Fresh Faculty: Nick Holschuh

Nick Holschuh is an assistant professor of geology. He received a bachelor’s degree in geology and economics from Carleton College and a doctorate in geological sciences at Pennsylvania State University. Q: What led you to pursue your field of study? A: I study the dynamics of the Antarctic ice sheet. As an undergraduate student, I knew I was excited about the earth system. I wanted to do something that was STEM-related [and] felt like it had a connection to human systems, to our health and we

Fresh Faculty: Rebecca Stephens Falcasantos

Rebecca Stephens Falcasantos is an assistant professor of religion. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Creighton University, a master’s from the University of Notre Dame and a Ph.D. from Brown University. Q: What inspired you to become a scholar of religion? A: When I started college, I thought I was going to be a math major. And then I took an anthropology course, which got me really interested in the way that different people and different groups act and behave. And, so, I toyed with the

Fresh Faculty: Jacob Olshansky

Jacob Olshansky is an assistant professor of chemistry. He earned his bachelor’s degree in physics and chemistry from Haverford College and a doctorate in physical chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley. He comes to Amherst after completing his postdoctoral research on photoexcited charge transfer and spin dynamics in DNA at Northwestern University. Jacob Olshansky joins the chemistry department as its newest faculty member. Photo courtesy of Jacob Olshansky. Q: How did you begin

Fresh Faculty: Elizabeth Kneeland ’10

Elizabeth Kneeland ’10 is new to the college this semester as an assistant professor of psychology. Photo Courtesy of Amherst College.Elizabeth Kneeland ’10 is an assistant professor of psychology. She received a bachelor’s degree in political science and psychology from Amherst College in 2010 and a doctorate in philosophy and clinical psychology from Yale University in 2018. After working at McClean Hospital in Boston, she began teaching at the college in July. Q: How did you become intereste

Fresh Faculty: Mona Wu Orr

Mona Wu Orr is an assistant professor of biology.  She received a bachelor’s degree in biology from Johns Hopkins University and a doctorate in biological science at the University of Maryland, College Park. She previously worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institute of Health. She began at the college in September. Q: When did you first know you were into biology? What sparked your interest in the field? A: I’ve always been somewhat interested in just sciences in general. But I d

Fresh Faculty: Jallicia Jolly

Jallicia A. Jolly is a postdoctoral fellow and visiting assistant professor in American studies and Black studies. Before assuming her current positions, she earned an undergraduate degree from Williams College, went on to receive a Ph.D. in the American culture department at the University of Michigan and became a predoctoral fellow at both Amherst College and Yale University. Read her profile in The Student about a lecture Jolly gave on her forthcoming book last spring. [https://amherststuden