Whitman Journey: Ishaan Swami ’26
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By the Career and Community Engagement Center
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Ishaan Swami ’26 was drawn to Whitman College initially for the small campus, liberal arts model of education and the wide range of academic courses and programs. By taking courses across disciplines—from Anthropology and Astronomy to Religion and Rhetoric—he explored a wide world of ideas and discovered meaningful intersections between the humanities and sciences.
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Early in his studies, Whitman’s Environmental Studies program options and Environmental Humanities major were a significant interest to him. It was in his first Geology class that Swami was hooked. Geology give him the opportunity to spend time in the field and apply what he learned in the classroom to the landscapes around him. By combining Geology with the +French major, it strengthened and complemented his science career while allowing him to dive deep into his passion for the French language. His skills make him a better science communicator and expand his potential for international research sites in the future.
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Ishaan Swami ’26 explores a tide pool on the Oregon coast
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During Swami’s first year, he immediately looked for a way to become connected to Walla Walla. He joined the StoryTime Project as a weekly volunteer—reading books to a second-grade class. That led to his next step of teaching phonetics in the after-school program, which integrated him further into the Walla Walla Public Schools and the local community.
In his senior year, he brought his community engagement and love of the environment together as the Whitman Community Fellow—working at the Walla Walla Community College Water and Environmental Center. In this role, he applied his science communication skills by creating new interpretive signage for programs, events and partner organizations.
His post-graduation plans? He will continue his work on a global scale. As a Bassett Traveling Fellow, he will pursue an independent research project in Mongolia focusing on ethnogeology. He will work with the World Union of Indigenous Spiritual Practitioners to develop a digital atlas of sacred places in the western part of the country.
See a visual timeline of Swami ’s Whitman journey to date.
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Professor & Students Publish Physics Research
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Andrés Aragoneses, the Benjamin Brown Associate Professor of Physics, and Julian Feiveson ’28, Maddie Jones ’27 and Mateu Yearian ’28 have published new research in the journal Entropy. In their work, “Multiscale Ordinal-Pattern Dynamics and Temporal Symmetries in a Photonic Neuron With Single and Dual Delayed Feedback,” they have demonstrated new insights into how complex behavior emerges. They analyzed a semiconductor laser with single and dual delayed optical feedback, revealing how fast optical pulses and slower spike dynamics organize into distinct yet interconnected temporal structures. Using ordinal-pattern and symmetry-based complexity tools, they found clear signatures of deterministic behavior that differ across time scales, but also discovered that all configurations collapse onto a single universal curve in a symmetry-based geometrical space. These results suggest hidden constraints governing the system’s dynamics and offer a new framework for understanding and engineering multiscale behavior in neuromorphic photonic devices. The research was supported by the Whitman Perry Research Grant and by the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust.
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Storytelling Event on Sunday
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The Sheehan Gallery will host a “We Are Water” storytelling event with Rebecca Horn on Sunday, May 17, at 2 p.m. in the Amphitheatre. Cold refreshments and writing supplies will be provided. Participants will be invited to share any art they create—based on the stories told at this event—for possible inclusion in a fall gallery exhibition. (Flyer attached.)
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Colleague & myWhitman Maintenance on Tuesday
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To avoid disruption close to the 9 a.m. senior grades submission deadline on Wednesday, Technology Services will be performing system updates for Colleague and myWhitman on Tuesday, May 19, between 5–7 a.m. During this timeframe, please expect that myWhitman and Colleague may not be accessible.
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Snacks With SAC on Tuesday
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The Staff Advisory Council (SAC) invites all staff members to stop by the Cleveland Commons Lizzie Murr Dining Room on Tuesday, May 19, between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. for community building. Bring your lunch and stay to chat or swing by for some sweet and savory snacks. Feel free to bring a reusable cup to support campus sustainability.
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Donate to the Campus Food Pantry
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The Food Justice Project is collecting donations to help stock the food pantry located in the Glover Alston Intercultural Center and help support students living on campus this summer. Find donation stations at Cleveland Commons, Reid Campus Center, Jewett Café and Memorial Building. Donations will be accepted through Tuesday, May 19. (Flyer attached.)
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Senior First Destination Survey
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The Career and Community Engagement Center (CCEC) invites graduating seniors to share your post-Whitman career and academic plans through the Senior First Destination Survey in Handshake. The CCEC uses this information to support Whitman students who are considering similar trajectories, including specific graduate school programs and future employers. (Flyer attached.)
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Last week, the Chemistry in Art (CHEM-102) class displayed their work from this year, including fused glass, cyanotypes, devore dyed-fabric, etched brass, embossed copper and more. Visitors were given the opportunity to make their own cyanotype print or embossed copper square. See more photos on Instagram.
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Sherwood Athletic Center, Room 114
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Post-Board Meeting Updates for Faculty & Staff
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Sherwood Athletic Center, Room 114
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Sherwood Athletic Center, Room 114
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Reid Campus Center, Young Ballroom
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Five Dollar Ranch Brewing Company
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Tekisuijuku (Japanese Interest House)
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Would you like to share an event with campus? Submit the information to the Events Calendar.
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Whitman Today is emailed to Whitman College staff, faculty and students each weekday during the academic year and twice a week during breaks. An archive of previous issues is available online.
All submissions are welcome! If you have accomplishments to celebrate, an event to publicize or other Whitman content to share, email whitmantoday@whitman.edu. Submissions of 125 words or less are due by noon on the business day prior to publication. Submissions may be edited and/or held for a later date according to space and editorial needs. Your submission also authorizes use on Whitman's social media unless otherwise specified.
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