Summer research program in the Galapagos

Most people associate the Galapagos Islands with Charles Darwin, evolution, and a natural ecosystem of incredible biodiversity. But the archipelago is urbanizing rapidly—what were once small fishing villages are now dense towns with populations in the tens of thousands, and show no signs of slowing growth. This isolated environment presents a unique opportunity for urban scientists to measure the relationship between human development and the natural environment.

This summer the Mansueto Institute for Urban Innovation partnered with the Universidad San Francisco de Quito (Ecuador) and the Melbourne School of Design (Australia) to conduct the 2019 Galapagos Urbanization and Sustainable Development Study. Four undergrads spent a month on the islands doing research for the project: Ryan Cutter, Class of 2021; Sam Joyce, Class of 2020; Jein Park, Class of 2020; and Amy Tian, Class of 2021.

Quantrell Awards

Five faculty members were honored with the Llewellyn John and Harriet Manchester Quantrell Award for undergraduate teaching: Albert Bendelac, A. N. Pritzker Distinguished Service Professor of Pathology; Claudia Brittenham, associate professor of art history; Berthold Hoeckner, professor of music and the humanities; Maryanthe Malliaris, associate professor of mathematics; and Mauricio Tenorio-Trillo, Samuel N. Harper Professor of History and Romance Languages and Literatures.

Careers in the Humanities

The College’s inaugural Careers in the Humanities Day in April immersed students in the highly diverse range of careers available to humanists. Students talked with alumni and employers representing digital media, film, journalism, music, publishing, theater, and more. The mentors in attendance had professional experience with more than 30 organizations, including Browne and Miller Literary Associates, Disney, Electronic Arts, Google, Netflix, Turner Networks, Warner Brothers Records, and W. W. Norton Publishers.