Westmont’s computer science department has awarded three students National Science Foundation scholarships. Junior Michael Gardner and sophomores Sarah Coburn and Jonathan Tropper each received $6,000.
“The scholarship is a great help, allowing me to continue studying at Westmont,” says Gardner. “It also encourages us to be involved more in the computer science major.”
Westmont biology students will teach local teens during a free, interactive exhibition of research projects Friday, Dec. 7, from 3:30-5:30 p.m. in Whittier Science Building, room 102. Biology Bash is limited to the first 20 high school students who sign up.
Westmont’s Third Annual Christmas Festival has sold out. The program will feature traditional and contemporary holiday music performed by Westmont’s Chamber Orchestra and multiple choirs, as well as dance, dramatic readings and visual art. There will be performances at First United Methodist Church, 305 East Anapamu (at Garden Street): Friday, Nov. 30, and Saturday, Dec. 1, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 2, at 3 p.m.
Westmont kicks off the Christmas season with the sixth annual Christmas Tree Lighting on Kerrwood Lawn, Wednesday, Nov. 28. The lights on the 150-foot redwood tree, affectionately known as The Giant Pickle, will glow at 5 p.m.
Westmont professors are visiting local congregations to discuss how they integrate their faith into their work. The new program, Classroom to Congregation, is designed to provide learning opportunities and stimulate conversation at Central Coast churches.
Westmont’s Keck Telescope has provided color photographs of a rare celestial surprise in the northeastern evening sky. Comet 17P/Holmes in the constellation Perseus caught astronomers off guard when it suddenly brightened on October 24.