When Jonah Yaffe ’26 of Dallas got a serious concussion this spring, his activities were immediately limited. Luckily, he had a low-impact but very sweet new hobby that took up enormous amounts of time: boiling maple tree sap into syrup.

“I couldn’t do anything else,â€� Yaffe said. “I could just sit there. It’s a very passive activity.â€�

And Yaffe had a lot of sap that he needed to boil. This past winter semester, Yaffe and the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Maple Syrup Club earned a ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Green Grant to bolster the club’s on-campus sugaring efforts. They produced seven caramel-colored gallons of maple syrup from ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ trees and with ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ people. 

Through the annual Green Grants program, the college offers grants of up to $2,000 to campus sustainability projects led by students, faculty, or staff. In addition to Yaffe’s project, four other projects earned Green Grants this year:

• An effort to revamp the college’s green bike fleet led by EcoReps — students who work to promote environmentally responsible behavior on campus — Liza Bell ’26 of Putney, Vt., and Greta Hendrickson ’28 of Duluth, Minn.
• A collaboration with the on-campus cafe Le Ronj to offer discounts for students who bring disposable cups, led by the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Environmental Coalition
• An initiative to increase recycling education and materials around campus led by EcoReps Caroline Mayer ’26 of Wolfeboro, N.H., and Sarah Smith ’26 of Severna Park, Md.
• An initiative to install native trees around the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Garden to prevent wind and noise pollution by Riley Baker ’26 of Northfield, Ill., and Yaffe

“What’s so unique about the Green Grants program is that it puts the stewardship of campus sustainability in the hands of the students themselves,â€� said Assistant Director of Sustainability Tom Twist. “They are empowered to be the project managers for their own sustainability ideas, and to see a project through from its original spark of an idea, through all the detailed minutiae, to its final completion. Having the students shepherd a project through this entire arc transforms not only the campus, but the student as well.â€�

The idea for the Maple Syrup Club originated from Yaffe’s work as a student groundskeeper and EcoRep. Yaffe, an environmental studies major, had spent many hours working in the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Garden — a.k.a the PLOT — and began wondering if it would be possible to tap the garden’s dozens of maple trees. 

When he posed the question to Facility Services staff, whom he’d come to know well across his years working outside, they encouraged him to pursue the idea. Yaffe joined Jeremy Lavertu, a carpenter with Facility Services, for a University of Maine workshop on tapping maple trees to learn the basics of sugaring, then founded the club with Angus Carter ’25 during the 2024-25 academic year.

That first winter, the Maple Syrup Club collected 10 gallons of sap from 10 trees in the PLOT. But the club lacked the funds they needed to purchase the proper equipment for filtration and boiling, key steps of the sugaring process that turn sap, which is 98 percent water and 2 percent sugar, into syrup. Yaffe had to complete the boiling process in Vermont with a friend’s home evaporator, a wood stove that can filter and boil large quantities of sap.

Those 10 gallons of sap boiled down into two mason jars worth of syrup. The experience was fun, but Yaffe had his eye on something bigger for the following winter that would not only generate more syrup but also bring together students, faculty, and staff.

To achieve that goal, he’d need proper technology and machinery, hence his application for a Green Grant. He used the awarded funds to purchase an evaporator, taps for the trees, and buckets to collect sap. After extensive conversations with Facility Services and the City of Lewiston about safely installing the evaporator, the club installed the stove outside of Cutten Maintenance Center. 

Haskel McKee-Seegal ’29 of Honolulu, a friend of Yaffe’s from the Orange Whip Ultimate frisbee team, became Yaffe’s co-conspirator in this season’s sugaring efforts. The two of them, with the help of a dozen or so other dedicated club members, collected 180 gallons of sap from 30 maple trees behind Leahey Field, which they stored in metal drums outside of Cutten.

“The Green Grant really helped us get off the ground,â€� Yaffe said. “We couldn’t have done anything without it.â€�

Equally vital were community members. Mike Walsh, a project manager with Facility Services, helped students with logistical and scientific components. Having first learned how to tap trees as a Boy Scout growing up in Maine, Walsh now produces gallons of syrup each year on his 50-acre property in Poland, Maine. He donated 150 gallons of his own sap to the students, nearly doubling their supply. 

“I had extra this year,� Walsh said. “I could have boiled it myself, but they were having such a good time. I said, ‘You know what? I will just load it up in the truck and bring it in.’�

Wood for the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ evaporator came from Walsh and grounds and maintenance workers Ian Brownlie, Amy Ray, and Nate Calden. Projects like this help demonstrate to students the vital, sometimes unseen role that staff play on campus, Walsh said.

“We have a lot of our own talents, and a lot of us want to give back to the student base,â€� Walsh said. 

Professor of Sociology and Associate Dean of the Faculty Mike Rocque donated several gallons from trees tapped around his home in Litchfield, Maine. Sugaring was new to him, and he enjoyed learning alongside the students and staff.

“I really like that part of engaging in the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ community, where people aren’t in their silos, but we’re all together and learn about what people do across the different areas on the campus,â€� Rocque said.

After running those 300-plus gallons of pure tree sap through another piece of equipment called a reverse osmosis system, which served as a filter, the students were left with about 150 gallons of concentrated sap. Then, they boiled on the evaporator. And boiled, until all that sap was distilled into seven gallons of pure maple syrup.

“Haskel and I spent many a night in the very cold sitting by the wood stove, boiling sap,� Yaffe said.

Yaffe and McKee-Seegal, an earth and climate sciences major, put in the most hours beside the evaporator, but they weren’t alone. Other club members took shifts, and Facility Services staff often stopped by.

“They were all super, super interested, super excited to talk with us and learn about the process,� McKee-Seegal said.

In addition to bringing together the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ community, another one of the club’s goals was to help students engage with Maine’s nature and culture through hands-on learning. 

It worked.“You feel a different way after doing something with your hands all day rather than doing something on your computer,� Jaffe said

Each club member who spent time at the evaporator went home with syrup. Then, during the Short Term Earth Day celebration, Yaffe and McKee-Seegal gave away Commons ice cream cones drizzled with their very own ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ maple syrup. The students also gave a couple of jars to Facility Services staff, who stored their stash in the Cutten breakroom for sweetening coffee. 

“That was one of my favorite parts, giving away the syrup and saying, ‘This came from ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ trees,’â€� Yaffe said. 

After graduating in May, Yaffe headed to Hiram, Maine, for his summer job working at Ossipee Valley Music Festival. McKee-Seegal plans to spend the winter 2027 semester abroad. But the two say that Maple Syrup Club will keep sugaring next winter under the leadership of several other club members, continuing the club’s goal of bringing together the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ community while learning about Maine’s nature and culture. 

Since its founding in 1996, Lewiston’s Maine Museum of Innovation, Labor, and Learning (formerly Museum L/A) has engaged in a decades-long educational partnership with ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College. That’s no surprise, given that the museum called the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Mill Complex home for the last 30 years.

In recognition of that relationship, ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ is making a $75,000 gift to Maine MILL’s new, stand-alone building, which opens June 27. Visitors to the new museum at 1 Beech St. — housed in another mill, most recently known as the Camden Yarns Mill — will enter through the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College Welcome Center.

“We are delighted to partner with Maine MILL as it starts a new chapter in its new home,â€� said ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ President Garry W. Jenkins. “Both institutions share a commitment to education and access that makes this collaboration a perfect fit. And we love the thought that ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ will be one part of the rich and complex Lewiston story that guests from around the country and the world will learn about during their visit to Maine MILL.â€�

The Maine MILL gift is the most recent example of the college’s investment in the region. Since Rachel Ferrante ’10 joined the museum in 2021 as executive director, the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½-Maine MILL partnership has only expanded.

“ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ is an enormous asset for Lewiston, as Lewiston is an enormous asset for ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½,â€� Ferrante said. “We’re thrilled that ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ is deeply invested in the partnership with Maine MILL and connection to Lewiston.â€�

This partnership reinforces ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½â€™ longstanding and deep commitment to Lewiston. For decades, the Harward Center for Community Partnerships has brought campus and community together to enrich the learning experience for ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ students and the lives of our neighbors in Lewiston and Auburn.

“At ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½, we examine what it really means to join — as equal participants — within a community’s self-led work, however the community is defining it,â€� says Darby Ray, director of the Harward Center. “This goes beyond superficial forms of place-based engagement. It’s not just, ‘We’re located here so let’s get involved.’ We are committed to doing the deep listening to understand what is really happening in the community and how we might join the community’s work. And we’ve tried to model that kind of accompaniment or presence over decades, which has fostered relationships of trust and accountability.â€�

The museum was founded in 1996 to preserve artifacts and stories from Lewiston-Auburn’s once-prosperous textile mill industry. When Associate Professor of History Joe Hall first took students to Maine MILL — then called Museum L-A — in 2003, there were weaving looms still threaded and covered with “dust fiber hanging like Spanish moss from trees,â€� Hall said. They sat exactly where they had been when the mill was operating. He quickly realized how valuable it was for students to physically observe the industries they were learning about in his courses. It was a way, he said, to show that history doesn’t just happen “in some imaginary cloud world.â€� 

Not long after, trips to the museum became a regular part of Hall’s “U.S. Environmental Historyâ€� course. Numerous other ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ faculty have also brought their students to the museum to supplement courses on everything from economics to Japanese textiles to Francophone history. 

“It’s been great as a way of grounding their learning, but also showing what it is that people here want to teach other people,â€� Hall said.

Students appreciate, Hall said, that the museum is led by a ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ graduate. Ferrante oversaw the 2023 rebranding to Maine MILL, a name that aligns more closely with the museum’s subject matter and reflects the institution’s goal to tell more wide-ranging stories from the region. ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ faculty have supported that effort; Associate Professor of Sociology Marcelle Medford, for example, led an extensive project collecting oral histories from Black Mainers, now included in the museum’s collection.

“We are focused on making sure that as a community history museum, we are telling the broadest version of our area’s history,â€� Ferrante says. “That also means what history has looked like here over the last 20 or 30 years since the mills have closed. Of course, Black voices have been incredibly important before that time, but are a huge part of Lewiston’s more recent history. Having that represented in the collection felt like a critical missing piece.â€�

ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ also connects with the museum through student interns, like Tristan Seavey ’26 of Calais, Maine, who has interned at Maine MILL off and on since his first year on campus. During his last Short Term at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½, he completed a full-time internship at the museum funded through the Harward Center for Community Partnerships. A double major in history and German, Seavey is also Hall’s student. 

As an intern, Seavey has led museum tours, done archival and operations work, helped with event planning, and 3D-scanned the gallery. He developed a passion for telling stories about people who have been underrepresented in popular history, inspired by Ferrante and Hall’s work. 

The internship “changed the way that I approach history,â€� Seavey said. “Before ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ and before working at Maine MILL, it was really just listing off dates and doing timelines. But working with Rachel and also working with Joe and doing my own research, I’ve really had this new perspective on how we tell history in a compelling way.â€�

Seavey’s senior thesis, which Hall advised, retraced the steps of a Black family living in his hometown of Calais in the mid-19th century, ultimately arguing that the impact of the Black community on that area was more important than previously discussed.

Hall watched as Seavey applied what he was learning at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ to work that needed to be done in the community, and then returned to the classroom, enriched by the experience. “It was really helpful to see how one person can use what they learn to offer new lessons to others,â€� Hall said.

Additional partnerships between ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ and Maine MILL include the museum’s annual fundraiser, Soirée en Blanc. ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Dining, Conferences, and Campus Events handles catering for the events, and many ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ dining staff members are from Lewiston-Auburn, Ferrante said, turning the fundraisers into full-circle moments.

