2015 Stories

NSF Grant Enables Social Science Research

Professor Rosanna Hertz and student researchers are studying how donor-assisted conception is shaping the meaning of family and kinship for millions of people.

Thomas J. Watson Fellowship Nominees Announced

Four seniors have been selected as the nominees for the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, a grant that funds a year of independent study and travel outside of the United States.

Student Chosen As Finalist In National Essay Contest

Leilani Stacy '18 was one of five students from a national pool selected as a finalist in a national essay contest.

Alumnae Discuss Creative Writing Careers With Students

Kate Erickson '05 and Langan Kingsley '08, both professionals in the creative entertainment field, joined Broti Gupta '16 for a panel discussion aimed at students hoping to pursue a career in creative writing after graduation.

Wellesley HCI Lab Receives State-of-the-Art MultiTaction Displays

The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a research infrastructure grant of nearly $480,000 to the Computer Science Department to create an interactive visualization facility for interdisciplinary research.

Bunny Harvey: Four Decades

On the occasion of her retirement, the community gathers to celebrate Bunny Harvey, Elizabeth Christy Kopf Professor of Art, and her accomplishments as an educator and artist, in 40 years at Wellesley.

Professor’s Research Has ‘Profound Implications’ for Understanding Prejudice

Syndicated columnist uses Wellesley professor Angela Bahns' research in nationally published column that shows how pre-existing prejudice makes us fear others.

Academic Versatility on Display

Leila Elabbady '16 and Zena Chantila '16, both neuroscience majors, spent a recent morning presenting to middle school students on Egyptian and Lebanese culture, and that afternoon dissecting sheep brains with fifth graders.

Citizen-Scientist Partnership Studies Lead Levels in ‘Urban Fruit’

Dan Brabander, professor of geosciences, and students worked with a community group to study lead levels in fruit harvested in urban settings around Boston. Their results have surprising practical health applications.

Six Students Named Daniels Fellows For 2015

Six seniors have received Daniels Fellowships for 2015. This year's Daniels Fellows will pursue dream projects ranging from Family History to Climate Change.

Marion Underwood '86 Speaks with CNN for Special Report on Teen's Use of Social Media

Marion Underwood '86 is one of the nation’s foremost experts on how adolescents use social media. She joined CNN’s Anderson Cooper for a special report, "#Being13: Inside the Secret World of Teens."

New York Wellesley Club Celebrates 125th Anniversary

On Saturday, November 14, the New York Wellesley Club marked its 125th year with a celebration that brought together more than 400 alumnae.

Fall 2015 Kenner Lecture

Wendy R. Sherman, former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs and the lead U.S. negotiator in the landmark nuclear agreement with Iran, will deliver the Fall 2015 Hyunja Laskin ’88 and Jeffrey Kenner Lecture on Monday, November 16.

Student Celebrations Mark Diwali 2015

Today is Diwali, the festival of lights and one of the most well known South Asian religious festivals. It gets its name from the row of clay lamps (or deepa) that people light outside their homes to symbolize the inner light that protects people from spiritual darkness.

Professor’s Research on Museums and Diversity Receives Praise in New York Times

Museums must embrace diversity if they are to survive and thrive, according to Peggy Levitt, chair and professor of sociology. Her work was recently praised by a respected New York Times art critic.

Wellesley Alumnae In The Education Field

Wellesley encourages students to use what they learn on campus to improve their communities and make a difference; many follow this charge back to classrooms and other educational programs as teachers or administrators.

Faculty In Their Creative Lives

For many members of the Wellesley faculty, creative pursuits outside of the classroom provide personal and professional enrichment.

Trick or Treat at the President’s House

On October 29, hundreds of Wellesley students took a break from their studies to enjoy candy and spooky festivities with President Kim Bottomly.

Fall 2015 Distinguished Faculty Lecture

Filmmaker, artist, and professor Salem Mekuria delivers the Fall 2015 Distinguished Faculty Lecture, "The Passion to Create and the Urge to Share."

Wellesley Celebrates Campaign Launch With Weekend of Events

Nearly 600 alumnae, parents, students, faculty, staff, and friends of the College gathered this weekend to celebrate the launch of a $500 million campaign that will help shape Wellesley’s next century.

