HWS Day 2026
Celebrating the spirit of exploration and curiosity that drives academic inquiry!
Tuesday, April 21
Blackwell-Hale Academic Achievement Awards Ceremony
6 p.m. | Vandervort Room, Scandling Campus Center
Wednesday, April 22
HWS Day Sessions
All Day | Various Locations
Senior Symposium
All Day | Various Locations
The Wells Book Arts Center Maker Space
9:30 - 11 a.m. | Elliott Studio Arts Center, Room 102B
Make Your Own Prints!
Community Lunch
Noon | Saga
Student Band Moonflower to Perform along with Each One Teach One: Dance and Drum (West African Dance and Drumming)
Community Engaged Scholarship Forum
4 - 5 p.m. | Vandervort Room, Scandling Campus Center
Community Dinner
5 - 9 p.m. | Saga
Featuring Italian Cuisine. All are welcome!
Albert Holland Prize Competition
for Physics Oratory
7 p.m. | Gulick Hall, Room 201
HWS String Ensemble
7:30 p.m. | Froelich Hall, Gearan Center for the Performing Arts
THURSDAY, April 23
Student Art Exhibition Opening Reception
5 - 7 p.m. | Houghton House
HWS Day Panel Schedule
9-10 a.m.
“What’s on a Coin? Reading Greek & Roman History in Metal
Jim Capreedy | Coxe 8
Discover the ancient world through money - in this interactive poster session, upper-division students of Greek and Latin present original research on Hellenistic and Roman imperial coins, treating them not merely as historical artifacts but as rich economic documents. Attendees will learn how coin imagery, inscriptions, metal content, mint marks, and circulation patterns illuminate political propaganda, civic identity, trade networks, inflation, and monetary policy. What can coins tell us about leaders’ legitimacy, local autonomy, and everyday exchange—and why are they exemplary economic artifacts? Because they are standardized, state-sanctioned, widely circulated objects that encode authority, value, and communication in durable metal. Visitors can browse student posters, discuss methods of identification and interpretation, and handle examples from our HWS’s own coin collection, spanning c. 320 BCE—age of Alexander the Great—to c. 370 CE—reign of Constantine’s sons. Come see how small objects yield big histories of power, economy, and culture across the Mediterranean.
9-10 a.m.
Advanced GIS poster session
Kristen Brubaker | Melly Lobby
Students in Advanced GIS will explain their final projects to you, and demonstrate how GIS can be used to solve a wide range of problems, from local to global! Projects will tackle topics as diverse as climate change, renewable energy, air quality, wine, war, and wildlife habitat.
9:30-11 a.m.
Wells Book Arts Center Make Space: Make Your Own Print
Mary Tasillo | Elliott Building, Room 102B
Members of the HWS community are invited to the first Wells Book Arts Center Open House at HWS. Drop in to see our mid-century printing equipment in action and take away a letterpress printed keepsake. Wells Book Arts Center is a maker space of analog printing and book making equipment, serving all disciplines.
9:30-11:30 A.m.
World Climate Summit Simulation
Whitney Mauer and Beth Kinne | Bartlett Theatre
The students of ENV 102 Introduction to Environmental Studies: Global Climate Change (2 sections) will be hosting a World Climate Summit simulation modeled on the UN climate change negotiation process, with the goal of producing a global agreement that limits warming to 2°C or lower. This simulation is designed to provide participants and observers with an experiential understanding of international climate negotiations and the structural challenges of global climate governance. The exercise highlights the tensions between economic development, political decision-making, and climate justice. Students will draw on knowledge from the course to inform their roles and decision-making throughout the simulation. It is also designed to augment their knowledge by developing critical skills in negotiation, strategic thinking, and climate advocacy. The simulation encourages all participants to engage in decision-making and consider how their insights can translate into real-world action.
10 a.m.-11 A.m.
HWS Wrapped: A Snapshot of the Class of 2026
Rebecca Burditt | Coxe 7
Come find out about the "campus metrics" of the HWS senior class! MDSC 400 has run a study of what HWS seniors like, dislike, and do with their spare time and will present their research in the form of Spotify Wrapped. This snapshot of the class will be archived to show future students what it was like being an HWS senior in 2026.
10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Batik Exhibit: Designs, Motifs, and Cultural Preservation
Etin Anwar and Liliana Leopardi | Stern Hall, Second Floor
The exhibit offers an overview of how batik is made and explains how its motif carries stories of the geographical origins and meanings. In this exhibit, the batik collection comes from Cirebon, one of the batik centers in West Java. HWS Communities interested in the exhibit, come to the second floor of the Stern Hall.
10:50-11:50 A.m.
Truth or Lie Challenge
Susan Hess | Stern 103
We issue a challenge: can you tell whether our stories are true or lies? Can you tell why? Students from WRRH 204 showcase the power of stories carry to persuade, manipulate, and foster change. And they'll try to lie to you!
10:50 a.m.-12 p.m. | 1:30 - 2:45 p.m.
GEO Capstone Presentations
Nan Crystal Arens | Napier 101
Geoscience and Environmental Science graduating seniors will present the results of independent research projects completed as part of the major capstone requirement.
