature" hreflang="und">Comparative Literature</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/art" hreflang="und">Studio Art</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/religion" hreflang="und">Religion</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Twice a week, sophomore Bridget Conway serves as a tutor for writing and composition at �鶹��Ƶ High School </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Michael Hartman</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Amidst Fiction, Worlds Collide</h1> <p>eulrich — Wed, 24 Oct 2018 13:53:39 +0000</p> <span>Amidst Fiction, Worlds Collide</span> <span><span>eulrich</span></span> <span><time datetime="2018-10-24T09:53:39-04:00" title="Wednesday, October 24, 2018 - 09:53">Wed, 10/24/2018 - 09:53</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>On Wednesday, October 17, the Creative Writing Program, with support from Alumni in Service to �鶹��Ƶ College (ASOC), held an alumnae reading with <a href="https://www.thisbenissen.com/" target="_blank">Thisbe Nissen ’94</a> and Visiting Assistant Professor of Creative Writing Abbey Mei Otis ’11. The event, one of the Creative Writing Program’s many programming initiatives, was an opportunity for students to directly interact with �鶹��Ƶ authors whose work they are reading in class.</p> <p>Otis, whose first collection of stories, <a href="http://smallbeerpress.com/books/2018/08/14/alien-virus-love-disaster/" target="_blank"><em>Alien Virus Love Disaster</em></a>, was published this past summer, says that the event was an opportunity for her to reflect on not only her time as a student, but her experiences since as a writer. “Since I’ve left [�鶹��Ƶ],” she says, “I feel more and more like writing is part of my identity. It’s the thing that I know I would be doing whether or not I had studied it.”</p> <p>Otis, who worked extensively with Professor of Creative Writing Sylvia Watanbe and <a href="/news/creative-writing-professor-dan-chaon-inks-deal-adapt-latest-novel-television" target="_blank">Dan Chaon</a>, says that the material she worked on at �鶹��Ƶ has evolved into content for a novel she used in her graduate school thesis and that she continues to work on. “The worlds and characters I worked on at �鶹��Ƶ continue to be important to my creative life,” she says. “I just published a collection of stories, and I would say that almost half of them were drafts that I started when I was a student here.”</p> <p>Although two decades earlier, Nissen’s �鶹��Ƶ experience remains just as formative as Otis’. “I was drawn to �鶹��Ƶ because in 1989, when I was applying to college, it was one of the very few schools where one could actually major in creative writing,” Nissen says.</p> <p>Nissen attended �鶹��Ƶ with fellow writers <a href="http://movies2.nytimes.com/books/00/06/18/reviews/000618.18garnert.html" target="_blank">Myla Goldberg</a>, <a href="http://www2.oberlin.edu/alummag/spring2003/profile_3.html" target="_blank">Lisa Jervis</a>, and <a href="https://thebaffler.com/authors/david-rees" target="_blank">David Rees</a>—just to name a few—and continues to cross paths with Obie writers who came before and after her time as a student. “I mean, that’s a lot of writers coming out of one little school, no?”</p> <p>She remarks that the event mirrored the seamlessness of the encounters she’s had with �鶹��Ƶ graduates, in which “the divide of years just kind of slips away.”</p> <p>Events such as this, which was coordinated by <a href="/node/114376" target="_blank">Assistant Professor of Creative Writing Emily Barton</a>, evince the depth and vitality of �鶹��Ƶ’s writing and alumni communities. <a href="https://www.emilybarton.com" target="_blank">Barton</a>, who is teaching both Nissen’s and Otis’s work to her students this semester, is enthusiastic about building community in all forms, as well as underscoring the importance of writing not only to students who aspire to be writers in their professional lives. “There’s this myth that writing is a solitary act,” she says. “How can you find your voice without a community of writers?”</p> <p>When reflecting on her �鶹��Ƶ experience, Nissen’s remarks resonate with Barton’s conviction that community is key to fostering individual creative expression. “To me, �鶹��Ƶ was a place where people went to give themselves over fully to whatever weird, bizarre, brilliant thing it was they wanted to do with their lives,” says Nissen. “And that was seriously beautiful to me. I feel a great honor in belonging to that community of Obies in the world.”</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2018-10-24T12:00:00Z">Wed, 10/24/2018 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Erin Ulrich ’18</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Thisbe Nissen ’94 and Visiting Assistant Professor of Creative Writing Abbey Mei Otis ’11 presented their fiction writing to a crowd of students this past week, reflecting on what their time as �鶹��Ƶ students meant to them.