LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT Darron Collins '92 PhD
T
he text had just two words— “they’re in”—and I knew precisely what it meant. I abruptly ended a call, sped down the stairs of Turrets, and sprinted north. I leapt off the Shrine and sank eighteen inches through the snow that had fallen the night before. My wingtips stained to black and my feet froze, but I wasn’t worried about my shoes or my toes. The perimeter of the new Center for Human Ecology had been staked out, and I couldn’t wait to see it for myself. You’ll read more about our building project in this edition of the COA magazine, but I can tell you that the process of imagining and designing the Center has been transformational for the college. The construction and use of the facility will be as well. Staff, faculty, and students will walk through the doors of our new academic building in September 2020. We have needed the teaching space for a long time, and the 29,000 square feet of new science laboratories, faculty offices, art spaces, teaching greenhouses, and large gathering halls will be a cornerstone for the study and practice of human ecology and a dynamic addition to our campus and to the Mount Desert Island community. This building project isn’t just about four walls and a roof; it’s an architectural representation of our mission—to bring the arts, sciences, humanities, and social sciences together in order to help solve the problems we see in our environments and societies. The design is inspired by COA’s collaborative culture, our oceanfront campus, and our active commitment to sustainability. Embracing the interdisciplinary nature of our curriculum, the organization of the Center integrates labs and studios around shared flexible spaces to foster exchange and collaboration. The Center will form the new academic heart of the college, framing an outdoor landscape and gathering space while maintaining views through the building to the Atlantic Ocean. In 2017, COA adopted an ambitious energy framework that calls for a fossil fuel-free campus by 2030, and I am proud to say that the Center for Human Ecology will move us considerably closer to that goal. Inspired by German Passivhaus standards, the building will set a new COLLEGE OF THE ATLANTIC MAGAZINE
high-water mark for sustainable design on this scale. The use of low-embodied carbon and regionally sourced materials will be deployed throughout the project, radically reducing the total cradle-to-grave footprint and effectively neutralizing the impact of building something new. Powered by the sun, heated in part by strategic light and the presence of human bodies, and with deep attention paid to its envelope, the Center will demonstrate that you can have the ultimate in function, beauty, and ecological integrity under one roof. In many ways, designing this building has exemplified human ecology in action: it satisfies spatial needs for teaching and community, pays close attention to budget, comprises high-quality architectural design, and maximizes sustainability, all while involving COA students, staff, faculty and trustees at every step of the way. The design has gone through an extensive, holistic community process. Some students have walked hand-in-hand with this building since the beginning. Through their work, we can see how COA’s pedagogy encourages students to expand their self-directed academic paths to learn from just about every aspect of process, governance, management, and operations on our campus. Taking part in this project has provided for them, in measure, education, illumination, and even vocation, and their contributions have been essential to the process. In 2021 we will mark the 50th anniversary of COA’s first graduating class. The construction of the Center for Human Ecology is our way of embracing and celebrating the next 50 years at COA. With the incredible support of the Mount Desert Island community as well as COA’s alumni and friends, the construction and maintenance of the Center is covered entirely by philanthropic donations. From our founding, we’ve been dedicated to helping make Mount Desert Island and Maine a great place to live; with the Center for Human Ecology we look forward to building on the success of that mission for the next 50 years and beyond.
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In this issue NEWS NEW FACULTY
SHE’s in Business
With JAY FRIEDLANDER
11
Mary Harney '96
12
John Visvader and Bill Carpenter
16
Andrew Davis
17 18
HeLaCell
20
The Simple Truth
26
Aadityakrishna Sathish '19
28
Finding the Questions that Answers Hide
38
The Epitaph
40
Devyn Adams '19
42
Black Bodies
50
Smoke Shock
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ALUMNI PROFILE
RETIRING FACULTY
DONOR PROFILE
Abby Jo Morris '20
ANNOTATED STUDENT SCHEDULE
By DAN MAHONEY
ANNOTATED STUDENT SCHEDULE
With SUSAN RODRIGUEZ and TIM LOCK
By LISA BETH HAMMER '20
ANNOTATED STUDENT SCHEDULE
By TAMARA FIELD
By ELLIE OLDACH '16 IN MEMORIAM ALUMNI NOTES
Jordan Motzkin '10 ALUMNI PROFILE
COMMUNITY NOTES NEW TRUSTEES
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