all the rest
This spring, President Michael S. Roth announced that Wesleyan University’s College of the Environment (COE) had been renamed in honor of Essel ’66 and Menakka Bailey, long-time Wesleyan supporters whose passion for the environment and the work of the COE had greatly enriched the experience of Wes students and faculty. Wesleyan hosted a ribbon cutting and dedication event to celebrate the Bailey COE, Wesleyan’s first named college, at the start of Reunion and Commencement festivities.
At the age of 56, Laurie Kenney has finally figured out what she wants to be when she grows up. “There are no two ways about it: I’m not your usual ‘new’ music artist,” says Laurie, who lives in Guilford and works as the administrative assistant in the Bailey College of the Environment. “But as far as I know, there’s no age limit on creativity!”
Laurie wrote her first song at the age of 12 and her second at 56. In the 44 years in between, she built a career in publishing, public relations, and education, and raised a family. Her musical journey began as a self-imposed challenge: learn to play guitar and write and record an album of original songs…or die trying. Every Apple Does Go Bad Eventually (October 6, 2023, Cynical Girl Records) is the literal fruit of that labor.
Each year the College of the Environment provides faculty-student research grants to provide faculty and their students an opportunity to conduct research that would not have been otherwise possible. Research in the O’Neil lab is focused on understanding the structure-function relationship of proteins involved in neurodegenerative diseases, specifically ALS. Thanks to a COE faculty-student research grant and a COE summer fellowship, Alison O’Neil, assistant professor of chemistry, neuroscience major Daniel Kulick ’21 and molecular biology and biochemistry & neuroscience and behavior double-major Josephine Park ’22 were able to collaborate on Professor O’Neil’s investigation of the persistent toxicant cis-Chlordane as an environmental trigger of sporadic ALS.
Welcome to coexist, the blog of the College of the Environment of Wesleyan University. Here you’ll find photos, videos, news, and commentary about our work to create a sustainable future in a peaceful, environmentally just world. Our students, faculty, and staff come from across the university, from the arts to the sciences. Our partners hail from institutions across the globe. And together, we seek integrative, innovative solutions to the compelling environmental issues of our time. Our mission: to help change the world.
I welcome you to coexist, and I entreat you to join with us on our mission.
Barry Chernoff
Director, College of the Environment
Robert F. Schumann Professor of Environmental Studies
Are you a member of the coe community with a story to share? interested in contributing? Reach out via email or connect on social (links above)! Read on for more about our current coexist contributors!
Laurie Kenney has been a member of the Wesleyan University community since 2014. Before joining the College of the Environment, she was a writer/editor and the editorial marketing manager in Wesleyan’s Office of University Communications. Laurie’s professional experience includes 20+ years in publishing, public relations, marketing, and education. Her favorite on-the-job experience: Working with Sir Roger Moore on his book, Bond on Bond: Reflections on 50 Years of James Bond Movies.
Shaya is an intern at the COE and a member of the class of 2022 from Huntington, New York. An Environmental Studies, English, and French Studies major, Shaya is also a Sustainable Middletown Intern with the Sustainability Office, a member of the Green Fund Committee, and an Orientation Leader. Shaya is interested in martial arts, eco-fiction, environmental law, and groundhog-spotting on campus.
Barry Chernoff is the director of the College of the Environment and The Robert F. Schumann Chair of Environmental Studies. Chernoff joined the Wesleyan faculty in 2003. He teaches courses in Environmental Studies, Tropical Ecology, Aquatic Ecosystem Conservation, and Quantitative Analysis for the departments of Biology and Earth & Environmental Sciences. Chernoff’s research centers on the freshwater fishes of the Neotropical region, primarily those in South America in the Amazon. His research includes, ecology, evolutionary biology and conservation. He has also led international teams on expeditions designed to conserve large watersheds of the world, having made more than 32 expeditions in 12 countries.
In the past, Chernoff held professorial and curatorial positions at the Field Museum, University of Chicago, University of Illinois at Chicago, University of Pennsylvania, and the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. He holds a visiting position at Universidad Central de Venezuela. In his “spare” time, Chernoff is the guitarist for the Mattabesset String Collective, a 5-piece acoustic ensemble playing an eclectic mix of bluegrass, blues, folk, mountain, country and rock, all in a string band style.
May Klug ’19 in April. The morning of her thesis defense. At Long Lane Farm, tending the greens. A senior music and American studies major, May volunteers 10 to 12 hours/week at the student-run farm, and was a member of last fall’s Pumpkin Fest committee (where she performed). This winter and spring she’s devoted her time to giving the summer greens a good head start. She’s particularly proud of the peas.
Our first-ever small-batch coexist t-shirts, handcrafted with eco-love. Made with conventionally grown cotton in a zero-waste facility, using 60% less water in production than standard tees (even higher than organic) and printed with eco-friendly inks by Middletown’s own cinder + salt, our soft and stretchy coexist t-shirts are free for our current environmental studies majors with a limited quantity available for $10/each for anyone else! Email me for more info!