{"id":154311,"date":"2023-06-05T16:02:53","date_gmt":"2023-06-05T20:02:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/?p=154311"},"modified":"2023-06-09T16:10:06","modified_gmt":"2023-06-09T20:10:06","slug":"slideshow-this-month-at-bates-52","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/2023\/06\/05\/slideshow-this-month-at-bates-52\/","title":{"rendered":"Slideshow: This Month at Bates"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As we slide into summer, we pause to share various moments from the month of May. You\u2019ll note the delighted expressions on many we\u2019ve photographed all over campus, and beyond. Explore the way in which, with some joyful noise, we close out the academic year with the final edition of This Month at Bates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starting Players<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Robinson
Ken Williams ’23 for Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Robinson Players took to the Schaeffer Theatre stage in May to present the Disney’s High School Musical: One Act Edition<\/em>, directed by Brady Chilson ’23 of Carlisle, Pa., and Kush Sharma ’23 of South Burlington, Vt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Holi and Hathorn<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Huck Triggs ’24 for Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The spring exuberance of Bates students was on full display as they swarmed the walks in front of Hathorn Hall on May 7, with lots of colorful gulal powder in hand, to celebrate Holi, a Hindu festival of colors symbolizing the beginning of spring and the triumph of good over evil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the South Asian student community, the event \u201ccelebrated togetherness and strengthened a sense of belonging,\u201c says Amisha Kalra \u201923 of Short Hills, N.J., co-president of the South Asian Student Association.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everyone was invited to join the fun, says Kalra, \u201cto get an opportunity to learn and experience cultural traditions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Falls Front<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Phyllis
Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In early May, nearly a week after 5.25 inches of rain fell on the area, Great Falls on the Androscoggin River were still roaring along. In the background, a train crosses the 1,000-foot truss bridge over the falls, which are located between downtown Lewiston and Auburn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Pause with the Cat<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Phyllis
Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Bobcat stopped by Hathorn Hall to congratulate senior neuroscience majors William Symmans (left) of Houston and Evan Koch of Shelburne, Vt., during their thesis-binding celebration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Symmans\u2019 thesis is titled, \u201cA Data-Driven Taxonomy of Olfactory System Principal Neurons.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Koch\u2019s is \u201cA Comparative Analysis of Gene Expression in the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex of Autistic Individuals Across Age and Sex.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Tri Cycle<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Phyllis
Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

From left, Abbey Ende ’23 of Asheville, N.C., Katia Ryan ’23 of Amsterdam, N.Y., and David King ’25 of Wilson, Wyo., connect on the Historic Quad on a warm afternoon during Short Term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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‘Proud Adviser’<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Phyllis
Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The self-described \u201cproud adviser,\u201d Associate Professor of Africana Sue Houchins joins students, faculty, and staff gathered on the front steps of Coram Library to celebrate the completed senior honors thesis of Sam Jean-Francois, an Africana major from Medford, Mass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jean-Francois\u2019 thesis is titled, \u201cColonialism as the Disaster: Retelling the Fight for Haitian Sovereignty.\u201d The project was a “heuristic exercise centered in my journey to uncover more about my history, my family\u2019s history, and Haiti\u2019s history as the world\u2019s first free Black republic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThrough this thesis I\u2019ve had the opportunity to engage with the works of Haitian scholars such as Myriam Chancy, and reconnect with my mother tongue, Kreyol.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Crabby<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Phyllis
Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Taught by Jesse Minor ’09, a Short Term biology course headed to Cousins Island in Yarmouth to help with efforts along coastal Maine to monitor invasive green crabs, a “small but voracious invasive species threatening Maine\u2019s soft-shell clam industry,” in the words of a Portland Press Herald<\/em> story. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bates course teamed up with Manomet, a nonprofit specializing in conservation and science education, which has engaged in a long-term monitoring project to track green crab population trends. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Streaming Along<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Huck Triggs ’25 for Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Two Bates friends sit on the high bank of a Maine stream, waiting patiently for the chance to see a mink. None showed, “but there were dozens of tracks and other evidence of recent mink activity,” said photographer Huck Triggs ’25 of Malibu, Calif. “The forest was absolutely beautiful and burgeoning with activity as animals are raising their young.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Eyes Have It<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Phyllis
Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

