Student research is a hallmark of studying STEM at Hollins. Encouraged by professors and inspired by a robust curriculum and opportunities through January Term and more, Hollins science majors have conducted independent research projects throughout the university’s history.

In 1957, the Hollins science faculty created the annual Hollins Science Seminar for students to give oral presentations on their research to an audience of students, faculty, parents, and others.

“Faculty at Hollins recognized the value of offering research opportunities for undergraduates long before it became a buzzword for academic institutions,” says Renee D. Godard, professor of biology and environmental studies and chair, environmental studies.

In recent years, the Science Seminar format has migrated from all students doing oral presentations over two days to some students doing oral presentations and others presenting in a research poster symposium. “This format mirrors the major scientific research meetings,” Godard explains. Another recent innovation is the program’s partnership with the Wyndham Robertson Library to digitize the last three years of Science Seminars to enable students to cite their work in their resumes. Scan the QR code above to see the 2022-23 proceedings.

Every seminar includes a STEM expert invited to present keynote remarks on a topic in their field. The 2023 keynote speaker, Michael Olson, Ph.D., social psychologist at the University of Tennessee, discussed “The Science Of Bias: Implicit Attitude Formation, Change, & Impact.”

The Science Seminar also hosts the induction ceremony for Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Honor Society founded nationally in 1886 to “honor excellence in scientific research and encourage a sense of companionship and cooperation among researchers in all fields of science and engineering.” In 2023, Hollins’ Sigma Xi chapter inducted six students, who conducted an independent research project outside of a course-embedded experience and were nominated by a biology, chemistry, environmental science or studies, mathematics, physics, or psychology faculty member.

“The process of inquiry is vital to science, and engaging in research is very valuable to any student moving on from Hollins,” says Godard. “Students interested in graduate programs (MD, PhD, DVM, OT, PA) can distinguish themselves from the rest of the applicant pool by conducting research, and the critical thinking and analytical skills that are honed in the process benefit all students.”

Sarah Achenbach ’88 is a freelance writer who fondly remembers her only STEM class at Hollins before retreating to the humanities: computer programming with Professor of Mathematics Caren Diefenderfer, a national leader in quantitative reasoning who taught at Hollins for 40 years until her death in 2017 and a wonderful, patient human being.