Charlotte Connop is a new assistant professor of earth and climate sciences at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. She is a metamorphic petrologist and geochronologist whose research focuses on investigating the processes that lead to changes in the distribution of elements throughout Earth’s crust. Prior to her new role, she was a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Michigan.
Dr. Connop earned her bachelor’s degree in earth and environmental science from the University of Michigan and her Ph.D. in geosciences from Pennsylvania State University.
Sarah Olsen has been named director of the Rice Center for Teaching at Williams College in Massachusetts. Dr. Olsen first joined the college’s faculty in 2016 and currently holds the title of associate professor of classics. Her areas of expertise include ancient Greek literature, art, and culture. She has authored numerous scholarly publications, including Solo Dance in Archaic and Classical Greek Literature: Representing the Unruly Body (Cambridge University Press, 2020).
A graduate of Wellesley College in Massachusetts, Dr. Olsen earned her master’s degree and Ph.D. in classics from the University of California, Berkeley.
Danielle Howard is a new assistant professor of clinical sciences in the Harvey S. Peeler Jr. College of Veterinary Medicine at Clemson University. Previously, she was a faculty member in Long Island University’s Lewyt College of Veterinary Medicine, where she taught veterinary skills and principles of surgery courses. Her professional focus is clinical skills education and supporting students as they build confidence and independence in preparation for clinical training.
Dr. Howard received a master’s degree and a doctor of veterinary medicine degree from Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee.
Karen Kopera-Frye is associate dean of the Graduate School at New Mexico State University. Dr. Kopera-Frye first joined the NMSU faculty in 2016 as associate dean for what is now the College of Health, Education, and Social Transformation. Her current research involves health promotion and healthy aging among diverse groups, particularly Indigenous and Latinx elders.
Dr. Kopera-Frye received a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree and Ph.D. in developmental and clinical psychology from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. She holds a master’s degree in public administration from New Mexico State University.
Beginning in the fall 2026 semester, Yi Qun Xu will serve as a new assistant professor of cello in the Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver. Throughout her career, she has served on the faculties of The Juilliard School Pre-College and Music Advancement Program, The Perlman Music Program, the Heifetz International Music Institute, and the University of Texas at San Antonio. Dr. Xu is the cellist of the Cassatt Quartet.
Dr. Xu earned her bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, and doctor of musical arts degree from The Juilliard School in New York City.