Professor Naomi Darling Awarded for Work on the Takahashi-Harb Loft and Library

By Ansley Keane ’23

Staff Writer

Naomi Darling, a Five College associate professor of sustainable architecture who teaches at Mount Holyoke College and the University of Massachusetts Amherst, recently won the 2020 AIA New England Merit Award for Design Excellence titled “More with Less.” Darling received the “More with Less” Merit Award for her project, the Takahashi-Harb Loft and Library. Darling converted an unfinished walk-out basement into a bright and updated one-bedroom apartment and a two-car garage into a workspace for the Takahashi-Harb couple, complete with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. 

Darling attended Princeton University for her Bachelor of Science in Engineering in structural engineering and architectural design, Monash University for her Master of Fine Arts in sculpture and the Yale School of Architecture for her Master of Architecture. In addition to teaching, Darling has her own architecture and design practice, Naomi Darling Architecture, LLC.  

Darling became interested in architecture from a young age. “The first time I thought about [architecture] — I think I was seven or eight — I was home from school because I was sick,” she said. “My mom gave me these Victorian houses to cut out and put together, and I really liked the process of making.”

Her first year of college, Darling took an architecture class she “really loved.” In an interview with the online publication Madame Architect, Darling also explained that she “loved how the [architecture] course expanded [her] way of thinking demanding thoughtful reasons for the myriad decisions that go into design.” 

After she graduated from college, Darling didn’t jump right into the world of architecture. Instead, she explored pottery, sculpture and even worked as a scientist for the Sea Education Association before working at an architecture firm in Seattle in 2000. She has taught at Mount Holyoke since 2012. 

“I love interacting with the students,” she said. “The dynamic between students [at Mount Holyoke] is always really positive.” She explained that, in her perspective, “the built environment is one place where we can make a difference.” By showing students the fundamental principles of design, Darling said she “can make a bigger impact teaching.” 

The Takahashi-Harb project itself spanned from 2015 to 2018. One of the challenges Darling faced in completing the project was to make the space “not feel like a basement,” she said. She and her team put two large windows into the loft to take advantage of the property’s beautiful views and to “bring the outside in,” she explained. 

“Any project that you do is very much a collaboration between the architect, the site and the clients,” she noted.  

Another goal of the project tied into the theme of “More with Less.” “We had a pretty tight budget for that project and we were working with just a basement. The goal was to make it into something pretty special with this tight constraint,” Darling said. She noted that it was important to “keep as much as possible, while we were adding.” In order to accomplish that, Darling explained that she and her team kept many of the existing features such as the structural posts in the former basement and garage. 

According to her website, Darling dressed up the existing stairway and used preexisting electrical, mechanical and plumbing systems. By not removing the features already in place, Darling was able to put more money and effort into nice finishes and windows. Additionally, this style of design allowed Darling to maintain her focus on sustainability, and she said, “by keeping what’s there, there wasn’t as much waste.” 

As a professor of sustainable architecture, sustainability is an important aspect of Darling’s designs and projects. However, for Darling, sustainability expands beyond just environmental. “I try to look at sustainability very holistically,” she said. She focuses on social and cultural sustainability as well. 

In a class Darling teaches, she emphasizes working with the natural environment. “Being attuned to where you are [is important], so you don’t need to use a lot of energy,” she explained. Additionally, Darling explained that “for a project to work, it needs to be embraced by the people in that place.”

CAs Continue To Create Community Through Virtual Cohorts

By Rebecca Gagnon ’23

Staff Writer

Throughout the fall semester, Mount Holyoke created an array of virtual events in an effort to bring its community together online. One of the College’s new ways of creating community has been the formation of the Virtual Cohorts. 

“Our Virtual Cohorts were really just intended to bring students together in virtual ways so they still felt that sense of community,” Associate Director of Students and Director of Residential Life Rachel Allidis said. “We do have data that shows students feel a greater sense of community in the Living Learning Communities than when they live in a residence hall.” 

Some of the Virtual Cohorts’ themes are based on past LLCs, like transfer, first-year, art, outdoors and more. These are made to foster a greater sense of community in a time of need. There are also Virtual Cohorts based on students’ current geographical regions. 

