On Jan. 22, Academy Award winner and University alumnus Bill Westenhofer ’90 offered students, faculty and community members information regarding the visual effect process by describing the effects of using both live-action footage and graphics through presenting scenes from “Life of Pi.”
“The event was mostly a visual effect breakdown of ‘Life of Pi,’” Cristiane Teles Maia ’13 said.
Maia invited Westenhofer originally, and helped organize the event with Associate Professor of English Eric Faden.
“[Westenhofer] showed what it took to make the tiger and also the water specifically [in ‘Life of Pi’],” Maia said. “He also explained all the steps they had to take to study them–I believe he spent a few weeks studying the tiger alone and then he spent some time on the ocean, studying the movement and lighting of it. He also had a few videos showing the process from lines to the final outcome of scenes.”
Westenhofer won the Academy Award in 2007 for his visual effects used in “The Golden Compass.” He has a history of working on the visual effects of many successful films, including “Chronicles of Narnia,” “Men in Black 2,” “Elf,” “Stuart Little” and “Stuart Little 2,” as well as “Land of the Lost.” Other successes of his include his experience as a technical director of the Rhythm and Hues Studio, as well as for his supervision of the visual effects in “Babe: Pig in the City,” a 1995 Academy Award winner.
Westenhofer graduated with a bachelor’s degree in computer science and engineering from the University, and went on to get a master’s degree from George Washington University’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
“Bill was a great guy,” Maia said. “I got to spend some time with him throughout the day and he had great stories from Bucknell and is very proud to be a Bucknellian. He met with my computer graphics class and talked about jobs in the industry. He also said that he is most proud of the ‘Life of Pi,’ comparing it to all of his work.”
As many have seen from the signs around campus, Alpha Xi Delta is a new sorority that is coming to the University this spring. They have had a few events to introduce themselves and they have a few more coming up soon. At these meetings, they share information about their national chapter with the University.
Although Alpha Xi Delta is new to the University, it is established on other college campuses. Their philanthropy is Autism Speaks, which is a foundation that sponsors research to cure autism and also holds outreach programs to inform the public about the disease. On campus, the sorority is looking to recruit a cohesive group of girls who are leaders, and who are involved, motivated and academically successful. Alpha Xi Delta’s colors are light blue, dark blue and gold, or as they refer to them: “double blue gold.”
Penn State is the closest college campus with an Alpha Xi Delta chapter and there is a possibility of hosting events together in the future. The founders of the chapter here at the University are committed to creating an exciting social calendar to create sisterly bonds and to become involved in the school. At the open house last Thursday, the founders described one benefit of joining a new sorority on campus: the pledge class gets to decide the nickname, whether it is “Alpha Delta,” “Alpha Xi,” or another combination. They also get to start their own traditions and reputation, as they are the founding class.
If anyone is interested in learning more about Alpha Xi Delta, they are hosting a few more public events in the near future. A few key dates are Jan. 29, Jan. 31 and Feb. 5. You will see them around campus handing out cards and flyers about upcoming events and more information.
The average Nicaraguan does not get more than a third-grade education and some only receive two gallons of water per day for drinking, cleaning and cooking. Since 1999, the University has been trying to do its part to change this statistic.
Photo courtesy of Brad Meyer.
This past winter break, University students and faculty traveled to Ciudad Sandino, a city right outside of Managua, Nicaragua. The Bucknell Brigade service-learning trip occurs in the winter and spring every year and partners with a non-profit Jubilee House Community (JHC) to help with projects in Ciudad Sandino. University volunteers help to raise money for the free health clinic in Nueva Vida. Medicine and supplies are brought to Nicaragua and volunteers are involved in manual labor and other related projects while on the trip.
“Progress is certainly being made in Nicaragua since our first experience in 1999, but the problems of poverty are still quite staggering,” Janice Bulter, director of the Office of Service Learning said. “It helps our students to gain a new perspective to see what is happening in developing countries and how U.S. policies affect others.”
The Brigade began in 1999 as a response to Hurricane Mitch. The partnership with a resettlement community in Nicaragua has continued ever since. In fact, the facility of Nueva Vida was built primarily by the money raised by this student initiative.
