Graduate Students

Celebrate Pi Day with a slice of UCLA PIES

In mid-March every year, the spotlight shines extra brightly on the Greek letter pi, which represents the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. That’s because, although ratio’s value is an irrational and transcendental number — it has been calculated to more than 50 trillion digits without repetition or pattern — it is approximately 3.14, which, of course, corresponds with the date March 14. It probably also doesn’t hurt that the name of the letter is pronounced just like the name of an appropriately round dessert, which provides a nifty excuse for anyone to eat, well, pie. But did…

Postdoctoral fellow expands research in the UCLA Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures

Alisée Devillers joined the UCLA Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures as a postdoctoral researcher through a fellowship awarded by the Belgian American Educational Foundation. Devillers, an Egyptologist archaeologist and art historian, originally applied for the fellowship in connection with a project that involved conducting research on ancient Egyptian stelae. “With this project, the idea was to pinpoint visual identity strategy used by people who were not meant to be seen in our Egyptological documentation — so people who were not part of the elite,” Devillers said. After arriving at UCLA, Devillers has received several new opportunities. She is…

Near Eastern Languages and Cultures works with Howard University to offer pipeline to Ph.D. for Black students in Egyptology

To increase inclusivity within the field of Egyptology, the Near Eastern Languages and Cultures department at UCLA is collaborating with Howard University to offer a pipeline program for Black students. “Summer Research Internship and Pathway to PhD’s in Ancient Egyptian, North African, and Western Asian Studies” is an eight-week course that will start this summer. In it, four to five students from historically Black colleges and universities will be brought to UCLA to learn about the field of study while also receiving mentorship and support from faculty which will extend beyond the program. Kara Cooney, a professor of Egyptian Art…

Ph.D. student Oriah Amit serves as consultant on HBO show “The Nevers”

Oriah Amit, graduate student in the Department of English, is serving as a historical consultant on the science fiction drama TV HBO series The Nevers. Set in Victorian London, the series follows a group of women with supernatural abilities; Oriah, whose dissertation focuses on late Victorian and Edwardian speculative fiction, used her expertise to advise on integrating aspects of London’s history at the turn of the twentieth century into the world of the show. Oriah’s work as a historical consultant informed the creation of the show’s characters: she created biographies for characters that the writers wanted to base as closely…

Department of Art History establishes Diane C. Brouillette Graduate Fellowship

The UCLA Department of Art History has established the Diane C. Brouillette Graduate Fellowship in Art History, thanks to a $250,000 tribute gift in memory of the late UCLA alumna Diane Brouillette. The gift qualified for an additional $125,000 in matching funds from the UCLA Humanities Centennial Matching Gift Fund. The fellowship will help fund tuition, travel costs and research awards for Ph.D. students of French Medieval Art and Architecture, and reflects Diane’s lifelong passions for medieval art history and French culture. Department Chair Miwon Kwon, said, “The Brouillette Fellowship will leave a lasting legacy by providing crucial support for…