Lexy Lee ’23, the Virtual Community Ambassador for the arts cohort, shared the story of “someone who said, ‘What if we had pen pals but with artwork?’” 

“Because there are people who are interested in all different types of artwork,” Lee explained, “we kind of just want to create a place where we can just make … a lot of different types of art and share.” 

A Virtual Community Ambassador is similar to a Community Advisor in residential halls, in that they are the leaders of the different Virtual Cohorts. The VCAs were chosen out of the students who were already hired in the spring of 2020 to work for ResLife as CAs in the fall.

“They are able to do a lot of things your CA would do,” Alldis said. “They are having one-on-one conversations with the students, they are trying to bring together these smaller groups that are based on either what our LLCs are based on or regional ones. … I think it is off to a good start.”

Helen Roane ’23, the VCA of the Transfer Cohort, said, “I really wanted to be a part of trying to make the [Mount Holyoke] community still exist in the virtual setting, because it is a lot harder.” 

“I know that it is really, really hard for people to find a community right now, especially for the people who are living at home,” Delaney Fowler ’21, the VCA of the Outdoor Adventure Cohort, said. “I know a lot of people are living either with friends in an apartment or some people on campus … and there is a community in both of those things in a way that there really isn’t when you are at home, so I really wanted to reach out to those people and try to help them feel some sense of community because it is such a big part of Mount Holyoke.”

Because of the transition to remote learning during the CA hiring process, there were a lot of uncertainties about the outcome of the application timeline. In the process of becoming a CA, one has to submit an application and complete both a group and individual interview. Normally, results would appear around February or March, but with the pandemic, the results took longer.

“We [went] through [the CA hiring process] and then the pandemic happened,” Alldis stated. “Then everyone left campus and we were a little delayed on letting people know who we wanted to hire and who we didn’t, but we sat down and we figured it out. We were then ready to make offers to people and then we were like, ‘Well, we want to offer you this position but we don’t know really what is going to happen.’”

“It was kind of stressful not knowing what was going on,” Lee said. “There was a period of time when I wasn’t really sure if I had the job anymore and it was a little hard. I understand that the people who were working in the offices, of course, had a lot of stress they were dealing with trying to figure out probably as well if we all had jobs still,” Lee added. 

Even with all of the struggles, jobs were given and received and there is now a new community available to students if they so choose. 

“I feel like the virtual community is really fun anyways but they will be more fun as more people want to join,” Roane said. 

“I think that if people are interested in joining a cohort they absolutely should,” Fowler said. “None of it is mandatory — it is all sort of like you opted in. Even if you join it and you choose not to come that is fine, but I think that people shouldn’t be afraid to join just because they think they don’t have time because when you do have time, you can join. I think it might feel a little less isolating.”

The deadline for joining the Virtual Cohorts was Friday, Nov. 6, but there are other ways to stay involved in the campus community. 

“We want the students to stay as connected as they want to stay,” Allidis said. “I really hope that they realize that Mount Holyoke is in their corner all the time. I know it doesn’t always feel that way but I wish that some people could sit in on some meetings that we have been to so they would know how much we talk about how this would impact the students and how hard it is to give them this positive experience. I just want them to know that we really are trying to do everything we can to make their lives easier and to provide the support [and the] resources that they need, and we miss them —  so much.” 

Mount Holyoke Students Share What They Have Been Cooking and Baking From Home

Photo by Ava Provolo ‘22

By Woodlief McCabe ’23

Staff Writer

Without the ease of dining halls and takeout, Mount Holyoke students have found themselves more responsible for their own meals than ever during the pandemic. Restaurant prices and the additional fees of food delivery services have pushed many students to start cooking for themselves. 

Tsela Zoksang ’24 started cooking for herself when she moved out of her parents’ house and into an apartment with a roommate. As a first-year, she has been navigating living alone without the buffer of a dorm experience. At first, she was making instant ramen and ordering takeout, but it started to add up. She realized, “Spending a lot of money on a whole bunch of groceries is probably financially unwise when I could just spend $2 here and there on little things.”

However, Zoksang added, “When you have that every day, like two or three times a day, it ends up getting to be way too much. I didn't want to be spending money so recklessly.” 