“This museum is their museum, and what excites me is that they are helping make their own museum possible,� she said.

This year’s Soirée en Blanc will be held in the new museum building on Friday, June 26, the evening before the museum officially opens, meaning that ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ will have a hand in welcoming the public to the new space for the first time. 

“One of the things that makes this place so special is the relationships and the community that exists here,â€� Ferrante said. “It’s a huge part of what drives what we do and why we do it and who we do it for.â€� 

During the first-ever ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Curates event in March, faculty, staff, and students, and President Garry W. Jenkins, became “curatorsâ€� as they gathered to select a new addition to the Museum of Art’s permanent collection.

Carrie Cushman, director of the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Museum of Art, devised the idea for the event, which she hopes will be the first of many. 

“This program enabled us to start a conversation with the community about what it means to be a collecting institution in the 21st century,â€� Cushman said. “We were able to educate students, faculty, and staff on the strengths of our own collection and to build communal investment in its future.â€� 

The ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Curates event was centered around the museum’s recent exhibition Shellburne Thurber: Full Circle, which ran from October 2025 to March. Curated by ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Museum of Art Assistant Curator Samantha Sigmon, in collaboration with Thurber, the exhibition featured works from across the New England-based Thurber’s decades-long career as a photographer, primarily capturing images of homes and the people who occupy them.

“Thurber is known for crafting photographs of interior spaces that capture people’s personalities and presence,â€� Sigmon said.

Prior to the launch of ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Curates, museum staff had selected three works  — respectively titled “Phantom Limb: My Dresser Top at Night,â€� “Newtonville, MA: Blue Couch with Multiple Portraits of Freud,â€� and “Self Portrait Sitting on the Porch in New Hampshireâ€� —  from the exhibition for potential acquisition, made possible by the Barbara Morris Goodbody Collection Endowment Fund, to the museum’s collection of 8,000-plus objects. But, they planned to purchase just one work — and that’s where the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ community came in. Cushman and Sigmon invited faculty, staff, and students to the museum for an evening to tour the exhibition and vote on which work they should select. 

“Everyone was visibly excited to take part in voting and hearing more about the artist and each of the three works,â€� Sigmon said. “The experience truly enlivened our galleries. I’m thrilled that we could lift the curtain regarding how our collections are built and include our audience in such an integral museum responsibility.â€�

Attendees were eager to learn more about the museum and offer their input on the selected photographs.

“ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Curates was an inspiring and creative way to connect the campus community with the art museum while showcasing its exhibitions,â€� said Krystie Wilfong, associate college librarian for collection management and scholarly communications. “Hearing Samantha speak about the identified works offered a fascinating behind-the-scenes perspective.â€�

The event was an opportunity to renew interest in the museum’s permanent collection specifically, while also “demonstrating accountabilityâ€� to the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ community, Cushman explained. 

“I appreciated Carrie’s explanation that events like ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Curates were meant to be part of an intervention in the colonial practices that had shaped art collecting,â€� said Charles Nero, Benjamin E. Mays ’20 Distinguished Prof of Rhetoric, Film, and Screen Studies.

Though each piece received a similar number of votes, attendees ultimately selected Thurber’s “Self Portrait Sitting on the Porch in New Hampshire.�

“Knowing that an artwork I voted for will become part of the permanent collection makes the experience feel especially meaningful,” Wilfong said.

Featuring the photographer herself on a porch, harshly lit by a bright sun, the photo is distinctively different from Thurber’s usual compositions of interior spaces.

“The artist sits on the porch of her family lakehouse, a place incredibly entangled with her life and work. … She is not looking directly at the camera, and we see her in an everyday moment that captures her in a way a more polished portrait might not,â€� Sigmon said. “To me, it is as if we are right there next to Thurber in mid-discussion. Thurber’s power to transport us into the photograph really draws people in.â€�

“Self Portrait Sitting on the Porch in New Hampshire� nicely complements the museum’s preexisting repertoire of artist self-portraits and contemporary photography, Sigmon said. It’s also a unique holding from Thurber, who has rarely displayed her portraits of friends, family, and herself despite capturing many throughout her career.

“It was an honor to display this work and her other portraits at the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College Museum of Art,â€� Sigmon said. “As the curator, I love that we get to keep a photograph that sets us apart from her previous exhibitions elsewhere.â€�

In the greenhouse atop Carnegie Science Hall, a green seedling peeks up from an unassuming black pot. Small but storied, this plant has traveled the world to put down roots here in Lewiston.

The ginkgo tree seedling, not even a foot tall, is the child of a ginkgo tree in Hiroshima, Japan, one of 170 hibakujumoku or “survivor treesâ€� that miraculously lived through the atomic bombing of Aug. 6, 1945 — 80 years ago this August — and still stand in the city today.

“We are looking at a piece of something that survived the bomb, and that’s what’s really magical,â€� says Alan Wang ’24, who coordinated the effort to bring the seedling to ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ in partnership with the .

Green Legacy Hiroshima tends to the surviving trees in Hiroshima and their legacies, collecting their seeds and sharing them with institutions of higher education and botanical gardens. The offspring of the survivor trees are now growing at 146 partner institutions across 41 countries, bringing their message of hope and survival to communities around the world. 

As a junior at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½, Wang, who is originally from Henan, China, studied abroad in Japan through the Associated Kyoto Program. As part of the program, he traveled to Hiroshima to visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, where Green Legacy Hiroshima gave Wang and classmates a tour of the hibakujumoku. 

From a watch that stopped exactly at the moment the bomb detonated, to a shadow created by someone instantly vaporized by the heat of the atomic blast, what Wang saw in Hiroshima left a lasting impression on him.

“You can just see the devastating impact that the nuclear weapon caused,â€� Wang says. 

When he learned that Green Legacy Hiroshima had no partners in Maine, Wang became determined to make ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ the first. He imagined a survivor tree planted on campus, its presence encouraging discussion about the effects of nuclear weapons.

“I envision it as a platform to get people to talk about this,� Wang says.

But before he could bring the seeds to ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½, Wang had to secure the support of campus partners and then apply to join Green Legacy as a partner institution. Though it would be a long process, Wang was committed. 

As a senior back on campus, he started by bringing his idea to Assistant Professor of Japanese Language and Asian Studies Hanna McGaughey and Lecturer in Japanese Keiko Konoeda, who were both eager to support Wang’s efforts. Impressed by Wang’s persistence, Raymond Clothier, the interim multifaith chaplain at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½, also joined the project.

“When somebody is willing to dedicate that amount of time to a project like this and to not let it go when he encounters bumps on the road, it is inspiring,� Clothier says.

Finally, Wang was left with finding a biology professor who was willing to take on a multi-year responsibility. A young tree needs a lot of tending before it is sturdy enough to plant outside. Wang eventually connected with Daniel Slane, a visiting assistant professor of biology, who immediately agreed to help.

With the four faculty and staff members on board, Wang submitted the application for partnership to Green Legacy Hiroshima during the holiday break between semesters of his senior year and heard back within a month: ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ was approved as a partner.

In summer 2024, seven ginkgo seeds arrived from San Diego, where all Green Legacy Hiroshima seeds for U.S. partner institutions are stored. Slane first sanded their hard exteriors to make it easier for them to germinate. He then refrigerated two of the seeds for cold stratification, a process which mimics winter by exposing seeds to cool weather and encouraging germination. After a couple of months, he removed the seeds and planted them in pots in the greenhouse high above the Historic Quad.

But, those first two seeds did not germinate. Slane suspects that the soil conditions were too moist. Back to square one, Slane refrigerated and planted three more seeds. A couple months later, one seed germinated. Now, Slane heads upstairs almost daily from his office to check on the seedling.

One of the oldest tree species on Earth, ginkgo trees are known for their resiliency. Konoeda says there is a message there for all beings about enduring through the impossible.

“The mother plants survived and watched the experience — the fire and the wind and the heat. And still, we see this green and the tree,â€� Konoeda says. “So, we don’t know what is going on in the world right now, but we will survive.â€�

ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½â€™ seeds are from a 200-year-old ginkgo tree in the lush Shukkeien Garden, created in 1620. The garden is a little less than a mile from where the bomb exploded. Its blast spread outward and then the force of air, rushing back toward the hypocenter, pushed the tree inward, leaving the tree with a permanent slant toward ground zero. 

The fact that the hibakujumoko are able to reproduce is impressive, Slane says, because high radiation can cause plants to become infertile. The ginkgo seeds’ DNA may even be altered due to epigenetics, the way in which heritable traits in offspring are changed by a parent’s life experiences. 

“If you have seeds from a tree that has been impacted by a natural event or something like a bombing, they will have certain epigenetic changes that allow the offspring to probably deal better with those changes,� Slane says.

Though it will be at least two years before the tree is large enough to plant outside, the ambition, or hope, is that the ginkgo will eventually be planted on campus, joining the ranks of the bright yellow tree standing guard outside of Carnegie since 2003 and the new ones at Bonney Science Center. Once the tree is planted, Clothier and the Multifaith Chaplaincy will be in charge of maintaining it. 

“It’ll be meaningful to me to see the tree when it’s in the ground, to have a place, a marker on campus for peace, for the intergenerational work of peace,â€� Clothier says.

Like the seeds themselves, each of the people contributing to this project have a personal tie to the atomic bombings or the brutal history of World War II, and most have traveled across oceans to end up at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½. Konoeda, for example, grew up in Kitakyushu, Japan, the original target for the second atomic bomb. The city narrowly avoided complete destruction when clouds obscured its skyline on the planned day of the bombing, and American planes headed toward Nagasaki instead.

Growing up in Independence, Mo. — the hometown of President Harry S. Truman, who authorized the atomic bombings — Clothier interrogated the history of the bombings at a young age. 

In middle school, he and his peers put Truman “on trial� for a school assignment, attempting to answer the question, was authorizing the bombings the right choice? Thinking through these questions in a shared hometown contributed to Clothier’s interest in peace and ultimately led to his anti-nuclear weapons activism.

McGaughey and Slane both have a German background, which instilled in them the importance of never forgetting the atrocities of the war. Both also spent years living in Japan.

Growing up in Germany, “I was brought up with, ‘Remember, remember, never forget what happened back then,’â€� Slane says. “For me, that’s in a way connected, and that’s why my heart is there.â€�

At the intersection of these varied identities and backgrounds are differing narratives about the story of World War II and the relationship between countries like Japan, Germany, and the U.S. The ginkgo trees do not declare one narrative right or another wrong, the project contributors say; they simply open up a space for listening and thinking beyond preconceived notions. 

“Japan tells a story that is very much about its big victimhood and not about what it has done or how it has come to that position in the history,â€� Konoeda says. “And the U.S. tells its own narratives. And only by stepping outside of those stories, you see a bigger picture. And we are stuck now looking at this contemporary world that’s so divided in different ways, but we need to step back.â€� 

As a living reminder of both the past and the potential of the future, the ginkgo tree will offer students the opportunity to reflect on their own lives while perhaps exploring these differing historical narratives, McGaughey says.

“The past isn’t necessarily a blueprint for how we should do things. I think we are free to decide for ourselves what should come next,â€� McGaughey says. “That’s what I hope that the tree can be — a place where people can reflect on, ‘So what is the right thing to do here?’â€� 

For Wang, a ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ politics major and Japanese minor, the relationship between his home country of China and Japan is storied and complicated. Fighting between China and Japan during World War II exacerbated the two countries’ fraught political relationship and, for many, established an enduring resentment between the two populations, a feeling only complicated by the devastation Japan experienced during the atomic bombings.

With this historical context, some people, Wang says, may be surprised to see someone from China advocating so strongly for something like the preservation of the hibakujumoku seeds.

