Welcome Weekend panel: "Jumping into Hands-On Learning: Research and Internships in the College of Arts and Sciences." Panelists (L to R): Isabelle Fejes '25 (Biochemistry), Melissa Brown (Communication), Kaitlin Webster '25 (Neuroscience, Women's and Gender Studies), Chiara Angelini Battaglia (Visiting student scholar, Università di Torino), Veronica Miranda (Anthropology), Mae Krause '24 (Anthropology, Public Health), and Elois Farnsworth '25 (Classics). Moderated by Sarah Hays (Dean's Office).

Dear College Faculty and Staff,

Week 1 of Fall Quarter, Ground Zero for the beginning of All Things Academic!

I hope your first week went smoothly, without too many snafus. New to us this quarter is Workday Student, so an especially heartfelt appreciation to Department Managers and Chairs who are deepest in the weeds with this new software platform.

Congratulations to Justen Whittall (Biology) for the Bureau of Reclamation grant he received to expand his research. At its inception, the Bureau was not known for making grants in the area of restoration and watershed management, so it's heartening to see this work happening in our own Coyote Valley. More details can be found below.

In the world of Sobrato Campus Arts (did you know there was a “World of Sobrato Campus Arts?”), we have a new installation on campus this quarter—a collaboration between SCU Presents in the College, the City of Santa Clara, and the School of Engineering. The Mechanical Horse celebrates the intersection of art and engineering and will be on display through January. Please come check it out at the opening reception, Monday at 4 pm in the SCDI North Lobby!

Finally, a few verses to mark the seasonal change.

An excerpt from Autumn, by Norman Macleod

Autumn is quick to remember
And passes like a sunbeam in the wave.

Sincerely,

Daniel

Highlights

de Saisset Museum docents engage in discussion during the workshop with Brita A. Bookser (left) and Sofie Fernandez (right).

Brita A. Bookser (Child Studies) and Sofie Fernandez '25 (Psychology, Child Studies) delivered an invited presentation to the docents and staff of the de Saisset Museum, entitled, "Bridging Developmental Science, Experiential Learning, and Storytelling with Young Children." In addition to a discussion of theoretical frameworks and the evidence base about child development, the presentation created space for docents to discuss their perceived strengths and challenges; strategies for fostering connection, inclusion, and belonging; and ideas for encouraging participation during school tours. This presentation dovetails with a new line of research focused on transformative museum education, experiential learning, and community partnership.

Adam Elsayigh, Salma S. Zohdi, Karina Gutierrez and the cast of Alaa: A Family Trilogy. Photo by Torange Yeghiazarian.

Karina Gutiérrez (Theatre and Dance) staged a reading of Alaa: A Family Trilogy at Golden Thread Theatre in San Francisco. In 2011, techie Alaa Abd El-Fattah emerged as a leading voice in the Egyptian Revolution through his animated political writings and activism. But Alaa has spent much of the decade since in Cairo Prisons, unlawfully held by a military regime seeking to crush him and the revolutionary movement he belonged to. Yet, they fail every day. Weaving writings and personal testimonials from Alaa and his family members, alongside vivid memoryscapes and haunting images, Alaa: A Family Trilogy is an epic dramatization of a single family's unwavering resistance at the heart of a nation's fight for justice.

Aparajita Nanda (English, Ethnic Studies) presented her paper, "Octavia Butler’s ecocritical antidote to “toxic” colonial/neo-colonial politics," at the European Association of Commonwealth Language and Literature (EACLALS) conference, Sorbonne Nouvelle University, Paris, France.

Her paper discusses Octavia Butler’s post-apocalyptic science fiction novels— Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents —that involve the reader in environmental and social crises, often the collateral damage of imperialistic colonization/neo-colonization. Frederick Jameson lauds the ability of science fiction to “break through history in a new way” by looking at the future rather than the past. Butler picks up the theme of colonial oppression and subjugation in her parables of postcoloniality and presents us with a picture of environmental degradation and abjection brutally enforced by neocolonial policies of President Andrew Jarrett. Human exploitation takes its toll on the ecosystem as minorities are denied equitable access to natural resources. Framing her argument within the critical parameters of Rob Nixon’s concept of “slow violence” Apara argues that in the Parable novels Butler provides four imaginative tropes of environmental justice to counter the amoebic slow burn wrought by American neo-colonialism.

