Chemist Sean Decatur’s students learn about spectroscopy by observing the colors produced by flaming metals.
Ben Barnhart
writing and history into his courses. In his physics class on Galileo, Peterson (an internationally renowned Galileo expert) has students re-enact and re-create Galileo’s discoveries, then discuss and write about their experiences. “It’s a neat cross between the liberal arts and sciences,” says Hudgings. And Ward Lopes is a fan of chemistry professor Sheila Browne, who advises Sistahs in Science (an organization for students of color) and who teaches students to be aware of how they learn by being mindful of each other. In Browne’s organic chemistry class, she randomly assigns students to groups that keep track of one another during the semester, pairs high-performing students
with low-performing students for tutoring, and asks students to volunteer information about their study habits during class. She gets students to think differently about how they learn by learning from one another. Their learning needs and methods are varied and diverse, just like their professors. “The faculty at Mount Holyoke have a real passion for teaching,” says Hudgings. “That’s why most of us took these jobs. We care about teaching, and we want to teach well.” Learn More Online: For statistics about MHC’s historic leadership in science, links to science department Web pages, and more, visit www.alumnae.mtholyoke. edu/go/science.
MHC: Still a Leader in Science • The National Science Foundation (NSF) ranks Mount Holyoke among the top colleges in the nation for the achievements of our faculty, students, and graduates. • #1- MHC’s ranking for graduating more women than any other liberal arts college who went on to get U.S. doctorates in the physical and life sciences from 1966 to 2004. This puts MHC in the top 2 percent of all colleges and universities— even major research universities with at least double the enrollment. • #1- MHC’s ranking among leading liberal arts colleges in graduating minority women, and among all schools in graduating international (non-U.S. citizen) female graduates who went on to receive U.S. doctorates in life and physical sciences from 2000 to 2004. • 26.6% - percentage of declared majors who are natural science majors • 57% - percentage of women science faculty at MHC • 22% - percentage of science faculty of color at MHC Sources: National Science Foundation, MHC registrar’s office
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