But, after studying Japanese for two years at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ and studying abroad in Japan, Wang holds two things to be true at the same time: the relationship between his home country and Japan has been a difficult one, and the atomic bombings in Japan were unequivocally devastating.

“All of that has some nuanced influence on my opinion of the seed,� Wang says. “But at the end of the day, it came from something that survived the bomb. The wonders of life, the resilience of this being, I think, deserve celebration.�

Ginkgo trees can live for thousands of years. ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½â€™ tree may live on to see the next generation of people, and the next, and the next, its legacy of survival and hope enduring for centuries to come. 

When Aanika Patel ’25 of Needham, Mass., arrived at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½, she expected the experience to be, as oft-described, the best four years of her life.

Patel soon realized that her time in college wasn’t about chasing a superlative, but instead paying attention to all the moments, both ups and downs, that form the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ experience — and make a campus not just another place, but a home. 

For Patel, who will deliver this year’s Senior Address, the memories that stand out the most are those characterized by human connection and a sense of place — the joy of reuniting with her best friend in Commons after study abroad, watching first-year students fearlessly join the club women’s soccer team she co-created, and, two years ago, being inspired while listening to her friend Rishi Madnani ’23 offer the Senior Address.

And, as she’ll talk about in her speech on Sunday, the power of place came through during a transformational hike up Mount David in the dead of winter for a class. 

Such moments, and the skills and relationships that they beget, are key resources in preparing to embrace life beyond ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½, Patel says.

Alexandra DeMarco of ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Communications and Marketing spoke recently with Patel. The following is a condensed and edited version of their conversation.

First things first, could you tell me about why you wanted to give the senior speech?

The former president of the South Asian Student Association, Rishi Madnani ’23, gave the Senior Address two years ago. I remember sitting there, watching him reflect on his time at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½. I was moved at how he captured the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ experience and the influence it has on a person. Since then, I’ve hoped for the opportunity to do the same. I love our class and wanted the chance to honor how much the people and moments here have been fundamental not only to my experience in college, but also the person I will be out in the world. 

What is your theme?

Place and the environment. 

My sophomore year, I took “Politics of Wildlife Conservation� with [Clark A. Griffith Professor of Environmental Studies] Sonja Pieck.

I sat in that class and in the second week, something just clicked for me. I was like, wow, everything is so interconnected. All living things exist because they are reliant on each other, and in the case of that course, it was that national parks are influenced by socio-political, economic, and scientific factors. These connections are what can make or break an environment, because all actants have their own histories, too. 

My speech talks about how “placeâ€� is a network of connections, relationships, and histories. You watch how land is impacted by those who interact with it and how. ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ carries the histories of all the people that are a part of this campus. It’s what makes it so special, and is something that will influence you in the future, too, whether or not you’re conscious of it.

Could you talk about how that interconnectedness that you discovered in environmental studies is mirrored at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½?

The people at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ are the distinguishing factor. That’s what makes ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ so interconnected — the kindness and the warmth of people, the willingness to go put yourself out there and know that there are people that have your back. 

You see that in all walks of life here at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½. You see it on the sports teams, and you see it in the arts culture and the theater department. You see it in the classroom, and everybody brings their background and their experiences. There seriously is very little judgment when you interact with a ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ie. It’s always about learning from each other and learning from what each other has to offer. That’s what makes ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ so special.

Did that theme find its way into your senior thesis?

Yes! My thesis is on the intersection between pathogens, people, and the environment as actants. Cholera is an endemic bacterial disease in the Ganges River and Delta, and it’s a continued cause of sickness and death despite having been eradicated in the Global North world. I looked at the policy that’s been implemented to clean the Ganges River — the Namami Gange Programme — and what might be missing that encourages this disease to continue. 

The Ganges is a very sacred river in India and a body of water I grew up hearing about. So my thesis started off with asking why cholera continues to exist in that river. From there, I looked at the socio-political and economic dimensions of how people have addressed bacterial and infectious disease and contamination in other places in the world. 

There are a lot of nuanced relationships on why the disease might continue to exist. Some of them are religious, some of them are rooted in colonialism, and also just how densely populated the region is. Basically, though, the areas to manage this issue are not connected. The cleaning of the river is not associated with health management, and health management is not associated with caring for the river’s environment.

I basically determined that the Namami Gange Programme does not address the “whyâ€� component for wanting to clean the Ganges river in the first place: the cholera pathogen. I applied elements of the hydrosocial cycle and posthuman mutualism to center the pathogen as the thing that binds people, pathogens, and the environment together and evaluated how the existing policy does and does not do that. 

The Ganges River being dirty is inherently a people problem. Cholera continuing to spread is inherently a people problem. But the way to solve it is actually acknowledging the complex relationships between the human and nonhuman and how they interfere with water management. 

Sonja Pieck was my advisor, and she was incredibly, incredibly resourceful and helpful for this project. She was so supportive and understanding, and we were able to talk theory forever. At ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½, I’m really lucky in that sense of having that unique model of an individual advisor that really cares about my thesis and my ideas.

Why did you choose to research the Ganges River for your thesis?

I’ve always been interested in public health. What I really, really wanted to do was to write about India. My parents instilled in me a love for my heritage and ensured that I always had this connection with India regardless of where I grew up. Their dedication to my cultural upbringing is what inspired this thesis and the want to give back to a place that makes up so much of who I am. 

What are some of the lessons that stick out to you that you’ve learned from your peers, your professors, and other community members?

This year, I took part in co-founding the women’s club soccer team with a handful of friends. What I learned most from the experience wasn’t actually getting the team off the ground, but watching a few freshmen who joined the team and had never played soccer before. They put themselves out there in a completely new environment, and it was incredible to witness. 

I saw all my friends getting together to try and make a supportive and welcoming environment for the team. That kind of culture, where people genuinely look out for each other, feels uniquely ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½. Another one is persevering and sticking through whatever gets thrown your way. Sophomore year, Hoi Ning Ngai, [director of employer engagement and business advising at the Center for Purposeful Work], really became a mentor. 

What I learned from her is that in any place that you end up in, not everything is going to be perfect, but it’s what you make out of the things that are put in front of you  — what you take away from each experience and how you carry it with you to the next one —  that is seriously important. 

You have completed a couple of internships while you’ve been at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½. What would you say to fellow students and incoming students about the value of internships?

Internships give you a perspective of learning, skill-building, and working with people that you can’t really get in a classroom environment. They produce and force you to get experience. Every internship that I had, I used it as a jumping point to the next opportunity, and I learned a lot about myself along the way. 

You are very passionate about environmental studies, and you also have a business mind. Could you tell me about how those two interests intersect for you?

I picked environmental studies as a major because it teaches you a mindset of awareness of the things around you and how you can improve them, even when it seems out of reach, and what tools might be necessary to get to that point. Business is the same type of problem solving just in, perhaps, slightly different contexts. I seriously believe that a lot of the issues the planet faces can be boiled down to people and the things that they face, and business is a way to understand that in a grounded way. 

You studied abroad in Stockholm and London. What were those experiences like, and what can you say about the value that studying abroad added to your educational experience?

I lived in Sweden for a year when I was younger, so going back to Stockholm, specifically, was like rediscovering a part of myself that I left there. Even though I only studied abroad for four months, I learned so much about what it means to be present and experience yourself in the contexts of a new place. You are so uniquely out of your comfort zone that afterward, everything else doesn’t seem as big and scary as it used to be. You learn to rely on just you and what you have to navigate the new place you’re in. 

I tell everybody, all the underclassmen I know, to go abroad. Finding that sense of place in the foreign environments you’re put into shows just how capable you are. I was reminded how to be curious and stay grounded. 

What role have extracurricular activities played in forming your community at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½?

Aside from women’s club soccer, I’m also president of the South Asian Student Association and president of the Bollywood Dance Team. It’s really cool to see how much ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ has an interest in supporting students of color on this campus as well as just various cultures. 

What I loved and wanted as part of my college experience was to have a connection to my heritage. Coming here and meeting people that cherish their South Asian culture in the same way brought a feeling of home to this campus. 

Bollywood Dance is my creative outlet. I grew up doing Indian Classical Dance (Bharatnatyam, Odissi, and Kuchipudi), so coming to ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ and learning a new, more modern style of dance was an exciting challenge. I have this belief that everyone knows how to dance. As long as you’re willing to put yourself out there, there’s really nothing to be afraid of. 

During the SASA mock wedding each year, we teach dances to everyone who wants to get involved. In South Asian weddings, it is really common for family members and friends of the people getting married to do dances. I got “marriedâ€� this year, and it was so much fun to dance alongside my friends. 

What characteristics have you come to value in the people around you?

Warmth, kindness, sense of self, and groundedness. At ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½, people are uniquely proud of what they offer, and I admire how much people are excited to share with others who are interested in learning. 

My parents are very driven and have been incredible role models. They really inspired me to find a sense of place in my culture, as well as the other spaces I might end up in. They’ve always encouraged me to have these experiences with others and give back to the communities that have contributed to my success. That’s something I want to do with my life, with my job, with my degree.

Do you have any advice for incoming students?

What helped me get through ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ successfully was the friendships I made with upperclassmen. The way you can do that is by putting yourself into club spaces and being proactive as a freshman. The other piece of advice I have is enjoying your college experience for everything that it offers. For me it looked like venturing out into nature having never been comfortable with it. 

I came into college thinking, “These are going to be the best four years of your life, period.â€� As I went through college, though, I realized that that’s too much pressure to put on four years, but I can still find positives or joy and excitement in the little things that are in front of me. I learned to love going on long hikes and spending hours out at night stargazing, I learned to pause and appreciate the things around me that are so much larger and have been there so much longer than I have. Those little things are incredibly special to the place and the time that you’re at. 

If you could pick one moment that defines your ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ career, what would it be?

I met my best friend at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ on minute one of move-in day freshman year, right before my parents left.

When I came back to ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ after studying abroad, when I saw her in Commons — that was the loudest I’ve ever shrieked. Everyone was staring. I just gave her the biggest hug.

Why I say it defines my ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ career is because the friendship withstood time. I realized how much the people are the place, and it was a core memory for me. 

You have postgraduate plans — you’ll be an energy consultant at the global energy analytics firm Wood McKenzie. At this moment in your life, how would you describe your aspirations for the future?

I just want to make an impact in the world. I want to do good for people in some way, shape, or form. 

I really hope that I start forming my own community and family the way that my parents have. This year, I’ve really learned that having your people makes your moments and achievements worth celebrating. That love is what keeps you going. 

In the future I hope to dedicate my career to helping people. I want to make sure that what I did and what I learned makes an impact on other people’s lives, as much as my education and my upbringing has made on me. 

Open-water fishing doesn’t begin until April 1 in Maine, but that didn’t stop four Bobcat lacrosse seniors from angling for a fishing-inspired sportrait last winter that pays tribute to one of their favorite ways to spend time together.

Before their seasons start, ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ student-athletes step in front of the camera on media day for standard head-and-shoulder portraits. When that’s done, they have time to create playful, metaphor-rich images that showcase their team spirit, personal interests, and ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ friendships.

This spring, we saw recreations, imitations, and invocations of famous paintings, rock ’n’ roll, Maine pride, juggling, and more. Here are 13 of our favorite spring sportraits — each one casting a line between sport and self.

Connected Cats

The friendship between sophomores Sienna Pietrasiewicz ’27 of Norton, Mass., and Isabella Albro ’27 of New York City extends far beyond the softball diamond.