Grocery shopping is a very daunting task for Zoksang. She said that she is able to avoid vegetables and other perishables going bad before she could use them by making large batches of each recipe. “When you make a lot of one thing, you can just leave the leftovers in the fridge, and it will last a long time if you make a lot of it,” she said. This doesn’t mean eating the same thing all week, she clarified. 

Aside from being financially beneficial and time-saving, making food provides much-needed downtime. “Cooking is a pretty stress-relieving experience,” she added.

Other students, like Anna Chait ’23, have been cooking since March, when they went back home after campus closed. Chait said, “I started cooking at this time in my life out of force by the pandemic, but honestly, it’s good because cooking is so important and I had been wanting to get into it for years.” 

Although for some students cook for themselves only temporarily in college, it can become a lifelong skill. “Cooking has given me a new life skill, and it has let me get more creative with my dishes,” Chait said. “Also, cooking has helped me to achieve a healthier and cheaper eating lifestyle.” 

Zoksang spoke about “pockets of control,” a concept which explains ways we can find more peace of mind by creating habits and routines. It doesn’t have to be complicated, “working out or whatever it may be, reading a book a certain time in the day, just one or two things to bring a little more consistency to your life and make you feel like you’re in charge,” Zoksang said. For many students who have lost the consistency of simply leaving the house for class, making meals is a good way to reclaim a sense of time and purpose. 

Ava Provolo ’22, who has also been cooking since March, said that she has gained more than just cooking skills and a renewed sense of routine. “I’ve learned my strengths, how to be creative, the importance of food as being joyful. I love making homemade bread and making meals around that,” Provolo said. “Seeing people’s faces when I give them a meal or a platter of something sweet is a great moment.” 

Jaia Colognese ’22 has had a love of cooking since childhood when she spent time at her parents’ Italian bakery in Rhode Island. “My parents have instilled in me an appreciation for food that is homemade and handmade,” she said. “I was taught to cook by example, mostly from watching my parents cook dinner together every night.” 

Cooking is a passion that she has gotten even closer to these past several months. “I spend hours in the kitchen inventing recipes or modifying ones that I come across,” she said. She finds joy in both the process and the end result. To Colognese, sharing her food “is the best part of cooking.” 

Still, as a college student, the recipes she inherited from her family are not always as doable as she would hope. “I grew up in a household that uses the freshest, highest-quality ingredients,” she explained. “If I want to replicate these authentic dishes that my parents and grandparents make, then I need to use these same ingredients, which are often much more expensive.” 

Her lifelong love of cooking has taught her as much. “I've learned that there’s a huge difference between fresh basil and dried, fresh versus canned tomatoes, ripe fruit versus supermarket-ripe fruit, and so on,” she said. “High-quality cheese, fruit, vegetables and meat are definitely a barrier for a student, but I try to use these ingredients because it improves the taste of the food significantly.” 

While the pandemic has separated many from their loved ones, mealtimes are still one of the best ways to connect with others. For some, the pandemic has brought opportunities to make these times even more personal. “Cooking and baking are my love language[s],” Provolo said. She has been experimenting with her own veggie burger recipes. 

Chait has been making all sorts of pescatarian meals and other meatless dishes for her partner, as well as baking, which she says has been a pastime of hers since before the pandemic. Provolo is also baking, preparing for a “12 type [of] cookie marathon” come December, as well as making a fudge and chocolate cake. 

Despite the physical distance, some students, like Zoksang, are connecting to their families through recipes. Zoksang thinks of her father when she cooks. Her father fled Tibet to a refugee school in India where he wasn’t able to cook for himself. 

“Once he actually had the resources to start cooking, he always loved to,” she explained. “In Tibetan culture, cooking and having family time for eating and drinking tea together is a big deal, and so he’s always cooked much more … than my mom did. And I always liked to help him as a kid. We’d make what’s called momo, which is like dumplings.” 

Provolo, who has Italian roots, also recognized the great familial bond that cooking can bring. “Food connects my family together every day at supper,” she said. “I also learned a lot about how to cook from my grandmother, who has shown me most importantly how to put love into food.” 

