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The Hamilton College Chapter of Sigma Xi, the scientific research society,recently elected 20 students and two alumni to associate membership and three faculty colleagues to full membership. Honorees were initiated and celebrated at a dinner in the atrium of the Science Center. Nominators spoke briefly about their nominees, and everyone enjoyed a broad view of collaborative science. 

How to evaluate and choose that first job after college with integrity and vision was the focus of U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr.'s remarks to Hamilton College's class of 2008 at its commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 25. Paulson gave the address at Hamilton's 196th commencement, in the Margaret Bundy Scott Field House, where 442 students received bachelor's degrees.

Graduating musicians will perform in the Music Department's annual Senior Concert on Saturday, May 24 at 9 p.m. in Wellin Hall. Members of the class of 2008 making their final appearance are Kate Berlent, alto saxophone; Christopher Boveroux, tenor and conductor; Joshua Cheung, piano; Kimberly Craig, soprano; Julianne Jaquith, soprano; Kara Novak, clarinet; Albert Trithart, violin; and Sarah Wissel, flute. The College Hill Singers will also perform. Accompanists are Jason Oberholtzer, Colleen Roberts Pellman and Sar-Shalom Strong. The concert is free and open to the public.

Twenty-one members of Hamilton's class of 2008 were elected today to the Epsilon chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation's oldest honor society. They join 25 classmates who were elected earlier this year.

This year's class gift has reached record levels, exceeding $50,000 in contributions from seniors, parents and trustees. Senior participation in the class gift is nearing 93 percent, making this the 15th year that the senior class gift has exceeded 90 percent participation. 

Alumnus Jon Bellona '03, in honor of his Hamilton roommate Michael Cleary '03 and all of the soldiers who have lost their lives in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom, has organized a memorial cross-country relay beginning at Fort Irwin, Calif., and finishing at Arlington National Cemetery. The relay team, comprised primarily of Hamilton alumni, will plant a flag with the name of a fallen soldier at each mile on the 4,000-mile route.

Will Caffry '09 has been awarded a Sigma Xi grant-in-aid of research in the amount of $496 to travel to Oregon this summer to conduct research on lizards with former Hamilton Biology Professor Pete Zani. Both Caffry and Lizzy Finan '08 conducted this research last year, as did Jon Milgrom '08 in 2006. Caffry independently applied for a grant. He will join Zani in Oregon on May 20 for five weeks to conduct research on the behavioral ecology of lizards.

Students participating in the Program in Washington toured the U.S. Department of State on April 30. While the group was able to catch a glimpse of State Department officials at work while passing through the first floor, the tour focused mainly on the eighth floor Diplomatic Reception Rooms. The Secretary of State meets with hundreds of dignitaries, both foreign and domestic, in these rooms each year.

Hamilton's debate team successfully competed in a tournament at Wellesley College on April 11-12. Mallory Joel '11 and Sarah Krieger '11 won 4th best novice team and Rouvan Mahmud won 8th best novice speaker. Also in attendance at the Wellesley tournament were Chris Smith '11, Jimmy Kirwan '10, Jonathan Neville '10, Chris Lloyd '09, Murtaza Jafri '08 and Jessica Yau '08. The following weekend Philip Fraccola '08 and Murtaza Jafri competed in nationals at MIT. This year the debate team attended 11 tournaments and brought home 17 awards.

The Class of 2008 Senior Gift Committee, meeting on Thursday, Sept. 27, revealed the winning idea for the senior gift campaign. The gift option that won by an impressive number of votes was the Class of 2008 environmental endowment fund. Presented by senior co-chairs Ned Gilliss and Blythe Winchester, the gift will be a yearly grant awarded to a Hamilton student or campus organization in order to fund a green project on campus or environmental research. The fund also will be accompanied by a planted tree and plaque to commemorate the ‘08 gift. Gilliss expressed confidence in the campaign’s successful start, citing the high number of class participants in the gift survey and the strong support for the winning idea.