Diane Ravitch ’60 Inaugurates Wellesley Lecture Series on Education

Diane Ravitch '60 inaugurates a lecture series in her name that will bring speakers to campus to address the most pressing issues in education.

2015 Sed Ministrare Volunteer Awards

Four outstanding alumnae volunteers were presented with the Sed Ministrare Volunteer Award at the Wellesley College Alumnae Association’s 92nd annual Alumnae Leadership Council on Saturday, October 17.

Cinema and Media Studies Collaborations

Cinema reaches beyond the screen when the acclaimed Orlando Consort provides a live vocal soundtrack to the classic film La Passion de Jeanne d’Arc.

Wellesley Advisory Committee Announces Draft Sustainability Plan

The Advisory Committee on Environmental Sustainability has launched a draft of its Sustainability Plan, which aims to impact nearly every aspect of campus life.

Wellesley Math Program Named "Bright Spot" in Hispanic Education

The Wellesley Emerging Scholars Initiative was recently named a “Bright Spot in Hispanic Education” by the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics.

Portuguese Intensive Language Classes Take Students Places

Wellesley’s started offering Portuguese classes for the first time in 2013. The courses help students build cultural understanding and learn skills quickly.

Jean Kilbourne ’64 Inducted Into National Women’s Hall of Fame

Jean Kilbourne '64, who is internationally recognized for her groundbreaking work on the image of women in advertising and for her critical studies of alcohol and tobacco, was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame this past weekend in Seneca Falls, NY.

A Great Week for Astronomy

Students discuss this week’s lunar eclipse and "supermoon," and NASA’s announcement that there’s evidence of water on the surface of Mars.

Tracy Gleason Speaks With New York Times Magazine About Mattel's A.I. Barbie Doll

Mattel’s new talking Barbie doll uses artificial intelligence (A.I.) and speech recognition technology to interact with children. Professor Tracy Gleason, who studies the imaginative play of children, spoke with the New York Times Magazine about the toy.

Butler Boathouse Dedication

Over the past year, the boathouse on Lake Waban has undergone a comprehensive renovation thanks to the generosity of Alice Lehmann Butler ’53 and her husband, John. A dedication ceremony will be held during Family and Friends and Homecoming weekend.

Spotlight on Teaching: GEOS 101 Earth Processes and the Environment

Students in GEOS 101 are exploring sedimentation rates in Paramecium Pond and the Silver Thread as part of a semester-long project using these sites as living laboratories.

Connie Rojas '14 Named Ford Fellow

Ford Fellow Connie Rojas '14, now a doctoral student in integrative biology, spent four weeks observing spotted hyenas in Kenya this summer.

Wellesley Researchers Publish New Findings in Online Journal eNeuro

Researchers working in the lab of neuroscience professor Marc J. Tetel have published a paper that presents novel findings on how progesterone affects the brain.

Wellesley Celebrates Flower Sunday 2015

The community gathered yesterday to celebrate Flower Sunday, Wellesley’s oldest tradition.

Pendleton West Project Webcam Installed

A new webcam offers a bird’s eye view of the Pendleton West construction site. The live feed from the camera will allow the community to watch the project develop from the ground up.

Second Successful Summer for Online Italian Course

Now in its second year, Online Italian course appeals to a variety of different learning styles and a wide audience.

Explore. 5 Humanities Courses to Consider this Fall.

Wellesley offers more than a thousand courses and 52 majors. Here's a snapshot of five Humanities courses offered this fall that students are invited to Explore.

Edible Ecosystem Garden Insect Survey

A recent bio survey helped identify which plants attract the most, and most diverse, beneficial insects to Wellesley’s Edible Ecosystem Teaching Garden.

Green Hall Door Refurbishment Project

More than 20 layers of paint and primer were stripped from two Green Hall entry doors to prepare them for repair and refinishing. The doors will be reinstalled this fall.

NPR Calls on Susan Reverby For Presidential Candidate Fact Check Story

Wellesley's Susan Reverby participated in a Fact Check story for the NPR blog "It's All Politics" which investigated a claim made by a presidential candidate about Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger (pictured).