Tom Plante (Psychology) published a book, Living Better with Spiritually Based Strategies that Work: Workbook for Spiritually Informed Therapy (SIT), San Diego, CA: Cognella. From the publisher:

"Living Better with Spirituality Based Strategies that Work: Workbook for Spiritually Informed Therapy is designed to serve as a practical workbook or companion book to Spiritually Informed Therapy that can be used by therapists with their clients, faculty with their students, or with the general public to put key evidence-based principles into actual practice. The workbook features numerous exercises and practical strategies that can help readers examine and implement core tenets from Jesuit spirituality into their everyday and contemporary life.

The core tenets from Jesuit spirituality introduced throughout the book include seeing God (or the sacred) in all things, treating the whole person, using a pathway for decision-making focusing on discernment, ending the day with a five-step reflection, managing conflicts with accommodation, humility, the expectation for goodness, and more. The text features real-world case studies that demonstrate how Jesuit spirituality has helped individuals work through their challenges and discover greater overall wellness."

Maggie Levantovskaya (English) published a creative nonfiction essay titled "The Memory Picture" on Longreads. The essay explores the effects of Russian's war on a Ukrainian-Jewish family living in the Bay Area. It reflects on Soviet-Jewish identity, immigration, historical family trauma, end-of-life planning and grief.

The endangered Santa Clara Valley Dudleya with fresh spring rosettes (left) and with summer yellow flowers (right).

Justen B. Whittall (Biology) received a grant from the Bureau of Reclamation ($253,373) to investigate pollinators, seed dispersal, clonality, genetic diversity, and develop propagation techniques for the endangered Santa Clara Valley Dudleya (Dudleya abramsii var. setchellii). This cute little succulent is restricted to a handful of serpentine outcrops in southern Santa Clara County around Silver Creek, the Santa Teresa Hills, Morgan Hill and Gilroy. You’ve likely seen these habitats as you drive along Hwy 101 through the Coyote Valley between Morgan Hill and San Jose. Justen and his student research assistants will work alongside local conservation biologists to identify the insects responsible for successful reproduction and determine how seeds are dispersed. Using Next-Generation DNA sequencing technologies, they will assess the distribution of genetic diversity within and among populations to prioritize conservation efforts and locate pockets of genetic richness to use for establishing new populations. Most importantly, they will determine optimal propagation techniques for this endangered species in the Arts & Sciences Greenhouse Facility atop Alumni Science.

Eugene Schlesinger (Religious Studies) recently published a new monograph: Salvation in Henri de Lubac: Divine Grace, Human Nature, and the Mystery of the Cross, University of Notre Dame Press, 2023.

The book provides a synthetic engagement with one of the most influential figures of 20th century Catholic theology, Henri de Lubac, S.J., who paved the way for and helped shape the Second Vatican Council. The diverse array of de Lubac's major works are distilled into a coherent theological vision, displaying an "organic unity." Extensive engagement with French-language scholarship brings to the fore the mystical dimensions of de Lubac's thought, a feature that is typically overlooked in anglophone studies.

In August, Brian Thorstenson (Theatre and Dance) spent three weeks in residency at Foundation Obras in Estremoz, Portugal creating a new piece, 24 postcards, with London-based dancer and choreographer Stephen Pelton and Palm Springs-based visual artist Tim Gleason.

Rose Marie Beebe (Spanish) and Robert Senkewicz (History) will teach their first course together for OLLI@SCU this Fall. The pair will discuss the often overlooked but crucial roles of women—mainly Mexican and Mexican-American women—in nineteenth-century California. While this is the 22nd course for Robert Senkewicz, this is the pilot course for Rose Marie Beebe.

OLLI@SCU will be featuring notable instructors periodically in the College Notes. The average course ranges from 4 to 10 hours of instruction per quarter. We hope this will inspire you to stay updated on OLLI news and possibly teach a class for our members. OLLI instructors are compensated for their time and knowledge; to learn more about the joy of teaching adult learners, contact olli@scu.edu.

College of Arts and Sciences Calendar