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The Picker Interdisciplinary Science Institute recently awarded grants supporting collaborative research teams led by ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ faculty members who will combine their expertise from across disciplines to address questions in science and mathematics.

Here are faculty news items and notes from abroad and from closer to home: • Steven Kepnes, ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ’s Finard Professor in Jewish Studies and Religion, is teaching a six-week course comparing sacred texts in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam at the Pontificia Universita Gregoriana in Italy.

Senior class gifts come in all shapes and sizes, and they usually benefit the campus community. This year, the Class of 2011 has taken a different tack, choosing instead to honor alma mater with a gift that impacts alumni.

I can’t believe it, this Monday, ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ experienced a snow day! This is a very rare occurrence, and I was shocked to wake up to the text that spelled out the unthinkable! The campus was in a frenzy, though the students felt relieved to have a bit more time to cram for midterms.

The Upstate Institute recently awarded grants to support faculty scholarship on, or directly pertaining to, the upstate region of New York.

(Editor’s Note: This article was written by Jessica Blank ’11) After studying abroad her junior year in India, Sarah MacKenzie ’09 realized that she wanted to work overseas after graduation, and thought that a Fulbright fellowship would be the perfect option.

Dick Hyman plays the piano with an ease that many of us display while brushing our teeth — assuming routine dental care could inspire awe in an audience of 150 ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ community members.

As ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ students, we’re used to waking up in the morning to a few new inches of snow. But Monday brought more than two feet — and the first full snow day since 1993.