When Adriana Salerno won her biggest award to date, from the the Mathematical Association of America, the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ professor had two unusual responses to what amounts to a lifetime achievement award.

Her first was, “Wait, I’m not finished” — a thought that Salerno, a professor of mathematics at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ since 2009, spoke to directly as she accepted one of the MAA’s highest awards at its annual MathFest in August.

“A really important part of being a math professor is that you know you don’t know everything and that you still have a lot to know and to learn and to grow,â€� she told the audience. “And so getting an award, this is always like, but why? I’ll be better later.â€�

The second thought was that an individual award didn’t feel quite right. Speaking from Washington, D.C., where Salerno, is now serving as a temporary program director at the National Science Foundation during a leave from ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½, she explained that everything she does is in community, with her students and with her colleagues at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ and beyond.

“The other thing that’s weird about getting an award is that I feel like it’s a community activity, teaching. Your students are thought partners, and so are your colleagues. I rely on so many other people and I’ve learned so much from other people.

“So what I feel about this award is it’s not just an award for me, but for me and my network and my community and my students.â€�

Salerno is one of three college professors nationwide to receive a , described by the MAA, the world’s largest community of mathematicians and students, as one of its highest awards.

“Adriana innovated from the start. Along the way, she devoted herself toward building math communities at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ and beyond.”

Professor of Mathematics Meredith Greer

The award honors professors who are widely recognized as extraordinarily successful and whose teaching effectiveness has been shown to have had influence beyond their own institutions, which is how Salerno’s colleagues characterize her work: challenging teaching norms, working with the surrounding community, and serving as a faculty leader in efforts toward greater inclusion, diversity, and equity.

“Adriana innovated from the start, and she put tremendous resources into figuring out how to make her ideas work,” said Professor of Mathematics Meredith Greer, who joined the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ faculty in 2002. 

“Along the way, she devoted herself toward building math communities at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ and beyond. She is a champion for the success of every student, and her influence has led to changes at levels from ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ to nationwide to international. Her students say they feel included and respected, and that they have valuable things to contribute in her classes.â€�

Introducing Salerno as she accepted her award, MAA President Hortensia Soto of Colorado State University remarked on Salerno’s “tireless� work to create an inclusive classroom for her students and an inclusive community for all mathematicians.

Soto noted that Salerno co-founded and was the first editor of a blog for the American Mathematical Society that “played an important role in getting the mathematics community to critically examine its practices.”

Salerno’s acceptance speech at the awards ceremony was titled “Teaching Math Is Hard,� a reference to the teaching statement she came up with 15 years ago, which started with the words “math is hard.�

Salerno’s remarks in accepting her Haimo award starts at the 23:45 mark:

That still holds true, along with the proviso that it is also worth learning. That thesis for her teaching career was inspired by the writings of Rainer Maria Rilke in “Letters to a Young Poet,â€� which Salerno had received as a gift from her older sister when she was 15. 

“I still go back to it every once in a while. This is from the letter that he writes on love, and in that he says that difficult things are usually also really meaningful things and vice versa, that really meaningful things are hard by nature. And so this was my thesis and my teaching statement was, ‘Math is hard but it is worth the effort.’�

She shared stories from her ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ courses, like the way she approached a type of course known as “Preparation for Industrial Careers.” Her goal was to engage students in applied mathematics, “but in a way that is very clearly going to be helpful to them in the workplace.â€�

In the course, she paired her students with local nonprofits. “The students got problems from the nonprofits and they had to figure out how to answer those questions. It was very messy. One of my students said, ‘This is a great class, but mostly I was cleaning data,’ and I’m like, this might be what you end up doing for work anyway, cleaning data sets.

“It was a really, really fun class to teach in the sense that this is mathematics that is relevant to their employment later on. This is math in the use of their future.â€�

For Salerno, the question of how mathematics can be used to make a better world is never far from her mind. Mathematics, she believes, can and should be for the public good. In her acceptance speech, Salerno told the audience about the course she and ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ colleague Katy Ott developed around the concept of math for social justice, inspired by earlier course-design work of Professor Emerita of Mathematics Bonnie Schulman.

“The students are responding so well to it because they’re just desperate for ways in which to connect mathematics to the world,â€� said Salerno. In fact, Shulman is coming out of retirement to teach the course again this winter.

Salerno is completing the final year of a three-year position as an NSF temporary program director, known as a “rotator” position, in the Visiting Scientist, Engineer and Education Program. Temporary directors serve as mentors, make funding recommendations, and influence new directions in research and teaching.

At the NSF, she’s on the team that oversees the Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program, which supports active research participation by undergraduate students in any of the areas of research funded by the NSF.

