FACULTY FUTURECAST: EYEING 2020 AND BEYOND 20/20 Vision: Toward a Dialogue of Change
Dominick Quinney Assistant Professor of Ethnic Studies The entering class of 2020 has presented Albion College with one of the most diverse student bodies since the inception of the institution. With diversity come new approaches to learning, thinking, and experiencing an ever-changing world. One of those approaches includes meaningful, engaged dialogues at multiple levels—in the classroom, across campus, and throughout the community. As a society, we often encounter conflict and dissonance as a result of not enough meaningful dialogue.
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Through dialogue we can begin to foster a community of learners that can empathize—taking on the feelings and experiences of others in a manner that allows for better understanding of various experiences of the human condition. For many, engaging in dialogues in the digital age can feel new, awkward, and sometimes uncomfortable, but it should be understood that the idea of learning is far from individualistic, or private. This means having healthy, thoughtprovoking, and respectful conversations everywhere—in our classrooms, in the library, the residence halls, or even over dinner. Furthermore, the idea of engaging in conversations across varying intersections of identity—race, class, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, faith, and many other intersections—adds to the idea that conversations should not be one-dimensional. We bring each of these intersecting aspects of identity and the lessons and experiences with each of them to our interactions and conversations with one another. In recognizing identity as very complex and intersectional, there is a power in the ability to connect, empathize, and recognize the humanity in
others. Albion College’s class of 2020 and the entire campus has the ability to do just that— recognize the power of dialogue, something scholar bell hooks, in her 2010 book Teaching Critical Thinking: Practical Wisdom, calls “intellectual nourishment.” I envision a campus that maintains a promotion of critical thought, community engagement, and social change. A transformative conversation is cooperative— learning to actively listen and hear those we encounter, and understand there is a lesson in all of our encounters. In our conversations we have the ability to build community, and begin to positively change our communities—one conversation at a time. In learning about others, there is a lesson we can learn about ourselves. Dr. Quinney, who joined the Albion faculty in 2013, received his B.S. and Ph.D. from Michigan State University. His dissertation explored the lived experiences of eight Black student activist scholars on the campus of a predominantly white institution.
On the Trail for Planetary Life Nicolle Zellner Associate Professor of Physics It’s an exciting time to be a space scientist! Not only are we continuing to use orbiters and landers to learn about our planetary neighbors, but we are beginning to remotely explore planets outside of our solar system. As of mid-September 2016, almost 3,400 planets are confirmed to be orbiting a star other than our own and more than 4,600 objects are candidate planets. That means that in less than 20 years, we have gone from zero exoplanets to more than 3,400 exoplanets, with thousands more yet to be discovered. Just 20 years! Soon we will be remotely detecting atmospheres around those planets and even, if we’re clever enough, figuring out if the molecules indicate the presence of life.