Carleton juniors Milan Cvitkovic ’13 (Seattle) and Thomas Callister (Walla Walla, Wash.) have each earned a prestigious Goldwater Scholarship. A chemistry major with a concentration in biochemistry, Cvitkovic has researched Organocatalysis with professor of chemistry David Alberg and associate professor of chemistry Gretchen Hofmeister. Callister, a physics major, has conducted research in astrophysics, specifically in pulsar astronomy, with professor of physics Joel Weisberg. This past summer he accompanied Weisberg to Australia, where they worked at the Parkes Radio Telescope and collaborated with researchers at the Australia Telescope National Facility in Sydney. Each student earns a scholarship that will cover the cost of tuition, fees, books, and room and board up to a maximum of $7,500 per year for 2012-13.

Michael Hemesath, professor of economics and current president of the faculty at Carleton College, has been appointed the 13th president of Saint John’s University (SJU) by the University’s Board of Regents. He will begin his official duties on July 1, 2012. A 1981 SJU graduate, Hemesath is the first lay president in the 155-year history of the private, liberal arts university. “This is incredibly exciting and good news for Saint John’s University and for Mike. And although we will miss our treasured colleague and friend very much, we know this is an exceptional opportunity for him,” Carleton President Steven G. Poskanzer said.

Biogeochemist Thure Cerling will deliver the Carleton College 2011-2012 Frank G. and Jean M. Chesley Lecture on Tuesday, April 3 at 7:30 p.m. in the Weitz Center for Creativity Cinema. Entitled “Iso-Forensics, or NCIS (Never Contest Isotope Science),” Cerling’s presentation is free and open to the public.

Carleton College students Gracie Ogilby ’12 (Belmont, Mass.) and Niki Tomita ’12 (Redwood City, Calif.) earned two of the 40 fellowships from the Thomas J. Watson Foundation. The fellowships, awarded to college seniors to pursue their unique passion or dream for a year of independent exploration and travel outside the United States, are picked from select private liberal arts colleges and universities. This year, from over 700 candidates, 147 finalists were nominated to compete on the national level from which the 40 fellows were selected. Each fellow will receive $25,000 for twelve-months of travel and exploration.

The Carleton College Board of Trustees recently approved the promotion of eleven faculty members, effective September 1, 2012.

Five members of the Carleton College faculty have been awarded tenure by the Board of Trustees, as announced by Beverly Nagel, Dean of the College. Effective September 1, 2012, these five faculty members will become associate professors in their academic department.

George Vrtis, assistant professor of environmental studies and history at Carleton College, along with professor Chris Wells of Macalester College, have received a grant from the Minnesota Historical Society (MHS) for $102,522. The partnership grant, one of the two largest awarded by the MHS in this grant round, will substantially advance the state of scholarship on Minnesota’s under-studied environmental history.

Associate professor of cinema and media studies Carol Donelan’s recent book, Electric Theater: The Emergence of Cinema in Northfield, was featured in the Feb. 25 edition of the Northfield News. The book, the third in a Northfield Historical Society series, examines the link between the Northfield’s first taste of cinema with broader cultural movements taking place at the time, such as changes in economics, architecture, and religion. Donelan states that the emergence of cinema in Northfield allowed residents “to experience people and places beyond what was readily available to them and to negotiate who they were and who they wanted to be.” Her book is now on sale at Northfield Historical Society and the Carleton Bookstore.

Carleton political science professor Mihaela Czobor-Lupp will present a lecture entitled “Foucault on Biopower and Governmentality” on Monday, Feb. 27 at 5 p.m. in the Gould Library Athenaeum. This event is free and open to the public.

Carleton College associate professor of art David Lefkowitz is among the featured artists in “Lifelike,” a new exhibit at the Walker Art Center. On display February 25 to May 27, 2012, the exhibit invites a close examination of artworks based on commonplace objects and situations, which are startlingly realistic, often painstakingly rendered, and sometimes surreal. This international, multigenerational group exhibition surveys over 90 works from the 1960s to the present by more than 50 artists.

Political scientist and expert on Brazil Peter Kingstone will deliver the 2012 Gary Wynia Memorial Lecture on Friday, Feb. 17 at 4:30 p.m. in the Gould Library Athenaeum. Focused on the explosive economic and political growth of this South American giant in recent decades, Kingstone’s presentation is entitled “Democracy, Development, and the Puzzling Success of Brazil.” This event is free and open to the public.

Carleton College concludes its Christopher U. Light Lectureship in the Arts with an appearance by artist Michael Kareken on Tuesday, Feb. 14 from 1:15 to 2:15 p.m. in Boliou Hall Room 161. This presentation is free and open to the public.