“I’ve been trying to get on the stuff that relates to my experiences,â€� Salerno says. “So I’ve been trying to carve out some space for not just research, but the liberal art part, as well.â€�

“It’s challenging to work with real people and real data on real problems in real time,� Adriana Salerno told one of her classes, in person, a seeming lifetime ago, back in February.

Salerno, associate professor of mathematics and department chair, was responding to a student’s concern about the class projects underway in “PIC Math: Topics in Industrial Mathematics,â€� a course Salerno launched this year.

The course is designed to give students real-world experience using mathematics in non-academic enterprises. Salerno’s class performed data-analysis projects for two nonprofit community partners, Lewiston Public Schools and Tri-County Mental Health Services.

During that February class session in Libbey Forum, one student wondered whether the students might actually be over-performing — making their deliverables needlessly elaborate or complicated. 

Salerno was reassuring. She reminded the students that it’s her job to keep them on track. And besides, she said, the course was intended to teach not just data-analysis techniques but how to meet workplace realities — for instance, how to tailor products to meet a client’s need.

“This class is a bit like an internship� or a first job, she said. “Someone will say, ‘Well, we don’t know how to do this thing — can you do it?’ And there might not be a lot of guidance. You might just spend a lot of time spinning your wheels.

“Or you might work really hard — and then they’re like, ‘Oh, we didn’t really want that, we just wanted a pie chart.’�

“I’m an abstract mathematician. I don’t do applied mathematics. The course has been an interesting switch for me.â€�

Salerno’s course is the product of a professional development program offered by the . The program, “Preparation for Industrial Careers in Mathematical Sciences,â€� aka “PIC Math,â€� helps schools better prepare students for non-academic career options in mathematical sciences. (The title uses “industrialâ€� in a broad sense, e.g. “healthcare industryâ€� or “real estate industry.â€�) 

Math professors, Salerno explained after that class session, tend to be people who, like her, “went through academia and stayed in academia. We only know how to be students or professors, and don’t have a ton of interactions with business, industry, and governmentâ€� — the so-called BIG sectors. “But the BIG careers are usually where our math majors go.â€�

“I’m an abstract mathematician,â€� added Salerno, who researches number theory. “I don’t do applied mathematics. The course has been an interesting switch for me.â€�

With support from a National Science Foundation grant, she attended a PIC workshop in summer 2019 to prepare for the course. Then, working with the Harward Center for Community Partnerships and the Center for Purposeful Work at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½, she put together the 300-level “Topics in Industrial Mathematics.â€� (The course is cross-listed in the digital and computational studies program.) 

“I learned how to best represent mathematical material to people who might not be as interested in the mathematics itself, but rather the end result.� 

In hiring for math-centric positions, Salerno explained, employers look for facility with problem solving, communication skills, working in teams, and programming, in addition to the mathematical know-how. “Our math major gives them plenty of the math background and maybe even a bit of programming, but this is the first course where they actually do have to do all of these things at once.�

“Using the math skills that I have learned over my time at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ on a real-world question was very rewarding,â€� says Jesus Carrera ’20, a math major from Waco, Texas. His team worked with the Lewiston school department, analyzing survey data to assess students’ sentiments about their particular schools.

“I was very surprised by how much I’d learn about real-world data science consultation. I learned how to best represent mathematical material to people who might not be as interested in the mathematics itself, but rather the end result.â€�

Divided into four teams, the 16 students in the course tackled several projects for Lewiston Public Schools and one for Tri-County, which provides treatment for mental health and substance abuse disorders. (And actually serves seven counties: The agency chose to stick with its known branding even as it expanded its service region.)

The school system sought help interpreting masses of existing data across a range of topics, from teacher workload to standardized-test scoring to student satisfaction at Lewiston High School. Tri-County, meanwhile, had just one question for the students to address: What proportion of people in need is the agency actually reaching within its service area?

Determining its market reach “was a particularly important activity� for Tri-County, said Chief Development Officer Jamie Owens, but the agency lacked staff time to take on the project.

As a starting point, the agency provided a spreadsheet of roughly 2,500 “de-identified patients,â€� a redacted list comprising only ages, zip codes, and presenting symptoms for each individual. From that data, the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ team’s solution, in essence, was to build a model of patient profiles, cross-reference that with state and national data about the prevalence of specific disorders in Maine, and then correlate those findings with the zip codes across Tri-County’s service area.

“It’s likely that more people will have access to effective mental health services due to our work, and that’s an amazing feeling.�

After applying so-called Monte Carlo methods to constrain the potential for error, the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ students projected that there are 285 potential new clients in nine towns in the seven counties, with totals ranging from 186 in Lewiston to one in West Farmington.