James Reese, associate dean of students for international student programs, reacts during the annual Bobcat First banquet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Arm in Arm<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Phyllis
Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

From left, Isabelle “Izzy” Larson ’25 of East Aurora, N.Y., and Chelsea Griscom ’25 of Santa Fe pause near Hathorn Hall to take a look at a rare campus construction project: the replacement of the Mouthpiece with a new model that’s identical to the old, hand-crafted by Bates carpenters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Coming Along<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Phyllis
Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

One of the busier walks on the Quad is the one leading from the Frye Street area, chock full of students’ residences. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Plus Two<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Phyllis
Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

From left, Tori Kusukawa ’23 of Salt Lake City and Jaewoo Kim ’25 of San Ramon, Calif., dancers in the student club ACE+, showcase their individual and collective talents and Asian art culture during the annual Bobcats-N-Brisket picnic outside Commons in May.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Quick Chat<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Phyllis
Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Elly Rostoum ’07, instructor for the Short Term course “Spies, Special Agents, and the Presidency,” leads her students in a discussion of how and whether the U.S. intelligence community should use artificial intelligence in its work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The discussion was promoted by a recent news story about a top U.S. official urging the use of AI to keep pace in the world of international intelligence gathering. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So Rostoum, a former U.S. intelligence officer, asked her students to use ChatGPT, a well-known open AI tool, to evaluate a few thorny foreign affairs topics from history, such as Rafael Trujillo’s dictatorship of the Dominican Republic, and offer strategic options that the U.S. might employ. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the “whole point of intel is to anticipate in order to preempt,” as Rostoum said, how did ChatGPT fare? Not well, said the students. “It can’t be creative,” one said. At least not now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sitting Speaker<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Phyllis
Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Rishi Madnani ’23 of Langhorne, Pa., poses at the Keigwin Amphitheater for a story about his Senior Address<\/a> at Commencement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Madnani used the metaphor of an in-vitro cell culture \u2014 controlled environments for growing cells \u2014 to describe the Bates community. \u201cAs incoming stem cells, each of us brought a unique genetic and molecular profile to the table: our similarities, and our differences, brought us together to form an impressively cohesive socio-cellular infrastructure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Art and Activism<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Phyllis
Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Students in Bates Short Term \u201cArt and Social Practice\u201d class, taught by Lecturer in Arts and Visual Culture Michel Droge, install artwork in the windows of the Hartley Block at 155 Lisbon St, Lewiston. The installation is on view through June 10. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The course combined research of historical and contemporary social practice with practical studio experience and collaborative community engagement, paying special attention to issues of equity, inclusion, and accessibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Partnering with the Coordinating Team of the Local Foods Local Places (LFLP) Action Plan which includes the Good Food Council of Lewiston-Auburn (GFCLA) and the St. Mary\u2019s Nutrition Center (NC), students examined local solutions to food and land justice issues and investigated how socially-engaged art can raise awareness and motivate action around such causes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Jump Start<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Seniors and faculty in the Department of Rhetoric, Film, and Screen Studies get a jump on Senior Week at the annual Senior-Faculty Reception, a gathering that celebrates the relationship of student and teacher that is at the heart of a Bates education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Head Strong<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Phyllis
Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Professor of Sociology Emily Kane shares a moment with senior thesis advisee Ilana Zeilinger ’23 of Washington, D.C., outside the Gray Athletic Building during the annual Senior-Faculty Reception on May 22.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zeilinger\u2019s thesis, “Mothering in the Mama Sphere: Intensive Mothering in Contemporary Mommy Blogs,” won the sociology department’s thesis award, the Myhrman-Swett Award.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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On the Run<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Avery
Avery Lehman ’25 for Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Six seniors from the cross country and track and field programs who won Senior Scholar awards this year pose with Associate Professor of Sociology Michael Rocque, who serves as Faculty Athletics Representative, during the Senior Athlete Recognition Ceremony, held on May 23. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Third from left is Eli Boesch Dining of Concord, N.H., who, with Sophie Martens (soccer) of Scarborough, Maine, won the Milton L. Lindholm Scholar-Athlete Award for achieving the top GPA among letter-winning athletes on men’s and women’s teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joining Boesch Dining are, from left, Peter Ackley, Wyatt Bates, Owen Glover, Evan Koch, and Colby Stakun-Pickering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The annual ceremony recognized 89 four-year Bates athletes who maintained a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or above. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Making a Splash<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Phyllis
Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Nathan Huynh \u201823 of San Diego emerges triumphantly from Lake Andrews after diving from the Keigwin Amphitheater into the campus pond to celebrate his completed environmental studies thesis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Huynh’s thesis is titled, \u201cNavigating Shifting Tides: Resilience Amidst Climate Change, Overfishing, and Industrialization Through Diverse Media Perspectives.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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First Chair<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College\n\n\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Mike Adams, leads grounds keeper for Facility Services, pauses as he and his team take down the Commencement setup \u2014 including several thousands chairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Numbers Game<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Theophil Syslo\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Members of the Class of 2023 take their places on Garcelon Field for their official class portrait on May 26.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Their Toast<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Toasted by James Reese, longtime associate dean, seniors raise a glass to their achievements and hopes for their good fortunes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Seeing Double<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Droste effect in action: This photograph shows the Commencement audience in front of the large video wall, which in turn shows the Commencement audience gathered in front of the large video wall… ad infinitum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Illuminati<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Phyllis
Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Equipped with LED lighting, the new Class of 1927 Mouthpiece, hand-built by the Bates carpentry shop, strikes a fine figure two days before Commencement. The poster inside depicts this year’s honorary degree recipients, clockwise from top left:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • J. Drew Lanham (speaker), ornithologist, naturalist, and writer;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Michael Lewis, author of award-winning nonfiction including Moneyball<\/em> and The Big Short<\/em>;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Shankar Vedantam, science correspondent; founder and host of the Hidden Brain<\/em> podcast and radio series; and<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Julieanna Richardson, founder and executive director of The History Makers, an archive of African American oral histories.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
    \n\n\n\n

