NOTES & QUOTES
Major News
TALKS ON CA M P U S
“ The Clean Energy Transformation: Evolution or Revolution?”
“ T he science is exceedingly compelling as to where we are on climate change. It’s also
exceedingly compelling as to if we don’t achieve, roughly, this 80 percent or more decarbonization, the costs—social, economic, environmental—would be very high. There’s lots of room to debate the details, but it’s largely that. You are wasting your time debating small elements of a much bigger story.
”
aniel Kammen, founding director, Renewable and Appropriate Energy D Laboratory; science envoy for U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. Kammen spoke March 1 as part of the Hixon Center Black, Gold & Green Speaker Series. Video: youtu.be/dBxhfY0FZhM
A joint major in Mathematics and Physics was approved during fall 2016. It is the only such major at The Claremont Colleges, and HMC is one of few American colleges that offers it. “The aim of this joint major program is to create a path for students whose interests naturally fall at the boundary but for whom the requirements of a full double major are not attractive,” says Theresa Lynn, chair of the Department of Physics. She and Lisette de Pillis, chair of the Department of Mathematics, headed the committee charged with establishing the new major and a course of study that highlights the intersections between physics and mathematics while preparing an individual with a solid foundation in both fields. Demand for students with backgrounds at the intersection of math and physics is increasing. “Strong backgrounds in these two subjects indicate a combination of quantitative and scientific skills that should be attractive to employers in a variety of areas,” Lynn says.
“ Transforming and Connecting California With High-Speed Rail”
“ T he state of California voted yes for this to be the future of our travel. We want a more
comfortable journey. We want to get to our destinations in a way which allows us to work, recreate and to not be stuck in traffic for hours at a time. As a hallmark of California and a reflection of our ethic of transparency and continuous improvement and sustainability, which is really part and parcel to who we are as Californians, the project is intended to deliver on some promises related to achieving our climate goals and expectations.
”
Meg Cederoth, sustainability manager, California High-Speed Rail Authority. She and Melissa DuMond, director of planning and integration, spoke March 8 as part of the Hixon Center Black, Gold & Green Speaker Series. Video: youtu.be/a7YPUMztZJ4
We’ve Crossed That Bridge “The Innocence Project: DNA and the Wrongly Convicted”
“ D NA has always been the gold standard. The reason I think the Innocence Project has been so successful is that we are evidence-based, science-based, and we were just lucky to be there when all this happened with DNA.
”
Barry Scheck, co-founder, Innocence Project and co-author of Actual Innocence: Five Days to Execution and Other Dispatches from the Wrongly Convicted. He spoke Feb. 9 as part of the Dr. Bruce J. Nelson ’74 Speaker Series, Now! Social Justice and STEM. Video: bit.ly/HixonScheck17
5-C cross-registration
For the first time in its history, Harvey Mudd has more students from the other Claremont colleges enrolling in its courses than HMC students registering for courses on the other campuses. This increase has impacted several academic departments, particularly Computer Science, which has responded by hiring faculty and adding more classes. President Maria Klawe says, “Harvey Mudd has always benefitted from cross-registration, and it is important for us to continue our support for the consortium and the benefits it affords our College.”
SPRING 2017
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