Must Reads: Browse the CCAS Faculty Bookshelf
From profiles of Surrealist artists and Acropolis craftsmen to examinations of race and religion, CCAS faculty have authored a scholarly library of thought-provoking titles.
Featured Stories
Knight Foundation Investment to Fund Institute for Data, Democracy, and Politics
A new research institute at George Washington University will fight the rise of distorted and misleading information online, working to educate national policymakers and journalists on strategies...
New Faculty Strengthen College Ranks
Columbian College welcomed 24 new full-time faculty members in 2019.
Ghetto: Chronicling a Word’s Tortured History
What is a ghetto? A racially segregated city block? An enclave of immigrants? A walled urban prison? The ideologically charged term defies easy definition. While the word comes from the Italian “...
Inhumane or Unavoidable? Framing Animal Research Ethics
When is the use of animals in biomedical research justified—and when does it go too far? What is the trade-off between scientific experiments that may harm animal subjects—and the possibility of...
Over the past academic year, Columbian College faculty received a significant number of grant awards to support innovative research across the disciplines. From combating climate change in the...
For decades, human paleobiologists have largely agreed on a simple anatomy lesson: Our primate relatives have large torsos—wider pelvises, broader thoraxes, expanded ribcages—to accommodate a...
Study Highlights Vulnerability of Rural Coast to Sea-Level Rise
Type “sea-level rise” in an internet search engine and most of the resulting images will show flooded cities. You would also find ample guidance on civic options for protecting urban...
CCAS Dean Names New Trachtenberg School Director
The George Washington University Columbian College of Arts and Sciences Interim Dean Paul Wahlbeck announced that Mary Tschirhart will serve as the director of...
Oldest Evidence of Stone Tool Production Discovered in Ethiopia
A new archaeological site discovered in Ethiopia by an international team of researchers led by Associate Professor of Anthropology...
When Professor of Sociology Xolela Mangcu remembers his childhood in apartheid-era South Africa, the first image that comes to mind is darkness.
Speed Skater Sidney Chu to Represent GW at University Games
Speed Skater Sidney Chu to Represent GW at University Games
Sky’s the Limit: Eco-Telescope Lands at GW
On the south side of Science and Engineering Hall, students hurrying along H Street are accustomed to dodging traffic and food trucks on their way to class. But on recent sunny days, some have...
Medieval Astrologists as Weather Forecasters?
Pity the Medieval Period. The era stretching from roughly 1000 to 1500 is often dismissed as a wasteland of intellectual and artistic darkness. Overshadowed by Enlightenment stars from Da Vinci to...
Sanjit Sethi Named President of Minneapolis Art and Design
After nearly four years as the inaugural director of the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design at the George Washington University, Sanjit Sethi will become the next president of...
History News Network Comes to CCAS
History News Network (HNN), a newsletter and website that brings historical perspective to current events, is now part of Columbian...
In Marshal Alcorn’s Dean’s Seminar on Violence and Trauma, first-year students grapple with trauma in all of its forms. They read...
For Environmental Chemists, It’s Easy Being Green
From filling consumer orders for shampoos and cosmetics to making life-saving drugs to meeting industrial demands for glues and solvents, chemists are skilled at designing molecules to meet...
Speed Thesis: 3MT Comes to Columbian College
Present a 100-page dissertation in three minutes?
That was the seemingly impossible challenge for a group of Columbian College PhD students participating in the college’s...
Alumni Unicorns Spell Business Magic
Several years ago, Tom Cortese and a small band of tech workers wanted to make working out at home more accessible and maybe even fun.
Forecasting the Economy’s Ups and Downs
Employment is up, but wages are stagnant. Growth is steady, but Wall Street is on a roller coaster ride. GDP growth is robust, but the deficit is staggering. Are we living in an age of unrivaled...
Action! Alumnus Calls Shots From Director’s Chair
No matter how many times veteran TV director and producer Michael Lange, BA ’71, shows up on a set, one thing always surprises him. Whether he’s cuing actors from The...
It is with sadness that we share the news of the passing of Joe Dymond, a geography professor in GW’s Columbian College of Arts and Sciences (CCAS).
“Joe was a legendary...
Forensic sciences alumni are clearing a massive backlog in untested sexual assault kits.
Supernovae Shine Light on Gamma-ray Bursts
Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are the most powerful explosions in the cosmos. They last several seconds and emit the same amount of light as nearly all the stars in the universe.
Such extreme...
Human Brain Allocates Attention Based on Known Size of Objects
A stop sign at an intersection appears to be larger than a parked car across the street. Is our brain playing tricks on us?
In a recently published study in the journal Nature...
From his perch along a forest tree branch—whether in the woodland savannahs of eastern Brazil; the foothills outside of Tucson, Ariz.; or the blazing sunshine of the Florida Keys—Associate...
By the Book: Alumnus’ 2019 Must-Reads
BuzzFeed writer Isaac Fitzgerald, BA ’05, has always surrounded himself with books. He grew up in a working class Boston neighborhood within walking distance of the public library...