Amherst Magazine

SUMMER 2016

Catching Fire

Fireflies are quintessential visuals of summer. Not content to simply enjoy their light, Sarah Sander ’06 and her team plan to decipher the firefly genome.

By Geoffrey Giller ’10

Home

From the chair of the College’s board of trustees, some thoughts on the protest in Frost Library last fall.

By Cullen Murphy ’74

Might and Right in the Pioneer Valley

In an Amherst classroom, a good relativist learns that political philosophy is an urgent—and fun—adventure.

By Susannah Black ’99

Let Us Hear From You

Send a letter to the editor. Letters must be 300 words or fewer and may be edited for length, clarity and style. Priority is given to letters that address the content of the magazine. E-mail magazine@amherst.edu.

Tell us about your new book. Submit your new book (or CD or film) for inclusion in our Short Takes listing.

Summer 2016 Online Extras

Video

 Leslie Stahl of 60 Minutes moderated a reunion panel on "Living and Degenerative Disease," with '66 classmates Aaron Latham (Stahl's husband), Evan Maurer, Jone Vine and Bruce Leopold. Watch this and many other videos from the weekend.

 Twenty-one students and faculty members have won top national awards to continue their work in the arts, humanities and sciences. Learn more about them. 

More news

Norm Jones arrived in July as the College’s chief diversity and inclusion officer, bringing “experience and sophistication,” President Martin said, to the “work of building an intellectual community that embraces diversity of people and points of view.”

Two weeks after graduation, Meghan McDonough '16 and Sarah Jordan '16 headed to Buenos Aires to film a 20-minute documentary about artist-activists who are working to combat violent crimes against women in Argentina.

Making good on a pledge to expand its commitment to student diversity, the College hosted Native American high-schoolers for a weeklong summit that aims to help students get into college. Students met with admission officers, essay specialists and others.  

Our archives

Has the magazine ever written about your favorite alum? Find out by browsing digitized indices to the Amherst Graduates’ Quarterly, Amherst Alumni News and Amherst magazine.

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