Westmont Magazine Talented New Professors Join the Westmont Faculty

Five new accomplished, tenure-track professors joined the Westmont faculty this fall. Isaac Gomez (kinesiology), Jennifer Ito (physics), Ruth Lin (music), Siegwart “Zig” Reichwald (music) and Guang Song (computer science) each bring a deep Christian faith and a love for teaching.

Isaac Gomez, a local resident who graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, is completing his doctorate from the University of Oregon. Using behavioral testing, transcranial magnetic stimulation and electromyography, he has studied how our brains control movement. “I want to apply that research to children who are learning new motor skills,” he says. “I’m fascinated by my nieces and nephews — kids are wonderfully fun to work with.” He has published his findings.

Gomez says he experienced a spiritual reawakening in college through his study of science. “The more I learned about physics, chemistry and biology, the more I felt the presence of God in the natural world,” he says. “I came to realize that science is an effort to reveal the mechanisms behind God’s creations — that science and faith are not mutually exclusive — and that the study of science can, in fact, strengthen our faith in God.”

Jennifer Ito, who recently earned a doctorate from UC San Diego, helped build millimeter-wavelength telescopes as part of the Simons Array in Chile. “We’re hoping to study the cosmic microwave background, thought to be remnant radiation from the Big Bang,” she says. “This branch of astrophysics looks into origin science. It creates a unique opportunity for integration with faith.”

As researchers collect data from the telescopes, Ito hopes to involve Westmont students in the analysis. “My faith and my professional work are intertwined and inseparable,” she says. “The laws of physics are extensions of God’s constant nature, and we use these concepts to describe how Christ holds all things together. I see my research as a way to learn more about God through His handiwork.”

She’ll learn to use Westmont’s powerful Keck Telescope and looks forward to working with the Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit and the community when the college opens the observatory to the public the third Friday of each month, weather permitting.

Ruth Lin grew up in Westmont, Illinois, a Chicago suburb, and will direct orchestral activities and chair the Music Department at Westmont College. Born in Southeast China, she immigrated to the United States with her family when she was 10. For the past 12 years, she directed the symphony orchestra at Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota.

“I see great potential at Westmont to make the most of the gifts God has granted us,” she says. “COVID-19 gave us an opportunity to stop and reflect, reevaluate and explore new possibilities to discover hidden potential in ourselves and others. We’ve become even more thankful for our unshakable foundation in Christ and his gift of music. We’ve remembered the joy of making music together and being in fellowship.”

Lin earned her bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from Northwestern University in Illinois. She began playing the piano at the age of 5. As a student, she performed Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra as the Concerto Competition Winner.

Her experiences and honors include being one of the 10 Conducting Fellows at the Juilliard Conducting Workshop for Music Educators. She performed as a Debut Conductor with the National Symphony Orchestra as part of the National Conducting Institute and led the National Symphony Orchestra in concert.

Lin has commissioned and conducted two world premieres for the Gustavus Symphony Orchestra: “Faith and Perseverance” by Chen Yi celebrating the college’s 150th anniversary, and “Fanfare for a Weapon-Free World” by Steve Heitzeg.

She has started building relationships in the Santa Barbara music community. “Making music and connecting with others through music is a gift from God,” she says. “What we’re unable to say in words we can express perfectly in music.”

Siegwart “Zig” Reichwald joins the faculty as Adams professor of music and worship. A musicologist, he’ll teach music history and work with the Chapel Team. Previously, he taught at Converse University in South Carolina and Palm Beach Atlantic University in Florida. He earned a Bachelor of Music in organ performance at the University of South Carolina, a Master of Music in conducting and a Doctor of Philosophy at Florida State University. His books include “The Genesis of Felix Mendelssohn’s ‘Paulus’” (Scarecrow Press, 2001) and “Mendelssohn in Performance” (Indiana University Press, 2009). He has published articles and presented papers on topics such as the music of Mendelssohn, Brumel, Schumann, Poulenc and Piazzolla.

“I’m a music historian interested in the intersection of sacred music and music history,” he says. Focused on the 19th century, he also explores contemporary concert and sacred music. His dissertation on Mendelssohn’s “St. Paul” oratorio led to additional study of the German composer, including the relationship of his sacred music to Schleiermacher’s philosophy, the politics of Restoration-era Prussia and German nationalism.

“As a scholar, I hope to pique the curiosity of anybody interested in learning more about how music has been and still is an essential means of giving voice to the human experience,” he says. “Life happens through relationships. Working at Westmont is my ultimate dream job, blending musicology with sacred music. My father was a pastor, and I’ve been involved in church music much of my life. Music has always been an essential part of worship, and a musician has no higher calling or greater responsibility than leading worship.”

He first visited Westmont with his daughter Olivia ’21, an Augustinian Scholar and political science major. She enrolls in Harvard Law School this fall (see page 98).

Guang Song, who has taught computer science at Iowa State University since 2006, has focused his research on computational biology. “A powerful tool, computation extends the reach of many liberal arts and science endeavors,” he says. “I see some of this in my own research experience in computational biophysics and biology, where I apply computational models to study protein structure and dynamics.”

Song earned a doctorate at Texas A&M University. He explores how proteins move, studies their molecular mechanical systems, and classifies their various shapes. “I love teaching and appreciate this opportunity to help students learn how to be skillful in computer science and to be disciples of Christ,” he says.

Along with the new tenure-track appointees, several professors join the college in short-term roles, including Nathalie Confiac (nursing), Aaron Cooke (economics and business), Lesley Gardia (nursing), Dianthe Hoffman (nursing), Wendy Jackson (English, theater arts; see page 28), Sara Johnson (biology; see story on page 64), Kelly Taylor (mathematics), Pauline Remy (modern languages), Annamarie Gonzales (nursing), Holly Shelton (English), Nick Taylor (biology), Silke Werth (sociology) and Jackie Xie (chemistry).