“We are always connected, even when we are not on campus together,� Pietrasiewicz says. “Bella’s the first person I text or call when anything happens in my life — good or bad.�

Whether in cleats or cozied up at home as ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ roommates, the two spend hours chatting, laughing, and leaning on each other through the highs and lows of the season — and of life. “I know she’ll always have my back,â€� Pietrasiewicz says. “And I’ll always have hers.â€�

Oar Values

Merrill Doherty ‘26 of Hanover, N.H., and Olivia Smith ’26 of Lafayette, Ind., channeled the solemn faces and upright posture of the figures in Grant Wood’s iconic American Gothic — but with an oar instead of a pitchfork, and with a wink toward the grit that typifies ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ rowers.

A lifelong Hoosier, Smith says she was drawn to the painting’s Midwestern themes of hard work and community — values that echo on the team and in her friendship with Doherty. 

“Our interpretation is a tribute to the values that unite our different backgrounds,� she says. “On the team we say that there are many routes up a mountain. They all include community and good old-fashioned hard work — but with an oar rather than a pitchfork.�

The two first met as first-year walk-ons, complete rowing novices. They bonded through early-morning practices, a dizzying glossary of rowing terms, and the steep learning curve of a new sport. What began on the water has become a deep friendship built on shared growth, trust, and a sense of humor.

Their assistant coach, Catie Flynn, helped bring the final vision together. But the chemistry? That’s all theirs.

As Maine Goes

The original Maine flag is unmistakable — the pine tree, the lone star, the simplicity.

And though a statewide vote last fall failed to re-adopt the historical design, the old flag has fervent fans, including these four baseball players from Maine.

“I think it’s fair to say we all prefer the old Maine flag to the colonial one,â€� says Gibby Sullivan. “We all feel pride in being from the state. There’s a special bond I feel with every Mainer I meet that has gone to ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½.â€�

There’s more than a shared area code binding this group. They’re all from Cumberland County towns: Swift and Sullivan from Yarmouth; Carlisle and Hobbs from South Portland. 

Swift and Sullivan “have always been friends,� says Sullivan. “We were Little League all-stars together before playing together at Yarmouth High School.�

Hobbs and Sullivan, meanwhile, played travel ball together since they were pre-teens. “I’ve known Hobbs longer than anyone else here at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½.â€�

And Carlisle? “We met on the beach in Scarborough during my senior year of high school,â€� Sullivan explains. “I told him I was heading to ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½, and he said he’d love to play there one day. Funny how it all worked out.”

Battle of the Bands

Outfielders and teammates Grace Householter ’25 of Manhattan Beach, Calif., Sophie Garber ’26 of Wellesley, Mass., and Maya Lee ’27 of Wayland, Mass., brought rock ’n’ roll energy to their spring sportrait.

The trio channeled shared experience as outfielders into a coordinated pose that ended with Garber sliding into the frame “like a rockstar,� says Householter.

In Garber’s first year at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½, she and Householter were paired as “sistersâ€� in the team’s returner–first-year mentorship tradition. “And all three of us play outfield together — the best positions! — so we obviously had to take a picture together,” says Householter. “We always try to make our sportraits super fun. They’re a chance to show who we are as a team: always full of energy.â€�

Friendship also hit a high note for these women’s lacrosse juniors, from left, Clare McGeever of Berlin, Conn., Amanda Edge of Washington, D.C., and Lauren Wong of Walpole, Mass.

“Amanda loves to sing, so it just made sense for her to take on that role,” says McGeever. “We all sing a lot when we are together — we joke about forming an a cappella group.”

The sportrait allows their off-the-pitch (but not off-pitch!) selves to shine. “ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ allows us to explore different aspects of who we are,” says Edge. “As varsity athletes, we’re still able to pursue other interests, like music.â€� McGeever and Edge have sung in the college choir; Edge takes piano lessons, and Wong plays as well.

Balls in Play

What started as a way to connect with a young child turned into an unexpected skill for Ben Miller ’25 of Scarsdale, N.Y. 

Two years ago, he learned to juggle while working at a pediatric physical therapy clinic. “Some of the patients needed some distraction while getting treatment, and one patient loved to juggle, so I decided to learn.�

That same lighthearted spirit showed up during some downtime during the men’s lacrosse sportrait session, when Ben spotted a trio of brightly colored lacrosse balls and decided to put his skills to the test. “I thought it would be a cool photo.�

Coast to Coast

Lacrosse seniors Javi Werner and Cooper Lance channeled Nacho Libre energy and perhaps a bit of East Coast–West Coast. Werner is from Brookline, Mass., while Lance is from San Diego, Calif.

“Javi and I have been good friends since freshman year,” says Lance. “We recently dressed up as Nacho Libre characters for Halloween, so we thought it was only fitting to continue that for our sportrait.”

It’s Glow Time

These three juniors are roommates, teammates, and friends who enjoy “getting ready together� for all things in life, says Zoe Schaedle of Philadelphia — whether for a night out, class, or a preseason sportrait.

“We came up with the idea on a whim,� says Raegan White of Duxbury, Mass. “I had brought makeup to the shoot, and when I pulled it out, we just thought, ‘Let’s pose with it.’�

While makeup isn’t part of their game-day routine, feeling positive and confident is. “We definitely believe that you play how you feel,� says White, “We always support whatever makes each other feel good before a game.�

Hot Bats

The sophomores on this year’s baseball team are “best friends,â€� says Keagan Ryan ’27 of Salem, N.H., “so we decided to try to be creative during sportraits this year.â€�

The campfire suggests the video game Fortnite that “we have all played,â€� explains Ryan. The bats represents the flaming logs, and the gloves are rocks. 

The scene of the sophomores surrounding a campfire captures how “we are a very close class and have all worked very hard to get where we are. We are all grateful that ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ has allowed us to create these lifelong friendships.â€�

From left, Kenny Carlisle of South Portland, Maine, Luke Yoon of Honolulu, Hawaii, Theo Zacharia of Manhasset, N.Y., Henry Kolani of Tarrytown, N.Y., Tyler Canna of Rye, N.Y., Keagan Ryan of Salem, N.H., Nolan Hobbs of South Portland, Maine, and Henry Prince of McLean, Va. 

Here Come the Sophs

These four sophomore softball players came together to pay homage to the Beatles’ Abbey Road, released 56 years ago this September.

“We all listen to the Beatles, and we are definitely influenced by our parents’ music tastes,â€� says Emily Kennedy of East Hampton, N.Y., who counts “Martha My Dear,â€� “There’s a Place,â€� “Rocky Raccoon,â€� “I Will,â€� “Norwegian Wood,â€� and “Good Nightâ€� among their favorites. 

In the iconic album cover, Paul McCartney holds a cigarette and is famously barefoot. For these softball players, “we made sure we included the four softball essentials: an outfield glove, a ball, a bat, and an infield glove,” Kennedy says.

“We are super close, we support each other, and we have fun on and off the field. I don’t know who I would be without them.â€�

Lacrossing the Delaware

Emanuel Leutze’s painting Washington Crossing the Delaware presents a compelling metaphor — teamwork, leadership, shared purpose — for Bobcats looking to create an all-in sportrait. 

Last season brought us the first-year swimmers recreating the painting; this spring, the juniors on the women’s lacrosse team took their turn. “We feel that it represents us as a strong, powerful unit,â€� says Clare McGeever ‘26 of Berlin, Conn. 

Use your mouse to grab the slider (or swipe on a phone or tablet) to reveal more or less of each image.

Brewster Burns for ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College

Cleverly, they had their ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ flag appear to flap in the wind by having a teammate, Lindy Child ’27 of Bethesda, Md., hold the flag up, just out of the frame. 

To play Washington, they turned to Raegan White ‘26 of Duxbury, Mass., taking advantage of the goalie’s helmet and gloves “to make her stick out and distinguish her as our own commander-in-chief.â€�

In fact, it was White who shared the idea in the team’s grade group chat. “Everyone was on-board, literally!� says McGeever.

“We really love each other and the team so much,â€� she adds. “We have so much fun playing lacrosse with each other and have grown close over the years. We are entering our senior year with the same crew since our freshman year, and we wouldn’t change it for anything.â€�

Bass Bros

These four senior friends love lacrosse and they love bass fishing. But it was a last-minute call to put the two together for a sportrait, says Colton Curtis ’25 of Charlotte, N.C. “You’d think after 4 years we’d have more ideas, but using the fishing rod as a prop was definitely a last-minute decision.â€� 

“Fishing with each other and our teammates is one of my favorite ways to relax,â€� he adds. “Living so close to the Androscoggin River and other bass-filled lakes and ponds has definitely been one of my favorite parts about ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½.â€�

Curtis has been fishing since he was a little kid. “Being from North Carolina, it’s just one of those things that I seemed to always end up doing with my dad and friends. Quinn’s dad is also an avid fisherman, so it’s definitely something we all enjoy.â€�

The image is more accurate than you’d think. “I had a jig tied on with a real hook that we put into an orange, which Ben bit into,� Curtis explains. “It was pretty funny trying to figure out how we could rig it up so Ben could bite into it and we could get the rod to flex but not actually hook him.�

Oarigin Story

Another popular spoof for Bobcats is Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam, which a few rowers took on this year.

In this re-creation, Nate Oh ’28 of New York City, plays the role of God, which makes sense since he’s a cox, but there were other practical considerations. “Small guys cannot hold the big guys, so we went from there,� he says — which is also how a big guy, Mason Choiniere Barr ‘28 of Longmeadow, Mass., became recumbent, as Adam.

Oh showered praise on his teammates. “Sam Williams is an absolute unit and a great friend. He always brings a smile to the team’s face.â€� Van Loo, a captain, “is a stud who leads by example and has a great presence on the team.â€� 

And Choiniere Barr is “a dirty bowman who will set the boat despite the immense pain he endures,� says Oh. (Translation: He’s a tough rower at the front who keeps the boat balanced and steady.)

Meanwhile, Oh has a lot of face time with Davalos, who rows “stroke seat,â€� closest to the cox, setting the rhythm for the rest of the crew and literally face to face with the cox. “Through countless hours of grueling practices, we got to know each other.”

For two days each semester, Assistant Professor of Economics Kyle Coombs’ “Data Science for Economists� students are laser-focused on one goal.

They hole away in a reserved space on campus for a 48-hour “hackathon� to test their problem-solving skills and apply code, economics, and data science to real-world issues in the local Lewiston community.

Coombs’ goals for the class are to teach students the skills needed for real-world project management and to tackle problems which harm society as a whole. Knowing how to work with data can be a great tool for justifying, evaluating, and addressing socioeconomic concerns. 

“The motivation is around using data to get at social issues, inequality issues, and how it manifests around race, gender, income inequality, economic opportunity, and whether that’s equitable,â€� Coombs says.

During the fall 2024 hackathon, Coombs’ students tackled a project to examine the efficacy of the city of Lewiston’s efforts to address lead-paint hazards. Like many other cities around the country with aging housing stock, Lewiston has faced problems of lead paint exposure and poisoning in the home.

The Lewiston–Auburn area’s rate of childhood lead poisoning incidents is the highest in the state, according to Healthy Androscoggin, a public health initiative focused on wellness and disease prevention in Androscoggin County.

“We’re the second largest city in Maine, and we have per capita the highest number of young people in the state,â€� says Jacqueline Crucet, a former city of Lewiston neighborhood development planner who has worked with Coombs and his students. “It’s very important that we have healthy homes for these young people to grow in.â€�

Through a partnership set up by the Harward Center for Community Partnerships, Coombs connected with Crucet, who provided the hackathon students with information about the city’s lead program.

The data included comparisons of lead paint prevalence with home age and socioeconomic indices, statistics about the kinds of homes that the city has targeted for lead mitigation programs, how the programs are implemented, whether through grant-subsidized or fee-based models.

