Pomona College Sagecast

In this episode, we’re joined by alumna and Alexander Hamilton expert Joanne Freeman ’84, Professor of American History at Yale University. A scholar of political conflict, Freeman shares how conflict often led to physical violence from the founding fathers onward. She focuses much of her research on Alexander Hamilton, one of the nation’s first victims of political violence. A fan of Hamilton way...

In this episode, Professor of Mathematics Edray Goins takes us back to his childhood in South L.A. and shares how he became fascinated with science, first with physics and finally with mathematics.  As a young Black mathematician, Goins didn’t have academic role models, thus he now dedicates his time to train and mentor minorities in college who will be the next generations of scientists and...

In our first podcast episode featuring Pomona College alumni, we’re joined by The New York Times bestselling author Richard Preston ’76. A writer for The New Yorker since 1985, Preston is the only nondoctor to have received the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Champion of Prevention Award. In this episode Preston gives his insight on the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic based on researc...

This week we are joined by Assistant Professor of Psychological Science, Sara Masland. Sara Rose Masland is a clinical and personality psychologist. She studies individual differences in social cognition and emotion processes and their relevance for personality disorders, particularly borderline personality disorder (BPD) and narcissistic personality disorder (NPD). She also studies treatment impr...

This week on the Sagecast we are joined by Professor of Physical Education and Men's and Women's Water Polo Coach, Alex Rodriguez. Rodriguez is also an assistant coach for the USA Senior Men's Water Polo team. Rodriguez has been head coach of both the Pomona-Pitzer Men's Water Polo and Women's Water Polo programs for more than a decade. In that time, he has been at the helm for 10 conference title...

This week on the Sagecast we are joined by Professor of Chemistry Jane Liu. Liu studies the role of functional RNAs (such as catalytic and regulatory RNAs) in controlling the dynamic aspects of gene expression in response to a changing environment. She seeks to apply this knowledge to the development of novel tools for chemistry and biology. As a chemist and molecular biologist, Liu is driven to u...

We're joined this week by Char Miller, director of Environmental Analysis; W.M. Keck professor of Environmental Analysis and History and chair of Sociology. In our first episode since classes at Pomona College were moved on line, Miller talks about the anticipation of teaching online and the excitement of seeing his students again, even if virtually. Miller’s teaching and research reflect his fasc...

We're joined this week by Lise Abrams, Peter W. Stanley professor of Linguistics and Cognitive Science and coordinator of Cognitive Science here at Pomona College. Abrams, class of 1991, tells us about her experiences as a student at Pomona and how the college has changed through the years. As a professor, Abrams's research program investigates language and memory processes in younger and older ad...

Professor and Chair of Anthropology Dru Gladney joins us this week on the Sagecast. Growing up in the city of Pomona, one might not expect the long journey it took for Gladney to end up at Pomona College. Gladney talks his upbringing, his travels to China, and the start of his teaching career in Hawaii. Gladney specializes in the peoples, cultures and politics along the ancient and modern Silk Roa...

This week on the Sagecast we are joined by Associate Professor of Physical Education and Women's Softball Coach JoAnne Ferguson. After playing Division II college softball, Ferguson didn't think she'd transition to coaching. But her road through graduate school led her to volunteer as a coach and set her on the path to Pomona. Ferguson also chats about balancing school and sports as a Division III...

This week on the Sagecast we are joined by Assistant Professor of Economics Malte Dold. Raised in Germany by parents who were both teachers, Dold didn't discover his passion for teaching until grad school. Dold also talks about the classes he's currently teaching and how his experience in the German public education system differs from his time at Pomona.  Hosted by: Mark Wood and Patty Vest...

On this week's Sagecast, Emeritus Professor of Romance Languages and Literature Monique Saigal-Escudero joins us to talk about her life story and journey at Pomona. Born in Paris, Saigal-Escudero tells her story of being a hidden Jewish child during World War II. She talks about her move to California at age 17, and how her journey took her to Pomona, where she taught French for more than four dec...

Assistant Professor of Politics Tom Le joins us to kick off Season 4 of the Pomona College Sagecast. His research areas include Japanese security policy, the U.S.-Japan alliance, war memory and reconciliation, militarism norms, military and security balance in East Asia and East Asia regionalism. Among his areas of expertise: constraints and restraints on Japanese militarism and Japan-South Korea...

