Professor Kate Ballantine wins environmental award
BY NICOLE VILLACRES '18
Clean Water Action, a national environmental group, has awarded the Environmental Ground-Breaker Award to professor Kate Ballantine for her work with the Restoration Ecology Program. The program was created in 2012, when Ballantine and her environmental studies students noticed that Upper Lake had a severe problem with algae blooms caused by excessive nutrient pollution. One facet of the program is the Project Stream restoration site, which is focused on restoring the wetland and stream that feeds into Upper Lake, so that the nutrients would be naturally filtered out.
Math professor’s election comments incite debate
Sajia Darwish ’18 builds library in Kabul, Afghanistan
BY NICOLE VILLACRES ’18
With funding from Afghan Girls Fi-nancial Assistance Fund, Sajia Darwish ’18 opened the Baale Parwaz Library this summer in Kabul, Afghanistan. Although a native of Kabul, Darwish has been in the United States since she was 13. The idea to build the library came out of a conversation between Darwish and the co-founder of AGFAF, Joseph Highland. AGFAF supports Darwish’s education at Mount Holyoke through financial assistance.
Emet Marwell ’18 sparks discussion of trans athletes
Deborah Cohen leaves AccessAbility Services
BY NICOLE VILLACRES '18
In the aftermath of Director of AccessAbility Services Deborah Cohen’s resignation, Mount Holyoke plans to change the organizational structure of the department from having a singular director to two accommodation coordinators. Cohen, who spent four years at the College as AccessAbility director, will work her last day on Oct. 28.
Dr. Dyar receives award
BY JULIA DOYLE ’20
Dr. Darby Dyar was recently awarded the 2016 Geological Society of America’s G.K. Gilbert Award for her achievements in the field of planetary geology. The G.K. Gilbert Award, named after the scientist who “recognized the importance of a planetary perspective in solving terrestrial geological problems,” is an award for “outstanding contributions to the solution of a fundamental problem(s) of planetary geology in its broadest sense,” according to the Geological Society of America’s website.
MERT now comes with SHFD
Zainab Salbi speaks on women and Islam
BY ABBY BAKER ’19
Zainab Salbi, the 2016 Carol Hoffman Collins Global Scholar-in-Residence, spoke at Gamble Auditorium to dozens of Mount Holyoke students and members of the Pioneer Valley community. Her talk on Oct. 13 was called “Women, Islam and the Middle East,” and addressed issues of identity and culture that many Muslim women face.