There's always something
going on at Smith. Miss a lecture, speech or special event?
Listen to it now, download it for later -- or subscribe to
our podcast and take it with you.
A podcast is the multimedia version
of a magazine subscription -- it can be audio, video or document content. You
subscribe to the program and when new episodes are added, the files are automatically
delivered to your computer, ready for you to download onto your desktop and/or
portable media player.
Content marked
with the podcast icon is included in the Smith podcast and will be delivered
to subscribers automatically. We've provided other great content as well!
IVY DAY SPEECH / Shaharzad Akbar
'09
Shararzad Akbar '09, who
spent her early years in Afghanistan with a steady
background of bombs and gunfire, addressed this year's
Ivy Day convocation about the journey from her native
country to Smith. This
video is also available on YouTube in HD.
Staying
Healthy on Campus
Emily Nagoski discusses
her initiatives to
develop a holistic approach to good health on campus.
The first spring initiative is entitled 'Want 'As?' Get
some 'Zs' which is all about sleep. The second initiative
this semester is a program on how toschedule final exams
in a way that maximizes success based on personal circadian
rhythms."
Discussing
Sustainability
Dano Weisbord discusses the development and implementation of the
college sustainability plan, goals and standards, and his work with
college departments and programs to develop a culture of sustainability
and department-specific plans.
A Visit to the Museum’s Unique
Restrooms
Two artist-designed restrooms
in the Smith College Museum of Art landed in the top five in the 2008 America’s
Best Restroom contest. The women's room, “Catching
the Drift,” was created by Ellen Driscoll;
the men's room, "Liquid Origins, Fluid Dreams,"
was designed by Sandy Skoglund ’68. This
video is also available on YouTube in HD.
Engineering
Students Develop Tools for Teaching
Students in Engineering
270, Continuum Mechanics I, worked in small groups
to produce short educational videos on how materials
behave when subjected
to loading. The videos that EGR270 students produce
will be part of a video podcast that K-12 teachers
can use to help teach engineering in their courses.
Three faculty members were
recently named winners of the Kathleen Compton Sherrerd
'54 and John J. F. Sherrerd Prize for Distinguished
Teaching. They are: Randall Bartlett, professor of
economics; John Brady, the Mary Elizabeth Moses Professor
of Geology; and Patricia DiBartolo, professor of psychology.
Smith Professor of Government
Howard Gold, a frequent commentator in the
media on U.S. elections and voting behavior, offers
insight into Election
2008. Gold comments on the polls, independents and
what has become an
"endless campaign." (4 minutes) Watch
it on YouTube
President Carol Christ
welcomed students and faculty back to Smith for the
2008-09 academic year at a rousing Opening Convocation
on Wednesday, September
3, along with faculty speaker Jay Garfield, philosophy,
and Class of 2009 President Marlowe Dieckmann. (10 minutes).
Watch
it on YouTube here
Though the children of Belize
know of the money tourism generates for their families,
few know how critical it is to preserve their island's
pristine coral reef.
Thanks to Smith's Coral
Reef Ed-Ventures Team, that is changing. (5 minutes)
Combat
Stress Conference Keynote
At the recent "Combat Stress" conference, Jonathan Shay, author of the
widely acclaimed "Achilles in Vietnam" and psychiatrist with the Department
of Veterans Affairs, argued for removing the word "disorder" from PTSD
because of the stigma the word has for veterans.
Award-winning playwright Margaret
Edson, a Smith College alumna who teaches kindergarten
in the Atlanta public school system, was the speaker
at Smith's
130th commencement ceremony Sunday, May 18. The speech
was delivered without a written text. (18:30)
On the day before commencement,
alumnae escort the seniors in a parade around campus.
Then the seniors plant ivy to symbolize the connection
between the college and its graduates. (4:30)
Ivy Day has been a tradition at Smith for more than
a century. The class of 1884 was the first to plant ivy as part of the ceremonies
leading to their graduation, thus providing the day with its name. Each year
a student speaker is invited to share words of appreciation for the alumnae.
Backpack
to Briefcase Highlights
Randy Bartlett, professor
of economics, imparts some words of financial widom
to Smith seniors. The Women and Financial
Independence Program at Smith College is designed to
provide women with the skills and knowledge necessary
to address financial matters that may arise in their
personal, professional, family and community lives.
(6:09)
Sylvia
Plath 75th Year Symposium
Sylvia Plath’s Smith College roommate and friends
spoke about their memories of the late poet during a symposium April 25 and
26. Through a combination of talks from both scholars and friends, students
and admirers of Plath’s poetry, conference participants considered Plath
both academically and personally, celebrating the 75th birthday of one of Smith’s
great alumnae. (5:30)
On April 10, the Friends of the Libraries hosted a
discussion about the challenges and opportunities facing the business of news
reporting. The panel was moderated by Judith Milestone '66, Smith trustee and
long-time CNN executive, and featured Susan Greene '68, cable television expert;
Stacy Teicher Khadaroo '93, Christian Science Monitor journalist;
Laurel Touby '85, founder of mediabistro.com; and Ellen Weiss '81, vice president
for news, National Public Radio. (44 minutes)
Celebrating
Collaborations 2008
Exciting student-faculty collaborations unfold on
our campus every day. Smith's annual showcase of student research and performance
highlights students' intellectual achievements and collaborative efforts with
faculty in a variety of departmental, program and interdisciplinary projects.
(4:28)
Out of
the Sky: 9/11 by Werner Pfeiffer
At an opening reception for an exhibition
of his artist books, Werner Pfeiffer assembled Out of the Sky: 9/11, his
tribute to the victims of the destruction of the World Trade Center in 2001.
This book, with a prominent sculptural component, engages the reader/viewer
as he or she assembles a series of printed segments to construct a model
of the twin towers nearly 6 feet high. The exhibit in the Neilson Library
Book Arts Gallery continues through July 2008. (17:30)
Audio and video files are provided to visitors for their personal
use only. No commercial or public use is permitted. Contact John
Eue, senior director of publications and communications, for more information.