Our Take on Technology

Updates on Barnard’s ongoing expansion into the world of digital technology—both in the classroom and in the curriculums of subjects as varied as chemistry and dance—are to be found throughout this issue. Learn how the acronymically spot-on Committee on Online and On-Campus Learning (COOL) investigates how faculty can best use technology to enhance learning—in the classroom and beyond. The opening article of the feature section follows up with a discussion of other digital initiatives, such as the new Athena Digital Design Agency, which aims to crack the gender barrier in computer science by teaching students to write code, and then build websites for small businesses. The Barnard Archives, whose new digital collections are also highlighted in this issue, contributed photographs for a look back at the 50th, 75th, and 100th anniversaries.

Annie Nathan Meyer, a pioneer in women’s higher education, and her sister, Maud Nathan, were two strong-minded women who did not agree on the question of a woman’s right to vote. Louise Bernikow ’61 turns her attention to both sisters, exploring their lives and differences of opinion. On the Barnard campus, the women’s suffrage movement inspired many early-20th-century students to take up their placards and march. Writer Bernikow is currently at work on Milliners & Millionaires, a book about New York City women and the fight for the vote.

The cover of this winter issue, the second of four devoted to our 125th year, reflects our wish to spotlight this milestone anniversary of the College by introducing differing artists’ interpretations of a distinctive feature of the campus. The art is specially commissioned. Sculptured paper was the medium for the first; the cover of this issue takes its inspiration from silhouette art, popular here and in Europe since the mid-18th century. Writes artist Laura Garrett, “My approach was, naturally, to start with the beautifully ornate gates that frame the College itself. There was so much detail to work with, and I wanted to capture the delicate balance between the wrought iron and brickwork, surrounding and cementing the friendships formed by Barnard students.”

Please enjoy the issue, write us with comments, share your memories, and join us as we anticipate spring.

—Annette Kahn