FA L L 2 0 2 2
Collision Course Trinity students break down barriers between fields of study
At Trinity University, collisions aren’t accidents. We’re at our best when we’re breaking down walls between subjects and career fields. Here, artists get to work with engineering equipment or create computer games. Physics majors take to the stage to demystify challenging concepts. And musicians get to pursue medical research. For years, we’ve been crafting a new vision of the liberal arts, one built for the 21st century. Our campus is a place where worlds collide, comfort zones get left behind, and presumed weaknesses actually turn into strengths. Flip through these pages to see some of our creative collisions.
The Trinity Perspective magazine offers a glimpse into the many ways Trinity University prepares students to lead lives of meaning and purpose. Trinity is known for its stimulating, resourceful, and collaborative environment, filled with students who want an education that instills confidence, inspires curiosity, and ignites change. Flip through these pages to see for yourself!
Get Connected Join the conversation: Facebook: @TrinityUniversity Twitter: @Trinity_U and @TrinityU_Admiss Instagram: @trinityu and @trinityuadmissions
Have a question for a current student? Email your questions to our current students at AskATiger@trinity.edu. Have a question for an admissions officer, faculty member, or other staff member? Email us at admissions@trinity.edu and we’ll get it answered. THE OFFICE OF ADMISSIONS Trinity University One Trinity Place San Antonio, Texas 78212 admissions@trinity.edu www.trinity.edu/admissions 1-800-TRINITY
About Trinity Trinity University is a private, residential, co-educational institution in the heart of vibrant, intercultural San Antonio. Trinity offers its 2,500 undergraduate students a hands-on education rooted in the liberal arts and sciences that integrates conceptual and experiential learning, emphasizes undergraduate research, and develops strong leadership skills.
3
Dream STEAM Art, theatre design, and engineering combine to create a children’s museum exhibit by Jeremy Gerlach
This spring, a diverse class of Trinity University students banded together to create a colorful, dynamic “Discovery Cube” for San Antonio’s DoSeum, recently named the top children’s museum in America by USA Today. The Discovery Cube, a modular series of machine-crafted, interlocking boxes that make up a demonstration station for children, was constructed as part of an interdisciplinary class called “Academic
4
Making for the Built Environment” and was meant to inspire children to think creatively about the concept of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math). “The class was this unexpected-butobvious pairing between the engineering and art worlds,” says human communication and theatre professor Scott Neale, who co-taught the class alongside art professor Kate Ritson.
The class, which Professor Neale calls “the first true STEAM class at Trinity,” is the latest in a growing surge of Trinity classes that utilize the University’s Makerspace, a unique, state-of-the-art machine shop where students of all majors can create together. The assignment seemed simple at first: the group wanted to tell the “story of STEAM,” Professor Neale says. But leveraging the class’s diverse talents, as a
After finishing the Discovery Cube, Trinity students unveiled their work at the DoSeum.
group with students from backgrounds in the arts, theatre, engineering science, math, and more, proved a challenge in and of itself. Anthropology major Sofía Muñoz ’23 and engineering science major Tristan Arias ’22 both felt pushed out of their respective comfort zones in the class. But that’s a hallmark of Trinity’s approach to the liberal arts, where presumed weaknesses actually become strengths. Sofía also minors in theatre and museum studies, and she eventually wants to work doing exhibit designs for museums. She was initially excited to work in the Makerspace, but it was also a bit daunting to see all the advanced equipment inside for the first time: “It was definitely intimidating. I was terrified that I was going to break something,” she says. “But eventually I felt a little bit more confident using the [laser] cutter and some of the harder tools.” Sofía and the rest of the class ended up using equipment such as a CNC router
for milling and cutting; a 3D printer to create the “feet” that made the display mobile; a Rayjet laser cutter for etching designs; and design software such as Adobe Illustrator and Fusion 360. For Tristan, the challenge of the class was looking beyond the design phase and building a product that told a story. “It was always a really big struggle for the engineering majors in the class to think thematically, and think about, if we’re making this for a 4-year-old child, how do we inspire wonder and interest in a young child’s mind?” Tristan says. “But the nature of the course forced us all to think more creatively.” As they worked with the non-engineering science majors, Tristan says his team began to get a stronger grasp on the narrative side of things. “The final idea was very much focused on a little bit of mystery,” Tristan says. “There’s a little bit of the incorporation of nature as an encapsulation of STEAM itself. There’s this idea that if
you look at the natural world, you will find science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics all in there. So, we were trying to take this design, letting mystery and nature be a base for something really flexible that the DoSeum would be able to use.” In a liberal arts environment like Trinity, silos and divisions fall down so new creations can rise—slowly and steadily as a 3D-printer setting down layer after layer of material. And Tristan, by the end of the class, noticed each of his teammates branching outside their previous strengths to develop new ones. “As the project went on, basically all students’ roles sort of melded together, because the responsibilities all were super-adaptable,’’ he says. “The needs of the project didn’t fall neatly into these categories that we started with. So, everybody ended up getting hands on with everything.”
