Mystic News and Stories
America’s Vanishing Coastline: Climate Adaptation and Decision-Making in Southern Louisiana
When Spring ’17 student Natalie DiNenno stumbled across an article about climate refugees in Alaska, she wondered if she had found her marine policy research topic. Studying sociology at Williams had taught Natalie to “think about research in terms of people and places,” and she hoped to carry this approach over to her policy research project at Williams-Mystic. Guided by marine policy professor Katy Robinson … Continue reading “America’s Vanishing Coastline: Climate Adaptation and Decision-Making in Southern Louisiana”
On January 11 and 18, Join Us for Cajun Dancing
This January, Williams-Mystic is delighted to host a Williams College Winter Study course entitled “The Changing Landscape and Musical Geography of the Mississippi River Delta” — and inspired by our very own Louisiana Field Seminar. As part of the course, there are two free, live Cajun music and dance events we very much hope you’ll come out for. When: 7 pm on Thursday, January 11 … Continue reading “On January 11 and 18, Join Us for Cajun Dancing”
How One Alumna’s South Pole Journey Earned Williams-Mystic $25,000
During Alumni Reunion Weekend 2017, Alexander “Sasha” Bulazel (S’85) posed a challenge to his fellow Williams-Mystic alumni: Take a picture with the Williams-Mystic burgee at one of our planet’s extremes,* and Bulazel would donate $25,000 to Williams-Mystic. Not two months later, Jaime Hensel (S’03), arrived at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station with the Williams-Mystic burgee in hand. For Hensel, a nurse practitioner who is half … Continue reading “How One Alumna’s South Pole Journey Earned Williams-Mystic $25,000”
From C to Shining Sea: Complex Dynamics from Combinatorics to Coastlines
If there’s one thing Williams-Mystic students learn first, it’s that you can’t study a topic as vast as our world’s oceans and coasts from the vantage point of a single discipline. From day one, Williams-Mystic prompts students to draw connections among topics as (seemingly) far afield as literature, policy, science, and history. In his presentation Friday as part of Williams-Mystic’s Biannual Lecture Series, Williams College … Continue reading “From C to Shining Sea: Complex Dynamics from Combinatorics to Coastlines”
Fall 2017 Student Finds Community, Competes in Miss Connecticut USA Pageant
By Taylor Harris, Williams Mystic F’17 At Williams-Mystic, our students develop close-knit communities in the classroom, on the road, and in our student houses. They also become members of the local community. For Fall ’17 student Taylor Harris, this means continuing her passion for competing in pageants. Taylor came to Williams-Mystic as a junior English major from Howard University. She has been competing in pageants on and … Continue reading “Fall 2017 Student Finds Community, Competes in Miss Connecticut USA Pageant”
Long-Distance Life Rafts Transported Hundreds of Species Across the Pacific, Study Led by Williams-Mystic Director Emeritus Finds
On March 11, 2011, a tsunami devastated Japan’s coast. More than six years later, marine organisms native to Japan and representing nearly 300 species are still washing up on North America’s coasts. These are some of the findings of a major study published September 29 in the journal Science and authored by a team led by Williams-Mystic Director Emeritus James T. Carlton. Most of these organisms, … Continue reading “Long-Distance Life Rafts Transported Hundreds of Species Across the Pacific, Study Led by Williams-Mystic Director Emeritus Finds”
A Landlubber’s Logbook
By Deion Hammond F22 It was before dawn when I pulled myself from the warm embrace of my bed and picked up my Williams-Mystic™ duffel bag. Leaving the house and joining the rest of my bleary-eyed, coffee-powered companions, we boarded the bus to the airport, bound for the land of lazy lagoons, bountiful bayous and plentiful pelicans: Louisiana. We landed in New Orleans and headed … Continue reading “A Landlubber’s Logbook”
Diverse Voices From Our Maritime Past
Former Williams-Mystic literature professor Rich King has co-authored an article in Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute’s journal, Oceanus: “Diverse Voices From Our Maritime Past: Exploring the value of historical observations by mariners of color.” The article highlights the often neglected historical contributions from mariners of color. Click this link to read the article. “Environmental historians, marine ecologists, and other scholars ask questions that are quantitative-how much … Continue reading “Diverse Voices From Our Maritime Past”
Williams-Mystic is hiring!
Williams-Mystic invites applications for a full-time assistant professor of coastal & ocean policy, with a start date of July 1, 2025 in Mystic. The ideal candidate is a coastal and ocean policy expert, practitioner and educator. Full details about the position and required qualifications available at bit.ly/wm_policy. Complete applications are due via Interfolio by February 3, 2025.