Virtual Science, Real Learning

How does hands-on education go the distance? With an assist from technology.

Science experiments without a lab or subjects; archival research without access to books. It sounds tricky. But there is still data to analyze. Projects to plan. Journal articles to write. So SCU faculty, from biology and physics to literature and anthropology, got creative as they moved their typically hands-on approach to teaching into the virtual realm.

For example, assistant professor of English Amy Lueck and students in her Women Writers and Literature course are digging through historical documents online with the goal of publishing their own digital anthologies.

Meanwhile, students of biology Professor Craig Stephens had the unique opportunity to publish (twice!) their work after remotely analyzing data in Spring 2020.

post-image Amy Lueck is a professor of many interests. Here is a yearbook from research she has done into these journals. During the pandemic students dug through historical documents online to make their own anthologies. / Image by Lauren Loftus
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Overcoming all odds due to the pandemic, the Class of ’24 finally get to experience the graduation that they have long been waiting for.

Brain Games

The therapeutic potential of AI-powered brain implants is no doubt exciting. But questions abound about the inevitable ethical ramifications of putting new, largely unregulated tech into human beings.

Sociology, Gen Ed, and Breaking the Rules

Fewer students are majoring in social sciences but they’re still one of the most popular areas of study. Santa Clara sociologists explain why.