Move-In Day 2015

It's Move-In Day and the first day of Orientation. Wellesley welcomes incoming first-years and all new students.

Wellesley’s Conservation Facility Protects the College's Valuable Collections

The behind the scenes work of Wellesley’s Conservation Facility extends the life of Wellesley’s valuable collections and research materials.

Wellesley Welcomes Student Leaders Back to Campus

Nearly 200 student leaders have returned to campus this week for a week of leadership training and to prepare to welcome the incoming class next week during Orientation.

Wellesley Faculty Member Cofounded Revolution 250

On August 14, copper lanterns will illuminate the plaza where the Liberty Tree once stood as part of a commemorative anniversary event designed, in part, by Wellesley’s Martha McNamara.

Donors’ Dollars at Work for Wellesley College

More than 16,550 alumnae, parents, faculty, staff, students, and friends contributed to drive Wellesley’s success this year. Together they provided in excess of $52 million in support.

Alumna Inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame

Liza Janssen Petra '94, a nationally recognized force during her four-year basketball career at Wellesley, was inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame on August 8.

Dear Wellesley: Julia Springer ’16 Writes from Venice

The fifth in a summer postcard series featuring letters from students, Julia Springer ’16 writes from Venice where she is interning at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection.

Wellesley Team Competed in Spring 2015 New England Sports Network Reality TV Show

A team of Wellesley students participated in a sports-themed reality TV show this spring on NESN.

HCI Researchers Enter 2015 iGEM Competition

Summer researchers in Wellesley’s HCI lab have completed a prototype program for a collaborative exhibit in the Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, which will be entered into iGEM, an international synthetic biology contest.

New Study Shows How Easily People Can Be Convinced to Feel Prejudice

A new study by Wellesley’s Angela Bahns reveals latest evidence that prejudice causes the perception of threat, and suggests that threat can be used to justify actions that result from prejudice.

Eight Alumnae Share Life Lessons in Wellesley Magazine

The summer issue of Wellesley magazine features life lessons shared by eight alumnae, in letters written to their younger selves.

Wellesley’s Pre-College Residential Program Wraps Up Second Successful Season

Wellesley’s Pre-College Residential Program, now in its second year, helps participants gain the experience and confidence to succeed in higher education.

Alumna Leads Robotics Workshops for Girls in Cape Town, South Africa

Veronica Lin ‘15 is spending 10 weeks this summer in Cape Town, South Africa, with an NGO that offers educational enrichment to children and teachers in impoverished schools and communities through robotics and reading programs.

Students Lead at Girl Up Foundation Leadership Summit in D.C.

Gloria Samen '18 and Rocio Ortega '16 each had a big roles at the Girl Up Leadership Summit in D.C. this week, and both were chosen to meet First Lady Michelle Obama who was speaking at the event.

A Rising Senior's Photojournalism Project in Bangladesh

Catherine Baltazar ‘16 has a passion for increasing awareness about environmental problems. She is spending her summer in Bangladesh and hopes the photos she takes while there will "inspire someone to take action and be an agent of change.”

Summer Photo Captures Kenneth Snelson’s Mozart III

Jennifer Lyon-Mackie ‘18, a student assistant in the public affairs office, captured a photo of Kenneth Snelson's Mozart III with sunlight streaming through. The sculpture was first installed on campus in July 2008.

Wellesley Researchers Say There Are 4 Shades of Introversion

The gap between the "scientific" and "common-sense" definitions of introversion led Professor Jonathan Cheek and colleagues, including Jennifer Grimes ‘05 and Courtney Brown ‘15, to look beyond a one-size-fits-all definition.

Kendall Bianchi '15 Named Boren Scholar

Kendall Bianchi '15 received a Boren Scholarship, which provides recipients with up to $20,000 for study in world regions critical to U.S. interests. Bianchi will spend the 2015–16 academic year in Jordan.

The MasterCard Foundation Honors Lois Juliber ’71 with $1 Million Grant to Wellesley

Juliber has served as chair of The MasterCard Foundation Board of Directors since the organization’s launch in 2006; as she steps down, the Foundation expresses gratitude for her service with a gift to Wellesley.

Wellesley Student Wins Goldwater Scholarship

Carina Belvin ’16 won a Goldwater Scholarship, which supports outstanding undergraduate students in the fields of mathematics, science, and engineering.