“My involvement with the Bucknell Brigade since January 2010 has dramatically shaped my Bucknell journey and my life in general, so I was beyond excited for the opportunity to return to Nicaragua!” Katie Janda ’13, co-leader said. “Coming back as a senior, it was incredible to see how the community of Nueva Vida has changed in three years; more paved roads, more stable housing, but also more trash lined the streets and filled the local dump. However, while we worked digging trenches and painting benches at the clinic and the Jubilee House Community compound, the hope and perseverance of the Nicaraguan people was ever present.”
This winter, the Brigade put in a sidewalk to make the transportation of goods easier for the people of Ciudad Sandino, and painted benches to go inside the medical clinic that the Brigade helped develop.
“As a returning member of the Brigade this time, I was encouraged to see all of the progress that had been made and projects that Bucknell had completed since my last trip,” Jenna Masi ’13, co-leader said. “However, returning for the second time was a harsh reminder of all that I take for granted in my life.”
The Brigade continues to leave its mark in Nicaragua, and just as University participants have been greatly affected and influenced by the trips, so have the people living in Nicaragua.
“While we were working in the clinic, I had the opportunity to speak with a woman, who was 23-years-old, who was at the clinic with her three children one, three and five,” Kasha Scott ’14 said. “She told me a little bit about her life story, and how she had been relocated to Nueva Vida after Hurricane Mitch displaced her from her home on the shore of Lake Managua. She is originally from Mexico, and her mother still lives in Mexico. She said that it was her dream to come and visit the United States because it was such a beautiful country.”
“One of the best parts of both of my trips was seeing the tremendous impact Bucknell has had on the community of Ciudad Sandino,” Masi said. “Everywhere we went, we saw signs dedicated to Bucknell and the work we have done. Seeing the projects that past Brigadistas have worked on and the impact they have made was inspiring. Nicaraguans and the JHC volunteers think highly of Bucknell and the work we have been doing there for the past 14 years. It made me so incredibly proud of the commitment Bucknell has made, and I felt honored to be a part of something that has been so meaningful to the people of Ciudad Sandino.”
The volunteers would agree that their job extends beyond the realm of manual labor and projects. The group learns more about the history and culture and most importantly, the people.
“Our group was deeply moved by the grace, generosity, strength and joy of all that we encountered,” Janda said. “It was an honor and a privilege to work and learn alongside Nicaraguans and my fellow Brigadistas, and just like in January 2010, I know my life has once again been changed by this experience.”
“I strongly encourage all Bucknellians to utilize the amazing resources our school has to offer and consider thinking outside of the ‘bubble,’ get their hands dirty and serve in ways they never thought possible,” Janda said.
A group of future Brigadistas, including new student and faculty faces, look forward to the next Brigade trip in March.
Courtesy of Kathy Gilbert Kathy Gilbert ’82 generously donated equipment to the campus’s radio station.
Kerong Kelly
Writer
Kathy Gilbert ’82 Donates Processor to WVBU
WVBU, the University’s student-run radio station, received a processor donated by Kathy Gilbert ’82. This generous donation will drastically increase the sound quality of the station. Both Ms. Gilbert and her husband, Kid Kelly, a NYC radio disk jockey on the Sirius network, wanted to show their interest and support for student-run media outlets at the University.
“We are very excited about getting this generous gift for the radio station. With it, the radio station will finally be able to replace its 30+ year old processor and in its place, put a new and aesthetically more pleasing processor,” said Charlie Geitz ’15, WVBU’s new station manager.
WVBU is an important aspect to the student life and culture at the University; it offers a wide range of entertainment, from music to coverage of athletic events.
“After visiting WVBU and seeing that they had many needs, I saw an opportunity to use my radio background and peer network to assist WVBU in upgrading their facility. Drew Kelly, the program director of WQKX in Sunbury, will also be working with the WVBU staff to increase the distance that the station can be heard as well as teaching the students about radio,” Gilbert said.
The new processor will allow the station to produce material at a higher level of quality and will allow listeners to hear the more subtle aspects of the broadcast music. With the help of Drew Kelly, the new processor is now a reality. Members of WVBU and listeners wait to hear the new and much anticipated improved sound quality.