5
Moving Performance “Speaking Physics” course stages fun and accessible experiments for all by Jeremy Gerlach
6
At Trinity University, we don’t think the field of physics should give anyone stage fright. That won’t be a problem for the students who attended physics professor Nirav Mehta’s course, “Speaking Physics.” “The goal is to put together a stage show and do a wide variety of physical demonstrations [that] explain physics at a level suitable for a general audience,” Professor Mehta says. The stage show, held this past spring in an open performance to the Trinity community and the public, featured each member of Professor Mehta’s class presenting an experiment. Professor Mehta is a theorist who studies ultra-cold atoms, examining the physics of three-particle and four-particle systems by looking at collisions of atoms and molecules under extremely cold temperatures. Over the years, he’s seen student interest in his “Speaking Physics” course heating up. Physics majors Sebastian Barahona ’24 and Angela Graf ’24 and computer science major Amber Carlson ’23 all say they
Sebastian Barahona ’24 prepares a physics experiment for the stage.
first came to the class because it seemed like a fun way to fulfill their oral and visual communication credit requirement, a staple of Trinity’s Pathways curriculum. But each of these students say they’re finding surprising benefits from taking the course. Sebastian, an international student from San Pedro Sula, Honduras, says the class twists the typical format of physics labs into something more unique to each learner. “Typically labs are more formal, with complex experiments, measuring data, and writing long reports. In [this class], you’re having more fun with the experiments. You get to choose how you do things rather than having to follow the instructions. So you really have a more personal connection with what you’re doing in this class when compared to a traditional lab.” Angela, from Center Point, Iowa, says the course is a simple but powerful source of energy that gives students the chance to reinvigorate their love for the field.
“I think it’s fun to make the connections between the experiments we’re doing in this class and some of the higher level concepts we’re learning in our other physics classes,” Angela says. “When you’re reading textbooks and working on equations all day long, you kind of forget how cool some of these concepts are.” And for Amber, from Austin, Texas, the class is the perfect chance to build with her hands. As part of preparing each of these experiments for the stage, Amber and her team get to design, craft, and hone the physical components for each experiment in Trinity’s Makerspace. This is a unique, all-in-one design and machine shop where students of all majors (from engineering science to English) can learn to build using lathes, water jet cutters, 3D printers, and more. And using the Makerspace isn’t even the biggest benefit Amber got out of the course. As she moves forward toward a career that will not involve physics, the unexpected dividends from taking a course like this will end up being just as important as some of the computer science classes in her major. “I would say the biggest benefit is learning to manage your own project,” Amber says. “You’re trying to teach these big concepts [while] starting from scratch and figuring out how you want to … [build] that project from the ground up using whatever method you decide is best. And I think that that’s going to be pretty reflective of things in the real world.” Professor Mehta has urged his students to approach the stage show component of the course as a dry run for giving presentations as researchers and professionals, regardless of career track. “People who go on to careers in science and STEM have to communicate their ideas, whether research ideas or if they’re going into teaching. Communicating technical information in a way that people can understand is a ubiquitous skill,” Professor Mehta says. These skills are a fundamental part of Trinity’s approach to the liberal arts, where writing, speaking, and other forms of communication add value to the student experience regardless of major. And the chance to add these skills, Amber says, is what makes taking a chance on courses like “Speaking Physics” worth the work. “I figured public speaking was not my strong suit until this semester,” Amber says. “But [Speaking Physics] ended up being really neat in ways that I did not expect it to be.”
7
Photographer, artist, gamer, and computer science student: Meet the many sides of Drew Bullinger ’23.