Coombs’ students analyzed the data and found that the city’s efforts to reduce lead exposure are mostly meeting their goal of targeting homes with the greatest risk of lead exposure, suggesting that during upcoming efforts, the city focus its attention on homes built between 1920 and 1940.

Coombs’ other hackathons thus far have focused on the correlation between streetlights and decreased crime rates and designing rental assistance pilot programs to support local renters.

In recent years, the verb “hack� has shifted away from its nefarious meaning — anonymous computer geniuses working to steal data — to mean solving a problem or creating a shortcut. To wit, a hackathon is a fast-paced, collaborative gathering, with suitable high-tech overtones, to solve a problem in a short period of time.

The hackathons showcase the students’ emerging “creativity and technical skill,â€� Coombs says, “which is a lot of what you use in workplace scenarios.â€� 

Each semester, Coombs collaborates with the Harward Center to reserve a campus space for the hackathon; there, students hunker down to work, though the “hackers� come and go for classes, sports, and sleep. While they hack, Coombs fields takeout requests and delivers favorites like Mother India and Pure Thai.

Nick Brown ’25 of Hopkinton, Mass., arrived at his hackathon last fall straight from track practice and settled in to work with a burrito in hand. He says he spent six to ten hours each day working on his team’s project.

“That was with fully comped, really good meals, and working with a great team of people,� Brown says. “It never felt at any point that I was not going to finish or felt rushed. It overall was a very positive experience.�

Like a team of coworkers, the students were responsible for independently dividing up group work and coordinating their schedules.

“I did a lot of the data cleaning and then the regressions, other people did a lot of visualizations or worked on the presentation itself,� Brown says. “It felt very natural, and we also felt like we were communicating very well.�

“Data Science for Economistsâ€� is cross-listed as both an economics and a digital and computational studies course. The hackathon is the culmination of a semester spent, for many of Coombs’ students, learning to code for the first time, an often-frustrating process of trial and error. 

“You will make constant mistakes,â€� Coombs says. “It’s about learning how to get through the mistakes, push through, address the problems, help yourself find creative solutions to a technical problem.â€�

The students organize their work in GitHub, a software storage program, and code in the language “R,â€� which is free and open source, meaning any student can access the code from their personal computer. An economics and history major with a minor in math, Brown used the R skills he learned during the course to complete his senior economics thesis. 

“In terms of raw skill building, this was probably the number one class I’ve taken at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½,â€� Brown says. 

After each two-day hackathon, the students present their work to city partners and make recommendations based on what they discovered. The city partners can then use the analyses in their own evaluations and projects. 

“It was really cool to be able to present to community members and see them actually derive insights from what we found and think about how those could be used to actually benefit people,� Brown says. “That was really insightful for me, how you can leverage your skills to create meaningful impacts.�

Each hackathon subject ties directly into greater city plans. In 2020, Lewiston received a $1.3 million federal grant to develop a resident-led transformation plan, “Growing Our Tree Streets,â€� for its downtown neighborhood, which has nine goals that will be accomplished across 25 years. (“Tree streetsâ€� is the nickname of the neighborhood where many streets have names like Oak and Maple.)

Based on the strength of the transformation plan, the city was awarded a $30 million Choice Implementation Grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Lewiston is the first small city in the country to receive the competitive grant, which is intended to help cities revitalize and transform neighborhoods. “We are like this beautiful experiment,â€� Crucet says. “We’re the right size for this kind of major investment where we’re taking some risks and trying to be as innovative as possible to meet the goals that we’ve set out in the transformation plan.â€�

Crucet was attracted to Lewiston because of that very “go getterâ€� mindset that led residents, including ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ alumni, to lead the charge for the transformation plan. 

“We have this amazing cadre of ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ alumni,â€� Crucet says. “They’re doers and they’re taking all of their knowledge and all of their life experience and investing in Lewiston, and they see a future.â€� 

By tackling subjects included in the city transformation plan and making suggestions to the city, Coombs’ students are able to join in on these real-world efforts. 

“The exercise of the hackathon enables them to have the opportunity to inform actual policy and the business of the municipality in which they live,� Crucet says.

In this reel, six seniors reflect on mentorship, discovery, and the thrill of sharing big ideas at the 2025 Mount David Summit, the annual celebration of student academic achievement.

At this year’s summit, held April 4 at its traditional location in Pettengill Hall, 256 students presented 130 research posters and participated in 26 academic talks or panels. 

You’ll also see and hear how ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ students show up for each other. “One of my best friends is doing a math presentation on Ulam words,” says Max Olson ’25, and English major from Beverly, Mass. “Do I know what an Ulam word is? Not really. Am I going to see the presentation and find out? Absolutely.â€�

These are the seniors in this reel, created by ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ multimedia producer Theophil Syslo, plus a bit about their senior research:

• Aneeza Ahmad of Sharon, Mass., traveled Maine’s farmland to amplify the voices of Wabanaki, white, and Somali Bantu farmers.
• Lydia Frew of Norwich, Vt., presented research how dance and movement practices can deepen our understanding of the self through internal sensory experience.
• Nimco Jama of Hargeisa, Somaliland, investigates how wild mustard plants may adapt to climate change through “heat memory.â€�
• Max Olson of Beverly, Mass., explores race and identity in The Lord of the Rings in his English thesis on literary bigotry.
• Ananya Rao of Bedford, N.Y., brings climate policy to life through her internship on offshore wind with the Gulf of Maine Research Institute.
• Brandon Villalta Lopez of Nicaragua and Costa Rica studies the neuroscience of memory suppression and the power of smell in triggering what we forget — or remember.
• Fiona Wilson of Barnstead, N.H., uses wildlife camera traps to explore how coyotes, foxes, and fishers adapt to urban life in Lewiston–Auburn.

Chris Schiff is one of Ladd Library’s research librarians, and he’s been known to ask a big question to those seeking a job at the library: “What’s a library?â€�

It’s a big question for a big building — the second-largest academic building on campus — and to figure out the answer, we spent the day of March 12 in Ladd Library, from around 7 in the morning (well after building custodians Sherry Lessard and Carrie VanHerzeele had arrived) to the library’s 1 a.m. closing.

First, its physical presence: the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ library is a large modernist structure. Opened in 1973, it represented a daring break in architectural style, prompting the late Phil Isaacson ’47, noted art critic and author, to admiringly call it “a helluva good building.â€� It was named for George and Helen Ladd in 1979, recognizing the couple’s extensive service and generosity to ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½.

The ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ library has physical collections — books, periodicals, documents, audiovisual materials — plus access to digital and online titles, more than two million.

And it also has a collection of people who support every library service. There are around 20 librarians and professional staff, bolstered by a team of students, around 220, who staff everything from the circulation desk and IT Service Desk to the Peer Learning Commons, which occupies much of the ground floor.

And it’s huge, runner-up to Pettengill Hall as ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½’ biggest academic building. With 86,608 gross square feet, it is more than five times the size of its close neighbor and ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½â€™ prior library, Coram.

Yet thanks to an imaginative design developed more than a half-century ago by The Architects Collaborative, led by Sally Harkness, Ladd’s bulk doesn’t dwarf Coram.  

The library’s famously pitched roof was the solution. It ensured that the front of the building remained in scale with Coram, while the large rear facade with its wide windows is compatible with the scale of Alumni Gym, the Gray Athletic Building, and Chase.

Some of the transfer of knowledge in Ladd library is silent, from screen to student, or from book to student. Some conversations are a bit louder, like those between seniors looking to find that last, crucial source to connect the dots in a senior thesis and one of the library’s experienced research librarians.

In the evening, some exchanges are downright loud, whether on the main floor, where students chat and gather around tables, or on the ground floor, where they work through challenges and difficulties with peer tutors in the Peer Learning Commons.

“We know that students learn best when they can interact with other people, when they’re in collaborative learning environments,� says Pat Schoknecht, the college librarian and vice president for information and library services since 2018.

“And so the library needs to be a place where they can find the resources that they need, using that word very broadly — a place where they can either work alone because that’s what they want to do, or in pairs or small groups.�

Schoknecht recalls what someone once told her: “The library is the place where intentional learning should be happening.�

In that “let’s go!� spirit, Schoknecht and her team “want people to come in with that intentionality and we want to provide them with the services that help them accomplish whatever that intention is.�

What’s a library? Here’s what we found.

7:23 a.m.

“Sherry and Carrie at the Libraryâ€� — that’s the library’s custodial dream team of Sherry Lessard and Carrie VanHerzeele, the latter seen vacuuming the floor near the reading area on the first floor. Lessard arrives at 5 a.m., VanHerzeele at 4 a.m.

When they’re not busy dusting Ladd’s more than half a million books, Lessard and VanHerzeele are wiping down tables, cleaning windows, and collecting Commons dishes left behind by students. They find any number of misplaced and lost items throughout their shifts and, on two occasions, have found snakes in the library.

“Little baby snakes,� VanHerzeele says. “Nothing venomous or anything.�

A white board affixed to the door of their shared office, featuring stick-figure drawings of both women, serves as a message board between the custodial staff and library patrons.

“That’s their way of communicating with us when we’re not here,â€� VanHerzeele says. “Most of the time it’s just really nice notes.â€�

7:30 a.m.

Fifteen minutes before the library opens to ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ students, the usually buzzing main floor of Ladd is completely silent. However, if you open the stairwell you’ll hear a steady scraping of grit on the concrete that tells you Emmon Blackburn ’26 of Nardin, Okla., has clocked in for work as a stair sweeper, a student job that’s been around for more than a century.

Blackburn is here five days a week at 7 a.m to sweep the three and a half staircases inside Ladd, indie rock playing in their headphones. “It’s a good job if you can bring yourself to get up early,� Blackburn says. “And in the winter it’s early enough I get to see the sunrise, which is nice.�

7:46 a.m.

When the library officially opens, Salem Aqraa ’27 of Southaven, Miss., is the first one in the door. He’s come straight from his early morning rowing practice, and will shortly begin his shift as an “IT Service Desk Assistant.”

Working with professional staff at the service desk, he and other student workers offer quick-as-possible fixes for the wide range of technological problems that can beset a couple thousand computer users on a college campus. But, as he says, “mostly it’s printer troubles.�

Early in the morning, “barely anyone comes in, so I mostly study. During later shifts I like to talk to people though, especially professors who come in for help more than you would think.�

7:48 a.m.

Ilyas Bashir ’25 of Auburn, Maine, is the first person to sit down and study in Ladd today. He’s a Chinese and anthropology double major working on his thesis, and usually one of the first people in Ladd. His anthropology thesis looks at how immigrants navigate the healthcare system in Lewiston.

8:01 a.m.

Lee Desiderio, a member of the IT Service Desk team, raises the shades to begin the day. As an instructional support manager, he helps faculty, students, and staff get and stay up to speed on the rapidly changing technology they use.

8:10 a.m.

Two juniors from Tuxedo Park, N.Y., Megan Donaghy ‘26 and Lili Missbrenner ‘26, begin their day early by meeting in Ladd. It’s their routine, to enjoy the quiet, the light, and each other’s company.

8:30 a.m.

The circulation desk is near the front door, which means that whomever is on duty becomes an unofficial greeter, or concierge, of Ladd Library.

This morning, it’s Sloan Phillips ’25 of Evergreen, Colo., who has worked all four years at the campus library.

The greeter role, Phillips says, “is kind of nice, to be able to see who’s coming and going and chat with whoever comes in,â€� and to be able to triage computer questions, printer questions, or research questions.

