For Starters: Fall 2017
Experiential learning. Advice on making the college choice. And Athletics Homecoming makes its debut.
1. Fireflies
When Cai Guo-Qiang鈥檚 Fireflies public art project launched a fleet of pedicabs, festooned with 900 lanterns, onto Philly streets, some lucky Bryn Mawr students were on hand to observe.
Enrolled in a course on art and the environment in East Asia taught by Assistant Professor Shiamin Kwa, the students saw firsthand how art transforms our understanding of ordinary objects.
鈥淐ai鈥檚 art is experiential,鈥 says Kwa. 鈥淭he experience of being there, surrounded by hundreds of other people experiencing the same thing at the same time, is not something that can be replicated on film or in print.鈥
2. A Wired World
On track to becoming one of Bryn Mawr's most popular departments, Computer Science hit a record number of major declarations this year. And while some students enter with a definite plan, many find their way to the major in unexpected ways.
鈥淥riginally I was into Psych,鈥 says Madeline Perry 鈥19, 鈥渁nd I switched over to Cities. I didn鈥檛 think CS at all.鈥
So what changed?
For an internship working on a Seven Sisters history archive, Perry had to build a website, becoming proficient in CSS, HTML, and Javascript鈥攏one of which she鈥檇 ever used before.
Oh, and she picked up a second major.
It鈥檚 this attitude鈥攃reativity mixed with entrepreneurial spirit mixed with a recognition of technology鈥檚 relevance鈥攖hat sets CS students apart. One terms it 鈥済lobal minded and socially conscious,鈥 another 鈥渨ell rounded.鈥 Regardless, the sheer number of students interested in the field speaks to its appeal.
鈥淐omputer science is very relevant now,鈥 says Department Chair Dianna Xu. 鈥淚t has a lot to do with what鈥檚 going on around us鈥攖he pervasiveness of big data and how that鈥檚 driving the world.鈥
3. The Perfect Fit
As president of a highly selective liberal arts college and mother of a college-bound high school senior, Kim Cassidy knows a thing or two about college admissions. So, this fall, 鈥渋n the spirit of reducing stress,鈥 she offered up some hard-earned wisdom to readers
鈥淐reate the set of schools that you think is right for you, complete the application fully and honestly, and then (try to) relax. You may get into your top choice. And if you don鈥檛, but you were careful in creating your larger set of choices, the school that selects you will be lucky to have you.... By the time you graduate, you鈥檒l find yourself saying, 鈥業 couldn't have made a better choice.鈥欌
4. China Studies
Since 2013, Tri-Co students have been earning master鈥檚 degrees in China studies through a partnership with Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China. According to Marian Slocum 鈥15, one of the most recent graduates of the Master of Chinese Studies program, 鈥淚t was an incredible learning experience, in and out of the classroom, and probably the most personally challenging experience I鈥檝e had so far in my life. I learned so much about the world and myself.鈥
With students from all over the world, Slocum explains, class discussions featured a wide range of perspectives. 鈥淚 was exposed to new ideas and angles from which to examine historical trends and events,鈥 she says. 鈥淚 especially enjoyed our Chinese history class. As an American, I had not had the opportunity to learn about China鈥檚 extraordinary development from the Chinese perspective.鈥
Open to any interested Tri-Co student, the program can accept as many as 15 students each year with a full scholarship that includes the costs of instruction and on-campus housing and dining.
5. A Prized Poet
The Academy of American Poets recognized the work of Creative Writing Major Sanam Sheriff 鈥18 for her poem To a Lover, Miles Away with the 2017 杏吧原版影音 Prize in Memory of Marie Bullock and publication on the Academy website.
6. A Rare Breed
At Reunion 2017, President Emeritus Mary Patterson McPherson, Ph.D. 鈥69, took a little time off from the festivities . She told them, 鈥淏ryn Mawr gives you a kind of educational experience that is quite rare today ... where communication and engagement with other people is valued.鈥
7. A Postbac Partnership
The Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program鈥檚 consortial option gives accepted students the opportunity to start medical school immediately following the completion of their year at Bryn Mawr.
This summer, the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine became the 18th consort school and the first dental school to join the program in many years. Pre-dental students have not had a linkage option available since a previous agreement with Penn Dental ended more than a decade ago.
It was a bit of a reunion: Olivia Sheridan, D.M.D., assistant dean for admissions at Penn Dental and a 1986 graduate of Bryn Mawr鈥檚 postbac program, successfully linked to Penn Dental herself before the program was disbanded.
鈥淚 know firsthand the quality and rigor of the Bryn Mawr postbac program,鈥 says Sheridan. 鈥淚鈥檝e had the privilege of working with and teaching other postbac alums at Penn Dental Medicine and very much look forward to many more years of alliance.鈥
8. Let the Games Begin
In October, Bryn Mawr hosted its first-ever Athletics Homecoming with a full complement of varsity and alumnae/i sports, photo ops, and a Cambrian Row tailgate. Returning Owls played basketball, field hockey, soccer, tennis, and volleyball, and the weekend kicked off with a Homecoming Eve alumnae panel on life after Bryn Mawr: Aign茅 Goldsby 鈥11 (cross country and indoor/outdoor track & field), Heather McKay 鈥04 (lacrosse), and Avary Taylor 鈥15 (volleyball).
Published on: 12/11/2017