The way we feed ourselves can help us find routine in the chaotic lives we have been thrown into. We can have time to think about loved ones far away and show our appreciation for the ones we have the fortune to be close to. If you aren’t cooking with your family, friends or partner in the room, the things we add to the food and the people we share it with can still bring the warmth of a shared meal. 

Cooking is an incredibly meditative and productive act in a way that few others are. It also opens up room for creativity through experimentation with new ingredients and ideas. We can make mistakes and burn our food and spill everything and make huge messes. We will never not need to have meals, so why not take the time to create joy and warmth when we can? 

Food is filling, but cooking has the power to be fulfilling.

• Anna Chait — Pumpkin Cookies

 Ingredients

For cookies:

1 cup butter, softened

2/3 cup packed brown sugar 

1/3 cup granulated sugar 

1 egg 

1-1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract 

1 cup canned pumpkin

2 cups flour 

1 ½-2 teaspoons of cinnamon 

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon baking powder 

Walnuts (optional)

 For frosting: 

¼ cup butter

4 ounces cream cheese 

2 cups confectioner’s sugar 

1 ½-2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

Tip: I usually add 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract (especially if using imitation vanilla extract). Also, if you need more frosting but don’t want to double the recipe, you can just add more confectioner’s sugar! 

 Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add pumpkin; mix well. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and baking powder; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool completely. In a small bowl, beat the frosting ingredients until light and fluffy. Frost cookies and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. 

• Tesla Zoksang — Jigae (Korean Stew)

(Meat can be substituted for tofu or anything else.)

Serves 2-4

Ingredients

1 medium potato, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes (about 1 cup)

1 medium onion, cut into ½-inch pieces (about 1 cup)

1 small zucchini, cut into ½-inch pieces (about 1 cup)

1 green Korean chili pepper (cheong-gochu), stemmed and chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

4 large shrimp, shelled, deveined, washed and coarsely chopped (about ⅓ cup)

2 ½ cups water

7 dried anchovies, guts removed

5 tablespoons fermented soybean paste (doenjang)

6 ounces medium-firm tofu, cut into ½-inch cubes (about 1 cup)

2 green onions, chopped

Homemade doenjang (집된장)

Instructions

Combine the potato, onion, zucchini, chili pepper, garlic and shrimp in a 1½-quart (6 cups) earthenware pot or other heavy pot. Wrap the dried anchovies in cheesecloth (or a dashi bag, a pouch for stock-making sold at Korean grocery stores) and put them into the pot with other ingredients. Add water and cover.

Cook over medium-high heat for 15 minutes or until it starts boiling. If you use a stainless steel pot, it will take less than 15 minutes, about 7 to 8 minutes.

Stir in the soybean paste, mixing well. Cover and cook for 20 minutes longer over medium heat.

Add the tofu and cook for another 3 minutes. Remove the anchovy pouch and discard.

Sprinkle with the green onions and serve as a side dish to rice. Serve it directly from the pot or transfer to a serving bowl. Everybody can eat together out of the pot or portions can be ladled out into individual bowls for each person.

To Zoksang, the most important ingredients are the condiments, like the spices and pastes. That way you can keep your cooking interesting and new without spending a ton of money. She finds the pastes for her Korean cooking at H-Mart, an Asian grocery store near her apartment in Manhattan. 

• Jaia Colognese — Blue Cheese Steak with Cracked Black Pepper

(Serves 2)

Ingredients

2 high-quality (preferably local) ribeye or New York strip steaks

¼ pound of blue cheese, such as Cambozola

3 tablespoons room temperature butter

1 teaspoon finely chopped chives (optional)

2 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper (or to taste)

2 teaspoons finely minced garlic

Instructions

Preheat your grill or prepare a cast iron pan for cooking. Pat the steaks dry, cover with a light salt/pepper rub and allow them to sit for about 10 minutes. In the meantime, prepare the butter. Mix room temperature butter with cheese, garlic, chives and black pepper. Set aside for later.

Cook the steaks to your liking, allowing them to rest for about 5 minutes once removed from heat. Plate the steaks, slathering them in blue cheese spread.

Sides to enjoy this with:

Caramelized onions and brussel sprouts

Balsamic-glazed carrots

Oven-roasted potatoes