WNE to host Academic WorldQuest

Date: 11/28/2011

GREATER SPRINGFIELD — The World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts has announced that Peter Sokolowski, editor at large for Merriam-Webster, will moderate Academic WorldQuest 2012, an international affairs and current events competition for high school students that will take place on Jan. 28, 2012 at Western New England University (WNE) in Springfield.

This is the seventh year the council has presented Academic WorldQuest and the competition has been opened up to four student teams representing public and private high schools throughout Hampden County. Play consists of 10 rounds of 10 multiple-choice questions and will cover topics such as Afghanistan/Pakistan, U.S. Economic Competitiveness, the Middle East, U.S. Energy Policy, China, and Current Events.

The winning team will go on to represent the council and the region at the national Academic WorldQuest competition presented by the World Affairs Councils of America in Washington D.C., in April.

Registration is still open so schools interested in participating should contact the World Affairs Council at 733-0110 for more information.

Sokolowski joined Merriam-Webster in 1994, and has since defined and edited entries for the best-selling Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition, Merriam-Webster’s French-English Dictionary, and Merriam-Webster’s Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary.

He represents the company in national author tours, radio and television interviews, and various presentations covering a wide range of language-related topics. His duties include hosting Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day podcast and editing Merriam-Webster’s Open Dictionary. He also answers questions from English language learners and teachers from around the world in the Ask the Editors blog at LearnersDictionary.com and has served as pronouncer for spelling bees in the United States, Korea, and India. He maintains a busy freelance career as a musician and presents jazz programming for Western New England’s National Public Radio affiliate.

Previous Academic WorldQuest moderators have included State Sen. Brian Lees, WFCR News Director Jill Kaufman, State Sen. Gale Candaras, Morning Anchor and Reporter for 22News Jackie Brousseau, Professional Educator in Department of Communication at WNE Brenda Garton and Political Consultant Anthony Cignoli.