A stimulating series of lectures and discussions led by Mount Holyoke College faculty and staff.

The Problem of Reading and the Liberal Arts: An Example from the Book of Job

Bruce Arnold

Associate Professor of Classics

Location: Cleveland L1 

The study of the liberal arts helps us to engage with the world in all its physical and human dimensions, and this ultimately requires a sophisticated understanding of our environment and ourselves. One of the most fundamental problems in this study is engaged with how we communicate with one another. For a human being to speak is a natural capacity acquired at birth and developed through normal social existence. To write, on the other hand, is not a natural endowment, but one cultivated through centuries of civilization, the most sophisticated tool available to humanity which has enabled us to probe analytically the deep realms of human thought and experience. In this lecture Prof. Arnold will discuss a critical passage from the first two chapters of the Book of Job as an example of the difficulty of hearing and understanding another human voice. Commonly we simply hear it in a way that reflects our own view of the situation rather than as a voice that is communicating something different from our own thought and even outside the realm of our own experience. The way we read the Bible and respond, therefore, as human beings to the challenge of understanding God and our own selves profoundly measures us and our capacity to form genuine social bonds with one another. In short, to be able to read well reflects our most humane capacity to hear others' voices, and to understand and sympathize with one another.

Study Nature, Not Books: Microscopy and Natural History at Mount Holyoke College 

Heather Hamilton, Microscopy Facility Director

Willie Perreault, Operations Manager for Science Education and Research

Location: Kendade 305

During their long careers at Mount Holyoke College, both Professor Shattuck and Professor Clapp championed Louis Agassiz’s call to “study nature, not books” as a way to understand the natural world. They helped establish experiential learning as a major tenet of Mount Holyoke College’s mission in many ways, including through the use of microscopes and natural specimens. In addition to historical and contemporary teaching microscopes, the Science Center houses several Natural History Collections of biological and geological specimens and Scientific Collections of diagrams, models, instrumentation, and glassware. These Collections demonstrate the long history of Mount Holyoke as an important institution in the education of women scientists. Dr. Heather Hamilton, Microscopy Facility Director, and Dr. Willie Perreault, Operations Manager for Science Education and Research, are thrilled to offer a hands-on event for Mount Holyoke alums to relive the joy of scientific discovery using a variety of microscopes to view a large selection of objects from our Collections. 

​​Design for Today and Tomorrow 

Naomi Darling, Five College Associate Professor of Sustainable Architecture

Location: Cleveland L2

Naomi Darling, Associate Professor of Sustainable Architecture at Mount Holyoke College and UMass Amherst, will speak about the role of the built environment on climate change and the responsibility of the design professions in designing for a sustainable future at the intersection of culture, climate and materiality.  Professor Darling will discuss the role of beauty, Net Zero projects and embodied carbon, and the specificity of place in design.

In her role as an academic in practice, Darling has engaged students in several projects on campus including the adaptive reuse of the Phoenix at 0 Park St, initially the home of the nation’s first all woman’s fire brigade, as well as two projects for the Fimbel Maker and Innovation Lab. All of these projects have a strong focus on material sourcing, reuse and carbon footprint. 

Finally, Darling will share projects from her professional practice including recently completed projects for Sunderland’s Riverside Park, ongoing work for Red Fire Farm in Granby, MA and several residential projects.