“I like making small talk. Maybe making them feel a bit better, even if they have to talk with me because they’re waiting for their book. It’s still making a connection with another human.�

Reserve readings still have an emotional charge, says Phillips. “A sense of difference, they didn’t seek it out for themselves. They’re assigned to it. It’s a different dynamic.�

8:39 a.m.

Simon Clarke ’25 of Redwood City, Calif., a student worker at the audio desk on Ladd’s ground floor, moves between the mobile shelves containing music and movies, pulling items reserved by students and faculty.

8:43 a.m.

Emily Colucci, a library assistant for access services, settles in for a day of work on Ladd’s ground floor in a sea of neatly-organized DVDs, CDs, vinyl records, and cassette tapes.

A classically trained guitarist and singer, Colucci works in Ladd’s audio/video area and is currently embarking on a project to digitize the library’s many cassette tapes, several of which contain obscure NPR recordings, broadcasts, and lectures that are only available at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ and the Library of Congress.

The job nicely suits her love of music, as Colucci helps students and faculty check out records for both academic and personal use.

“Lately, I’ve been checking out vinyl to students who have a very vast range of musical interests, which I would suspect they get from their parents,â€� Colucci says.

9:03 a.m.

Among the stacks on the second floor, we find a familiar face reading the poetry of Jane Kenyon. It’s Professor Emeritus of History Dennis Grafflin, back on campus for one of his bi-weekly visits to Ladd.

The library, he says, was his favorite building on campus during his 35-year career as a ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ professor and the spot he most often returns to in his retirement.

“The man who hired me, Ernie Muller, who was then chair of the history department all those years ago, was on the committee that designed this library, and it was one of his proudest memories of his time at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½,â€� Grafflin says.

9:20 a.m.

Next up at the circulation desk is Ruslan Peredelskyi ’25 of Kyiv, Ukraine. A full-service operation, students can check out and return books or items like scissors, light-therapy lamps, and more. Today, he’s also the keeper of a precious lost phone, whose owner comes by to retrieve the missing cell with heaps of thanks to Peredelskyi.

While handling books, Peredelskyi gets a front-row view of what faculty and students are working on.

“They tell you what caught their eye and why they need it, and they tell you about their projects, and it’s really exciting,â€� Peredelskyi says.

When circulation traffic dies down, Peredelskyi, perched behind the desk near the library’s entrance, works on his politics senior thesis and greets students and friends as they filter into Ladd.

“I get to say ‘Hi’ to every single person that enters the library,� Peredelskyi says.

9:36 a.m.

ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ has had only 10 college librarians. The list starts with Horace Cheney, the son of Oren Cheney, founder of the college, who served in the position when was 19 years old.

The 10th arrived in 2018, when Pat Schoknecht was appointed college librarian and vice president for information and library services. Here, she meets with Ben Peck, who is the associate college librarian for research services.

Schoknecht’s title reflects the fact that at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½, the library and IT are joined. Two librarians before her, Gene Wiemers did the work to intertwine the two, making ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ a national leader in that area.

In the words of Professor of Sociology Emeritus Sawyer Sylvester, Weimers did more than join the two areas: He â€œimproved each by that marriage.â€�

9:41 a.m.

Custodian Sherry Lessard shines a bathroom mirror. Lessard and VanHerzeele keep Ladd in great shape for the hundreds of students, faculty, and staff who mill about in the building each day.

9:57 a.m.

Mariana Kaluba ’25 a physics major from Lusaka, Zambia, finds that the friendly and social environment of the library helps her get work done.

10:09 a.m. 

In the back of the administrative offices on Ladd’s first floor, Jenn Michel is in book doctor mode.

As the library’s acquisitions and preservation librarian, she is responsible for book conservation — i.e., repair, including remedying loose or detached spines. In today’s pile for repairs is a particularly charming copy of Jane Eyre, with an illustrated front cover and “Je t’aime� handwritten on the inside.

After applying glue to a detached spine, Michel places the book in a hand-operated bookbinding press.

The glue is a special pH-neutral adhesive. “We don’t want acidic materials used at any time during any of the conservation work,â€� Michel says. “That would deteriorate the paper products faster, and we want to preserve things for as long as we can.â€�

Michel’s work also includes creating pamphlets for music scores, which involves binding sheets of paper into folders. Above, she uses an awl to poke holes through sheet music and its enclosing folder below, then threads a piece of string through the holes and ties a knot to create the binder.

“Like the glue, this is a string that’s not going to damage paper, and I made this string three times as long as the score,” Michel explains.

10:20 a.m.

Stinky books, be gone! On Ladd’s ground floor, kitty litter and cedar branches make up the secret sauce for removing odors from books.

These ingredients rest at the bottom of a large trash can, just below a small laundry hamper fitted within the can. Odorous books sent to the can sit atop the hamper for a couple of weeks, until their smells are absorbed by the litter and branches.

While kitty litter is a common tool for removing odors, the cedar branches represent a uniquely ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ technique. Former library assistant Jane Boyle had the idea to use cedar because of its strong, pleasant smell, and the branches in Ladd are still the very ones taken from Boyle’s backyard.

9:52 a.m.

Through the window of Instruction Room 128 on the first floor, near the printers, Christine Murray, who is the library’s social sciences librarian, is speaking to students in an anthropology course.

The course is “After Deportation Ethnographies from Latin America and the Caribbean,� taught by Benoit Y. Vallee, who is a visiting assistant professor of Latin American and Latinx studies. The class usually meets in Roger Williams Hall, but today they’re in the , in preparation for upcoming research papers.

After the class lets out, one of Vallee’s students, Christopher Viza ’28 of Chicago, gets straight to work, sitting in a chair by the big windows, and trying to get through articles that might inform his paper before his biology lab at noon.

10:28 a.m.

Custodians Carrie VanHerzeele and Sherry Lessard return reusable bowls and cups from Commons left in Ladd Library during the previous day’s study activity. Rather than a “no food� policy, the library asks students to help maintain a clean, welcoming space.

10:45 a.m.

Three seniors — Natnael Yaregal of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Devendra Thapaliya of Delray Beach, Fla., and Adrian Allannic of New York City — huddle in the Salter Room on the third floor for a morning spent working on theses and job applications. It’s a good study spot, they say: quiet but still open to group work.

10:58 a.m.

Students kick up their feet on Ladd’s first floor, getting comfortable for studying. On a sunny morning in late winter, a spot next to a window affords views of students enjoying the thawing campus and the refreshing, if fleeting, sunlight.

One floor below, in the Peer Learning Commons, Noa Hart ’27 of Hastings on Hudson, N.Y., double majoring in economics and English, is at work in the Peer Learning Commons, where she tutors students in economics but also helps with math, psychology, and statistics.

“When the students have a big conceptual thing that they’re worried about, I try to break it into an example that looks more familiar or maybe they could see in their daily lives,â€� Hart says. “These concepts from microeconomics are very abstract, and I say to them, ‘It’s a different language. It’s nothing you’ve ever seen before.’â€�

11:27 a.m.

The temperature has barely crept above freezing, but the sunshine beaming down on the terrace outside Ladd draws Bobcats seeking a warm spot in the sun.

One is Olivia Reynolds ’25 of Cumberland Center, Maine, who is stretched out in front of Ladd, studying Buddhist traditions of death practices.

“Today, I started hearing the birds outside, and that was my first indication that spring is coming,â€� Reynolds says. “It’s been a long and dark winter, and now that we have more light and sun, and it’s just starting to feel like spring, that’s motivating me to be outside.â€�

11:29 a.m.

Cecilia McQuaid ’25 (left) of San Francisco, Calif., and Abby Marriott ’25 of Brooklyn, N.Y. , take a break from studying and enjoy the sun on the Ladd terrace.

11:31 a.m.

From left, Cerise Stanley ’25 of Bentonville, Ark., May Whelan ’25 of Bristol, R.I., and Liam Shlager ’26 of Ross, Calif., create a game plan as they look over data related to paid family and medical leave in Maine. The project is for the course “Economic Analysis for Non-Profits,” taught by Assistant Professor of Economics Austin Smith.

11:37 a.m.

Marginalia has been around for centuries (see 1:15 p.m. entry!), and has been the bane of librarians equally as long.

If you seek out a copy of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales (call number PR1866.S5 1929), you’ll see some ambitious marginalia. Someone decided not only to translate “The Prologue,� but to do so in pen. They got 11 lines in before giving up.

Nearby is Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own (PR6045.O72 Z474). More marginalia. A reader circled the book’s feminist manifesto: “I need not hate any man; he cannot hurt me. I need not flatter any man; he has nothing to give me.�

Also nearby is a copy of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray (PR5819.A2 P43), where marginalia sums up the telling moment when Dorian remembers being watched by James Vane, the brother of Sibyl Vane — whose death Dorian helped cause. The reader circled this text and wrote, “Evil never will forget.�

11:53 a.m.

Sav Thomson ’28 (left) of Saint Andrew, Jamaica, and Daina Velez ’25 of the Bronx, N.Y., lay on one of the square benches on the Ladd terrace enjoying a moment of sunshine.

11:54 a.m.

Ayden Brusa ’27 (left) of Skowhegan, Maine, and Madyson Gonzalez ’25 of Suffern, N.Y., offer assistance at the IT Service Desk on the first floor of the library.

Students complement and support the work of the IT Desk’s professional staff. During a typical month in the academic year, the service desk handles upward of 450 tickets for the campus community.

For the most part, student requests for help often include printing and software problems — the latter of which can usually be solved with a simple computer restart, says Mamadou Diallo ’25 of Somersworth, N.H.

Occasionally, the student team gets scam calls or a request that they have to elevate to their superiors, but they are able to resolve most requests on their own, they say.

“Mostly, it’s not that difficult,â€� Diallo says. “It’s just being able to communicate well with whoever needs help and trying to understand them.â€�

11:55 a.m.

You can still find some vintage card catalog cabinets in Ladd Library. This one is in the bibliographic area. The card lists annual reports for the Federal Power Commission (now the Department of Energy) dating to 1921.

The entries reflect the fact that the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ library is an official federal records depository, the first in Maine, in 1883. Because many federal documents were not originally cataloged into an online system, ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ has kept this card catalog in use over the years.

11:59 a.m.

When a library needs to describe a resource for the online catalog — be it a book, a movie, or music — metadata librarians like Matt Banning go to work, ensuring that everything is properly described to maximize its “findability.”

On this day, Banning is in his first-floor office working to catalogue ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½â€™ collection of nearly 2,000 pieces of 19th- and 20th-century sheet music. The antique pieces are less fragile than one would expect, Banning says, though flakes of paper still dot his office floor as he sorts through the collection.

The sheets have traveled far and wide to end up at Ladd. Music collector George W. Harris gifted much of the collection to ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ upon his death in 1904; ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ then sold the collection to Bowdoin, which later returned the sheets to ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½.

Other sheets arrived all the way from Australia, by way of the collection of Australian-turned-New-Yorker Irma Caron and her husband Marmion P. Greenwood-Adams, an artistic couple who vacationed in Maine.

“These are really historical documents. They show us what music was popular back in the 1800s and early 1900s,� Banning says. “We also see this very interesting history of New England. I pay attention to things like signatures that are on them.�

12:09 p.m.

From left, seniors Henry Lennig of Scarborough, Maine, Miles Miller of Spring, Texas, and Daniel Snider of Belfast, Maine, “blow off some steam� by playing a geography game.

12:19 p.m.

Senna Cabenguele, a technology support specialist, dons a “Lewiston Strong� hat while working in the IT support area. At Cabenguele’s desk, old technology meets new, evidenced by a vintage Super Nintendo game console sitting beside his computer.

On his desk, and on those of his colleagues, are various trinkets, relics, and curiosities. Nearby, Nathan Hann has 3D printed objects on his desk that his colleague, Keith Hord, created at home. “I have them for people to play with while I work on their computer,� says Hann.

