COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES 1 Robert A Flowers II Herbert J. and Ann L. Siegel Dean SPRING 2024 MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN A CONTINUED EMPHASIS ON INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH This issue of the magazine explores faculty collaborations that cross disciplines We can all agree that the world’s oceans are vast, but they are also complex and largely unexplored. Understanding the world’s largest biome is critical to our future. The College of Arts and Sciences has partnered with colleagues to create a research center that addresses these questions. The 2024 issue of Acumen comes at an important time as the university begins to implement the university’s new strategic plan. This issue’s cover story introduces you to Lehigh Oceans, whose team of researchers, along with the students they mentor, will help advance our knowledge about the origins of life on earth and about the conditions that create a healthy ecosystem and thriving planet. Drawing on the expertise of faculty from the departments of biological sciences and earth and environmental sciences, the center’s work is already being recognized with significant funding from federal agencies and private foundations. Interdisciplinary scholarship takes place at a range of scales, as faculty in different departments combine their research interests to advance our understanding of the world around us. Learn how professors Aurelia Honerkamp-Smith in physics and Damien Thévenin in chemistry investigate cell signaling and lipid membrane movement, while Lyam Gabel and Will Lowry in theatre are using artificial intelligence in courses they have developed. In the department of art, architecture, and design, Wes Hiatt is collaborating with Karen Beck Pooley from political science and environmental policy to create affordable housing options through the construction of alley houses in Bethlehem. Other student research focuses on how environmental stressors like pollutants, heavy metals and cigarette smoke can damage lipids and compromise cell membranes, chronicles the life of one of Lehigh’s first graduates, and explores the connections between the horror genre and health humanities. Inside, you will also discover how students undertake independent research examining eco-friendly preservation possibilities at Petra, Jordan, within the context of examining energy infrastructures. Research and creative work along with excellence in teaching provides a powerful force that supports the intellectual life of the college. Fully assimilating research into the student experience as part of a liberal arts education is part of what makes a College of Arts and Sciences education unique. Faculty scholarship shapes and informs teaching, and students are direct beneficiaries of our work as we integrate our scholarship with opportunities for experiential learning in the classroom. It is through faculty research and creative work that our students discover a passion for learning that lasts their lifetimes. I hope you enjoy this issue of Acumen. I look forward to sharing our contributions and accomplishments with you and welcome your thoughts and comments. ACUMEN MAGAZINE EDITOR Robert Nichols ’17G | CAS ADVISORY BOARD Robert A. Flowers II, dean; Kelly Austin, R. Michael Burger, Dawn Keetley, Jessecae Marsh, associate deans | GRAPHIC DESIGNER Kayley LeFaiver | CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Leslie Feldman, Wendy Greenberg, Emily Halnon, Sarah Karnish, Vicki Mayk, Steve Neumann, Robert Nichols ‘17G, Patrick O’Donnell | PHOTOGRAPHERS Douglas Benedict, Christine Kreschollek, Christa Neu, Sreeja Sasidharan | ACUMEN is published annually by the College of Arts and Sciences at Lehigh University | COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES Lehigh University, 9 West Packer Avenue Bethlehem, PA 18015 | cas.lehigh.edu | ©2024 Lehigh University Cover illustration by Sarah Hanson DOUGLAS BENEDICT READER FEEDBACK: Please send comments to: acumen@lehigh.edu CAS.Lehigh lehigh_cas lehighu-cas @lehigh_cas @Lehigh_CAS
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