High Resolution
Trinity senior thriving between the worlds of computer science, art, and faith by Jeremy Gerlach
Andrew (Drew) Bullinger ’23 says there are two parts of creating a video game: making it work and making it look good. “Making video games is where computer science and art come together,” he says. That’s why Drew, a computer science major and art minor from Fort Worth, Texas, who’s interested in game development and game design, came to Trinity University. “Being able to engage them both at a high level, you can’t really do that at a whole lot of other places.” At Trinity, Drew can be a programmer and an artist. But he also gets to be an all-conference sprinter and hurdler for Trinity’s track and field team; he gets to be a gamer as part of student organizations such as Trinity’s Gaming Club; and at Trinity’s chapter of Reformed University Fellowship (RUF), he gets to be himself. “Things get insanely busy at Trinity,” says Drew, who relies on RUF as a space to decompress among high achievers. “I sat down at a table my first week here, and six
8
of the eight people there were valedictorians. Having a place at Trinity like RUF, you can be there for an hour, just relax, and be uplifted.” Art and computer science also give Drew a lift. Computer science (CS) can be a broad and complicated field at the college level, so Drew wasn’t looking for a school that would make life as a CS major complicated, too. “At Trinity, the department literally printed out a sheet of paper for me, outlining the paths I would be able to take through the major,” Drew says. “If I went to another school, I might have had to take an (unrelated) Information Technology class—that doesn’t interest me at all. But at Trinity, I got to take a game design class and systems class instead. That just makes sense to me.” When he first arrived at Trinity, Drew tried out life as an art and CS double major, balancing these CS pursuits with his original artistic passion. He earned the Baker
Duncan Scholarship in art (Trinity offers this dynamic scholarship across multiple fields). But Drew quickly discovered that this approach wasn’t the life for him. So, he was able to keep art in his life as a minor. “I’ve had fun classes in photography and sculpture,” he says. “Drawing I got cut short [by COVID-19 restrictions] in 2020, but Drawing II has been fun to get back to, especially having that creative freedom that comes with upper-level art classes.” Drew also balances life at Trinity as a student-athlete on the University’s track and field team, taking home a conference championship in the 100m as a second-year. Going into his senior year, Drew doesn’t yet have concrete plans for life after Trinity. But that doesn’t mean his vision for the future isn’t high-res: “I know I want to work with game development and game design,” he says. “And at Trinity, I’m getting the experience I need to do that.”
Get Into a Groove
Neuroscience and music work in harmony for Trinity senior by Jeremy Gerlach
Caelia Marshall ’23 is a singer. Like many students pursuing music at Trinity University, she isn’t actually a music major. But Caelia, a neuroscience major from Atascocita, Texas, is still on a music scholarship, sings in ensembles, and has her sights set on a career in research that combines science and music. “In a dream world, I would like to do research on how music can affect and treat degenerative brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s,” Caelia says. “My uncle suffered from dementia, and by the end stages of this disease, he couldn’t say anything. But whenever we would sing to him, he could sing along.” After attending a tour of Trinity, which she called an “incredibly personalized experience,” she began to see herself here on campus, especially after hearing about one of Trinity’s music scholarships that wouldn’t even require her to commit to being a music major. That meant coming in as a first-year student, Caelia had more space in her courseload to explore different STEM fields. She discovered neuroscience going into her sophomore year and never looked back. “It’s both humanitarian and science issues that come together,” Caelia says. Caelia doesn’t mince words about the challenges of pursuing both music and neuroscience: “The classes are hard in both subjects,” she says. “But I’ve gotten into a groove, finding a good balance with finding time to go to the practice rooms for music and spending a lot more hours studying for STEM tests.” Part of that groove is due to Trinity’s inclusive approach to music, Caelia adds. “One thing I like about music at Trinity is that any level of interest you have, you can be as involved as you want.” Caelia is currently a member of the Trinity Chamber Singers. She joined an opera workshop as a first-year student, and
Music at Trinity will afford you opportunities to see the world. this past summer, as part of Trinity’s choir, she went to New York to perform at Carnegie Hall. “Trinity’s choir has also gone to places like Austria,” Caelia says, “so music at Trinity will afford you opportunities to see the world and to ‘get out there.’” And, of course, Caelia’s music scholarship has also played an incredibly important role in her success at Trinity. “I was super interested to hear about this music scholarship, where you had to come to campus, perform a song, and do some sight reading exercises,” Caelia
recalls. “I went, tried it out, and got an email back that I had been granted the scholarship. And without the scholarship, I wouldn’t be here at Trinity.” Caelia is glad she took on the challenge of auditioning—she’s gotten into a groove that has paved the way toward a meaningful career in research. “I definitely want to achieve groundbreaking work in Alzheimer’s and dementia music therapy; this is such an untapped field,” she says. “Now, I feel that’s an impact I could make.”
