1. ‘W&L After Class’ Podcast Releases New Episode Featuring Lisa Alty

'W&L After Class' Podcast Releases New Episode Featuring Lisa Alty In this month's episode, Alty discusses how a distasteful high school chemistry experience, enrolling in college as a first-generation student and seeing W&L evolve since the early years of coeducation shaped her approach to teaching.

By Laura Lemon
August 12, 2024

"I realized that part of what I'm here for is not just the academic experience, it's for the whole experience."

~ Lisa Alty, John T. Herwick, M.D. Professor of Chemistry

The lessons in chemistry don't begin and end in the lab, Lisa Alty, John T. Herwick, M.D. Professor of Chemistry, learned throughout her 37 years at Washington and Lee University. In the latest episode of the "W&L After Class" podcast, she and Associate Director of Lifelong Learning Ruth Candler discussed how teaching organic chemistry at W&L offered Alty the opportunity to guide the pre-health cohort, help first-generation college students and share life lessons with decades of graduates.

In this episode, Alty details how a high school teacher originally turned her off from chemistry, only for a college adviser to steer her back to the sciences. After completing a Ph.D. in medicinal chemistry from Virginia Commonwealth University, she accepted a job at W&L - then in the throes of transitioning to coeducation - as one of the university's first female faculty members in 1987. In this podcast, she delves into the growth she's witnessed at Washington and Lee, her passion for Remote Area Medical and the pre-health curriculum and her advice for women working in male-dominated fields.

"I love this 18-to-23-year-old group," Alty said. "So much fun, so many changes going on in their lives. And it's just great to be a witness and sometimes a mentor to that, too."

"W&L After Class" entered its fifth season on Feb. 13. The season started with Rob Straughan, the Crawford Family Dean of the Williams School and professor of business administration, who described his journey at W&L, the evolution of the Williams School's distinctive approach within a liberal arts curriculum and the exciting initiatives on the horizon, including the new Williams School building. This season also includes Wythe Whiting, professor of cognitive and behavioral science, who discussed the complex connections between mental health, sleep, physical activity and cognitive functioning; Paul Youngman, associate provost and the Harry E. and Mary Jayne W. Redenbaugh Professor of German, who details the ever-changing roles W&L has played in his life; Mark Drumbl, Class of 1975 Alumni Professor of Law and Director of the Transnational Law Institute, who explains the function and limitations of law through his research and teachings in mass violence and human rights; and Jenefer Davies, professor of dance and chair of the department of theater, dance, and film studies, who built W&L's dance program to be a place where the liberal arts education flourishes.

The podcast series began in the spring of 2020 and is a collaborative effort of Lifelong Learning, Alumni Engagement and the Office of Communications and Public Affairs. Each episode invites listeners to experience conversations with W&L's expert faculty, giving listeners worldwide a chance to stroll the Colonnade in the comfort of their homes. W&L faculty members discuss their teaching, research and special interests. Previous topics include poetry, witches, cybersecurity, theater and free speech.