Learning through LEAP
Mount Holyoke College students return from their summer experiences and reflect on what they have learned at the annual Learning through Application event.
Kendade Hall was abuzz on Friday, Oct. 24, as students, faculty and community members gathered to hear Learning through Application (LEAP) presentations by Mount Holyoke students who had spent their summers researching, completing internships or pursuing independent projects.
Students presented on topics ranging from planetary environment simulation to filmmaking. Students learned about the ethical treatment of animals, negative cognitive bias in depression, the use of geogaming to create locally relevant solutions, the replication of a planet’s environment and much more.
Lynk funding opportunities allow students to explore new topics of interest related to their field of study. The LEAP symposium provides an opportunity for students who completed a Lynk funded experience to share their learnings from their internships, research projects and creative projects.
“LEAP is a celebration,” Eleanor R. Townsley, Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Sociology and Director of Nexus, said. “I love to see how students work together to elevate each other’s accomplishments as they recognize their own.”
Many presenting students’ families and friends cheered them on from the audience. Psychology major Hridita Armin Alim ’26 was delighted to have her friends at her presentation.
“As an international student, I couldn’t have my family here today, so it was lovely to have my friends here as my own community support,” Alim shared.
Each student gave a 10-minute presentation, sharing the findings of their projects and what they learned over the summer.
“Infectious disease and immunology were not something I thought I was interested in before doing this, but now I have learned enough that I think I could go on to study this at the graduate level,” biology major MJ Pinkes ’26 said.
“[My internship] taught me that [working with neurodivergent children and their families] is something I really want to pursue,” Alim said. “I felt like I was really making an impact.”
Students noted that their projects had allowed them to apply knowledge they had learned through their coursework.
“I felt I was able to adapt and learn more advanced topics and research [during my lab work] because of my previous coursework,” biochemistry major Gautami Melekote ’26 said.
Maheen Siddiqi ’26 and Sylvie Hope ’26 believe their work could impact future research or help to change policy.
Siddiqi examined the intersection between race, politics and environmental science in terms of housing inequity in Hong Kong. Siddiqi’s research showed that many minorities and those of lower socioeconomic status in Hong Kong live in subdivided flats that are only 110 square feet and can reach temperatures of up to 112 degrees Fahrenheit at night.
She hopes her research will bring government attention to this issue and help to change housing policies in Hong Kong.
Hope independently researched the environmental impacts of artificial intelligence. The research showed that companies do not release much information on the environmental impacts of artificial intelligence. They hope to help unveil this information.
Hope also developed techniques for analyzing data, reaching out to companies to request data and gathering data to use in the future.
“I want to figure out [whether] the methods I developed this past summer can scale up to larger research,” Hope said.
Overall, students felt a sense of accomplishment from participating in and presenting at LEAP. They had also gained confidence for their next steps.
“It was a great experience,” astronomy major Baz Vitek ’26 said. “I know more about myself and how I work.”
“I feel like this opportunity really prepared me to take on a future career in research,” Pinkes remarked. “Plus, it was super fun.”