The 3D items include a frog, pumpkin, sloth hanging from a tree, an ocarina (a magical instrument from The Legend of Zelda series),  and a lizard with a broken tail.

12:37 p.m.

Midday, community members and ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ies alike gather on Ladd’s first floor to watch Pat Webber, director of the Muskie Archives, “flip the birdsâ€� — a.k.a, change the page displayed from ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½â€™ copy of John James Audubon’s iconic Birds of America.

The 2-by-3 foot book of illustrated birds rests in a wooden display case, designed by the late Thomas Moser, near Ladd’s main entrance. Each month, archives staff change the displayed pages to exhibit new birds and invite an expert to discuss the avians.

This month, the guest expert is ecologist Emily Runnells, who talks about the Atlantic puffin and the razorbill, species that build small colonies on difficult-to-reach rocky islands in the Gulf of Maine.

“They spend a lot of time here,� Runnells says. “If you manage to get out on the ocean in the winter, you can find anything out there.�

12:37 p.m.

Juniors Amanda Yolles (left) of Belvedere Tiburon, Calif., and Samantha Gabel (right) of Sherman Oaks, Calif., who are sitting with Lexi Inger, like to hang out on the ground floor — half studying, half socializing, they say.

12:54 p.m.

Christine Murray (left) talks with fellow research librarian Marianne Williams (right) at the main research desk on Ladd’s first floor.

Williams, who handles humanities-related research inquiries, is busy looking into acquiring a few French films for a Short Term course. She is constantly purchasing and managing physical and digital research assets, both for general campus use and for faculty’s specific research interests, which she closely tracks.

“At ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½, we really try to make sure that our collection is reflective of the curriculum,â€� Williams says.

One of her recent purchases is Holy Smoke, an art book about the use of incense in classical cultures around the world, which Williams purchased to complement Assistant Professor of Classical and Medieval Studies Liana Brent’s research on ancient death practices. The dark smudges staining the large book are, surprisingly, not damage from an overly-inspired reader but rather an intentional artistic choice.

“It’s got a carbon material in the cover so that when you touch it, it creates this ashiness,â€� Williams says. “The idea is that you’re actually supposed to get the book dirty.â€�

Before she puts Holy Smoke away, Williams places the book back inside of the clear plastic bag that protects neighboring books from the ashy residue.

12:57 p.m.

Newspapers are displayed on the library’s first floor, just left of the entrance.

Titles here are, from top, The Boston Globe, The New York Times, The Washington Post, the World Journal, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and the Washington Blade. Other print editions include the Lewiston Sun Journal, Bangor Daily News, The Wall Street Journal, and The ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Student.

1:06 p.m.

Ladd Library is for all ages. The physical collection of is housed on the first floor of Ladd, including titles of children’s books like All Because You Matter by Tami Charles, I Give You My Heart by Pimm van Hest, and Beautiful Moon: A Child’s Prayer by Tonya Bolden.

The Diverse Bookfinder is a resource for librarians, educators, parents, book creators, and publishers who seek children’s books featuring characters who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color.

The platform was founded at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½, based on work begun in 2010 by Krista Aronson, an associate dean of the faculty and professor of psychology; Anne Sibley O’Brien, an award-winning author and illustrator of books about diverse children and communities; and Brenna Callahan ’15 — now director of health services and student well-being at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ — whose interest in diverse picture books was inspired by her work with an early literacy-intervention program in Maine.

1:08 p.m.

Salem Aqraa ’27, who had the early morning shift at the IT Service Desk, returns for a busier shift. He is helping fellow sophomore Leighton Kelly of Cohasset, Mass., who is having wifi issues.

1:18 p.m.

After “flipping the birds,” Webber heads up to the second floor, to the storage area for the Edmund S. Muskie Archives and Special Collections Library. Tucked away just outside of a stairwell, the unassuming room is a treasure trove items related to ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ and to Muskie, the revered statesman who graduated from ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ in 1936.

Webber presents a collection of three baseballs signed by members of the Giants, Yankees, and Dodgers — all New York baseball teams at the time — including legends like Mickey Mantle, Jackie Robinson, and Willie Mays. The signed balls were given to Muskie, who was governor of Maine at the time, and other U.S. governors attending the annual governors’ conference in Atlantic City, N.J., in June 1956.

Another item represents ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ campus history: architectural models of Olin Arts Center and Ladd itself, created by the two buildings’ famed architects, The Architects Collaborative.

And world history is represented by centuries-old rare texts. One such volume is a book written in Latin dating to around the 14th century and likely from the United Kingdom or the Low Countries, says Webber.

The book’s contents, seemingly composed of Biblical excerpts and sermons, are written on paper made from cloth, which is often more durable than modern paper.

As Webber carefully flips through the book, an amusing hand-drawn face peeks up from the top corner of a page, rare marginalia in the otherwise unadorned text.

“Maybe that’s a reaction,â€� Webber says. “It’s a 14th century meme. An OMG meme, or something like that.â€�

1:48 p.m.

First-year students and “best friends� Misra Ahmed, Natalie Gersen, Ellen Cabin, Natalie Damer-Salas, and Queenie Tsang study together at a table toward the back of the first floor of Ladd, a popular spot for group work and chatting.

They’ve pulled up extra chairs to their table so everyone is included — and within arm’s reach of a bag of chocolates, shared fuel for studying.

1:52 p.m.

Alec Spiro ’25, Matt Riseman ’26, Abby Hubbard ’26, and Olivia Dorion ’26 put their heads together on a midterm project for their “Youth Sociopolitical Development� psychology course.

Here, they’re organizing flyers that they’ll post around campus. The flyers have QR codes inviting students to take a survey about their experiences with dorm damage in campus residences.

2:11 p.m.

Chris Schiff, Ladd’s music and arts research librarian, points a student in the right direction from the research desk on the first floor. This time of year, when Schiff isn’t out on the floor, he’s in his office a few feet away, advising senior students who are finishing their theses.

2:27 p.m.

On the front end, books come to the library through purchases that are often funded by endowments.

For example, Wendell Wray ’50, who died in 2003, was an influential librarian who directed the New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.

His bequest to ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ created a library fund to purchase books on African American topics. Recent acquisitions have included The Healing Stage by Lisa Biggs, highlighting the transformative power of theater in addressing Black trauma and resilience.

The arrival of new books requires a complementary back-end process. Today, that’s the task for Xanthe Miller ’25, who works in the library’s bibliographic services area, which involves acquisitions, cataloging, processing, and preservation.

She’s sorting through books that will be donated to organizations like Better World Books, which raises funds for non-profit literacy organizations, or recycled.

It’s a dream job for this economics and music double major from Short Hills, N.J. A book lover and avid collage artist, she sets aside books that catch her eye, either for reading or collaging. Back in her room in the Village, Miller has dedicated an entire wall devoted to collages she’s made from old books.

Within the books, Miller finds fascinating ephemera: bookmarks and scraps made into such.  There was a pristinely filled-out but unsent Ovaltine customer quality survey promising $4.50 of coupons to participants; a 10 rupee banknote from India, from the Mahatma Gandhi series, and a Tommy John baseball card.

After a shift spent sorting through literature, Miller often finds herself covered in small bits of paper. They float away as she speaks with her hands, like literary fairy dust.

“The books leave their traces on me in a very real way,� Miller says. “I turn the books into art, and they turn me into some sort of whimsical being.�

3:56 p.m.

Outside, an Admission tour winds its way past the library. Inside Ladd, just above the visitors, Chloé Santucci ’25 of Falmouth, Maine, Josh Collins ’25 of Bodega Bay, Calif., and Madison Pavao ’26 of Franklin, Mass., have convened on the first floor.

They’re gathered at a table in the back corner to work on a group project for their cellular biochemistry course with Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology Daniel Slane.

Since their work is collaborative, the students have selected a study area where they can chat, specifically at Ladd rather than in dorm study spaces. Surrounded by other studious ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ies and just steps away from countless academic resources, the students focus best in the library.

“It’s nice because sometimes I will get confused or not know how to do an assignment or I need help, and there’s a lot of resources,â€� Santucci says.

4:02 p.m.

Ethan Vulcain-Sowkey ‘28 of Flushing, N.Y., walks to Ladd Library with Yuki Yasuda, a Learning Associated in Japanese.

Inside the library, Nicole Rossilli ’27 of Staten Island, N.Y., wanders over to Ladd’s printing stations, clad in a ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ EMS T-shirt. A trained emergency medical technician, she’s on call today and brings along the radio that will alert her of any emergency situations needing attention.

“The library is a good central location on campus, so if we get a call and we need to get there, it’s going to be less time,â€� Rossilli says.

Two to three ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ EMS student volunteers are on call 24/7 during the academic year. Between calls, student volunteers go about their normal on-campus activities, such as what Rossilli is doing, printing a reading on technology and illness for a course with Professor of Anthropology Jennifer Hamilton.

4:14 p.m.

During thesis season, Chris Schiff can often be found in his office on the first floor of Ladd, advising senior students as they complete the largest projects of their academic careers thus far.

Today, Schiff and Lauren Georgeou ’25 of New York, N.Y., are discussing Georgeou’s senior thesis about the valuation of objects on the show Antiques Roadshow. Schiff’s office, packed with piles of antique sheet music and collected CDs, is well-suited for an academic discussion.

Schiff and Georgeou are working on “big picture� themes of Georgeou’s thesis, tackling questions about distinguishing one’s scholarly lens from personal opinion and the purpose of asking why certain knowledge matters.

“If you can try to answer that question of why is this knowledge valuable, you really contributed to scholarly discourse,� Schiff tells Georgeou.

4:51 p.m.

The higher you go in Ladd, the quieter it becomes, which suits D.J. Mason ’28 of Naperville, Ill., just fine. Mason says he is easily distractible, so he’s intentional about finding study spots, “away from social traffic and talking, where I can zone in on my work.� Today, that’s the very quiet third floor.

He’s doing some reading for the course “Black Poetry,� taught by Dana Professor of English and Africana Therí Pickens, including 1919, a book of poetry by Eve L. Ewing about the Chicago race riots of that year, during the so-called Red Summer of violence in the U.S. “She explains how it was during Black migration: geographic, social, and economic, from the South to the North,� says Mason.

The second and third floors are dominated by the stacks, which refers to how books are “stacked� on shelving units. “Sometimes I’ll poke around and see what they’re about,� he says.

“There’s this history attached to them,� he says, plus what he calls an “antique functionality.� They’re still integral to the academic experience, but Mason feels a coming change.

“Books, in my mind, make me think of sitting down and doing serious work. Maybe in coming generations, that might change. They might not have that secondary, social cue� — the signal that a book in hand suggests intellectual effort and concentration.

Some of the chairs near where Mason is studying are original to the building.

For example, when asked where he studies in Ladd, Pascal Wettermark ’27 of Truckee, Calif., replied, “Upstairs. The blue chairs.�

The vivid blue upholstery of those heavy oak chairs (a hue of lapis that, it’s said, was favored by Cleopatra), were made by the Monarch furniture company, a bygone manufacturer located in High Point, N.C., which once had dozens of furniture factories.

7:11 p.m.

Ladd Library glows in the early evening, its distinctive four-level facade on full display.

7:18 p.m.

At the circulation desk, Yoko Franklin ’25 (right) of Princeton, N.J., helps Eli Criss ’25 of Winchester, Mass. Inside of Ladd, opportunities abound for students to learn from one another, whether it be through checking out a book, seeking out IT support, or a tutoring session.

7:21 p.m.

