John G. Milton has been named the William Rand Keenan, Jr. Professor in Computational Neuroscience for the Joint Sciences Department of Scripps, Pitzer, and Claremont McKenna Colleges. With clinical interests focusing on the treatment and management of patients with medically intractable epilepsy, Milton has spent the past 15 years at the renowned University of Chicago Medical School as a faculty member with the neurology department. In addition, Dr. Milton is actively involved in developing treatment strategies to improve the quality of life of mentally challenged individuals who have epilepsy, and their caregivers. Dr. Milton earned both his M.D. and Ph.D. in biophysical chemistry from McGill University.
With more than a quarter century of teaching experience and a strong background in American literature and the sub-genre of science fiction, Frank Cioffi joins Scripps this fall as director for the Writing Program and assistant professor of writing. Most recently on faculty with Princeton University’s prestigious writing program, Cioffi’s recent research interests explore literary emotionality and the factors that lead to “disturbed” responses to texts. Dr. Cioffi earned his undergraduate degree from Northwestern University and a master’s and doctorate from Indiana University.
Assistant Professor Jennifer Goltz will add her expertise in contemporary music theory and vocal performance-specifically 20 th century cabaret and experimental music-to the ever-growing Scripps music department. In addition to headlining the first faculty recital this season (Sunday, Sept. 19), Goltz will teach Fundamentals of Music and Music Theory IV, an advanced course that explores harmonious and contrapuntal practices of the 20 th century. Goltz earned her undergraduate degree from UC Santa Cruz, a master’s in vocal performance and a master’s in music theory from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where she is also currently completing a doctoral program in music theory.
New assistant professor of anthropology Daniel Rosenblatt‘s academic focus includes North American and global ethnography, but with a unique concentration on the indigenous people of New Zealand: the Maori. His field research largely explored the Maori people’s attempts to find a place for their culture within the mainstream of New Zealand life. Rosenblatt will teach several courses for the Scripps anthropology department including Success, Identity, and Consumption in U.S. Culture and Seminar in Ethnographic Writing, as well as two courses related to his Maori studies: Oceanic Art and The Maori Renaissance. Dr. Rosenblatt earned his bachelor’s from Wesleyan University and his doctorate in cultural anthropology from the University of Chicago.
Diane Thomson, new assistant professor of biology, brings a multifaceted background to the College, including studies in ecology and evolutionary biology, geography, rare plant population, and European honeybee and native bumblebee interaction. Thomson will teach an introductory biology class as well as a course on animal behavior. Dr. Thomson earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona, a master’s degree from Cambridge University, and a doctorate from UC Santa Cruz.