9
Choose your own path
56 62 6 MAJORS
Majors Accounting African American Studies American Intercultural Studies Ancient Mediterranean Studies Anthropology Applied Chemistry Applied Physics Architectural Studies Art Art and Art History Art History Arts, Letters, and Enterprise Astronomy Biochemistry Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Biology Biomathematics Business Business Administration Legal Studies Business Analytics and Technology Chemistry (BA & BS) Chemistry (teaching certification) Chinese Chinese Studies Classical Languages Communication Comparative Literature Computer Science Computing as a Second Major Creative Writing Data Science Earth Systems Science East Asian Studies Economics Engineering Science English Entrepreneurship Environmental Studies Ethics Film Studies Finance French Geosciences German German Studies Global Latinx Studies
GRAD
MINORS
PROGRAMS
2
ADVISING
an option to create your own major
PROGRAMS
Grad Minors Programs
Majors Global Supply Chain Management Greek Health Care Administration Health Care Administration Executive History History of Philosophy Human Communication Human Resource Management Interdisciplinary Second Major International Business International Studies Latin Linguistics Logic of Philosophy of Cognition Marketing Mathematics Mathematical Finance Medieval and Renaissance Studies Museum Studies Music Music Composition Music Performance Music Precertification Neuroscience New Media Philosophy Philosophy of Art Physics (BA & BS) Political Science Psychology Religion Russian School Leadership School Psychology Scientific Computing Sociology Spanish Sport Management Strategic Communication Studio Art Teaching Theatre Urban Studies Women and Gender Studies Pre-Law Advising Pre-Med and Health Professions Advising
Grad Minors Programs
Apply Early, Know Early Applications Available Online for Trinity’s Class of 2027 Common Application Coalition Application Apply Texas
Application Deadlines APPLICATION DEADLINE
DECISION NOTIFICATION
Early Decision I (binding)
Nov. 1
Dec. 1
Feb. 1
Early Action
Nov. 1
Dec. 15
May 1
Early Decision II (binding)
Feb. 1
Mar. 1
Mar. 15
Regular Decision
Feb. 1
Mar. 15
May 1
Apply now at
DEPOSIT DEADLINE
trinity.edu/apply
Financial Aid Application Dates Students applying for financial aid should submit the following applications by the admissions application deadline. CSS Profile The 2023-24 application will be available Oct.
1, 2022
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) The 2023-24 application will be available Oct.
1, 2022
Visit Trinity University Tour our skyline campus near downtown San Antonio, engage with current students, and learn about the academic experience, application process, and your financial aid options. Visit opportunities include our Trinity In Focus open house programs, daily visits throughout the week, and Tiger Friday events that are available exclusively for admitted students. Trinity In Focus
Tiger Fridays
Open to all prospective students.
Exclusively for admitted students.
Saturday, September 10, 2022 Monday, October 10, 2022 (virtual) Saturday, November 12, 2022 Saturday, January 21, 2023
Friday, March 3, 2023 Friday, March 24, 2023 Friday, April 14, 2023 Friday, April 21, 2023
Explore all visit options at gotu.us/visit.
11
QUICK FACTS Private, residential, co-educational, undergraduate-focused Founded in 1869 6 minutes from San Antonio International Airport Located in America’s 7th largest city
2,582
9:1 student-to-
undergraduates from 47 states and 48 countries
faculty ratio
A D M I T T E D S T U DE N T P ROF IL E Fall 2022 Entry Term*
97% of faculty hold doctoral or terminal degrees
6
125 acre campus
located in a residential neighborhood
minutes from downtown San Antonio
3.79
mean GPA unweighted 4.0 scale
30-34
mid 50% ACT mean: 32
1340–1470 mid 50% SAT mean: 1419
11,446 applications
31%
admit rate
*as of June 1, 2022
Follow us on social media! @trinityuniversity
@Trinity_U and @TrinityU_Admiss
/trinityuniversity
@trinityu and @trinityuadmissions
www.trinity.edu