(Monte Carlo methods are computational algorithms that, in effect, apply random variables to test the accuracy of a mathematical process. The inventor, who was working on nuclear weapons at Los Alamos in the late 1940s, chose “Monte Carlo� as a project code name in honor of his gambling uncle.)

One of the things that surprised Owens the most about the students’ findings, she says, was the effect of distance on client engagement. As they build their provider networks, Owen explains, healthcare insurers assume that patients are willing to travel up to 25 miles to get to a care provider. But according to the students’ findings, that figure is really significantly less.

“We’re not drawing as many clients as I thought from the surrounding areas that we serve,â€� Owens explains. “The majority of the clients, when we look at where they reside by zip code, are really within 10 to 15 miles of our offices. In Lewiston, it’s even a little bit closer than that.

“I plan to use the findings to inform program development and how we can more effectively engage those in need of services who reside in really rural areas.�

“It’s likely that more people will have access to effective mental health services due to our work, and that’s an amazing feeling,â€� said a member of the Tri-County team, Jason Canaday ’20 of Wellesley, Mass., a double major in economics and math who’s interested in a career in statistics, data science, or mathematical modeling.

Tri-County has collaborated with ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ students on past projects, but this was Owens’ first. She has nothing but praise for the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ team. “Very professional,â€� she says — “the critical thinking, attention to detail, and explaining the data points and why they’re important. Just very bright, which I would expect from ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ students.

“It shows me that they’re pretty well-prepared to go out and do what they choose to doâ€� after ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½. 

The four ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ teams tackled different projects, but encountered many of the same challenges — how to focus their research objectives, how to communicate their findings to a lay audience, whether they should serve those findings with a side of recommended action steps. (“We can give advice,â€� Salerno said.)

“I think, in the end, the most challenging part about these projects and about teaching this class was not the mathematics at all,� Salerno said.

To analyze data, “you really need just a few tools. It’s much more about cleaning the data, finding the right visualizations for the data, and, really, figuring out what the question is that you should be asking.â€�

Indeed, a major preoccupation for all the students was the nitty-gritty nature of real-world data. For instance, as the Tri-County team found, much of the publicly available mental-health data is about a decade old — a decade in which the prevalence of substance-abuse disorders, for instance, has increased dramatically. Data can also be incomplete, the product of a bad process, or encumbered by privacy concerns.

“I was surprised that a lot of working with data is monotonous,� said Canaday. “Unfortunately, searching for data sets, cleaning data, organizing data, and the like is the majority of time spent working on a project of this type.�

Still, “once our data were clean and run through the model, our group found it especially rewarding to see the results,� he said. 

“Without my team, I wouldn’t have been able to do nearly as much, and I think this reflects the real world, where collaboration leads to success.�

In a more conventional math class, “when a professor gives you a problem, we’ve made sure that it’s doable, that the numbers are not too weird,â€� Salerno said. But in the new course, “I had no control over whether it was doable or not, so I definitely expected the students to be sort of challenged.â€�

But, she said, “I wasn’t expecting them to be so good at rolling with the punches. They’ve just been so adaptable, and so good at adjusting and reframing.â€�

Indeed, “one major takeaway from working in an occupational context is that teamwork is key,� says Ariel Lam ’20 of Oradell, N.J. A double major in math and sociology, Lam was a member of one of the Lewiston Public Schools teams. “Each person brought different talents to the group, making it possible for us to create a comprehensive final product.

“Without my team, I wouldn’t have been able to do nearly as much, and I think this reflects the real world, where collaboration leads to success.�

ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Football

How to tackle concussions? High schools get helmets with sensors — Portland Press Herald

Mike Lowe of the Portland Press Herald includes ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ in a story about Maine schools outfitting football players with high-tech helmets that use sensors to record the location and intensity of blows to the head so coaches can monitor for concussions and teach players to tackle more safely.

Most ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ players use the new SpeedFlex Insite helmets. “It’s helping us look at what we’re doing, how can we coach our players better,â€� said Nick Cooke, assistant athletic director of athletics for athletic performance.

Also in on the action is Howard Vandersea ’63, founder and president of the Maine chapter of the National Football Foundation, whose $2,000 grant helped Saco’s Thornton Academy buy new helmets.

Vandersea said it’s what the organization is looking for when it provides grants. “If it’s going to help young kids and make (football) safer,â€� he said, “that’s what we’re going to do.â€�

Read the story: 

• “,â€� Portland Press Herald, Oct. 20, 2019

Elizabeth Strout ’77

Elizabeth Strout’s view from the top — WNYC

Accompanied by WNYC’s New York Radio Hour reporter KalaLea, Elizabeth Strout ’77 returned to campus over the summer and climbed Mount David for the first time since senior year.

