Science & Mathematics
Making breakthroughs
Look around a math or science classroom or lab at Bennington and who do you see? The researcher, the policy student grappling with environmental problems, the artist who wants to understand the physics of light and color. Here, students thinking about the world in vastly different ways are invited to pursue a rigorous study of astronomy, biology, chemistry, earth sciences, mathematics, computer science, and physics. In small seminars, in well-equipped facilities and labs, and in the rich array of natural landscapes around Bennington, students work closely with faculty who are experts in their fields—programmers whose software and services are used by millions of people every day, scientists whose work is supported by NASA, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Science Foundation, and mathematicians whose insights get published in top-tier journals.
By structuring their studies around the questions that interest them most, by engaging with current research in their fields, students move beyond the lecture-only model. Instead, they learn to do science—to pose a question and then figure out how to address it—from the moment they arrive on campus. From their first year, students find themselves designing and executing original research projects and working alongside faculty on their research.
At Bennington, students work closely with faculty to design the content, structure, and sequence of their study and practice—their Plan—taking advantage of the College's resources both inside and outside the classroom to pursue their work.
Faculty
The biologists, chemists, physicists, astronomers, computer scientists, and mathematicians at Bennington are not only making meaningful contributions to their respective fields, they’re often conducting research right here on campus—and inviting students to join them in their work.
Field Work Term
Students gain experience in the lab and the field through collaborations with working scientists.
- Amazon
- American Museum of Natural History
- Au Bon Climat
- Brain and Spine Surgeons of New York
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Children's Hospital of Wisconsin
- City of Boston Archaeology Program
- Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCSF
- Hospital Baca Ortiz Pediatrico Quito
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon
- KIPP Houston Public Schools
- Neurospin
- New York Botanical Garden
- Open Learning Exchange Nepal
- Paleoecology and Biogeography Lab, University of Oregon
- Planned Parenthood of the Southern Finger Lakes
- Randolph College Math Dept
- Sahay Lab, Harvard Stem Cell Institute and Mass General Hospital
- Suicide Prevention and Crisis Services
- The New York Center for Astrobiology
- The USC Brain & Creativity Institute
Alumni
From research scientists to leaders in digital culture to genre-bending programmers to people working at the intersection of art and science or at the interface between science and policy, Bennington alumni are putting their science and mathematics training to use in countless ways.
Named an “exceptional young scientist” for his work on the effect of climate change on invasive plant species
PhD candidate with the Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation at Scripps Institution of Oceanography working to harness the power of storytelling to show how anyone can become a scientist
PhD student in network science whose work tracks viral cascades—modeling the emergence of opinions with groups of people
Physicist on the Manhattan Project, which developed the atom bomb, and later a committed Maoist
Medical student at Yale School of Medicine and former research technician in the Kaplan Lab at the department of molecular biology, Massachusetts General Hospital
Cardiologist and advocate for women’s health, heart disease prevention, and diversity in healthcare
Computational biologist, artist, and programmer dubbed a “digital rock star” by The New Yorker
Director of the IDEAS Lab at UCLA and winner of a NASA competition to design habitation on Mars
Associate vice chancellor for technology management and corporate relations at UC Davis, with a background in Fortune-500, publicly traded, entrepreneurial, and startup companies
Pilot who learned to fly during her freshman year at Bennington, graduated early to become a WASP in World War II, and was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 2010
Deputy director and principal research scientist at American Institutes for Research who has worked at the intersection of public health, prevention, and education
Composer, programmer, and host of the PBS web series Idea Channel
Neurobiologist named one of America’s “Innovative New Scientists” by the National Institute of Mental Health
Former president of the New England Pediatric Society, fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and winner of the 2001 Franklin Rogers Award for her contributions to pediatric causes by the New Hampshire Pediatric Society
Evan Pugh Professor Emeritus and former chair of the department of biochemistry and molecular biology at Penn State University and past president of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology and the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Principal design director for Xbox who is implementing a radical vision for Microsoft
