The art of science at a liberal arts college

Lauren Rhoda and Victoria Kong holding instruments and brushes

You might assume that a Chemistry major would only write a senior thesis on obscure chemical reactions. Well, not at Carroll College!  The intriguing topics explored by senior chemistry students are, in many ways, a reflection of the Carroll College Liberal Arts Education.

What exactly is a Carroll College Liberal Arts Education? The word "liberal" comes from the Latin word liber or "free".  At Carroll College, you will experience an education that will free or liberate you from the opinions, ideas, and assumptions of others. Furthermore, a more important outcome and more difficult challenge provided by a Carroll College education is that you will free or liberate yourself from your own opinions, ideas, and assumptions.

When writing their theses, chemistry majors Lauren Rhoda and Victoria Kong displayed the cognitive flexibility and curiosity we nurture in pre-professional majors at a liberal arts college like Carroll. Lauren chose to explore the mathematical origin of timbre in sound.  Timbre is the unique ‘voice’ of an instrument or sound. Read Lauren's Honors Thesis: The Physics of Music and the Nature of Timbre.

Victoria chose to develop a general chemistry pictorial workbook to help students visualize molecular properties and chemistry concepts. Read Victoria's Honors Thesis: A Visual Guide to General Chemistry Topics.

Photo above: Lauren Rhoda and Victoria Kong