Strout grew up in small-town Maine and New Hampshire, and she was fascinated by the view of Lewiston that Mount David offered. “I just loved to see that array of buildings that meant there were people down there,� she told Lea. “It was my first city.�

Her experiences at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ and in Lewiston “enormously informed,â€� her work, she said. Reading Sherwood Anderson’s Winesburg, Ohio, in Jim Hepburn’s course taught her how to write with a sense of place, while plays read in Martin Andrucki’s theater courses showed her dialogue.

“I learned a lot about dialogue reading those plays — Clifford Odets, Tennessee Williams, just reading and reading plays,� she said.

“But the experiences I had in town also informed my work,â€� she added. “When I was working as a waitress, I was working with people from Lewiston. They weren’t from ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½. I waitressed at the first disco. That was amazing.â€�

Listen to the story:

• “,â€� WNYC, Oct. 4, 2019

Benjamin Mays, Class of 1920

The late Rep. Elijah Cumming’s favorite poem linked to Benjamin Mays — multiple outlets

Following the  Oct. 17 death of U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings, a few news outlets recalled Cummings’ first speech on the floor of the House, in 1996, when he recited a favorite poem that has long been associated with Benjamin Mays, ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Class of 1920.

Benjamin Mays ’20, photographed in 1980 when he returned to ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ for his 60th Reunion. (Jim Daniels)

Known as “God’s Minute,” the anonymous poem has a carpe diem theme:

I only have a moment
Only 60 seconds in it
Forced upon me
Can’t refuse it
Didn’t seek it
Didn’t choose it
But it’s up to me to use it
I must suffer if I lose it
Give account if I abuse it

Read the stories: 

• “,â€� Inc., Oct. 18, 2019 
• “” Oct. 17, 2019

Deshun Peoples ’17

Student lands place at top art college thanks to nine months training in China — Encounters in China

Deshun Peoples ’17 was featured on the YouTube channel China Icons in a film exploring the relationship between Peoples and Jiang Xingda, a ceramicist in Jingdezhen, the “capital of Chinese porcelain,” during the year that Peoples spent in China on a Fulbright U.S. Student award.

Peoples and Jiang met in 2016, when Peoples, himself an accomplished ceramicist on a study-abroad program in Jingdezhen. When Peoples returned to the city the next year for his Fulbright year, Jiang agreed to teach him what he knew about color and patterns in pottery, in exchange for English lessons.

“I learned a lot about culture,� Peoples said of his time with Jiang. “I learned a lot about friendship and about engagement with people. I can’t imagine my experience in Jingdezhen without him.�

Tessica Glancey Crampton ’12 and Robert Crampton ’13

Philadelphia weddings: Tessica Glancey and Robert Crampton — The Philadelphia Inquirer

Kellie Patrick Gates of The Philadelphia Inquirer told the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ backstory of Tessica Glancey Crampton ’12 and Robert Crampton ’13, who got married on Aug. 30 in Philadelphia.

The two met in a seminar on American political development and went on their first date at the Blue Goose, a popular bar among students. “Walking home, I realized I was completely smitten already,� Tess said.

Tess Glancey ’12 and Rob Crampton ’13 pose with ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ friends at their wedding reception on Aug. 30, 2019 in Philadelphia.

During the wedding festivities, Tess, a media relations manager at Fox News, and Rob, who is earning an MBA from Dartmouth, took time to get a picture with the traditional ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ banner.

Read the story: 

• “,â€� The Philadelphia Inquirer, Oct. 10, 2019 

Adriana Salerno

Episode 46: “Adriana Salerno� — My Favorite Theorem

Math podcast My Favorite Theorem featured Associate Professor of Mathematics Adriana Salerno, who is a big fan of Cantor’s diagonal argument, which states that “real numbers do not have the same cardinality as the natural numbers.�

The theorem has to do with counting the number of numbers. There are infinitely many integers, such as one, two, three, and so on. There are also infinitely many rational numbers, like one-half and three-eighths — and mathematicians say those types of numbers reach the same infinity (trust us on this one).

Associate Professor of Mathematics Adriana Salerno. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College)

But according to Cantor’s argument, there are infinitely many real numbers, like pi and the square root of four, but the infinity that those numbers reach is a different infinity than the infinity of the infinitely many rational numbers and integers.

“This theorem shows without a doubt — although some students still doubt me — that there are different sizes of infinity,� Salerno said. “It’s a very lovely succession of ideas.�

Listen to the podcast: 

• My Favorite Theorem, Sept. 11, 2019 

Michael Morgan ’22

Michael Morgan continues to build on his creative legacy — The Gleaner

Keisha Hill of Jamaican newspaper The Gleaner profiled Michael Morgan ’22. A double major in politics and rhetoric from Kingston, Morgan has made waves as an artist and climate change activist.

