Pioneers: Past, Present, and Future

In January, just as we started to lay the groundwork for the Spring issue, we received an email from Marissa Tremblay ’12, an assistant professor in Purdue University’s Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences. She had recently returned from doing fieldwork in Antarctica, where she had led an all-women team to study the earth’s past climate. She asked if we might be interested in sharing her story in the Magazine. The decision was, well, a no-brainer. Not only is Professor Tremblay’s research timely and relevant, but it also speaks to the kind of groundbreaking leadership that is nurtured by and thrives at Barnard — the very kind of leadership we’ve been so fortunate to experience the past six years under President Sian Leah Beilock. 

Our cover story, “A Triumphant Presidency,” reflects on President Beilock’s many achievements and the indelible legacy she has left the College. One accomplishment that has particularly made a mark on the Magazine has been her focus on strengthening and supporting STEM at Barnard, which in turn has given us the opportunity to tell some pretty fascinating stories, from our exceptional student- and faculty-led research to our alumnae who are leading the way in fields from artificial intelligence to environmental science. 

But above all, what President Beilock has taught us is that the sciences and the liberal arts are not siloed; in fact, there is an important, symbiotic relationship between the two. And it is this very thinking that continues to guide our storytelling in the Spring edition. In “Tara Well: Through the Looking-Glass,” you’ll read about how associate professor of psychology Well weaves together neuroscience and psychological research to promote self-awareness and empathy through her practice of mirror meditation. And in a Q&A with Linda Elovitz Marshall ’71, you’ll learn about the author’s latest children’s book, Sisters in Science, which provides a fun narrative of the relationship between the first woman Nobel Prize-winning scientist, Marie Curie, and her sister, Bronia Dłuska. And our “Passion Project” spotlights Khadijah Abdul Nabi ’08, whose switch from engineering to Middle Eastern studies and anthropology at Barnard set her on a career trajectory that eventually led her to establish a women-run design studio in Iraq. (All of these stories were written by our talented colleague Marie DeNoia Aronsohn.) 

If anything, this issue is really about female leadership and taking risks — in the sciences and the liberal arts. And this brings us to our insightful conversation with President-elect Laura A. Rosenbury, in which we learn more about her vision, upbringing, interests — and, most importantly, her favorite karaoke song. We are excited for the many compelling stories that will emerge under her stewardship. 

On a more personal note, in February — halfway through the Spring issue’s production — I had my son, Colum, and have been on maternity leave since then. To close out this letter, I want to say a big thank you to the Magazine team and my department for all their hard work and creativity in putting together this issue.