12-1 p.m.
Each One Teach One: Dance and Drum
Kelly Johnson and Ryan Russell | Saga
West African Dance and Drumming event focused on student testimonials, performance and audience participation/shared movement to celebrate community at HWS.
1:30-2:45 p.m.
The Art of Shibori Batik
Etin Anwar and Brian Clark | Scandling Front Patio
The hands-on-workshop offers various shibori techniques to transfer colors to fabrics or clothes ranging from folding, wrapping, twisting, stitching, and binding. Bring your white t-shirt and watch how the magic of colors seeps into the fabric creating patterns in unexpected ways. For the best results, thoroughly wash anything you bring in.
1:30-3 p.m.
What's the buzz? Conference for the Cannabis Curious
Mark Deutschlander | Bartlett Theatre
Despite being federally illegal and the stigma associated with marijuana, increasing legalization across many states has created entrepreneurial opportunities while simultaneously highlighting the need to better understand the biology of cannabis and historical and current human interactions with the plant. Misinformation comes from both cannabis advocates and opponents.
1:30-3 p.m.
Viruses: Studies of Dengue, Lassa, Marburg, Measles, and Mpox
Patricia Mowery | Bartlett Theatre
Biochemistry senior seminar students will present their research on Dengue, Lassa, Marburg, Measles, and Mpox. They will present background on their viruses and share current research on potential vaccines, treatments, complications, and challenges. Whether you have a science background or not, join us for a conversation about the latest developments on these important viruses.
1:30-3 p.m.
INRL 372/672: Data Visualization for International Relations
Vikash Yadav | Coxe 8
Come see the sophisticated data visualizations that INRL Majors have been developing on the pressing global issues of our day. Our aim is to make complex problems legible and to propose or evaluate potential policy solutions and resolutions.
2:30-3:15 p.m.
Perspectives on Ballet History
Cynthia J Williams | Coxe 7
Student presenters from DAN 210: Perspectives on Ballet History present research on iconic ballets from the lens of gender, race, disability, aesthetics.
2:30-3:30 p.m.
HWS Day Leadership Presentations: Leveraging Your Leadership
Emily Kana | Melly Lobby
Leveraging Your Leadership spans work derived from the requirements of the HWS Leads Certificate program: two readers college courses, Values and Philosophy workshops, and the Fieldwork experience culminating in an eportfolio. The eportfolio is a place for students to compile their certificate work, reflect on their process and articulate important learning milestones. A completed portfolio is simply an organized storyboard, uniquely designed by each student, showcasing their most prominent reflections, experiences and understandings around leadership. Portfolios are designed to be a professional presentation of a student’s leadership work during the certificate program as well as throughout their time at HWS.
3-4 p.m.
Allan M. Russell Prize on Religion and Science: Presentation of Papers and Award
Sal Kafrawi | Coxe 8
The annual Allan M. Russell Prize competition is awarded to the best research paper or essay by a William Smith or Hobart student that uses a bi-disciplinary approach from religious studies and a natural science to explore a research question. The prize may also be awarded to an essay that explores the relationship of religion and science. The finalists will present their work to HWS community when the prize is presented.
3-4 p.m.
Juxtapositions: Artifacts from the collections of Historic Geneva
Elizabeth Belanger | Historical Society
Join us for a special exhibition curated by students from HWS's CMST 214: Introduction to Critical Museum Studies class. Juxtapositions: Artifacts from the Collections of Historic Geneva places unexpected objects side by side—cane guns and handcuffs, homemade dolls and death notices, x-ray machines and stereographs—to reveal new meanings through contrast. Come see Geneva's history anew and rethink what we preserve and overlook.
4-5 p.m.
The 18th Annual Community Engaged Scholarship Forum
Katie Flowers | Vandervort Room
The annual Community Engaged Scholarship Forum is an opportunity to highlight reciprocal and mutually beneficial community-student partnerships. The student projects are advised by both faculty sponsors and community agency leaders and occur independently or as part of a class. The entire community is invited to attend and celebrate the exciting learning and engagement that is representative of the positive potential of academically supported and engaged learning collaborations. It’s a celebratory way to conclude the academic year and a visible opportunity for students, faculty members and community partners to honor the learning and tangible outcomes of a collaborative academic project.
5-6 p.m.
Philanthropy, Non-Profit Organizations, and Community Impact: Student Reflections and Funding Presentation
Katie Flowers | Common Room
Philanthropy, Non-profit Organizations, and Community Impact is a 1/2 credit Reader's College offered in partnership with the Gantcher Family Foundation. Course reflections will be offered by students who will also award $25,000 in funding to local civic and social impact organizations.
5-6:30 p.m.
Japanese Cooking Demonstration
Justin Miller | The President's House
At this event we will prepare together a dish called chawanmushi that I tasted in Japan and that I discussed briefly with a chef I met when I was there. As we prepare (and eat!) the dish we’ll identify some of the science that makes it work. I’ll also have a slide show of trip highlights, and I’ll be happy to take questions about the experience. RSVP required.