    Gift of Song<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"
    Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    The senior a cappella<\/em> group performs \u201cI Will Follow You Into the Dark\u201d during the Baccalaureate Service the day before Commencement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n\n\n\n

    Marshaling support<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \"Phyllis
    Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Standing behind Bates diplomas on the Coram Library Terrace, Professor of French and Francophone Studies Kirk Read gets exuberant as he and Dukakis Professor of Classical and Medieval Studies Dolores O’Higgins, faculty marshals for Commencement, observe the arriving academic procession on May 28.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n\n\n\n

    In the Moment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \"Phyllis
    Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Adelaide Armah ’23 of Accra, Ghana, crosses the Coram Library Terrace after receiving her diploma during the 157th Bates Commencement. Degrees were conferred on 439 graduates who gathered in front of Coram Library with family and friends and Bates professors and staff on a warm, sunny morning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n\n\n\n

    Grateful Eight<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"
    Peter Steenstra for Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Head rowing coach Peter Steenstra captures the celebration after the Bates women’s second varsity eight won its ninth straight gold medal at the NCAA Rowing Championships in May. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    “Nine straight gold medals, I’m not sure that is real,” he said. “It shows not just the depth of the program but how competitive the bottom is as they push up, and then how unified the group is that comes here.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n\n\n\n

    Ready for a Nap<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \"Phyllis
    Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Another academic year has come and gone, leaving behind memories… and a hammock along the shore of Lake Andrews.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    As we slide into summer, we pause to share various moments from the month of May.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":154512,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_hide_ai_chatbot":false,"_ai_chatbot_style":"","associated_faculty":[],"_Page_Specific_Css":"","_bates_restrict_mod":false,"_table_of_contents_display":false,"_table_of_contents_location":"","_table_of_contents_disableSticky":false,"_is_featured":false,"footnotes":"","_bates_seo_meta_description":"","_bates_seo_block_robots":false,"_bates_seo_sharing_image_id":0,"_bates_seo_sharing_image_twitter_id":0,"_bates_seo_share_title":"","_bates_seo_canonical_overwrite":"","_bates_seo_twitter_template":""},"categories":[4,223,11012,11009],"tags":[11075],"class_list":["post-154311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic-life","category-slideshow","category-student-life","category-the-college","tag-this-month-at-bates"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154311","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/91"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=154311"}],"version-history":[{"count":48,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154311\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":154713,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154311\/revisions\/154713"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/154512"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=154311"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=154311"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=154311"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}