Obaid-Chinoy made history as the first Pakistani to win two Academy Awards, in 2012 for Saving Face and in 2016 for A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness (both short-subject documentaries). Recently, the groundbreaking director chatted with The Associated Press about charting her own path in the film industry and her passion for making movies about extraordinary women.

An assistant professor of physics and statistical and data sciences, Berger is the author of 2024’s Sister From the Multiverse book. Part of the CYOA series, Berger’s new science fiction novel offers 25 endings and introduces readers to an evil scientist in a parallel universe.

In addition to interns Emilia Neyer ’26 and Sophia Zuccala ’26, the botanic garden welcomes four new interns this summer, including Kris Cheaye ’26 and Sox Whitin ’27 (from left). Whitin joins the garden rotation, while Cheaye will help support the upcoming We the Land! conference.

An accomplished photographer who’s shot such stars as Taylor Swift and Elisabeth Moss, Bird was featured in the Winter 2015–16 issue of the Smith Alumnae Quarterly. More recently, she spoke with podcaster Scott Campbell about the art of capturing one’s personality in a portrait.

A nonprofit dedicated to empowering women and nonbinary individuals, BasBlue recently appointed Gilchrist as its CEO. “Ellen is an exceptional leader whose talent, compassion, and dedication are transformative,” BasBlue’s co-founder said in a statement.

“[I] wanted to be a public defender as soon as I learned there was such a thing,” Knight recently told The Maine Monitor. After stints in Massachusetts’ public defense system, she now works at an office that provides legal counsel to those in need across roughly 360 cases.

Leader of the light pollution subcommittee for the American Astronomical Society, Lowenthal tells Undark that an artificially brighter sky isn’t just costly for the advancement of astronomy, but it also could disrupt human connection.

As one of 22 fellows for 2024, Pacyniak will receive $31,000 to support their dissertation writing. According to a statement, Newcombe fellowships are awarded to doctoral candidates addressing questions of ethical and religious values in significant ways.

A dance professor at Dean College, Tracey-Ursprung is being praised for fostering an environment of inquiry and exploration. “[He] empowers students to thrive in an ever-evolving world,” the dean of the Palladino School of Dance said in a statement.

Named one of the eight best books for financial professionals in 2024, Gillo’s Understanding How to Build Black Generational Wealth was hailed as practical and thought-provoking by Investopedia and guides readers on expanding their finances.

Currently the Elsie Irwin Sweeney Professor of Music and Professor of American Studies at Smith, Waksman will be joining the University of Huddersfield to lead research on how music and culture have evolved since the invention of sound amplification.

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