Provost's Office

Ekphrastic poetry—poetry that describes a work of art, real or imagined—has been around since Homer described the complex decorations on the shield of Achilles in the Iliad, and countless poets since then have tried to translate visual artworks into words. How are we to understand this cross-media genre? Professor Antonia Losano will talk about a few notable examples of ekphrastic poets, including Keats, Browning, Auden, Sexton, Komunyakaa, and Trethewey. You’ll also look at the artworks they describe and explore the complex relationship of word and image.

Many of us first encountered algebra and geometry as two separate and very different areas of mathematics, but the two fields are intricately interconnected. Starting from the basics of Euclidean geometry and elementary algebra, award-winning teacher Emily Proctor highlights the relationship between these fields and shows how algebra is one of our strongest tools for understanding geometric objects and the world around us.

CryptoParties are part of a “global and decentralized grass-roots movement to help everyday people learn how to improve their internet security with open source tools.” With political and social polarization at work in this country, we believe that activists and allies will need to protect themselves from increased surveillance, harassment, doxxing, and other digital dangers. DLINQ’s Activists and Allies Cryptoparty aims to help protect people who are on the front lines of activism in our community and country, and/or people who work with and support marginalized communities.

Please join us for a conversation with Carolyn Finney whose piece, “The perils of being black in public: we are all Christian Cooper and George Floyd”, recently appeared in The Guardian. With Caitlin Myers and Sarah Stroup as moderators, Dr. Finney will address current issues around race and the environment. Webinar attendees will be able to submit questions before and during the webinar.

This is a webinar taking place via Zoom. Please visit the website to register for this event. There is no charge.

Presented by Alex Newhouse the Digital Research Lead at the Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism at MIIS and Kris McGuffie the Deputy Director of the Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism (CTEC).

Big data are ubiquitous. Although this may not come as a surprise, you may be surprised at how easy these data are to access without any specialized technical skills! In this talk, we’ll begin by showing the power of accessing big data and the ease at which it can be done by the layperson. We’ll then discuss the pros and cons of the availability of such data and provide examples of each. Finally, we’ll talk about decision making based on big data in facial recognition and how it will affect the future of humankind.

Middlebury is currently undergoing a comprehensive evaluation for Reaccreditation by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE). The evaluation is focused on nine standards defined by NECHE. The Reaccreditation steering committee compiled a Self-Study to respond to the standards and forms the basis for the visit. The review team will be hosting an open meeting for all Staff. All staff are encouraged to attend at this time. Open Faculty and Student meetings are held at other times.

The James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Institute uses technologies such as computer models and commercial satellite photographs to study nuclear weapons programs around the world. The results look like the work of an intelligence agency, but they are done entirely by faculty, staff and students using open information.

Our ability to effectively respond to forced migration flows in the 21st century is hampered by legal and regulatory regimes that reflect neither the reality of modern displacement nor the moral and social imperatives of our age. Looking at Syrian refugees in Jordan as well as the forthcoming issue of the climate displaced, Peter Stavros will discuss how current regimes serve hardly any party’s interests in the ongoing debate over how to address forced migration.

Faculty, Students and Staff are invited to hear the report out of the review team appointed by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE), Middlebury’s accrediting agency. This meeting takes place at the conclusion of their three day site visit.