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2007 Year in Review: 10 Faculty Promoted to Full Professorships
This is a corrected press release.
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass., Jan.16, 2008 - In 2007, ten Williams College faculty were promoted to the rank of full professor. They are Sarah R. Bolton, physics; Denise K. Buell, religion; Susan R. Loepp, mathematics; Karen R. Merrill, history; James L. Nolan, Jr., sociology; Amy D. Podmore, art; Cheryl Shanks, political science; W. Anthony Sheppard, music; Steven J. Swoap, biology; and Carmen T. Whalen, history.
Sarah R. Bolton
Bolton's research is focused on studies that will allow new insight into the dynamics governing ultrafast laser systems. Her research has been published in a number of peer-reviewed journals, including Physical Reviews, Journal of the Optical Society of America, and the American Journal of Physics. Bolton teaches across the full spectrum of the physics curriculum, and has developed new courses in the Physics of Sound and Light and Materials Science. Her work has been funded by Research Corporation and the National Science Foundation, most recently research on "Dimensionality Dependence of Semiconductor Ultra-fast Optical Response." She received her B.S. from Brown University and her Ph.D. in physics from the University of California at Berkeley in 1995.
Denise K. Buell
Buell's research interests include early Christian history, feminist Biblical interpretation, religion and cultures of the Roman Imperial Period, and ethnicity and critical race theory. She is the author of "Making Christians: Clement of Alexandria and the Rhetoric of Legitimacy" (1999) and "Why This New Race: Ethnic Reasoning in Early Christianity" (2005), which Karen King of the Harvard Divinity School called "a stunning contribution to the history of Christianity." Her articles have been published in the Harvard Theological Review, Journal of Early Christian Studies, and the Journal of Biblical Literature. She teaches Reading Jesus and The Development of Christianity, among other courses. Buell earned her B.A. at Princeton University in 1987, her M.Div. at the Harvard Divinity School in 1990, and her Ph.D. in religion at Harvard University in 1995.
Susan R. Loepp
Loepp's research focuses on commutative algebra. Her work has been published in the Journal of Pure and Applied Algebra and the Journal of Algebra, among other academic journals. In June 2000, she and physics professor Bill Wootters received a grant from the National Science Foundation to develop a course called Protecting Information: Application of Abstract Algebra and Quantum Physics. They are the authors of the 2006 textbook, "Protecting Information: From Classical Error Correction to Quantum Cryptography." At Williams, she has taught Multivariable Calculus, Abstract Algebra, and Algebraic Error - Correcting Codes. Loepp received her B.A. and B.S. from Bethel College in 1989 and her Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Texas at Austin in 1994.
Karen R. Merrill
Merrill's research focuses on 20th century American politics and political economy, the American West, and environmental history. She is the author of "Public Lands and Political Meaning: Ranchers, the Government, and the Property Between Them," and "The Oil Crisis." She also is the editor of "The Modern Worlds of Business and Industry: Cultures, Technology, Labor." Her work has appeared in the Journal of Urban History, and the Western Historical Quarterly. She has taught Westward Expansion in American History, United States from Appomattox to AOL, 1865-Present, and the History of Oil, among other courses. She received her B.A. from Oberlin College in 1986, her M.A. from the University of Denver in 1988, and her Ph.D. in history from the University of Michigan in 1994. She is presently dean of the college.
James L. Nolan, Jr.
Nolan's major interests are in comparative law, culture, technology and social change, and law and society. He is the author of "Reinventing Justice: The American Drug Court Movement" and "The Therapeutic State: Justifying Government at Century's End." He is also editor of "Drug Courts: In Theory and in Practice" and "The American Culture Wars: Current Contests and Future Prospects." His forthcoming book, "Legal Accents, Legal Borrowing: The International Problem-Solving Court Movement," is a comparative analysis of the emergence of problem-solving courts in England, Ireland, Scotland, Australia, Canada, and the United States. His work has been published in the Sociological Forum, Society, The Sociological Quarterly, and the American Criminal Law Review. Nolan has received funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Fulbright Program. From 2004 to 2006, he was the Director of the Williams-Exeter Programme at Oxford University and a Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Criminology at Oxford University. He has taught Introduction to Sociology, Law and Modern Society, Ways of Knowing, and Technology and Modern Society, among other courses. He earned his B.A. from the University of California at Davis in 1984 and his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Virginia in 1995.