Interested in international relations with an eye toward communications and outreach, Morgan completed a summer 2019 internship at the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network–Youth Initiative.

He returned to the UN on Sept. 21 to represent Jamaica at the United Nations Youth Climate Summit, attending meetings with world leaders and doing interviews with international media.

Michael Morgan poses on the Historic Quad before attending the United Nations Youth Climate Summit in September 2019. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College)

On the artistic side, Morgan is a graphic designer for student clubs and the lead painter on a mural at the Center for Global Education. At ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½, “I got the chance to expand my thinking on topics such as politics, the arts, and the environment,â€� Morgan said.

Compared with his earlier schooling, “there was less rigidity surrounding grades and competitiveness and more time given to building a rounded individual keen on exploring their passion for a greater purpose.�

Read the story: 

• “,â€� The Gleaner, Sept. 20, 2019 

Carine Warsawski ’07

Jewish summer camp with campfires, crafts, and no lights out — The New York Times

For The New York Times, Rachel Levin wrote about her weekend attending a summer camp for Jewish adults in California’s Simi Valley. Trybal Gatherings, founded by Carine Warsawski ’07, organizes the popular retreats in three locations.

Levin described a weekend of archery, horseback riding, kosher mess halls, an “Abe Weissman workout,� and challah making. The experience is rooted in “the shared nostalgia of a Jewish-American rite of passage,� Levin wrote.

“There is something easy and assuring about spending a summer weekend like I used to: with my people,� she added.

Read the story: 

• “,â€� The New York Times, Sept. 22, 2019 

Anita Charles

Relationship-based practices for today’s students — Heinemann Publishing

On the blog of educational publisher Heinemann, Senior Lecturer in Education and Director of Secondary Teacher Education Anita Charles wrote about how teachers can build relationships with students in an increasingly diverse and technologically connected world.

Anita Charles teaches a course on basic concepts in special education in March 2018. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College)

Instead of expecting students to adhere to “white, middle-class, able-bodied, English-speaking, cisgender� norms, Charles encouraged teachers to learn about the cultural backgrounds of each student and advocated for a variety of practices, including culturally responsive and trauma-informed teaching and restorative justice.

Overall, Charles argued that teachers should not think of students who differ from a particular norm as less-than. “A strength-based lens allows us to see every child as valuable to the classroom as a whole,� she wrote.

Read the story: 

• “,â€� Heinemann Publishing, Oct. 11, 2019

Hannah Morris ’96

Art review: “Waiting to Happen: Hannah Morris” — Seven Days

Vermont alt-weekly Seven Days editor Pamela Polston reviewed “Waiting to Happen,� a solo exhibition of gouache-and-collage works by Hannah Morris ’96.

Morris’ works evoke “the magical realism we remember from children’s books,â€� Polston wrote, as well as elements of the far-flung locales where Morris has lived. She “asks viewers to accept that the ground we walk on can be salmon-pink; that figures can appear in both color and black-and-white in the same scene; that dimensionality doesn’t have to play by the rules,â€� Polston added.

Read the review: 

• “,â€� Seven Days, Sept. 25, 2019 

Justine Wiesinger

New climate change comedy uses laughs to tackle tough questions — WUNC

Frank Stasio of North Carolina public radio station WUNC spoke with Assistant Professor of Japanese Justine Wiesinger about her new play, Waters Rise, which premiered this month at the Women’s Theater Festival in Durham, N.C.

The play is set in a world where there is massive flooding, with government inaction and misinformation and little insight into the future. It’s a comedy.

Assistant Professor of Japanese Justine Wiesinger (Phyllis Graber Jensen/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College)

Wiesinger, who spent time in Tokyo just after the 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear accident in Fukushima, Japan, focuses her research on the theater and film that emerged from the disasters.

The play explores individual people’s complicity in climate change. “It’s painful to ask ourselves in different ways how we are contributing, what we are doing to change the situation, and if our strategies are at all effective,� Wiesinger told Stasio.

Listen to the story: 

• “,â€� WUNC, Oct. 9, 2019 

Kelli Armstrong ’86

Dr. Kelli Armstrong inaugurated as president of Salve Regina University — Rhode Island Catholic

Brian Fraga of Rhode Island Catholic covered the inauguration in September of Salve Regina University’s new president, Kelli Armstrong ’86, who brings to the university a long career in higher education, including as vice president for planning and assessment at Boston College.