Matthew Hacker | The Bucknellian Danielle McKenna ’13 and Jack D’Aquila ’14 in guest artist Michael Foley’s piece.
Christina Oddo
The Department of Theatre and Dance is proud to present the Bucknell Dance Company (BDC) Fall Concert. The show will take place tonight and tomorrow at 8 p.m. in the Harvey M. Powers Theatre.
The concert will feature many different styles of dance, including ballet, modern and jazz. Associate Professor of Dance Kelly Knox, Assistant Professor of Theatre and Dance Dustyn Martincich and Associate Professor of Dance Er-Dong Hu choreographed for the show. Students Chelsea Dieck ’13, Christine Rossiello ’13 and Courtney Lambert ’13 also choreographed, as well as guest artist Michael Foley.
Matthew Hacker | The Bucknellian Dancers perform a piece choreographed by Courtney Lambert ’13.
“[Foley’s] kaleidoscopic partnering work constantly shifts and lifts bodies through space,” Knox said. “We also welcome Professor Barry Long from the Music Department, who contributes jazz interludes to the steamy world of a femme fatale jazz work–and incidentally plays live trumpet in Friday’s concert.”
Long will play his own compositions live throughout Martincich’s piece, “Guilty,” in tonight’s show. Four male students from the Theatre Department will also be performing in “Guilty.”Rossiello has incorporated the reading of the poem “Birthday” by Andrea Gibson into her piece, “Within. With You.”
“This concert is different from others in that it incorporates such a large spectrum of different types of dance, replete with intricate personalized costumes and powerful music, all of which I can assure will keep the audience intrigued throughout,” BDC member Abbey Slobodin ’15 said.
Costumes and lighting will prove to be present and powerful throughout the concert.
“This particular concert employs design as a choreographic element in several pieces, whether it’s the stylistic trench coats and hazy backlights reminiscent of film noir in Dustyn Martincich’s piece ‘Guilty’ … or the industrial light towers that dissect the space in Er-Dong Hu’s ‘Transitions.’ This concert takes full advantage of the design talent in our department,” Knox said.
Furthering the theme of design as a core element of the concert, Knox’s piece, “Perspective Subordination,”will encompass projected live images of the dancers partnering with themselves.
Choreographing for the show this semester has been a rewarding and challenging experience for Er-Dong Hu.
“It has been a joy working with nine dancers as well as the opportunity to combine my artistic vision with such unique lighting design,” Hu said. “I have challenged myself to create ‘something different’ that has an ‘East meets West’ style that is also highly technical and demanding for the dancers.”
The BDC has been working relentlessly over the past months to make the concert a success.
“The hardworking and dedicated company has been preparing for months: late rehearsals, adjusting to props, specific stylistic changes and executing movements not only with technique but with pure passion for the art of dance,” Slobodin said.
Student dancers who delve into the world of choreography often encounter rewarding experiences. Lambert commented on the physicality of dance, the uniqueness of the body and the inherent differences between dancers.
“Every dancer moves differently and has his or her own style,” Lambert said. “While this makes every dancer essentially unique, it makes choreographing that much harder. It is rather difficult to put the movement from my own body onto someone else’s in precisely the same manner. However, this uniqueness is what makes this experience so rewarding. When my movement is portrayed by my dancers in the way that I envisioned it to be, I literally cannot help but smile with happiness and gratitude.”
Lambert, who has appeared in numerous dance showcases, has experienced something new as a part of the group of BDC choreographers this semester.
“I am so honored to have been able to choreograph for BDC this semester. I will be honest, I was a little hesitant at first considering the packed semester I had ahead,” Lambert said. “I realized, though, that I would never get this opportunity again, and as a senior this is probably my last time choreographing a piece at Bucknell. I was lucky to have such an amazing group of dancers in my piece who are all extremely talented and have worked so hard to get to this point. I look forward to seeing my vision in its entirety come to life this weekend.”
“This fall has been a fantastic journey watching the seven diverse pieces of the concert come together,” Knox said. “It’s impossible to say what aspect is most rewarding, but I can tell you that after the first showing, when I saw all of the pieces as works in progress, I was struck by the immense creativity and dance talent we have in our program and I feel lucky to be a part of it all.”
Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for general admission. Tickets can be purchased at the box office: (570) 577-1000 or online: www.bucknell.edu/boxoffice
If you are looking for a treat before finals, stop by the Tustin Studio Theatre on Dec. 3 and 4 at 5 p.m. to see “Cocktail Theatre: An Evening of One-Acts.” This series of one-act plays is directed by students from Assistant Professor of Theatre and Dance Anjalee Hutchinson’s Theater 240 class.
Hannah Cordes ’15, a student director, explained that there are nine Cocktail directors, each in charge of a few cast members. Professionals wrote the one-acts, but everything else is up to the students. Since the cast members are student volunteers, this event brings the theater department together to support the novice directors.
Not sure what to expect?
“The theme of this year’s cocktails is ‘lovers and strangers,’ so it encompasses a lot of really great stories (both comedic and tragic) about chance encounters as well as deep-rooted romantic relationships,” Cordes said.
Support the University’s theater students next week as they show off their talents. Admission to all of the plays is free.
This November has been unseasonably chilly. I’m sure this week’s snow episode was a rude awakening for those who have not yet had the privilege of bearing Northeastern winters.
After nearly four winters of warmth, I officially retired my Uggs this season and decided to look for a more reliable pair of snow boots. So, amidst Black Friday chaos, my mom and I traveled to the nearby L.L. Bean store.
I must admit, I have wanted a pair of duck boots–commonly known as Bean Boots–since they became wildly popular last spring. When we had finally meandered our way to the outerwear section of the store, a pair of tan Bean Boots immediately caught my attention. Needless to say, I was sold in an instant. And, in case you were wondering, I’m wearing them as I write this article.
L.L. Bean, however, is not a duck boot monopoly. J. Crew is currently selling an exclusive line of Sperry Top-Sider Shearwater boots. They come in a variety of preppy two-tones, including navy blue and pink. They’re also fur lined, making them perfect for Pennsylvania winters.
Bean Boots also look adorable when paired with calf-high wool socks and black leggings. On days when I want to feel extra-outdoorsy, I throw on a plaid flannel and Patagonia vest to complete the look.
World renowned pianists Jenny Lin and retired University professor Lois Svard gathered a crowd of University students and members of the Lewisburg community for their piano duet, “For Merce” on the evening of Nov. 26 at 7:30 p.m. in the Rooke Recital Hall of the Weis Music Building. Despite the fact that many of the pieces were composed for just one piano, the two came together to create a more authentic sound, and to honor the choreographer and dancer, Merce Cunningham, after whom the performance was named. In total, the night consisted of seven songs from composers who worked with Cunningham prior to his death in 2009.
Each piece was more unconventional than the former; the first piece was played from a composed graphic score, another was performed from images rather than notes and the last was composed electronically from the notes generated throughout the entire concert.
But, such an innovative performance was to be expected from Svard and Lin. Svard, who taught at the University until last year, is especially known for combining classical piano with new-age technology, such as multimedia, keyboard and microtonal tunings. Last year, Svard left the University to dedicate herself to the combination of classical piano and new technology. Most notably, she has been examining how neuroscience can be applied to music for listeners and performers. One of the songs played was composed when the composer observed his brain waves and imitated them musically.
Lin currently lives in New York City, where she serves on the faculty of the 92nd Street Y. Her impressive resume includes more than 20 albums, with one that was selected as the Best of 2009 by the Washington Post. She has also performed in Carnegie Hall, the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Lin described one of the pieces played, “Music for Piano with Magnetic Strings,” as “music of chance.” She explained that “the clefs can be interpreted as treble or bass depending on how we feel,” so the outcome “depends on timing and the mood we’re in.”
This piece was played by touching the strings on the inside of the piano rather than by touching the keys.
Svard described Morton Feldmans’ piece, “Two Pianos” as a piece about “time and space.” Since none of the pieces played at the event had a melody, Svard stressed that the experience as an audience member is more about “listening to the texture, to the tambour, to how instruments interact with each other,” as well as “hearing the silences between the notes” and “how sounds overlap.”