Amy D. Podmore
A member of the studio art department, Podmore's work has been exhibited at The Rose Art Museum, The DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park, Sculpture by the Sea- in Sydney, Australia, The Massachusetts College of Art, The Carrie Haddad Gallery, Hudson, N.Y., The Institute for Contemporary Art, Portland, Maine, ArtSpace in New Haven, Conn., The Allston Skirt Gallery in Boston, Mass. and at the Williams College Museum of Art. At Williams, she teaches sculpture and drawing classes. Of her teaching, she has said, "As an artist teaching art, I encourage students to critically question their choices, to welcome and trust their intuition, and to take risks." She received her B.A. from the State University College of New York at Buffalo in 1981 and her M.F.A. from the University of California, Davis in 1987 and attended Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in 1986.
Cheryl Shanks
Shanks's research focuses on fluidity in population and territory, the two central components of sovereignty. She is the author of "Immigration and the Politics of American Sovereignty, 1890-1990," as well as articles on the politics of international tourism, anti-immigration movements, and international organizations. Shanks teaches International Law; Genocide, Exile and Famine; and Ethics and Interests in International Politics. She received her B.A. from the University of California at Santa Cruz in 1983 and her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in 1994.
W. Anthony Sheppard
Sheppard's forthcoming book, "Extreme Exoticism: Japan in the American Musical Imagination," will look at musical encounters between Japan and the United States in the last 150 years in order to study how culture is shaped by music. He is also the author of "Revealing Masks: Exotic Influences and Ritualized Performance in Modernist Music Theater" (2001). His work has appeared in the Cambridge Opera Journal, Journal of the American Musicological Society, Musical Quarterly, ECHO, and will appear in the Cambridge History of World Music. At Williams, he has recently taught Musics of the Twentieth Century, Music in Modernism, and American Pop Orientalism. He earned his B.A. from Amherst College in 1991 and his Ph.D. in music from Princeton University in 1996.
Steven J. Swoap
Swoap's research concerns the underlying mechanisms for cardiovascular adaptations in response to changes in ambient temperature and food availability. His work has appeared in the Journal of Experimental Biology, Neuroendocrinology, and the American Journal of Physiology, among many others. His research has been supported by grants from the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, American College of Sports Medicine, and American Physiological Society. He received the Arthur C. Guyton Award for Excellence in Integrative Physiology from the American Physiological Society. He teaches Physiology and Molecular Physiology. He earned his B.A. from Trinity University in 1990 and his Ph.D. in physiology and biophysics from the University of California in 1994. He did his postdoctoral work at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.
Carmen T. Whalen
Whalen's research focuses on United States history, 1945 to the present; Latina/o Studies; and Labor, Migration and Women's History. She is the author of "The Puerto Rican Diaspora: Historical Perspectives" and "From Puerto Rico to Philadelphia: Puerto Rican Workers and Postwar Economics." Her work also has appeared in the books "A Nation of Peoples: A Sourcebook on America's Multicultural Heritage" and "The Collaborative City: Opportunities and Challenges for Blacks and Latinos in U.S. Cities." She teaches Latinas in the Global Economy, Community Building and Social Movements in Latina/o History, and Comparative Latina/o Migrations. She received her B.A. from Hampshire College in 1985 and her Ph.D. in history from Rutgers University in 1994.
END
Founded in 1793, Williams College is the second oldest institution of higher learning in Massachusetts. The college's 2,000 students are taught by a faculty noted for the quality of their teaching and research, and the achievement of academic goals includes active participation of students with faculty in their research. Students' educational experience is enriched by the residential campus environment in Williamstown, Mass., which provides a host of opportunities for interaction with one another and with faculty beyond the classroom. Admission decisions are made regardless of a student's financial ability, and the college provides grants and other assistance to meet the demonstrated needs of all who are admitted. To visit the college on the Internet: www.williams.edu
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass., Jan.16, 2008 - In 2007, ten Williams College faculty were promoted to the rank of full professor. They are Sarah R. Bolton, physics; Denise K. Buell, religion; Susan R. Loepp, mathematics; Karen R. Merrill, history; James L. Nolan, Jr., sociology; Amy D. Podmore, art; Cheryl Shanks, political science; W. Anthony Sheppard, music; Steven J. Swoap, biology; and Carmen T. Whalen, history.
