Retreating but Advancing: Sophomore Retreat 2016
Sophomore Retreat almost didn’t happen this year. After three years of sophomores enjoying the last few days of winter break together at a retreat center, a lack of funding was going to eliminate that possibility for the Class of 2018, the current Mudd sophomores. However, with the help of President Maria Klawe and some determined upperclassmen, the DSA (Division of Student Affairs) annual retreat remained a reality, and about forty of us sophomores arrived back at Mudd on January 14 to embark on this journey. One concern I had on the first night of the retreat was that almost none of … Continue reading Retreating but Advancing: Sophomore Retreat 2016
Pun and Puncil: Written to Ruin Your Day
What instrument do vegetables like to play? A PICKLEo! How do you get rid of a list? You ARRAYse it! What do you get when you cross coffee and tea? TOFFEE! What lets light into the rooms of Linde Dorm? … Continue reading Pun and Puncil: Written to Ruin Your Day
Creating a Human-Scale Hyperloop Pod
Ten Mudd students have joined forces with students from Cornell University, Northeastern University, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Princeton University, and University of Michigan to try and build a Hyperloop pod that will compete in SpaceX’s competition. Teresa Despres, Alex Goldstein, Hamza … Continue reading Creating a Human-Scale Hyperloop Pod
The Core Curriculum: “An Academic Bootcamp”
An “Academic Boot Camp”: Harvey Mudd’s Core Curriculum The Core Curriculum: “An academic boot camp in the STEM disciplines,” describes the Harvey Mudd College website. The curriculum comprises the majority of classes that students take through their sophomore year. … Continue reading The Core Curriculum: “An Academic Bootcamp”
[Gray Buildings]
John looked up at the clock hanging next to him in his office cubicle. 6:30PM. Almost time to go home. Determination surged through him and he looked intently back at the papers on his desk. Only thirty more minutes, then it would be the weekend and some relief from this awful work. He started to read through the memo from his supervisor, but soon afterward grew tired. His gaze drifted away and he found himself looking out his window. In the world beyond his office, the sun had set and the city was cast in dark shadows. On the streets … Continue reading [Gray Buildings]
Sounds Like Teen Spirit: Noise Floor, Live Music at Mudd
If you’ve ever heard the beats of live music pulsing across campus or seen a poster for a concert at Mudd, Noise Floor, the college’s club for live music and art, is likely behind it. Founded two years ago by Madi Pignetti ’17 and Rebecca Harman ‘17, this student organization tries to increase the presence of live music on campus, showcasing both local bands and student talent. “When I came to college, no one seemed interested in music,” said Pignetti, who would regularly attend concerts throughout high school. In this attempt to bring more concerts to campus and increase Mudd’s … Continue reading Sounds Like Teen Spirit: Noise Floor, Live Music at Mudd
Parlous Puns: Jokes That Will Ruin Your Day
Why don’t people like carrying bike frames around? Because they’re so unWHEELdy! Why did the hairbrush break up with the paint brush? Because the relationship was so PAINTful! What’s the name of the newspaper that ice cream cones read? The … Continue reading Parlous Puns: Jokes That Will Ruin Your Day
Adding Feathers to a SpaceX Rocket
Each year many Mudd students participate in clinic, a program designed to fulfill Mudd’s mission statement of teaching engineers and scientists who are aware of their ability to change and improve the world around them. Clinic brings together companies who have a problem they would like solved and groups of Mudd students who have the skills to explore and solve the problems. Projects vary greatly in both purpose and scope, but all of them give students a chance to apply the concepts they’ve learned in the classroom to real-world projects and learn new things too. One of the many companies … Continue reading Adding Feathers to a SpaceX Rocket
Bird Watching
December 02, 2013 – WASHINGTON, D.C. The annual BirdWatch Conference at the nation’s capital ended on Wednesday with a climatic speech from Dr. Bob Reinser, a bird anatomist at the University of Pennsylvania. This year has been a remarkable year for ornithology and Dr. Reinser had presented one of the most exciting discoveries. The conference began with a special dinner on Monday night at the Rosen Center, where the scientists, sitting at round dinner tables, talked about their projects late into the night. “I had a fascinating conversation,” reflected Dr. A., “with Dr. C. about the plumage of the Trichoglossus … Continue reading Bird Watching
Snippets of A Conversation With Prof. Devadoss
Prof. Devadoss is a visiting professor in the Harvey Mudd Math Department this year. He is a professor at Williams College. Jane: So I heard that you’re an awesome prof! Prof. Devadoss: That’s good to know…so you talked to that … Continue reading Snippets of A Conversation With Prof. Devadoss
The Muddraker 