News
NESCAC News
By Noelle Connors ’19
April 20, 2017
Tags news
Tufts Researchers Create New American Sign Language Dictionary
In order to look up the meaning of a sign in American Sign Language, traditionally one has to start with the English translation of the sign. Tufts students and faculty have changed this process by creating a new visual dictionary ASL-LEX, which allows users to search by the appearance of the sign by grouping similar signs. This dictionary contains over 1,000 signs so far and allows people to clarify similarly appearing signs that have been proven to take longer to understand than other signs with no similar neighbors. The database also tracks the most commonly used signs in ASL to allow educators to teach the most important signs first.
Williams College to Host Romance Fiction Conference
On April 21-23 2017, Williams College will host “Reading For Pleasure: Romance Fiction in the International Marketplace,” a conference devoted to understanding the rapidly increasing popularity of romance fiction. Including panel discussions, movies, lectures, and author discussions by professors, bloggers, publishers and authors, the conference will explore a wide variety of themes related to Romance Fiction. Themes of the panels include theories of pressure, new media platforms for romance literature and shifting audiences for the genre.
Trinity College Hosts Paul H. Robinson to Discuss Crimes and Social Reform
On Monday April 24, Trinity College will host University of Pennsylvania Law School Professor Paul H. Robinson to discuss “Trigger Crimes and Social Progress: The Tragedy-Outrage-Reform Dynamic in America.” In this discussion, Robinson, criminal law expert will discuss the way that some crimes spark massive outrage which leads to dramatic social reform while other crimes do not cause major change. Hosted by the Shirley G. Wassong Memorial Lecture Fund, this lecture will address whether crimes can make our lives better by driving reform.