Sarah R. Bolton
Bolton's research is focused on studies that will allow new insight into the dynamics governing ultrafast laser systems. Her research has been published in a number of peer-reviewed journals, including Physical Reviews, Journal of the Optical Society of America, and the American Journal of Physics. Bolton teaches across the full spectrum of the physics curriculum, and has developed new courses in the Physics of Sound and Light and Materials Science. Her work has been funded by Research Corporation and the National Science Foundation, most recently research on "Dimensionality Dependence of Semiconductor Ultra-fast Optical Response." She received her B.S. from Brown University and her Ph.D. in physics from the University of California at Berkeley in 1995.
Denise K. Buell
Buell's research interests include early Christian history, feminist Biblical interpretation, religion and cultures of the Roman Imperial Period, and ethnicity and critical race theory. She is the author of "Making Christians: Clement of Alexandria and the Rhetoric of Legitimacy" (1999) and "Why This New Race: Ethnic Reasoning in Early Christianity" (2005), which Karen King of the Harvard Divinity School called "a stunning contribution to the history of Christianity." Her articles have been published in the Harvard Theological Review, Journal of Early Christian Studies, and the Journal of Biblical Literature. She teaches Reading Jesus and The Development of Christianity, among other courses. Buell earned her B.A. at Princeton University in 1987, her M.Div. at the Harvard Divinity School in 1990, and her Ph.D. in religion at Harvard University in 1995.
Susan R. Loepp
Loepp's research focuses on commutative algebra. Her work has been published in the Journal of Pure and Applied Algebra and the Journal of Algebra, among other academic journals. In June 2000, she and physics professor Bill Wootters received a grant from the National Science Foundation to develop a course called Protecting Information: Application of Abstract Algebra and Quantum Physics. They are the authors of the 2006 textbook, "Protecting Information: From Classical Error Correction to Quantum Cryptography." At Williams, she has taught Multivariable Calculus, Abstract Algebra, and Algebraic Error - Correcting Codes. Loepp received her B.A. and B.S. from Bethel College in 1989 and her Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Texas at Austin in 1994.
Karen R. Merrill
Merrill's research focuses on 20th century American politics and political economy, the American West, and environmental history. She is the author of "Public Lands and Political Meaning: Ranchers, the Government, and the Property Between Them," and "The Oil Crisis." She also is the editor of "The Modern Worlds of Business and Industry: Cultures, Technology, Labor." Her work has appeared in the Journal of Urban History, and the Western Historical Quarterly. She has taught Westward Expansion in American History, United States from Appomattox to AOL, 1865-Present, and the History of Oil, among other courses. She received her B.A. from Oberlin College in 1986, her M.A. from the University of Denver in 1988, and her Ph.D. in history from the University of Michigan in 1994. She is presently dean of the college.
James L. Nolan, Jr.
Nolan's major interests are in comparative law, culture, technology and social change, and law and society. He is the author of "Reinventing Justice: The American Drug Court Movement" and "The Therapeutic State: Justifying Government at Century's End." He is also editor of "Drug Courts: In Theory and in Practice" and "The American Culture Wars: Current Contests and Future Prospects." His forthcoming book, "Legal Accents, Legal Borrowing: The International Problem-Solving Court Movement," is a comparative analysis of the emergence of problem-solving courts in England, Ireland, Scotland, Australia, Canada, and the United States. His work has been published in the Sociological Forum, Society, The Sociological Quarterly, and the American Criminal Law Review. Nolan has received funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Fulbright Program. From 2004 to 2006, he was the Director of the Williams-Exeter Programme at Oxford University and a Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Criminology at Oxford University. He has taught Introduction to Sociology, Law and Modern Society, Ways of Knowing, and Technology and Modern Society, among other courses. He earned his B.A. from the University of California at Davis in 1984 and his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Virginia in 1995.
