think tank

a small group of Wes faculty, an outside scholar of prominence & a small group of undergrad students collaborate in a year-long academic think tank on a critical environmental issue.

CDMX: Dignity and Possible Futures

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by Basak Kus, Tim Sahay & Mitali Thakor

As part of our Bailey COE Think Tank’s ongoing work on disruption and futures that feel increasingly unpredictable, and more dystopian than hopeful, we (Basak Kus, Mitali Thakor, and Tim Sahay) headed to Mexico for a three-day excursion. The trip was short and intentionally dense. Curated by Tim and Mitali, it involved speaking with people working on climate policy; visiting one of the most discussed municipal experiments in contemporary urban governance—the Utopias initiative, created under the leadership of Mexico City’s widely popular mayor, Clara Brugada; and, last but not least, meeting with the esteemed scholar Paula Ricaurte, whose work on technology, power, and AI has been formative for Mitali’s thinking. As we took off from JFK, we were excited about what lay ahead.

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think tank explores uncertain futures & risks

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Every academic year, the Bailey COE invites a small group of Wesleyan faculty and undergraduate students, plus a noted scholar from outside the University, to gather together for the Think Tank: a yearlong discussion of a critical environmental issue. The 2025-2026 Bailey COE Think Tank features (left to right, top to bottom) Basak Kus, professor of government; climate policy expert Tim Sahay, assistant research scientist, Johns Hopkins University, and the 2025-26 Menakka and Essel Bailey ’66 Distinguished Visiting Scholar at Wesleyan; Hari Krishnan, Co-Chair, Global South Asian Studies, Professor of Dance; and Mitali Thakor, Assistant Professor of Science and Technology Studies.

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think tank explores agency: affect and action

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Every academic year, the COE invites a small group of Wesleyan faculty and undergraduate students, plus a noted scholar from outside the University, to gather together for the Think Tank: a yearlong discussion of a critical environmental issue. The 2024-2025 Bailey COE Think Tank feature Sonia Sultan, Alan M. Dachs Professor of Science, Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies; Justine Quijada, Associate Professor of Religion, Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies, and Environmental Studies; and Garry Bertholf, Assistant Professor of African American Studies, alongside undergraduates Maryam Badr ’25, Hannah Podol ’25, and Nic Galleno, ’25. These University fellows will be joined by the 2024-2025 Menakka and Essel Bailey ‘66 Distinguished Visiting Scholar Roxy Coss: Jazz saxophonist and Founding President of the Women In Jazz Organization, as well as a Grammy-award winning musician, composer, educator and activist.

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grammy-winner coss joins coe think tank

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What brought you to the Bailey COE, and what kinds of contributions are you hoping to make here?
I’m officially here for the Bailey COE Think Tank, continuing the tradition to include cross-disciplinary contributors. This year the theme is agency, and the three faculty fellows wanted an artist or musician to complete the team. There’s a biologist [Sonia Sultan], an anthropologist and religion scholar [Justine Quijada], and an African American studies and literature scholar [Garry Bertholf] on the faculty. 

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think tank aims to reimagine civilization in the anthropocene

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Each academic year, the COE invites a small group of Wesleyan faculty and undergrads plus a noted outside scholar to join together in a yearlong discussion on a critical environmental issue. The Think Tank features a new theme, and new fellows, each year. This year’s COE Think Tank features (from top left): Janice P. Nimura, the Menakka and Essel Bailey ’66 Distinguished Visiting Scholar in the Bailey College of the Environment; Katja Kolcio, associate professor of dance; Ella Doherty ‘24, a biology and environmental studies major; Debbra Goh ’24, an environmental studies and religion major with a minor in the College of East Asian Studies; Andrew Curran, William Armstrong Professor of the Humanities; and Ying Jia Tan, associate professor of history. The group will spend the academic year exploring the theme of “Reimagining Civilization in the Anthropocene.”

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think tank explores radical environments

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Each academic year, the COE invites a small group of Wesleyan faculty and undergrads plus a noted outside scholar to join together in a yearlong discussion on a critical environmental issue. The Think Tank features a new theme, and new fellows, each year. This year’s COE Think Tank features (from top left) LaToya Eaves, Menakka and Essel Bailey ’66 Distinguished Visiting Scholar in the COE; Justin Hosbey, Menakka and Essel Bailey ’66 Distinguished Visiting Scholar in the COE; faculty fellows Anu Sharma, associate professor of anthropology; Raquel Bryant, assistant professor of environmental sciences; and Marguerite Nguyen, associate professor of English, who will explore the theme of “Radical Environments: Living Justice, Imagining Futures.”

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