Hope Faculty Study Abroad, Too

Since the summer of 2018, 42 Hope faculty members have ventured away from the college to do what they encourage many of their students to do — study abroad. Each professor took part in a unique, faculty-only Hope College program that instills the same benefits as students who study abroad receive: empathy, education, personal development, …

In the Garden of Research and Learning

It all started because a giant praying mantis crawled up the side of a parked car. That small creature helped spark a big idea because now a new wildflower garden is in full bloom in its first summer in the “backyard” of the Schaap Science Center. While the garden beautifies another corner of an already-beautiful …

Mathematic and Aesthetic Artistry in Lego Form

Chuck Cusack hopes that the viewers of his works will see that there is beauty inherent in mathematics, and that serious art can be created using mathematical concepts and a very simple medium.

Speaking Spanish for the Community

“Me llamo Kelly. ¿Cuál es su nombre?” “Soy Juan.” “¿Juan, cómo está usted?” “No tan bien.” “Oh, lo siento, ¿qué pasó?” — Junior Spanish and international studies double major Kelly Fuhs is not shy, but she is not forcefully bold either. Rather, she is calmly outgoing, and that trait has helped her use a second …

Researching and Revealing the Art of Nomads

In Hope College’s Kruizenga Art Museum, a current exhibit asks an unapologetic and perhaps overwhelming question: What exactly is art? Is art aesthetically-pleasing work meant to only be seen and not touched? Must it hang on a wall or stand on a pedestal? Or, can art be practical, painstakingly-created pieces made for everyday use? And who …

They’ll Always Have Paris

A small but reputable library in Paris now has a new and meaningful relationship with a small but reputable liberal arts college in the U.S. thanks to a Hope English professor and her two research students. For two and a half weeks during the summer of 2018, Dr. Natalie Dykstra, senior Sarah Lundy and junior …

The Economics Lessons of Smart Justice Research

Economists are uniquely suited to study a variety of subjects where tradeoffs are unavoidable and consequences are complex. Two such areas of unique econometric study are related to the law and the criminal justice system. Within those subjects, curious economists like Dr. Sarah Estelle, associate professor of economics at Hope and the Ruch Faculty Fellow, …

For the Love of Trees

Sophomore Katelyn DeWitt was a literal tree hugger for ten weeks during the summer of 2018. She inventoried and measured the trunk diameters of nearly half of the tree population found on public property in the City of Holland for The Holland Tree Project.

To China with Hope

This past spring, for the first time in Hope’s history, not one but two May Term classes traveled to China. In “China’s Modern Growth,” students examined the nation’s economic policies and business development while touring four major cities as well as Hong Kong. In “China: Land, Wildlife and Culture,” students explored the ecosystems of China’s …