Science, Society, and the Arts Conference Brings University Together for Day of Learning and Community

Lexington, VA • Tuesday, March 05, 2007

Have you ever wanted to know whether temperature affects the ability of Serratia Marcescens to swarm and form bio-film when grown in a minimal peptone-glycerol medium? Or perhaps you’re curious how recent case law concerning eminent domain will affect the rebuilding of New Orleans? Maybe you wonder what might drive a young idealist to venture from the safe confines of the Pacific Northwest to violence-torn Gaza strip?

These questions and many more were answered on Friday, March 2 during Science, Society, and the Arts, a research conference at Washington and Lee University that brought together students, faculty and staff for a day-long exploration and celebration of student work. Over 200 students presented work in poster sessions, panel discussions, art showings and performances. Additionally, over 150 individuals from all walks of campus life took part in the 21 reading colloquia, discussing such books as Atonement by Ian McEwan, Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler, and The Golden Ratio by keynote speaker Mario Livio, senior astrophysicist at the Hubble Space Telescope Science Institute and best-selling author.

Dr. Livio’s lunchtime address detailing how symmetry and perception run through the sciences, the arts and nature in all its forms was especially fitting given that one of the main goals of the conference was to engage students across disciplinary boundaries. Indeed, interdisciplinary projects and interdisciplinary students were on display throughout the day. This was perhaps nowhere more evident than in the case of Jennifer Lysenko ’09, whose poster presentation on the effects of temperature on Serratia Marcescens, a human pathogen found in infections, was matched by her art showing in Wilson Hall, where her collection of oil paintings titled “The Study of Warm and Cool” sought to explore the use of warm and cool color relations to portray architectural structures in the landscape.

"As I walked around campus the day of the conference, I was struck by how everyone was smiling," said Robin Le Blanc, associate professor of politics and SSA conference committee chair. "I think it reminded everyone how much fun it is to be a learner and how wonderful it is to watch a student take a small thing they learned in class and explode it into a personal passion."

Added Le Blanc, "For me, this day reinforced my faith in liberal arts education. I heard from economists how much they enjoyed the fine arts showing and from theater performers who were amazed by the natural science presentations. The conference achieved its main goal, to break down the barriers between science, society and the arts."

Sharing Professor Le Blanc’s enthusiasm, many students who participated in the conference as presenters or spectators supporting their classmates remarked on the sense of community and shared commitment to learning brought on by the conference. One such student is Paten Hughes ’08, who in addition to serving as a member of the conference planning committee, participated in a panel presentation, a reading colloquia, and two dramatic performances, including the one-woman show “My Name is Rachel Corrie”, based on journal entries and letters of an American woman killed in Palestine while doing humanitarian work.

“SSA was the perfect opportunity for us to show to the entire University community something tangible related to our lives as students,” said Hughes. “Personally, I felt a huge sense of responsibility to do justice to Rachel Corrie’s story, in a way that I’ve never felt before with other theatrical performances.”

Unique to this conference, the reading colloquia reinforced the interdisciplinary nature of the event by bringing together students, faculty and staff in a very uncommon way. Colloquia participants noted that these groupings had a "leveling" effect that enhanced the book discussions.

Tom Contos, University Architect and a participant in the Women Without Class reading group noted that, "no one felt that they 'owned' the discussion or had to lead it. In that respect it was totally different from a classroom discussion of the same book, where students are talking to peers at a similar stage of life, and the professor is inevitably seen as an authority figure. Everyone in our group was an equal and active participant."

The importance of the conference to the life of the University was not lost on two generous individuals who donated money for future conferences. Their anonymous donation of $50,000 will pay for two more iterations of the conference, which presently is held every two years.

Those interested in participating on the planning committee for the next SSA conference should contact Robin Le Blanc (leblancr@wlu.edu).

Related Conference Links

• Photo Gallery
• Conference Schedule