The Innovation Showcase, immediately following the Presidential Inauguration ceremony, brought the liberal arts and sciences to life, including:
Innovative Learning
This series of videos examined the unique learning opportunities that students enjoy at Whittier. Guests watched how students learned to cherish silence and meditation, how consumer behavior has informed retail development in Los Angeles, how first-year and sophomore students are conducting scientific research, and how complex economic issues and policies impact environmental health in the region.
Sustainable Coffee Tasting
Guests explored the taste of sustainable specialty coffee, as compared to familiar brands found in grocery stores. The coffee tasting session was led by Stephanie Alcala '15, sustainability supervisor for Coffee Manufactory. During the showcase, participants glimpsed one of Whittier's newest innovative project: a sustainable coffee orchard right on campus.
Kinesiology Lab
The Yao Yuan Sze Foundation Movement Laboratory is an innovative space where students explore the dynamics of physical movement as they pertain to health and wellness. In the lab, students demonstrated their impressive research, including using robotics to gain insight and empathy in prosthetics.
Learning in Tanzania
Malory Henry '19 and Maddie McMurray '18 traveled to Tanzania in 2018 as the inaugural recipients of the Brethren Community Foundation (BCF) Fellowship: a partnership between BCF, Global Partners for Development (GDP), and Whittier College. This video features their journey through Tanzania as they interact with GDP and local communities in East Africa to find sustainable solutions to critical needs such as health care, education, and access to clean water.
Digital Art
Whittier's digital art and design courses provide students with broad experience in digital art, from designing websites and social media campaigns, to producing animation--such as stunning examples showcased from Associate Professor Daniel Jauregui's Moving Images class. Courses critically analyze the personal, cultural, and political influence that visual media has on our past and present, preparing students for active participation in our increasingly image-saturated culture.
Photography 101
A photography exhibit showcased student work from the intro to photography class. In this course, students explore the processes, practices, and concepts of fine art digital photography, giving them an introduction to the breadth of creative possibilities currently made available via digital technologies.