Amy D. Podmore
A member of the studio art department, Podmore's work has been exhibited at The Rose Art Museum, The DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park, Sculpture by the Sea- in Sydney, Australia, The Massachusetts College of Art, The Carrie Haddad Gallery, Hudson, N.Y., The Institute for Contemporary Art, Portland, Maine, ArtSpace in New Haven, Conn., The Allston Skirt Gallery in Boston, Mass. and at the Williams College Museum of Art. At Williams, she teaches sculpture and drawing classes. Of her teaching, she has said, "As an artist teaching art, I encourage students to critically question their choices, to welcome and trust their intuition, and to take risks." She received her B.A. from the State University College of New York at Buffalo in 1981 and her M.F.A. from the University of California, Davis in 1987 and attended Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in 1986.
Cheryl Shanks
Shanks's research focuses on fluidity in population and territory, the two central components of sovereignty. She is the author of "Immigration and the Politics of American Sovereignty, 1890-1990," as well as articles on the politics of international tourism, anti-immigration movements, and international organizations. Shanks teaches International Law; Genocide, Exile and Famine; and Ethics and Interests in International Politics. She received her B.A. from the University of California at Santa Cruz in 1983 and her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in 1994.
W. Anthony Sheppard
Sheppard's forthcoming book, "Extreme Exoticism: Japan in the American Musical Imagination," will look at musical encounters between Japan and the United States in the last 150 years in order to study how culture is shaped by music. He is also the author of "Revealing Masks: Exotic Influences and Ritualized Performance in Modernist Music Theater" (2001). His work has appeared in the Cambridge Opera Journal, Journal of the American Musicological Society, Musical Quarterly, ECHO, and will appear in the Cambridge History of World Music. At Williams, he has recently taught Musics of the Twentieth Century, Music in Modernism, and American Pop Orientalism. He earned his B.A. from Amherst College in 1991 and his Ph.D. in music from Princeton University in 1996.
Steven J. Swoap
Swoap's research concerns the underlying mechanisms for cardiovascular adaptations in response to changes in ambient temperature and food availability. His work has appeared in the Journal of Experimental Biology, Neuroendocrinology, and the American Journal of Physiology, among many others. His research has been supported by grants from the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, American College of Sports Medicine, and American Physiological Society. He received the Arthur C. Guyton Award for Excellence in Integrative Physiology from the American Physiological Society. He teaches Physiology and Molecular Physiology. He earned his B.A. from Trinity University in 1990 and his Ph.D. in physiology and biophysics from the University of California in 1994. He did his postdoctoral work at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.
Carmen T. Whalen
Whalen's research focuses on United States history, 1945 to the present; Latina/o Studies; and Labor, Migration and Women's History. She is the author of "The Puerto Rican Diaspora: Historical Perspectives" and "From Puerto Rico to Philadelphia: Puerto Rican Workers and Postwar Economics." Her work also has appeared in the books "A Nation of Peoples: A Sourcebook on America's Multicultural Heritage" and "The Collaborative City: Opportunities and Challenges for Blacks and Latinos in U.S. Cities." She teaches Latinas in the Global Economy, Community Building and Social Movements in Latina/o History, and Comparative Latina/o Migrations. She received her B.A. from Hampshire College in 1985 and her Ph.D. in history from Rutgers University in 1994.
END
Founded in 1793, Williams College is the second oldest institution of higher learning in Massachusetts. The college's 2,000 students are taught by a faculty noted for the quality of their teaching and research, and the achievement of academic goals includes active participation of students with faculty in their research. Students' educational experience is enriched by the residential campus environment in Williamstown, Mass., which provides a host of opportunities for interaction with one another and with faculty beyond the classroom. Admission decisions are made regardless of a student's financial ability, and the college provides grants and other assistance to meet the demonstrated needs of all who are admitted. To visit the college on the Internet: www.williams.edu
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