Blog
Personal reflections from our Scholars and Alumni.
Callie Vandewiele
- Alumni
- United States
- 2014 PhD Latin American Studies
- Newnham College
Born in Utah, I was raised the oldest of six siblings first there and then just outside of Portland, Oregon. "Unschooled" until the age of 16 my foray into traditional education began with a handful of highschool classes, and then a dive into Spanish language, music and biology at the local community college, where I quickly developed a taste for academic work. As a non-traditional student I graduated first with an AAOT in General Studies from Clackamas Community College and then with honors from Pacific University in 2008, where I received a B.A. in Politics and Government. After graduation I lived and worked in the Alta Verapaz of Guatemala where I developed an interest in women's leadership education and the ongoing interactions between globalized western culture, local cultures and the evolution of ancient traditions.
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Like mother, like daughter
How does becoming a mother influence a woman’s sense of her own abilities? How does seeing yourself reflected in the image of your own daughter empower mothers, turning them into active agents in their own and their children’s lives? Toor Pekai Yousafzai, the brave mother of Malala Yousafzai, has been a source of strength for […]
March for Science
This Earth Day [April 22], groups of scientists and science advocates are organising across the world in a global March for Science to bring attention to the importance of scientific research. Activism is new for many within the scientific community and not everyone agrees that the march will be beneficial or effective. Primary concerns about […]
Finding common ground
As the UK triggers Article 50 now is a good time to look back at the common factors that influenced the referendum vote and the US election. One was the widely-publicised fear that citizens were at risk of being driven out of their own countries. Donald Trump rode to victory proclaiming that “we are going […]
A peek into the world of pain
Understanding pain has been one of human beings’ oldest quests. Pain has been condemned as worse than death and celebrated as a validation to life. For centuries, prophets, scientists and artists have been trying to reduce pain with little success because of the many ways in which it is defined – Is it psychological? physiological? […]
Can we compare Trump’s USA to Nazi Germany?
With Donald Trump now sworn in as the 45th president of the United States of America, many commentators have drawn comparisons between his polarising rise to power and the infamous emergence of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis in interwar Germany. Some accuse this comparison of simply falling into Godwin’s law, which claims that if a […]
Defending American values
Over the last nine days, it seems the whole world has changed. The President played dirty to win, but once he did win, many of us thought he would calm down and abide by the laws and values that make the American dream so important to so many. Instead, each day since January 20th has […]
DNA sequencing in the palm of your hand
It is smaller than your smartphone. It plugs into your laptop with a standard USB cable. What is it? A new DNA sequencer. This week, it has been named amongst Science magazine’s top 10 breakthroughs of the year. If you imagine a technology that has improved tremendously over the course of your own lifetime, computers […]
Can coastal restoration slow climate change?
Can concern about climate change help stop coastal habitat loss? Will coastal restoration help stop climate change? A growing number of observers from California to Indonesia believe that the answer to both questions is yes. A little over a decade ago, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change recognised that different land use activities, […]
Where radio meets the internet
In 2004, BBC journalist Ben Hammersley was hastily finishing up his piece on “Audible Revolution” and he was about 10 words short of the required length. So he wrote the following line: “But what to call it? Audioblogging? Podcasting? GuerillaMedia?” The term “podcasting” went on to become an internet phenomenon, but its definition remains elusive. Last […]
The connectivity code
Brain wiring is complex. The brain is a large, interconnected network of information processing cells known as neurons. How do 100 billion neurons make 100 trillion connections? Are there instructions for these connections written in the genome? If such a code exists, what is its logic? Work over the past century has uncovered what appears […]
