Jessica Sutter ’15 Shares the Beauty of the Stars
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It was the beauty of the universe that first caught the attention of Jessica Sutter ’15 and ignited her interest in astronomy.
When she was 11, Sutter took part in an astronomy camp hosted by the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. On a field trip to the Pine Mountain Observatory outside Bend, Oregon, the campers got to look through telescopes.
“I remember seeing Albireo, which is a binary star system with two stars orbiting each other. One of them is bright blue, and one is more of a yellow-white,” she says. “I remember looking at that and thinking it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen, and I just wanted to keep doing that.”
And she did—through high school Science Olympiad events, through her Astronomy major at Whitman, through graduate school and postdoctoral fellowships with NASA and the University of California, San Diego, Sutter’s awe at the dazzling beauty of the universe has never faded.
Now this adventurous, outdoors-loving astronomer, who joined Whitman’s faculty in 2024 as an Assistant Professor of Astronomy, is helping the next generation of stargazers find their passion for the cosmos.
Read more.
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Politics Professor Co-Authors Magazine Article
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Assistant Professor of Politics Denise Fernandes and co-author Mridula Chari recently published an article, “Inside India's Greenwashing Eco Parks” in New Lines Magazine. The World Bank and the Indian government have facilitated the creation of “eco parks” as a part of the Just Transition initiative to phase out fossil fuels in the Global South. The authors investigate the ground reality of these eco parks and the impacts on Indigenous nomadic communities and forest cover as India continues to expand its coal production to meet national development goals. Parsa Keshavarz Almadari ’25, a recent Whitman Environmental Studies-Politics major, created the satellite images for this article.
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Fire Alarm Systems Testing This Week
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Annual inspections of campus fire alarm systems (smoke detectors, heat detectors, pull stations, horns, strobes) and campus fire suppression systems will take place this week. Testing will begin daily at 8 a.m. and building occupants may hear brief intermittent sounding of the audible fire alarm. See calendar below for the schedule of affected buildings.
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- Monday–Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Saturday–Sunday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
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Lunch punch cards (buy five, get one free) are also available.
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Students on campus this summer are invited to a series of talks organized by the STEM Hub on Wednesdays at 4 p.m. in Brattain Auditorium in the Hall of Science. This week, Scholarly Communications Librarian Amy Blau will speak about “Managing Your Academic Research.” The series will continue through the first week in August.
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A Juneteenth Celebration will take place On Thursday, June 19, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Reid Campus Center. (Flyer attached.) Thursday is also a staff holiday. Most Whitman College offices will be closed, and Whitman Today will not be distributed.
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Spring semester began with a blanket of snow over Ankeny Field and ended with spring ducklings waddling their way around campus. See the A Spring To Remember photo essay to look back at some highlights from the past few months.
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Fire Alarm Systems Testing
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North Hall, Hall of Music
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Fire Alarm Systems Testing
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Technology Services, Penrose House, Maxey Hall
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Sherwood Athletic Center, Room 114
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Fire Alarm Systems Testing
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Maxey Hall, Glover Alston Intercultural Center, Boyer House
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Sherwood Athletic Center, Room 106
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STEM Hub Talk: Managing Your Academic Research
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Hall of Science, Brattain Auditorium
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Fire Alarm Systems Testing
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Baker Center, Welty Health and Counseling Center, Edwards Moore Clubhouse, Facilities Services
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Fire Alarm Systems Testing
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Interest Houses (Spanish, French, Fine Arts)
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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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Find us on social media: @whitmancollege
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