Bates physicist Nathan Lundblad

Assistant Professor of Physics Nathan Lundblad is the first member of the Bates College faculty to receive a Defense Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (DEPSCoR) grant from the U.S. Department of Defense.

Sponsored by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the grant is for $388,088 over three years. It will fund Lundblad's research into atomic activity at ultralow temperatures. Bates is the only liberal arts school in the nation and the only academic institution in Maine to receive a DEPSCoR grant this year. (more...)

"As a black African dancer, I am constantly expected to conform to stereotypical perceptions of the Western world and of African traditionalists. Africa is widely perceived on the one hand as a war zone ravaged by the Aids pandemic and poverty and on the other hand as exotic, colourful and primitive. I propose to deconstruct this stereotype through my personal history, my work as a performer and choreographer living in a city and my research on urban popular contemporary intercultural dance forms." Gregory Maqoma

In its first-ever concert held during the academic year, the internationally acclaimed Bates Dance Festival collaborated with the Bates College Concerts Committee to present Beautiful Me by the renowned South African company Vuyani Dance Theatre on Oct. 16 in Bates College's Schaeffer Theatre. The performance kicked off the troupe's North American tour.

A global fusion of rousing live music sets the pace for this solo tour de force by the exquisite dancer and choreographer Gregory Maqoma, a rising star on South Africa's dance and theater scene. Beautiful Me speaks honestly about the profound task of finding one's authentic voice and redefining our notion of postmodern African choreography.

During his week in residence at Bates, Maqoma and his company members -- Isaac Katlego Molelekoa; violin; Mandla Madienkosi Nhlapo, percussion; Bongani Kunene, cello; and Poorvi Bhana, sitar -- offered a noonday concert, gave master dance workshops, spoke to music and anthropology classses and with members of Amandla!, and met with faculty members whose teaching focuses on Africa.

For a glimpse of his experience at Bates, watch the following short video.

Each year, close to 90 percent of Bates students applying to medical or veterinary schools gain admission. That record of success is due in part to the work by Lee Abrahamsen, associate professor of biology and chair of the college's medical studies committee.

Because of her own experiences in college, Abrahamsen keenly understands that as students change and grow, they need help adjusting their career plans. "Sometimes we don’t think about what they’re capable of thinking and understanding in their freshman year versus their senior year."

Learn more about Abrahamsen and medical studies at Bates by watching a short video.

Robert Friedman '11 will go to Copenhagen to lobby for strict carbon-emission standards.

Robert Friedman, a Bates College junior, is one of 18 college students nationwide set to lobby international climate treaty negotiators next month on behalf of a Sierra Club youth organization.

An environmental studies major from Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y., Friedman will attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, Dec. 7-18. Friedman is part of a delegation from the Sierra Student Coalition, a network of high school and college-aged environmental activists affiliated with the Sierra Club. (more...)

Hiroya Miura, assistant professor of music, directs the Bates College Orchestra.

In their first collaboration in several years, the Bates College Orchestra and the Bowdoin College Orchestra will join forces to perform music by Beethoven, Rossini, Schumann and

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Admission to both concerts is free, but tickets are required for the Bates performance. For more information about the Bates event, contact 207-786-6135 or this E-mail. (more...)

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Sophomore defensive end Tyler Kuehl's interception and 25-yard return for a touchdown gave Bates College its first lead of the game with 9:39 left in the fourth quarter, and the Bobcats went on to win 28-24 over Bowdoin, the Bobcats' first win over their in-state rivals since 2003. See a video of the Bobcats' Garcelon Field postgame fight song posted on YouTube.

Maine Public Broadcasting Network rebroadcast the Harward Center's September Civic Forum panel, "Dealing with Climate Change: The Debate among Policy Makers," on Oct. 16. The forum was held to clarify the pros, cons and points of confusion and contention in the policy debate over climate change. Panelists were: Ted Koffman, the executive director of Maine Audubon and former chair of the Maine Legislature’s Natural Resources Council; Pete Didisheim, advocacy director of the Natural Resources Council of Maine; Melissa Carey, climate change policy specialist with the Environmental Defense Fund; and Tom Tietenberg, professor emeritus of environmental and natural resource economics at Colby College.

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Featured image of the month

From left, Brendan Julian '10 demonstrates Capoeira for Mark Stehlik '10. Julian studied the Afro-Brazilian art form that combines elements of martial arts, music, and dance in Brazil and will complete an ethnography of Capoeira as his senior anthropology thesis.

* View the slide show by clicking the thumbnails.

Parents and Family Weekend 2009, held this year Oct. 2-4, featured classes, academic presentations, athletic competitions, museum exhibitions and a variety of performances. The full schedule of activities complemented the chance to spend time with families and friends. Look back at a few of the weekend's moments. Photographs by Phyllis Graber Jensen and Marni Lyn Sienko.

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Homecoming 2009, held this year Sept. 25-27, featured NESCAC sports as central to the weekend's fun. Important gatherings also included a Multicultural Center-hosted reception and exhibition for alumni diversity in the arts, a 90th-Anniversary Outing Club reception and a volunteer recognition reception and dinner. See a few of these events and more in this slide show. Photographs by Phyllis Graber Jensen and Marni Lyn Sienko.