A Short Time Remains For The 2015 Participation Challenge

Alumnae, don’t miss your chance to join in the 2015 participation challenge. Just a few days remain to max out the challenge—54 percent participation and $500,000.

Kathryn Lynch Pens Washington Post Op-Ed on The Value of The Humanities

Wellesley's Kathryn Lynch penned an op-ed in the Washington Post exploring the unintended consequences of cuts to humanities programs.

Alumnae Receive NSF Graduate Research Fellowships

Sarah George ’14, one of five alumnae to win a 2015 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, is studying how the formation of the Andes Mountains in northern Peru and Ecuador may have caused the Amazon River to reverse its course.

Michael Jeffries in the Boston Globe: Rachel Dolezal a Lesson in How Racism Works

Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi, the activists who started the Black Lives Matter campaign, should be household names, not Rachel Dolezal, according to an op-ed in the Boston Globe by Wellesley's Michael P. Jeffries.

TwitterTrails Tracks What’s True, False on Twitter

A tool developed in Wellesley’s Social Informatics Lab enables journalists to quickly examine a claim made on Twitter, track how far the claim has spread, and determine whether it appears to be true or false by analyzing crowd behavior.

Wellesley Concludes Second Annual Walking Challenge

As the 2015 Walking Challenge concludes, a look at how investments in employee health are paying off—for the College and for employees—in measurable ways.

Naa-Sakle Akuete ’08 Profiled By Fast Company Magazine

Naa-Sakle Akuete ’08, pictured here age 3, with her mother. Akuete recently started a business that would allow her to work closely with her mother and give back to their native Ghana.

Sesame Street Improves School Readiness, Educational Outcomes

New research, coauthored by Wellesley College economist Phillip B. Levine and University of Maryland economist Melissa Kearney, found that children who had greater access to Sesame Street in the show’s early days had improved educational outcomes.

Alumnae Association Launches New Online Community

The Wellesley College Alumnae Association recently launched a new Online Community that provides personalized content for users based on class year, geography and shared interests.

The Science Behind Color Perception

A new paper by Wellesley researchers, based on a study of how people viewed the image known simply as "The Dress," explores how people can see wholly different colors in the same image.

Commencement Day 2015

Wellesley celebrates our 137th graduating class, the yellow class of 2015!

Student, Professor Locate Anne Whitney Bronze 30 Years After It Was Last Seen

After months of searching, Jacki Musacchio, department chair and professor of art, and Kathryn Cooperman ’15 logged an important discovery: a bronze relief of Mary Hemenway by Anne Whitney, which had been missing for over 30 years, in the Wellesley College Archives.

Spring and Summer Activities at Wellesley

When most students are heading off campus for summer internships, international study, or simply a healthy dose of warm-weather downtime and reconnection with friends and family, there is still much to see and do at Wellesley.

Wellesley Blue Season Celebrates a Winning Spring Season

Nathalie Gruet '15 wins Barbara Hauptfuhrer Award as Wellesley celebrates a winning spring season.

Math vs. Physics in the Battle of the Bats

With bragging rights on the line, the Math and Physics Departments faced off for their annual year-end softball game.

Top Business Schools Hope to Attract Women's College Graduates

Harvard Business School, and other top programs, are looking to women’s colleges for the next generation of business leaders. HBS recently announced a new recruitment program, dubbed PEEK, designed to familiarize students with the M.B.A. program and options for future careers.

Open Community Meeting Highlights Pendleton West Renovation and Addition Plans

Pendleton West will soon begin to undergo a series of renovations and updates, including a complete overhaul of existing space and an approximately 10,000-square-foot addition.

Wellesley Celebrates End of Semester with Stepsinging

Wellesley celebrates the end of the spring semester with stepsinging outside Houghton Chapel and senior prank decorations led by the graduating class of 2015.

Wellesley Celebrates Staff and Faculty Anniversaries

President H. Kim Bottomly recently hosted a reception to honor long-term employees who are celebrating milestone work anniversaries this year. Read the stories of some of those who have served the longest.

