Ever More Ravens at Wellesley

Pauline and Henry Durant didn’t want buildings named after them, but they never said anything about birds. So when a pair of common ravens built a nest on a Science Center fire escape, they quickly became Pauline and Henry. And thanks to a webcam, birdwatchers around the world watched this spring as the two produced eggs, then a chick with a ravenous maw. Ravens usually nest in the remote wilds, so the webcam provided a rare opportunity to watch these “highly social, creative” birds 24/7, according to Professor Nick Rodenhouse. Junior successfully flew the coop on May 29, appropriately the day before Commencement.

Student EMT Honored

As the first anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombings approached earlier this year, Kat Goldsmith ’16 was one of 55 highly trained student EMTs awarded the first Collier Medal for their service to the MIT community. The medal was established in memory of MIT Police Officer Sean Collier, who was killed on duty during the week of the bombings. Goldsmith volunteers 20 hours a week for the student-run MIT Emergency Medical Services ambulance and is the only Wellesley student in the group.

Online Antiquities

The College’s Mediterranean Teaching Collection—hundreds of coins and small artifacts dating from ancient times—is being digitized by student photographers and catalogued for use by students next year. Associate Professor of Classical Studies Bryan Burns says the online database will allow students to study coins to prepare for hands-on analysis and independent research projects. In his Athens and Rome course next year, for example, they will compare Athenian coins with the owl of Athena to those from other Greek city-states.