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News Travels Season's Greetings, Cougs!

Recipients of research internships in science and engineering

Justin Niedermeyer

WSU undergraduate Justin Niedermeyer, who is triple majoring in Physics, Vocal Performance, and German for the Professions, received a RISE Scholarship and spent Summer 2014 working in a physics research lab at the University of Heidelberg, Germany.

Evan OlszkoWSU graduate student Evan Olszko (B.S. Civil Engineering and German Minor/May 2012; M.A. Civil Engineering/December 2014) received a RISE Professional Scholarship and is interning in Germany at the Forschungszentrum Jülich Research Centre from September 2014-December 2014. Both students acknowledge the importance of studying German at WSU to their successful transition to living and working in Germany.

Faculty-Led Summer 2015 Programs

The German faculty is united in their commitment to encouraging the study of German in country at all levels of their program. In June 2015, Professor Joshua Bonzo will be leading a program to Berlin for students just beginning their study of the language. Under his tutelage they will complete an intensive German 101 course taught in German and a German culture course taught in English. Check out the program guide.

Professor Jolyon T. Hughes is also heading to Berlin with a combined group of students from WSU and Colorado State University. During this six-week program, students will study German culture and German composition, while still having time for plenty of travel on the weekends. This program is for advanced, upper division students and covers aspects of German language, literature, and culture at the 300 and 400 level of instruction. Check out the program guide.

Professor Rachel Halverson will return for the third time to the Universität Duisburg-Essen in June 2015 with a group of WSU students participating in the UDE Sommerkurs. Prior to their departure, most of the participants will have completed either German 101 or German 102 on the Pullman campus.

German Film Series

In the 2014-15 academic year, the German department started its own film series.  Each month, German students, and the WSU community at-large, are invited to attend a public showing of German films of both humorous and serious nature. The inaugural film series presented issues ranging from WWII, and the challenges faced in the performing arts under the Nazi regime, to the multi-cultural world of modern Germany including a romantic comedy. The wealth of German films available insure that the series will soon become a department tradition.

Promotions

DFLC had a good year for promotions! Among those promoted was Dr. Joshua Bonzo, who was promoted to the rank of Clinical Associate Professor. Professor Bonzo was thrilled for the promotion, being grateful for the recognition of his contributions at WSU; he hopes to be of service to the University and its students for many years to come.

Dr. Rachel Halverson, Associate Professor of German has been granted Professional Leave for 2015. During this time, she will continue her work on young German author, Tobias Hülswitt, specifically translating his fourth novel “Dinge bei Licht” into English. This project will entail travel to Berlin for meetings with the author to identify and resolve translation issues, as well as two weeks in the Deutsches Literaturarchiv in Marbach, Germany, to confirm translation notes.