Armstrong has been serving as president since July, but the university officially marked her inauguration with a Mass, a ceremony, a barbecue, and an inaugural ball.

“I’m humbled and honored to serve at such an exceptional institution,� Armstrong said. “What sets Salve apart from other universities is that in the great tradition of a mercy education, we help our students become their best selves and make a difference in the world.�

Read the story: 

• “â€� — Rhode Island Catholic, Sept. 26, 2019 

The students’ assignment: Write an op-ed about lead poisoning in Lewiston-Auburn. Or write a caption for a photo, or text about a campus tree. Write about how strange quantum theory is, or write a competitive book review in Japanese.

Their professors’ goal: Through solid writing, get students to persuade or inform. Help them understand the course material, whether it’s mathematics, environmental studies, or history. Get them to consider their own writing mistakes, or build up to a larger project.

Your assignment: Read about these 10 professors’ all-time favorite writing assignments, which they presented to their colleagues in the fall. What’s your favorite?

Biblio Battle Project

Instructor: Keiko Konoeda, Lecturer in Japanese

Course: “Advanced Japanese II”

Lecturer in Japanese Keiko Konoeda teaches a section of Beginning Japanese I. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College)

Assignment: Each student writes a book review in Japanese, then turns that review into an oral presentation for the class. After each presentation, students discuss the book, and at the end, the participants vote for the book they most want to read. The assignment was inspired by Biblio Battles, a popular form of competition created by researchers at Kyoto University in Japan.

Why she likes the assignment: “I believe in combining writing and speaking, especially in the context of language courses, I also like to make writing assignments not only to develop writing expertise, but as a stepping stone to developing speaking. Many adult learners who learn a language in the classroom tend to develop writing before they become more comfortable in speaking.�

Op-Ed on Lead in Lewiston

Instructor: William Wallace, Lecturer in Education

Course: “The Environment and Social Justice,” First-Year Seminar

Assignment: First, write a two-page essay comparing and contrasting the issue of lead paint in Lewiston-Auburn neighborhoods with the drinking water crisis in Flint, Mich. Then, write a newspaper-style op-ed about the lead paint issue, using an op-ed about the Flint water crisis as an example. 

As they geared up to turn in their final op-eds, Wallace’s students received help from, among others, Karyn Butts of the Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention; former American Cultural Studies lecturer Christopher Petrella, and Lewiston Sun Journal reporter Lindsay Tice. 

Why he likes the assignment: In their course evaluations, the students “said it was one of the highlights of the semester for them, because they felt like they were learning a new skill they didn’t know before. They knew how to write, but this was a type of persuasive writing that was politically active and important to them.�

Faulty Sentence

Instructor: Myra Wright, Lecturer in English

Course: “Reading Cats & Dogs,” First-Year Seminar

Lecturer in English Myra Wright teaches a section of “The Literary Insect,” her 2017 First-Year Seminar. This fall, she taught “Reading Cats and Dogs” to first-year students. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College)

Assignment: Students submitted a one-sentence analysis of the John Keats poem “To Mrs. Reynolds’ Cat� — but made sure the sentence contained one writing error the professor corrected in previous coursework. The class then discussed each sentence, complimenting each other’s writing, identifying the error, and discussing solutions.

Wright was inspired by Associate Professor of Politics Leslie Hill, who had told her about a similar process of identifying errors with her students.

Why she likes the assignment: “It allows me to be a real stickler but also make more friendly the work of doing excellent editing at an investigative, imaginative, and critical level.�

What Makes an Expert?

Instructor: Adriana Salerno, Associate Professor of Mathematics

Course: “Calculus I” (largely taken by non-math majors)

Assignment: Read “What Makes an Expert?� from Ken Bain’s What the Best College Students Do, then write an essay connecting the reading to your experience of taking the midterm exam. Address which example of an expert from Bain’s chapter resonated with you, the approaches to learning you take, and how you can improve your performance in the class.

Why she likes the assignment: I have so many students who are like, ‘I’m so bad at math, I’m not very good at this, I’m just here because I have to be.’ There’s a lot of that anxiety coming into a class like Calc I. This helps them think of how these experiences can be transferred to other things.  … This kind of work, understanding that writing is also thinking and processing, gets them to do certain things that are really helpful in math.â€�

Natural History of a Tree

Instructor: Brett Huggett, Assistant Professor of Biology

Course: “Dendrology and the Natural History of Trees”

In 2015, Julia Fisher ’16 (right) of Philadelphia and Samantha Purnell ’18 of Portland, Ore., measure a tree on the Historic Quad. Their data was part of a webpage documenting the various species of campus trees. (Josh Kuckens/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College)

Assignment: Photograph and write a short essay about one campus tree species. Then, tag each tree with a small plate indicating the species name, family, and a QR code linking to a webpage with the student’s pictures and natural history essay.

