The Laura Kirchman Manuelidis ’63 Science and Literary Arts Endowment will support experiences for undergraduate students at the intersection of the literary arts, especially poetry, and the sciences. These experiences might include visiting speakers, performances, class events, or student work. This visionary gift enhances Sarah Lawrence’s pedagogy, which has always included the crossing of disciplinary boundaries to explore topics in deeper and more expansive ways.
Laura Kirchman Manuelidis is a professor and physician at Yale University, where she is head of the section of Neuropathology in the department of Surgery, and also serves as a member of the faculty of Neurosciences and Virology. She studied poetry as an undergraduate at Sarah Lawrence, received her M.D. from Yale Medical School, and has published poetry as well as scientific articles.
Dr. Manuelidis explains: “Sarah Lawrence gave me the independence, commitment to integrity, and confidence to survive, and even thrive in the dominating cultures of medical school and science. To honor my parents, whose great and generous effort made my education possible, I have included my maiden name, Kirchman, in the name of the fund. It is also the name that my classmates and friends at Sarah Lawrence will recognize, and I hope that they will be encouraged to contribute to this or similar endeavors that close the artificial divide between science and the arts.”