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2368">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2569">Alumni-Student Connections</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2390">Events</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25326">Creative Writing</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/creative-writing" hreflang="und">Creative Writing</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Thisbe Nissen ’94 and Visiting Assistant Professor of Creative Writing Abbey Mei Otis ’11</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Jennifer Manna</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>In Search of Renewable Energy, Andrew Santiago ’20 Brings Plenty of His Own</h1> <p>anagy — Wed, 25 Jul 2018 19:40:26 +0000</p> <span>In Search of Renewable Energy, Andrew Santiago ’20 Brings Plenty of His Own</span> <span><span>anagy</span></span> <span><time datetime="2018-07-25T15:40:26-04:00" title="Wednesday, July 25, 2018 - 15:40">Wed, 07/25/2018 - 15:40</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>During the academic year, double-degree student Andrew Santiago manages a rigorous schedule that allows him to take lessons in flute performance while majoring in chemistry and physics. This summer is no exception: When he isn’t working on developing a new electrode material for aqueous sodium ion batteries in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, he can be found in the practice rooms in the Carnegie Mellon School of Music.</p> <p>Santiago is taking full advantage of his surroundings as an intern with the research group led by Jay Whitacre ’94, an innovator in the field of renewable energy technology. Whitacre is director of the Wilton E. Scott institute for Energy Innovation at Carnegie Mellon and founder of Aquion Energy, a venture focused on a novel energy storage system.</p> <p>Santiago was first introduced to Whitacre through a shared connection—his advisor, Professor of Physics John Scofield, was also Whitacre’s advisor at �鶹��Ƶ. With Scofield’s help, Santiago solicited Whitacre for his 2018 winter-term project, which was focused on renewable energy, and he spent the month of January working in his lab. Santiago says he was invited to return this summer.</p> <p>“Generally, what I’m looking to work on is creating accessible renewable energy,” says Santiago, a fourth-year who is from Evanston, Illinois. Saltwater batteries—the product manufactured by Aquion Energy—are safer and more sustainable than the ubiquitous lithium ion batteries, but they currently have a much lower storage capacity. Santiago explains that he’s developing a new material for the electrode, the part of the battery that stores energy.</p> <p>“Improving the charge capacity of the electrodes can directly improve the quality of the battery. I'm trying to optimize a material so that it offers high charge capacity and long cycle life, so that the battery can store more energy and be used for a longer period of time without failing and needing to be replaced.”</p> <p>Santiago says he has learned hands-on work and received mentoring from the doctoral students in the lab.</p> <p>“They’ve all been incredibly helpful and generous with their time to guide me through things. The most frustrating thing about this work is that it takes a lot of time. The synthesis takes around 19 hours and most of the electrochemical tests I do take at least two days to complete, so there's a lot of down time. The work has been going well with few hiccups. We’re working on adapting a material which [Whitacre’s] group has already studied quite a bit, and the results are looking very promising so far.”</p> <p>Santiago has also enjoyed spending time in Pittsburgh, taking in the city’s festivals, and making the most of the Carnegie Mellon campus. “I'm very thankful that I’ve been able to use the School of Music’s facilities to practice and prepare for my senior recital in the fall.”</p> <p>At �鶹��Ƶ, Santiago is a member of the Filipinx American Students Association, a chemistry tutor and lab teaching assistant, and he is the first-year liaison for Queer and Formal Reasoning, �鶹��Ƶ’s student organization for LGBTQ students in the sciences.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2018-07-25T12:00:00Z">Wed, 07/25/2018 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Amanda Nagy</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2363">Academics & Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2357">Double Degree Program</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2569">Alumni-Student Connections</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35911">Flute</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25306">Chemistry</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25411">Physics</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/chemistry-biochemistry" hreflang="und">Chemistry and Biochemistry</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/physics-and-astronomy" hreflang="und">Physics and Astronomy</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Andrew Santiago is doing summer research on sodium ion batteries the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Courtesy of Andrew Santiago</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> </main></body></html>