The combination of classical and contemporary music offered the audience insight into the expanse of sounds pianos can create. While classical piano is limited in the sounds it produces, the integration of technology increases the sound potential for classical pianos.
For the holidays this year, you can forget the apple pie with this incredibly delicious treat. This is one of those fantastic recipes that tastes phenomenal and just happens to be more healthy for you. You can also try adding nuts or dried fruit to the filling (golden raisins are my favorite). I topped a few of mine with a half teaspoon of chopped pecans. You can bake the apples longer to make them more soft so they fall apart, or cook them a little less so they still have a bite.
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients
6 large apples
2 Tbsp Truvia Baking Blend
2 Tbsp brown sugar (packed)
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp Land O’Lakes Light Butter
Directions
Heat oven to 400 F.
Core apples–make sure not to cut through the bottom. You can use an apple corer or carefully use a paring knife.
In a small bowl, mix together sugars and spices.
Cut butter into 6 cubes and put one cube into each apple along with 1/6 of the sugar spice mixture (you can also top with chopped nuts if you’d like).
Place in a casserole dish and add about 1/2 inch of water to the dish as well.
As the Bond franchise celebrates its 50th anniversary, director Sam Mendes delivers a terrific reboot to the series with “Skyfall.” Engaging, modern and lovingly self-referential, “Skyfall” is a definite contender as one of the best 007 movies of all time.
“Skyfall” opens, in traditional Bond fashion, in an exotic locale (Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar) as our hero (Daniel Craig), in all his perfectly tailored glory, knocks over some fruit carts in his attempt to catch the “bad guy”–in this case, he’s stolen a flash drive loaded with valuable information. Rooftop chases and a fight on a train ensue (Bond stopping to adjust a cuff link before reentering the fray); it’s all in a day’s work for 007–until it’s not. When the villain in question uses Bond as a human shield and his fellow agent cannot get a clean shot, M (Judi Dench), via earpiece, commands she take the shot, and Bond apparently dies.
Shockingly, 007 does not die 20 minutes into this film. While he’s presumed dead, some serious dilemmas arise at MI6. M is subjected to her new, deeply bureaucratic boss (Ralph Fiennes), who thinks it is about time she stepped down, and is seriously questioning the role of secret agents in an increasingly digital world. Shortly after this dressing down, M is made the target of a terrorist attack on MI6 itself, and is told to “think on her sins.” All this, and she has to write Bond’s obituary, too?
Happily, Bond returns to London soon enough, but this is a tired and aging Bond. Forced to retake his physical and mental exams, he scrapes by and returns to active duty, gunning for the cyber terrorist targeting M. With the help of the latest Bond girl, he finds the perversely amiable Silva (a blonde Javier Bardem) living on a creepily abandoned island. It turns out that Silva’s an ex-MI6 agent who has major Oedipal beef with M. In an exciting and somewhat expected plot twist, Silva is not so well-caught as MI6 had hoped, and both Bond and M must run for cover until they are able to face Silva on Bond’s home turf.
“Skyfall” is hands down the best action movie of the year, which is already saying something unusual about a Bond movie of late. This film is the rightful sequel to 2006’s “Casino Royale,” and firmly sets up Bond movies for years to come. (Let’s just pass over the blip that was “Quantum of Solace,” shall we?) A super-creepy Bardem is a terrific baddie–always a good sign in the world of 007 successes. With the help of fresh, new cast members (Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Ben Whishaw), this Bond screams 21stcentury, a place some weren’t sure he belonged. Specifically great is a sardonically nerdy Whishaw as the latest Q, who jokes, “What, were you expecting an exploding pen? We don’t really do that anymore.”
Although gone is Connery’s sarcastic, all-knowing Bond, Craig’s more realistically brutal performance is an easy second for best ever 007.
“A dynamic and vulnerable Daniel Craig comes of age in this action packed movie, making this Bond one of the best,” Ava Giuliano ’14 said.
The exuberant references to past adventures, witty script and the unexpected return of a certain Aston Martin DB5 make “Skyfall” one of the best Bond installments, and perhaps even a contender this Oscar season.