WellesleyX: Intro to Human Evolution Course Starts Second Run May 6

WellesleyX offering Anthropology 207X: Introduction to Human Evolution begins a second run on May 6. A cohort for Wellesley affiliates and a new visual library of rotatable 3D scans are new features in the course.

Michael Ondaatje and Pico Iyer Present the 2015 Wilson Lecture

As the 2015 Wilson Lecturer, award-winning author Michael Ondaatje reads from his own work, then engages with renowned travel writer Pico Iyer in a conversation about their shared fascination with characters whose mobile history has made them tentative about where they belong.

Ruhlman Conference Highlights Student and Faculty Research

During today's Ruhlman conference, the Wellesley community gathers to celebrate student achievement.

A Chance to Help Promote World Peace

Wellesley congratulates Wenyan Deng ’15 and Margaret McClure ’15, who have both been named Carnegie Junior Fellows for 2015–16.

Blue Goes Green for Earth Day

As Wellesley marks Earth Day this April 22, the College is implementing a variety of initiatives that will lessen our environmental impact.

Wellesley Students Gear up for 118th Boston Marathon

Wellesley students make encouraging—and often humorous—signs to display along the Scream Tunnel during the Boston Marathon

Sharon Ng ’16 Wins Collegiate National Badminton Championship

A strategic approach to sports and college life helped Sharon Ng ’16 win the women’s singles title at the 2015 Collegiate National Badminton Championships. 

Nevatha Mathialagan '15 Wins Watson Fellowship

Nevatha Mathialagan '15 has won a prestigious Thomas J. Watson fellowship to travel the world after commencement, learning how different cultures approach oral health.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Announced as 2015 Wellesley College Commencement Speaker

Award-winning novelist Author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie will address the Class of 2015 at Wellesley’s 137th Commencement exercises on May 29.

Wellesley Celebrates National Public Health Week

In honor of National Public Health Week, we take a look at some of the different ways Wellesley students pursue their passion for public health.

Wellesley’s Ravens Return!

Common ravens are uncommon here, but Wellesley is home to a breeding pair for second year running. Watch them live online.

Wellesley Celebrates Latin@ Culture Month

In April, Wellesley celebrates Latin@ Month and hosts festivities honoring Latin@ culture, history, and heritage.

Wellesley Choir Sings Through Seoul

The Wellesley College Choir recently returned from an inaugural Spring Tour to Seoul.

The Power of Computing, Then and Now

For 32 years, Wellesley’s Computer Science Department has provided the support and training students need to excel in computing careers and to help shape the future of computer science. 

Wellesley Professor Receives the Pura Belpré Author Award

Professor Marjorie Agosín’s first novel for young readers received the 2015 Pura Belpré Author Award for outstanding children’s literature by a Latino/Latina author. 

Wellesley Student Diver Wins NCAA National Championship

When Maura Sticco-Ivins ’18 won the Women’s 3-meter Diving Finals at the 2015 NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships, she became just the third Wellesley athlete to win an individual title at an NCAA National Championship. 

Wellesley Professor Featured in Boston Globe’s Ideas Section

Wellesley history professor Katherine Grandjean was interviewed by the Boston Globe about her new book, American Passage: The Communications Frontier in Early New England.

Wellesley Professor in Scientific Journal: Life at Liberal Arts College

Class of 1966 Associate Professor of Neuroscience Marc Tetel has published an article in the flagship journal of the Endocrine Society, Endocrinology, about working at a liberal arts college as a career option for research scientists. 

Wellesley Celebrates Pi Day on 3/14/15

On 3/14/15, the Wellesley math department celebrates the Ultimate Pi Day by hosting activities and offering pie in honor of a very special number.

Wellesley Students Present Artful Ideas

Angela Sun ’17 and Ali Lanier ’15 were the only undergraduates to present a paper at the first philosophy conference on the subject of street art.

Wellesley Travels to East Africa

Over Wintersession 2015, 18 members of Wellesley's community participated in an inaugural program in East Africa, organized by the Africana Studies department.

STEM Education By and For Students

The Wellesley chapter of Robogals empowers local elementary-school girls to explore technology and robotics.