In Season 3’s final episode, Godis Jackson ’20 and Toran Langford ’21 take us behind the scenes of peer-to-peer mentoring at Pomona College. Jackson and Langford share about their own mentor-mentee relationship and their experience as mentors for FLI (First Generation and/or Low Income students) and OBSA (Office of Black Student Affairs.) Hosted by: Mark Wood and Patty Vest Audio Engineering by: E...

As remote collaboration becomes more ubiquitous, Pomona College’s Assistant Professor of Computer Science Alexandra Papoutsaki and Grete Helena Kütt ’20, are studying how eye-tracking technology could enhance teamwork. In this week’s episode, Papoutsaki and Kütt share more about the path of their research project that took them to present their work in Glasgow, Scotland. Hosted by: Mark Wood and P...

From learning how to cook pasta to studying the impact of climate change on birds, Pomona mentors teach many valuable lessons to their students. In this episode, Professor of Biology Nina Karnovsky and Conservation Research Fellow Charlotte Chang ’10 tell us about their paths as field biologists doing conservation research. Hosted by: Mark Wood and Patty Vest Audio Engineering by: Erica Tyron/KSPC...

In this week’s episode, Professor of Chicana/o Latina/o Studies Gilda Ochoa, along with Chicana/o Latina/o Studies major Rene Valenzuela '20, talk about the history of the department and how it's grown since its inception 50 years ago.  Hosted by: Mark Wood and Patty Vest Audio Engineering by: Erica Tyron/KSPC Produced by: Jeff Hing Transcript: https://www.pomona.edu/sites/defa...

In this week’s episode, Director of College Writing and Assistant Professor of English Kara Wittman along with English major Ahana Ganguly ‘21, gives us insight into Pomona’s Writing Center. Currently, the Center offers writing and speaking partners for students and next year there are plans to add visual-learning partners. Wittman shares more abou...

In this episode Asya Shklyar, director of High Performance Computing, and Lindsey Tam '20 discuss what it took to get HPC off the ground and tell us about their upcoming app that will help anybody learn how to program. Hosted by: Mark Wood and Patty Vest Audio Engineering by: Erica Tyron/KSPC Produced by: Jeff Hing Transcript: https://www.pomona.edu/sites/default/files/sagecast-asyalindsey-102319....

Where can Pomona College students turn to when they need help with quantitative methods and concepts? In this episode, Travis Brown, director of the Quantitative Skills Center (QSC) and Pomona Scholar of Science Nicah Vhin Driza ’20 illustrate through their experiences how the QSC equips students with the resources and skills they need to be successful in the classroom. Hosted by: Mark Wood and Pa...

This week we are joined by David J. Baldwin Professor of Music and Choral Conductor, Donna M. Di Grazia, as well as recent grad, Jeremy Taylor '19. The two discuss the unexpected places music has taken them as well how the liberal arts environment has helped them both grow. The two also discuss mentorship as we continue our Season 3 focused on students, professors, coaches and staff who are workin...

This week we are joined by Interim Athletic Director and Women's Soccer Coach, Jen Scanlon, as well as one of her senior captains, Megan Kuo. The two discuss their paths to Pomona as well as the success the Pomona-Pitzer Soccer team has seen this season. The two also discuss mentorship as we continue our Season 3 focused on students, professors, coaches and staff who are working closely in the cla...

In Season 3 of the Pomona College Sagecast, we talk to students, professors, coaches and staff who are working closely in the classroom, on the field and in the lab. This week, we talk to Professor of Theatre and Dance Giovanni Ortega and Anais Gonzalez Nyberg '20 about how theatre has changed both of their lives.  Hosted by: Mark Wood and Patty Vest Audio Engineering by: Erica Tyron/KSPC Pro...

The Pomona College Academy for Youth Success (PAYS) program has been a Pomona College staple for over 15 years. The summer program enrolls up to 90 local high school students (30 rising sophomores, 30 rising juniors, & 30 rising seniors) and seeks to support them in preparing for admission to selective and highly selective colleges and universities. We select a new class of 30 ninth graders (r...

Rising Juniors Ian Poveda '21 and Pauline Bekkers '21 join us to talk about their experience doing research on campus through the SURP program.  Hosted by: Mark Wood and Patty Vest Audio Engineering by: Erica Tyron/KSPC Produced by: Jeff Hing Transcript: https://www.pomona.edu/sites/default/files/sagecast-surps-071019.txt