Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association Welcomes Dr. Amy Hinson as Featured Guest for Science Speaker Series

Erin Holdgate • March 20, 2023

NANTUCKET, MA—The Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association (MMA) announces that it will host Dr. Amy Hinson as a featured presenter for its Science Speaker Series this month. Her presentation, “Where is the Science in Forensic Science?,” will take place March 29 at 7pm on Zoom. This event is free to all.

 

In her presentation, Dr. Hinson will discuss the intersection of the understanding of scientific processes, facts, and how they help to solve crimes, as there is often much debate on where to find the actual science in forensic sciences. “For the most part, it seems as if most of what is done is literal matching of patterns; fingerprints, DNA, ballistics, soil, glass, hair, fibers, pollen…you get the idea,” Dr. Hinson said of the topic.

 

She will also share how she transformed a 12-student, semester-long class into a year-long course that was consistently over-enrolled after teaching this course at Nantucket High School for eight years.

 

Dr. Amy Hinson is a distinguished educator of the sciences at Nantucket High School, where she has fostered a passion and love for science through her course offerings, most notably so in the Forensic Science course. Dr. Hinson is a post-doctoral fellow of the Yale University postdoctoral program, where she focused on biochemistry and molecular biophysics with an emphatic research application in neuroscience.

 

Hinson has been a Nantucket resident since 2001 and continues to teach the island’s young and aspiring scientists in hopes that they, too, will find a path in science. She is the daughter of an educator and a former NASA engineer—her scientific and critical thinking skills are indeed molecular!

 

This series is generously presented by our lead sponsor, Bank of America. For additional details on this event, please visit https://www.mariamitchell.org/science-speaker-series.

 

The Maria Mitchell Association was founded in 1902 to preserve the legacy of Nantucket native astronomer, naturalist, librarian, and educator, Maria Mitchell. After she discovered a comet in 1847, Mitchell’s international fame led to many achievements and awards, including an appointment as the first professor of astronomy at Vassar College. Maria Mitchell believed in “learning by doing” and today that philosophy is reflected in the MMA’s mission statement, programs, research projects, and other activities. The Maria Mitchell Association operates two observatories, a natural science museum, an aquarium, a research center, and preserves the historic birthplace of Maria Mitchell. A wide variety of science and history-related programming is offered throughout the year for people of all ages.

 

###

For Immediate Release

March 20, 2023

Contact: Erin Holdgate, Marketing Director

eholdgate@mariamitchell.org

Recent Posts

Maria Mitchell In Her Own Words

By Jascin N. Leonardo Finger • September 21, 2026
Sept. 24, 1881. . . . Mr. I. {van Ingen} thinks that not a person on the Board of Trustees would approve of the clause in Mr. Vassar’s will which objected to women as occupants of chairs. Just months before, Maria Mitchell had written a letter describing the controversy surrounding the bequest of Matthew Vassar to the college he founded. The large sum was separated out within his will, including the establishment of department chairs. The bequest for this action, however, did not allow for women professors to have a chair. Quite shocking for a women’s college but then, there were early trustees in the College’s founding who believed that women professors should not exist at Vassar! Maria would be the first professor Vassar hired – male OR female. JNLF

Hoop Rolling

By Jascin N. Leonardo Finger • September 14, 2026
Do you know what these Mitchell House Junior Historians are doing? It is a good old-fashioned round of hoop rolling. And, they had a lot of fun learning how to use them down at the Coffin School one day. Hoop rolling or hoop trundling were popular from very early on and well into the twentieth century. By early on I mean Ancient Greece even. It’s on ancient pottery and was not limited to children! Native Americans, ancient Rome, 16 th century England – it’s been known by different names, taken various formats, played by various ages, and played through various ages. In the nineteenth century, both boys and girls did hoop rolling – and it was likely seen as a more “ladylike” active game that girls could play. I’m assuming that is likely the reason why several women’s colleges still have I tradition of rolling hoops. We use these sometimes in the summer during our weeklong Mitchell House children’s program – Junior Historians. Do not be too surprised if you see me out on the lawn on Vestal Street practicing on warm days this fall, winter, and spring! Got to get up to speed! JNLF

Keep Calm and Bird On: September 2026

September 1, 2026
“If you don’t look, you don’t see. You have to go and look.” -Edith Andrews
Show More