Wellesley Celebrates Asian Awareness Month

Wellesley celebrates Asian Awareness Month 2015 with guest speakers, performances, and lectures around important issues of Asian and Asian-American experience. Speakers include Mayor Lisa Wong of Fitchburg, performer Meera Mohan-Graham '05, and distinguished scholar-activist Ling-Chi Wang.

Spotlight on Teaching: That's What She Said

Students take funny women seriously in a new Theatre studies course examining the role played by comedic pioneers in shaping American culture over the last century.

Wellesley Professor Awarded Inaugural Arcus/Places Prize

Professor Alice T. Friedman’s article Queer Old Things shows how Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein constructed a public image that challenged accepted gender roles. 

Wellesley Professors Cast Their Oscar Votes

Professors from many disciplines study and teach film in the course of their work at Wellesley. Here faculty from cinema and media studies, women’s and gender studies, English, and music weigh in on films they thought worthy of notice in the last year.

"Three Reasons to Affirm Free Speech," a Lecture by Steven Pinker

Harvard Professor Steven Pinker, one of the world’s most influential writers on the nature of language and the human mind, visits Wellesley as part of the Freedom Project Speaker Series for a lecture titled "Three Reasons to Affirm Free Speech."

Wellesley Women Make Great Secretaries... of State!

A Twitter exchange between Madeleine Albright ‘59 and Hillary Clinton ‘69 highlighted a well-known fact about graduates of Wellesley College.

Three to Be Honored at 2015 Alumnae Achievement Awards Ceremony

A ceremony and reception honoring Suzanne Ciani ’68, Jean Kilbourne ’64, and Nancy Kornblith Kopp ’65, recipients of the 2015 Alumnae Achievement Awards, takes place Thursday, February 12, 2015, starting at 5:30 PM.

The Davis Museum at Wellesley College, Spring 2015

A newly heightened focus on Middle Eastern artists has been intensifying among institutions, collectors, curators, scholars and patrons alike. Parviz Tanavoli’s art exists at the center of the attention, and that extraordinary art is now featured at the Davis Museum as part of an exciting new season of exhibitions.

Enjoy a Break from Winter Weather at the Margaret C. Ferguson Greenhouses

There may only be a few plants peeking through the snow outside right now, but there are plenty to be seen indoors in the Margaret C. Ferguson Greenhouses.

Bringing Pendleton West Renovation Project to Life

Mock-up panels of a proposed exterior finish for the Pendleton West renovation project offer a sneak peek of what the building may look like when it is completed. A reimagined Pendleton West will provide greater opportunities for students, faculty, and staff engaging with the arts.

Wellesley Celebrates Black History Month

In February, Wellesley joins communities around the nation in celebrating Black History Month through myriad events, lectures, and community discussions.

Wellesley Science Club for Girls Science Fair

Wellesley students share their love of science with elementary and middle school students from the Boston area, and introduced them to careers in STEM fields, through the Wellesley Science Club for Girls.

Jessica Saifee ‘16 on Her Experience as a Public Health Intern in India

Jessica Saifee ‘16 spent the summer and fall of 2014 in India, conducting research on marginalized groups, with a special focus on the accessibility of healthcare for women and the Siddis population, and studying the Indian public health system.

Madeleine Albright '59, Former UN Ambassador Elizabeth Cousens in public dialogue

U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Korbel Albright ’59, joins former UN Representative Elizabeth Cousens, and Dr. Homi Kharas of the Brookings Institute for “Harnessing Consensus: Shaping the World's New Development Goals.”

Wellesley College Hosts World of Wellesley MLK Breakfast

Members of the Wellesley community came together in Alumnae Hall on Monday, January 19, for the fifteenth annual World of Wellesley Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast, an event celebrating the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Woolf’s ORLANDO

Wellesley Summer Theatre Company takes on Sarah Ruhl’s modern adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s gender-flipping 1928 novel, Orlando. Nora Hussey directs this comedic story of time-travel, identity, and love, running in the Ruth Nagel Jones Theatre 1/8 through 2/2.

Professor Kristin Butcher's Work Highlighted in FiveThirtyEight Blog

Writers for the popular blog FiveThirtyEight highlighted a paper co-authored by Wellesley’s Kristin Butcher among the most interesting research presented at this year’s annual meeting of the American Economic Association.