Constellations Start Strong as the First-Year Experience Launches for the Class of 2029
Trinity students in the Class of 2029 enrolled in Constellations for their First-Year Experience interacted with their cohorts for the first time on August 22. All 16 Constellations convened at the end of Orientation Week, bringing together students, faculty, librarians and graduate fellows who will learn, experience and grow together as they build intellectual communities this year.
Constellations faculty have collaborated for months to design meaningful experiences that support the values underpinning the Arts & Sciences Curriculum: building connections, cultivating curiosity and encouraging humility.
At these initial gatherings, new relationships were formed as students engaged in lively activities that set the tone for collaborative learning — an integral part of the First-Year Experience.
Hands-on, experiential learning is part of the equation throughout the First-Year Experience. For students in the "How are we political bodies?" Constellation, gathering around a “campfire” creates a welcoming environment for debate.
Each Constellation team is made up of 6-12 faculty representing a variety of disciplines in the natural sciences, social sciences, arts and humanities.
The faculty team leading the Constellation “How does artificial intelligence impact human experiences?” encourages students to share their questions and comments with the cohort.
Dorian Canelas, associate professor of the practice of Chemistry, will teach a class about therapeutic molecules as part of the Constellation “How Do Humans Understand Life, Death and the In-Between?”.
Daniel Scolnic, associate professor of Physics, is teaching Intro to Astronomy as part of the What is the Cosmos? Constellation.
He’s looking forward to sharing his enthusiasm with students in his Constellation, fostering an atmosphere that will inspire them to think deeply. As part of this gathering, students recreated their own versions of the Golden Records included in the 1977 Voyager mission and provided explanations of what they chose to include.
In the “How Do Sports Shape Society?” Constellation meeting, students worked in teams to analyze a mock athletic issue from the varying perspectives of athlete, fan, team leadership and other stakeholders.
