Mammoth Moments in Miniature: Dec. 6 to Dec. 12

Astronomy Night

Between 6 and 8 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 15, the astronomy department will welcome students and the broader town community to its annual “Astronomy Night” in the Science Center. Students from an introductory astronomy course will lead a number of interactive activities including videos, demonstrations, short talks, art exhibits, performances, and interactive games. Registration is not required, but a form on the college’s website allows participants to send in questions to students and astronomy faculty ahead of time.

Annual Public Speaking Competition

The last day for students to register for the college’s annual speaking competition is Thursday, Dec. 14. The competition will be held on Feb. 22, 2024. Each year, students deliver 5-7 minute persuasive speeches on a given topic. Following “PROGRESS” in 2022 and “POWER” in 2023, the 2024 topic is “DEMOCRACY.”  

Five College Prose and Poetry Prize

Submissions for the Five College Prose and Poetry Prize will remain open until Jan. 24, 2024. The competition is open to creative prose of all kinds from students at Amherst. Two writers from each campus in the consortium will be honored at a reception in April. Historically, the competition has only been open to poetry, but it has been broadened this year to include creative prose “in the interest of openness.” In a similar vein, in previous years students had to be nominated by faculty in order to enter, but the competition has now open to all students.