Why he likes the assignment: “Writing is heavily emphasized in biology. Students are well-trained in the structure of scientific writing and the format of abstract, introduction, methods, results, and discussion. I felt there was a niche to create a writing assignment that asked students to write for the general public and step out of the framework of the rigid scientific structure.�

Toward a Philosophy of Nonviolence

Instructor: Stacy Smith, Lecturer in the Humanities

Course: “The Roots of Nonviolence,” First-Year Seminar

Assignment: Having read three texts that influenced Martin Luther King Jr. at the time of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, write a letter to King about these texts, asking King what you want to ask him and saying what you want to say. Use King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jailâ€� or James Baldwin’s “Letter to My Nephewâ€� as a model. Alternatively, write a prose essay using as a model King’s chapter entitled “My Pilgrimage to Nonviolence” from his book Stride Toward Freedom.

Why she likes the assignment: “I am really interested in cultivating student voice. I feel like I was quite successful as a student, and throughout my academic career, writing in a way where I wasn’t really there. What I’m interested in at this stage of my teaching career is cultivating the ‘alive’ human being, within the student and the teacher, in an academic setting. The personal is intellectual, and the intellectual is personal. This assignment is capturing that.â€�

Thinking About a Research Paper

Instructor: Joe Hall, Associate Professor of History

Course: “Maine Environment and History”

Associate Professor of History Joe Hall delivers the 2018 Convocation address in August. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College)

Assignment: In no more than four pages, explain how two works are helping you think about your 20-page research paper. Put the works in dialogue with each other. The grade on the final research paper replaces the grade on this preliminary assignment, if the final paper is better. 

Why he likes the assignment: “The most useful element of the paper as a writing assignment was that it enabled me to tell all of them, because all of them needed to do this, how to use transitions to make an argument that consists of more than one piece. For a research paper, that is absolutely fundamental. Often, the single piece of advice I give my students for all of their papers is, ‘You have a really good summary of this piece and a really good summary of that piece. Tell me why they’re part of the same paper.’ That transition is where your argument is, and now you have an essay.�

Reflective Writing in Quantum Chemistry

Instructor: Lynn Mandeltort, Visiting Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Course: “Quantum Chemistry” (mostly upper-level chemistry majors)

Assignment: Write two responses — a paragraph at the beginning of the semester, several pages at the end — to the strangeness of quantum theory, but also accurately describe quantum theory. “Construct concise, specific, logical prose connecting the ideas we have discussed thus far, while tying in your own experience.�

Why she likes the assignment: “In these technically based courses, students can go through the motions and give you an answer and not tell you why it matters or if that answer makes sense. What good is science then? … Writing is something you to do communicate broadly and make sure you understand something in a course like chemistry.�

Lewiston Triptych

Instructor: Jane Costlow, Clark A. Griffith Professor of Environmental Studies

Course: “Lives in Place” (mostly first-year and sophomore non-majors)

Assignment: Read an essay on how nature is embedded in urban spaces, even if we don’t recognize it as nature. Draw or photograph a material object at Museum L-A in downtown Lewiston, and take a picture of “nature� in Lewiston. Caption the photograph with a quote from the essay, and write a 300-word essay that connects the museum object and the photograph, offering a reflection on nature in L-A.

Why she likes the assignment: “These are wonderful essays about Lewiston-Auburn. If there’s not enough writing about Lewiston-Auburn, maybe my students can be doing some of that writing.�

Podcast Guest Profile

Instructor: Michael Sargent, Associate Professor of Psychology

Course: “Searching for the Good Life,” First-Year Seminar

Pictured in 2014, Associate Professor of Psychology Michael Sargent hosts a storytelling event he founded. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College)

Assignment: To prepare for a group project involving making a podcast about an interesting person’s work, write a profile of your subject — focusing not on broad biographical details, but on specific aspects of their work. Develop one or two questions the work raises for you.

For example, students in the group interviewing a former deputy chief of staff to the U.S. Secretary of Defense wrote about such topics as a documentary film the deputy produced, women in the Department of Defense, and artificial intelligence.

Why he likes the assignment: Full disclosure, “this is not my favorite assignment,� Sargent says. “I used to have them write their own eulogy, and I’m really lucky that did not blow up in my face, at least to the best of my knowledge. I’ve dropped that assignment. I’m not taking any more chances.�

This assignment, however, was “writing in the service of some other purpose, and that made it come to life for them. They weren’t just writing for the sake of writing, valuable as it is. They were writing because they saw this as essential to help them get ready for these interviews.�

In faculty promotions recently announced at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College, four professors have earned tenure and three others have been named full professor.

