School Notes: Yale College
July/August 2025

Branford College screens biopic

In Fall 2024, Branford College and the Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry (MB&B) hosted a screening of Rob Peace, the moving film adaptation of the biography written by Yale alum Jeff Hobbs ’02 about his late college roommate, an MB&B major. The event featured a talkback with Chiwetel Ejiofor, the film’s director, screenwriter, and producer, who joined students and guests for an intimate dinner and reception in the Branford Common Room. Ejiofor offered heartfelt insights into translating to the screen Peace’s complex, brilliant life at Yale and its tragic ending shortly after graduation.

Yale students win prestigious scholarships

Rishi Shah ’26 and August Rios ’26 were selected as recipients of the 2025 Truman Scholarship for aspiring public service leaders in the United States. Elena Bouldin ’26 has been named as a Scholar and senior Karinne Tennenbaum ’26 has received an honorable mention from the Udall Foundation, which supports students pursuing careers in conservation and environmental stewardship. Six Yale students and a recent Yale College alumnus are among the 30 individuals selected to receive the Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans in support of their graduate studies. Over 300 Yale College students have received summer fellowships to undertake internships, research, and public service projects over the summer, in the US and abroad.

Yale course turns climate data into art

Matthew Suttor, CCAM program manager and senior lecturer in theater, dance, and performance studies, launched a new course, Nature, AI, and Performance, which invites students to transform environmental data into artistic expression. Supported by a Yale Planetary Solutions Seed Grant, the class partnered with Music Haven to engage New Haven public school students in turning climate data into music. The semester culminated in Listening to Climate Change, a public symposium featuring student performances, guest panels, and a feature in Yale News (April 24, 2025). The initiative exemplifies how art and technology can inspire new ways of understanding and responding to the environmental challenges of our time.