Science & Mathematics

Making breakthroughs

Look around a math or science classroom or lab at Bennington and who do you see? The researcher, the policy student grappling with environmental problems, the artist who wants to understand the physics of light and color. Here, students thinking about the world in vastly different ways are invited to pursue a rigorous study of astronomy, biology, chemistry, earth sciences, mathematics, computer science, and physics. In small seminars, in well-equipped facilities and labs, and in the rich array of natural landscapes around Bennington, students work closely with faculty who are experts in their fields—programmers whose software and services are used by millions of people every day, scientists whose work is supported by NASA, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Science Foundation, and mathematicians whose insights get published in top-tier journals.

By structuring their studies around the questions that interest them most, by engaging with current research in their fields, students move beyond the lecture-only model. Instead, they learn to do science—to pose a question and then figure out how to address it—from the moment they arrive on campus. From their first year, students find themselves designing and executing original research projects and working alongside faculty on their research.

At Bennington, students work closely with faculty to design the content, structure, and sequence of their study and practice—their Plan—taking advantage of the College's resources both inside and outside the classroom to pursue their work. 

Faculty

The biologists, chemists, physicists, astronomers, computer scientists, and mathematicians at Bennington are not only making meaningful contributions to their respective fields, they’re often conducting research right here on campus—and inviting students to join them in their work.

Alumni

From research scientists to leaders in digital culture to genre-bending programmers to people working at the intersection of art and science or at the interface between science and policy, Bennington alumni are putting their science and mathematics training to use in countless ways.

Jason Fridley '97
Jason Fridley '97
Kathryn Furby '08
Kathryn Furby '08
Devin Gaffney '10
Devin Gaffney '10
Joan Hinton '42
Joan Hinton '42
Tambu Kudze '10
Tambu Kudze '10
Jennifer Mieres '82
Jennifer Mieres '82
Max Nanis '12
Max Nanis '12
Güvenç Özel '02
Güvenç Özel '02
Dushyant Pathak '85
Dushyant Pathak '85
Elizabeth Pfister '43
Elizabeth Pfister '43
Jeanne Poduska '85
Jeanne Poduska '85
Mike Rugnetta '06
Mike Rugnetta '06
Amar Sahay '97
Amar Sahay '97
Patricia Cronin Adams '64
Patricia Cronin Adams '64
Judith Schneider Bond '61
Judith Schneider Bond '61
August de los Reyes
August de los Reyes '95
Jason Fridley '97

Named an “exceptional young scientist” for his work on the effect of climate change on invasive plant species

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Kathryn Furby '08

PhD candidate with the Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation at Scripps Institution of Oceanography working to harness the power of storytelling to show how anyone can become a scientist

Devin Gaffney '10

PhD student in network science whose work tracks viral cascades—modeling the emergence of opinions with groups of people

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Joan Hinton '42

Physicist on the Manhattan Project, which developed the atom bomb, and later a committed Maoist

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Tambu Kudze '10

Medical student at Yale School of Medicine and former research technician in the Kaplan Lab at the department of molecular biology, Massachusetts General Hospital

Jennifer Mieres '82

Cardiologist and advocate for women’s health, heart disease prevention, and diversity in healthcare

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Max Nanis '12

Computational biologist, artist, and programmer dubbed a “digital rock star” by The New Yorker

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Güvenç Özel '02

Director of the IDEAS Lab at UCLA and winner of a NASA competition to design habitation on Mars

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Dushyant Pathak '85

Associate vice chancellor for technology management and corporate relations at UC Davis, with a background in Fortune-500, publicly traded, entrepreneurial, and startup companies

Elizabeth Pfister '43

Pilot who learned to fly during her freshman year at Bennington, graduated early to become a WASP in World War II, and was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 2010

Jeanne Poduska '85

Deputy director and principal research scientist at American Institutes for Research who has worked at the intersection of public health, prevention, and education

Mike Rugnetta '06

Composer, programmer, and host of the PBS web series Idea Channel

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Amar Sahay '97

Neurobiologist named one of America’s “Innovative New Scientists” by the National Institute of Mental Health

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Patricia Cronin Adams '64

Former president of the New England Pediatric Society, fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and winner of the 2001 Franklin Rogers Award for her contributions to pediatric causes by the New Hampshire Pediatric Society

Judith Schneider Bond '61

Evan Pugh Professor Emeritus and former chair of the department of biochemistry and molecular biology at Penn State University and past president of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology and the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

August de los Reyes '95

Principal design director for Xbox who is implementing a radical vision for Microsoft

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