These professional milestones recognize the significant contributions each professor has made to their field of study and to the growth and education of their students, said Matthew Auer, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty.

“All seven faculty members are outstanding teachers and scholars,� Auer said. “They exemplify what it means to be fully invested members of our liberal arts community and leaders in the academy.�

The promotions, awarded to professors in the fields of philosophy, politics, mathematics, physics, dance, biology, and chemistry, were recommended by the faculty Committee on Personnel and approved by the college’s Board of Trustees during the 2014-15 academic year. They took effect Aug. 1.

Promotions to associate professor with tenure

Lauren Ashwell

Lauren Ashwell

Department: Philosophy

Field of study: Metaphysics, philosophy of mind, epistemology, and feminist philosophy

Came to ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ in: 2009

Why I teach: “Philosophy classes help develop the skills of thinking carefully, considering opposing views charitably, and giving arguments supported by good reasons rather than mere opinions.

“Not only are these incredibly useful general skills, it’s also super fun to engage in these mental calisthenics together in discussion. I love it when I can help students think about a question in a new way, and also when they can do the same for me!â€�

Stephen Engel

Stephen Engel

Department: Politics

Field of study: American political development, constitutional law, and social movements, particularly LGBTQ sociopolitical and legal mobilization

Came to ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ in: 2011

Why I teach: “One of the reasons I enjoy teaching at a liberal arts college, and at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ in particular, is the substantial openness here to challenging and breaking through disciplinary boundaries. When designing my classes in constitutional law and LGBTQ+ politics, I have been able to reach beyond traditional political science and law to incorporate history, sociology, music, film, television, and advertising.

“Doing so not only is an exciting creative challenge and keeps things interesting for me, but I hope it provides access points for students who might not initially be drawn to the study of U.S. politics, who may not be politics majors. Because, in the end, I teach to inspire a student not to be a political scientist or a lawyer per se, but instead to think a bit more critically about power, identity, and participation, and to take responsibility and accountability for our collective role in shaping the world as it is and as we hope it can be.â€�

Nathan Lundblad

Nathan Lundblad

Department: Physics and Astronomy

Field of study: Ultralow-temperature physics, Bose-Einstein condensation, and atomic physics in microgravity

Came to ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ in: 2009

Why I teach: “Physics is the study of how our universe operates at a fundamental level. To see students work with this material, and grow and change over their four years at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½, is an immense privilege and pleasure. Seeing where they go after ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ is a great pleasure as well; it’s a strong motivation for me every day to know that the interactions I have with students have the potential to affect their lives years down the line

“On top of that, ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ makes it possible for me to be an active scholar in my field, which gives students a unique opportunity to be a part of cutting-edge physics research while getting all the advantages of the small-college experience.â€�

Adriana Salerno

Adriana Salerno

Department: Mathematics

Field of study: Number theory and arithmetic geometry, with an interest in communicating mathematics to the general public

Came to ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ in: 2009

Why I teach: “I believe quantitative literacy, just like verbal literacy, is fundamental to ensuring that our students go on to be successful and involved citizens when they graduate.

“I love helping students navigate math problems at all levels, from the intro courses to the upper-level math major courses and capstones, particularly if I can help them see more of the power and beauty in mathematical thinking. It is a great joy to see my students grow as people and as learners. I like to think of my classes as a community of equals, and I love how much I also learn from my students.â€�

Promotions to full professor

Ryan Bavis

Ryan Bavis

Department: Biology

Field of study: Animal physiology, particularly respiratory physiology

Came to ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ in: 2003

Why I teach: “As a product of a small liberal arts college myself, I know how rewarding it is for undergraduates to get into the lab and actually do science. I am so fortunate to be able to offer these opportunities to the students here at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ through inquiry-based labs, summer research fellowships, and senior capstone experiences.â€�

Carol Dilley

Carol Dilley

Department: Theater and Dance

Field of study: Dance

Came to ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ in: 2003

Why I teach: “As an artist whose dance practice informs my experience of the world, I like to think I make a difference through my work. As an artist who teaches, I influence the next generation to consider the world with the sensibilities of an artist as well.

“Teaching in the arts is my most effective means to generate positive momentum towards growth in the immediacy of the dance studio and in the world beyond.â€�

Paula Schlax

Paula Schlax

Department: Chemistry

Field of study: The role of RNA structure in controlling gene expression in diverse prokaryotes

Came to ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ in: 1998

Why I teach: “I love to help students learn how to develop a research question, design and execute experiments to answer their question, analyze and interpret their own experimental data, and, perhaps most importantly, recognize that these are useful skills for lifelong learning in most disciplines.