Caroline Hughes ’25 of Fairfax, Va., a biology major, works on her senior thesis at the research desk with help from Peter Schlax, Ladd’s science and data librarian. During the winter semester, Schlax’s calendar is full of research appointments with graduating students, each chugging away at their thesis projects.

7:24 p.m.

From left, seniors Adam Joseph, Grace Flaherty, Aidan Wood, and Maura Ferrigno gather for a study session, equal parts laughter and study on Ladd’s first floor.

7:45 p.m.

After the sun has gone down, the stacks on Ladd’s upper floors are quiet, awaiting students on the hunt for last-minute research materials.

7:51 p.m.

To help students navigate the Peer Learning Commons, student tutors wear colored safety vests. Neon yellow/green vests — seen here stored in a wall organizer, ready for use — indicate tutors who provide support in STEM fields and quantitative social sciences. Tutors who work with students on writing wear blue vests.

7:53 p.m.

Axelle Tougouma ’27 of Fada N’gourma, Burkina Faso, dons a yellow vest to begin work as a peer tutor supporting students in math courses.

In the evening, the Peer Learning Commons space is loud — in a productive way — with many students coming straight from dinner in groups to go over a few calculus problems they’ve been having trouble with, or to get a writing tutor to look over their latest essay before they turn it in.

Putting on a blue vest that marks her as a writing tutor is Tammy Namangale ’27 of Manhattan, N.Y., and Lilongwe, Malawi. “I love the energy in here,â€� she says, “Sometimes they come in for a class we’ve taken before, and they just need to vent about something, and I’m like, ‘I get it, you know, and I can help.’ I like being that person.â€�

“The training is way cooler than it seems. When I was training to be a writing tutor, our final project, we ran workshops for 100 middle school kids, and I got the virtual reality rooms. Lots of fun.�

7:54 p.m.

Naziea Fruits ’25 (left) of Cleveland, Ohio, a neuroscience major who supports biology, organic chemistry, and neuroscience courses, talking to Joaquin Torres ’25 of Silang, Philippines. A theater and neuroscience double major, Torres supports DCS classes as well as student writers across the curriculum.

9:04 p.m.

Molly Allison ’26 (left) of San Juan Capistrano, Calif., and fellow writing tutor Charlotte Gisborne ’25 of Bishop’s Stortford, England, glance at work on Allison’s computer.

9:09 p.m.

Peer tutor Peter Weil ’25 (left) of Cooperstown, N.Y., works with Talia Winters ’28 of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., helping her with calculus studies.

10:04 p.m.

In addition to students seeking help, the Peer Learning Commons attracts students helping each other.

On this night, Dylan Thomas ’25 (left) of Truckee, Calif., and Wyatt Hoffman ’25 (right) of Lyme, Conn., headed to Peer Learning Commons, along with Johannes Schwarz ’25 of Cincinnati, Ohio, to study together for an upcoming exam in their biochemistry class.

Their goal? “Hopefully not to fail,” jokes Hoffman.

12:33 a.m.

Gathering in one of the Peer Learning Commons’ public speaking and presentation studios are, top to bottom, theater majors Jack Hagan ’27 of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, Ruby Marden ’27 of Sidney, Maine, and Aidan Bergeron ’27 of Pelham, Mass.

They’re watching Hamlet as they outline the play on the whiteboard. The group is the last on the ground floor — and certainly the most enthusiastic for the late hour.

The presentation and speaking studios are equipped with multimedia technology for students wishing to practice pitches or presentations, whether a thesis defense, job interview, or Mount David Summit poster session. The rooms are staffed by tutors from the Peer Learning Commons.

12:38 a.m.

Mo Al-jabry ’28 of Singapore, a member of the IT Service Desk team, works on assignments as he waits to assist students with late night technical issues.

The library is winding down, preparing to rest. In less than four hours, the custodial crew will arrive to start the daily cycle all over again

There is a late night chorus of sounds. The occasional cough, muffled laughs, and unintelligible words. Cellphones hitting tables with a distinctive thud amidst the click and clack of keyboards. Zippers opening and closing as bags are packed and warm coats go on.

Since midnight, Karla Chichester of access services has been walking the floors, reminding students of the 1 a.m. closing time. Sometimes, she has to move within eyesight of headphone-wearing students to get their attention before reciting the same reminder.

“This is part of the job that I really enjoy doing. I like seeing who is here,� she says. “We have our regulars, which we love seeing. I asked one of them, ‘Do you get tired of my kicking you out?’ They say no, that it serves as a good reminder — they tend to lose track of time.�

As the lights go off, the stacks take on a new look, she adds. “It’s a more intimate view of the collections.�

12:43 a.m.

In two minutes, at 12:45 sharp, half the overhead lights in the library will flicker off, leaving the first floor ominously aglow. The elevator dings on the first floor, indicating its arrival and the departure of a few lingering students. 

In the distance of this image, one of the last students remains at work.

12:52 a.m.

This late-night regular is Maura Ferrigno ’25 of New Providence, N.J., who explains her nighttime studying ritual to Hannah Kothari ’26, an editorial assistant for ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Communications and Marketing.

Ferrigno likes how the lights going off signals that it’s time to end her day, and how the 1 a.m. closing time tells her it’s time to sleep.

“The library’s closing time is nice because it’s putting you to bed. It’s cozy here. I find it not as sterile as other buildings on campus. I embrace being here for as long as I need to be here.�

12:54 a.m.

12:58 a.m.

Ferrigno is still typing away on an annotated bibliography for an art history course. She has two more minutes, and she’ll use both.

1:04 a.m.

Karla Chichester (left), the late night timekeeper,  buttons her coat, walks out the two sets of double doors with her colleague from access services, Zeke Sturgeon, and locks them behind her.

“It was a good day!� she says, putting Ladd Library to bed for its brief, deep sleep.

Writing and reporting by Jay Burns, Alexandra DeMarco, Hannah Kothari ’26 and Ramona McNish ’28.

Barry Lawson is a ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ computer science professor who chairs the Program in Digital and Computational Studies. He is also an accomplished multi-instrumentalist who plays mandolin, guitar, and upright bass.

The two endeavors harmonize, he says.

“Playing with other people is rewarding because we’re performing but also listening and responding. It’s part of the communication,â€� says Lawson, who is the Colony Family Professor of Digital and Computational Studies. “I think that influences a lot of what I do in digital and computational studies as well.”

This culture of collaboration and interdisciplinary thinking is foundational to the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ DCS program — now the college’s 37th academic major, thanks to a faculty vote on March 3. 

ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ created the DCS program in response to a rapidly-changing world. As access to technological knowledge becomes more easily available, humans are solving epic problems but often blazing trails of unintended consequences. Facial recognition technologies used to solve crimes, for example, have sent innocent people to jail after mistakenly identifying them as perpetrators, while social media apps meant to create connections and foster community have led to loneliness and mental health problems. 

“One of the challenges for computer science as a field historically is that there has too often been a rush to produce products with too little consideration of the holistic impact on individuals, on society, and on the planet,� Lawson says. “We are seeing many of the effects of those choices now.�

With courses linking digital studies to subjects like theater and neuroscience, DCS aims to prepare students to respond to rapid technological developments by teaching them both essential skills of computer science and how to critique technology through a lens of furthering social good.

“One of the goals of DCS is for students to gain sufficient technical background across computational fields of study, while also thinking critically about, and evaluating the impacts of, the tools that we’re building, of the choices that we’re making, and of who is involved in making those choices,� Lawson says.

The DCS program is highly interdisciplinary, with a focus on five core elements: computer science; data science, analysis, and visualization; critical digital studies; human-centered design; and community-engaged learning. 

The major will comprise 10 courses, including those that fulfill the core elements of the major and electives that span the interdisciplinary expertise in DCS, such as “The Past, Present, and Possible Dystopian Future of Computing,� “Public History in the Digital Age,� and “Human-Robot Interaction Design Workshop.�

Funded by gifts totaling $19 million from several ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ families, the college announced the formation of a DCS program in 2016; the minor was first offered in 2021. From then to now, the number of seniors with DCS minors has exploded from 15 to 42, making DCS ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½â€™ most popular minor among current students. 

The DCS program is like a flowering tree. It grew slowly, establishing a solid base, before it bloomed, each of its branching disciplines and their respective faculty experts playing a key role in the major’s raison d’être.

“The overall mission as well as the specifics of the major have the fingerprints of those DCS faculty,” Lawson says, giving thanks to faculty members Anelise Hanson Shrout, Carrie Diaz Eaton, Andy Ricci, and Jason Castro.

Faculty also sought input from ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ alumni working in DCS-adjacent jobs, who Lawson says expressed excitement for the new major and the hope that students will both gain technological skills and learn to think carefully about what technology is accomplishing and who is in charge of it. 

The new major meets the growing interests of both current and prospective students. Abdul Rafay ’25 of Lahore, Pakistan, for example, added a DCS minor to learn computer science skills that he could apply to his natural science interests as a biochemistry major.

“It was only possible because of the flexibility that is very intentionally part of the DCS curriculum.” 

By his sophomore year, Rafay had discovered DCS’ wide-ranging applications. Using data skills gleaned from his “Computing for Insight” course, plus skills learned from a “Lab-Based Biological Inquiry” course — one that offers hands-on research experiences early in a student’s career — he was able to map genetically similar microalgae.

“It was only possible because of the flexibility that is very intentionally part of the DCS curriculum,â€� Rafay says. 

Outside of his coursework, Rafay also uses his DCS skills in his campus work to support sustainability efforts. As part of the team of student EcoReps, he and fellow DCS minor Paige Bilich ’26 of Massapequa, N.Y., wrote computer programs to automate the regular calculations of ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½â€™ carbon footprint, freeing up time for the EcoReps to pursue additional sustainability projects.

“We have more time, which we’ve been using to work on visualizing the data to make it more user friendly, to better understand and interpret ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½â€™ sustainability,” Rafay says.

Rafay plans to pursue a career in bioinformatics and says that his DCS coursework has affirmed his interest in working with data and research. 

Like Rafay, many incoming students enter ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ with a desire to study technology broadly, says Leigh Weisenburger, the college’s vice president for enrollment and dean of admission and financial aid. 

“A DCS major will help us better attract those students who wish to have digital literacy as a part of their learning, yet still want to uphold the liberal arts foundation and principles when it comes to learning,â€� Weisenburger says. 

DCS courses are often cross-listed with other areas of study — “Introduction to Digital Mediaâ€� is cross-listed as a theater offering, as one example. For students just starting out in college, such courses can help draw them into parts of the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ curriculum they hadn’t yet considered.

“When we start talking about digital and computational studies, whether it be within art, whether it be within environmental studies, it just is so malleable, and it clicks for all students regardless of what they think their academic pursuits are going to be,â€� Weisenburger says. 

To fulfill the college’s general-education writing requirement, DCS seniors will take a one-semester capstone course during which they will complete a community-engaged learning group project in collaboration with a community partner. The project will give students real-world experience in using their technical knowledge and community engagement skills to solve a problem.

In addition to teaching a curriculum designed to encourage critical and ethical interaction with technologies, DCS faculty also aim to improve the way that subjects like computer science are taught, with the consideration that the field has historically been dominated by white men.

“Teaching computer science or data science the same way they have historically been taught leaves out some very important voices, and omits considerations that a variety of perspectives bring,� Lawson says. “As fields of study, there is still a lot of room to learn and grow in those regards, and we want DCS to be actively engaged.�

At the end of their four years at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½, DCS majors will know how to code, know how to critique technology, and understand the impacts of those interlocking practices — skills applicable to many potential career paths.

“It’s not at all an overstatement to say that practically every part of our society is touched or affected by computing in a meaningful way,� Lawson says.