Alumni Colloquium Schedule

Check in and pick up registration packets.
8 - 11 a.m. Keefe Campus Center atrium
11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Valentine Dining Hall lobby

View the list of available classes. A printed list will be provided in registration packets.

Various locations

Meal tickets provided in registration packets.

Valentine Dining Hall

Faculty lecture with Deborah Gewertz, G. Henry Whitcomb 1874 Professor of Anthropology. Why do anthropologists study food? Of course, they are interested in food “cultures” as they develop and change in different contexts. But, there is more to their study of food than this. As I will show, food (including its absence in such phenomena as famine and eating disorders) must be understood broadly. What one eats, when one eats, with whom one eats, how one eats, and how one acquires what one eats are all (within certain physiological and other practical limits) socially, culturally, and politically constructed. Food is used to define social groups, kinship, equalities and inequalities of being, the holy, as well as personal and moral value. It is, thus, a primary “social fact.” Like sex, food is of unavoidable biological importance and, therefore, the subject of tremendous elaboration and manipulation.

Stirn Auditorium

Faculty lecture with Jessica Hejny, Visiting Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies. This presentation provides a brief overview of the changes in American agriculture and food policy over the twentieth century. It highlights the environmental and social justice impacts of these changes, and draws attention to the ways we might reform agricultural and food policy to create a more just and sustainable food system.

Stirn Auditorium

Laura Noerdlinger '17 will speak about how the 1855 Classification of the Wines of the Gironde brought the transcultural product of Bordelaise wine into the national imagination, making Bordeaux wine French. Carlos Rivero ’18 will share his research on the environmental consequences of Amherst's Grab and Go program, specifically the environmental cost of discarded food and the choice of materials used in the take out containers and used his findings to propose a plan to reduce the College’s environmental footprint. Laura Draucker, Director of Sustainability, and Maida Ives, Book & Plow Farm Manager, will describe college priorities for co-curricular research opportunities.

Stirn Auditorium

with Rick Lopez ’93, Professor of History and Environmental Studies

Lewis-Sebring Dining Commons Foyer, Valentine Hall

Chef Jeremy will join us to share details about our dinner.

Lewis-Sebring Dining Commons, Valentine Hall

Meal tickets are provided in registration packets.

Valentine Dining Hall

Faculty lecture with Patricia B. O'Hara, Amanda and Lisa Cross Professor of Chemistry. Join us for an exploration of the history, cultivation, harvesting and processing of olives and olive oil. What can we learn about the freshness and authenticity of oils based on some simple chemical tests that can protect us from rancid or fraudulent oils? How do we train our senses to appreciate some of the world’s finest extra virgin olive oils and what is the difference between cold press or first press? What are scientists learning about the health benefits of this “liquid gold”? Learn some tips about cooking with olive oil and hear of some of the non‐traditional and surprising uses of this vital substance.

Stirn Auditorium

Alumni and parents share their experiences in the up and down world of food entrepreneurship. Panelists include: Roger Doiron P'19, founding director of SeedMoney; Amy Klippenstein '89 and Paul Lacinski '89 of Sidehill Farm; Gary Lee '79, owner of Las Canteras restaurant; and David Vogel '84 of Kayon Partners.

Stirn Auditorium

The Powerhouse

For those who would like a brief walking tour of the Book & Plow core site, we will depart from lunch at 12:45 p.m., walk to the farm (about 10 minute walk, dirt road, medium incline), tour the greenhouse area and field and be back at Greenway A before the 1:45 p.m. program. For those who would rather linger over lunch, you are very welcome to do so. You may also be interested to walk around the new Greenway Dorms site and explore campus.

Meet at the Powerhouse

Betty Rosbottom, cookbook author, writer, and teacher, will prepare her beautiful Asparagus Bisque in the campus's new demonstration kitchen for guests to sample. Hear about her career in the food world: cooking, publishing, blogging and teaching.

Demonstration Kitchen and Event Space, Greenway A

A chance to finish your conversations, exchange contact information and take a breath with some local refreshments, cheese and snacks. Current parents and Pathways mentors are welcome to invite your students to attend.

Event Space, Greenway A