Penelope Lutz ’27, a classical studies and public health double-major from Madison Heights, Mich., is spending her summer researching ancient gynecology through Yale University’s highly selective Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF).
Lutz is working alongside a faculty mentor, Professor of Comparative Literature Ayesha Ramachandran, and a student mentor, religious studies graduate student Jon-Paul Lapeña, in New Haven, Conn., where she’s building on the research interests she discovered at Hollins.
“My research is focused on identifying the roots of medicalization in childbirth and how it has contributed to the functioning of the contemporary Western medical system, concentrating on women-centered care,” Lutz said. “I’ve been applying a lot of what I learned in Dr. Susan Eagle’s Cultural Health and Illness class and Dr. Lindsey Breitwieser’s Mad in America class.”
Lutz applied to the SURF program in January with the support of Ruth Alden Doan Endowed Chair and Undergraduate Research Codirector Christopher Florio and Visiting Assistant Professor Katelin McCullough. She received her acceptance on March 14.
Since SURF typically targets rising and graduating seniors, McCullough had prepared Lutz for the possibility of not being selected.
“This is an early stage for this to happen,” McCullough said. “I was surprised and really happy. She’s a talented student who can work with a lot of different materials very easily. I’m not at all surprised with the quality of her work, but more so the timing. It only means bigger and better things as she moves forward.”
Lutz said her journey to Hollins was equally unexpected. Though she applied to 15 different schools, Hollins was the only one she toured.
“After our tour, my mom said, ‘If I could create a school for you, this would be it,’” Lutz said.
Since then, Lutz said Hollins has helped her come out of her shell.
“I’m a writing tutor and tour guide, and I’m on school government,” she said. “I’m very involved on campus, and I don’t think that I would be doing that at any other school. Almost every professor has been so encouraging and offered me so many opportunities. The connection to the professors is the most important part.”
During her first semester on campus in the fall of 2023, Lutz registered for a special topics class taught by McCullough on Roman women.
“I wanted something that I would be interested in for my whole life,” Lutz said. “I’ve always been interested in classical studies. I thought I would always enjoy learning more about that. Once I got here, I started researching ancient medicine, and so that’s what pulled me into public health.”
A year later, Lutz submitted an application to attend the 13th Tennessee Undergraduate Classics Research Conference — and was accepted. In March, she presented her work in Knoxville, T.N.
“My paper, The Womb as a Vessel: An Exploration of Ancient Greek Gynecological Language and Meaning, examined how ancient Greek medical texts compared women’s bodies — especially their wombs — to objects. On one hand, those analogies made anatomy more accessible,” she said. “But they also reduced women to their social functions and roles often in dehumanizing ways.”
McCullough said Lutz’s presentation drew praise from faculty attending the conference and that she’ll continue expanding that research during her time at Yale.
“I’m excited to connect with a professor who shares my academic interests and to build relationships with students from across the country,” Lutz said. “I want to go to grad school and become a college professor. This experience will help me get there.”
McCullough added that Lutz’s opportunity will benefit others in the Hollins community, too.
“To get that experience and to begin getting feedback on her research from wider audiences is really important,” McCullough said. “The hope is to have her abroad next spring so she can see some of the ancient material associated with ancient medicine.”
Lutz said last week that she’s one of 11 students in the fellowship’s humanities program.
“So far, it’s been a wonderful learning experience getting to collaborate and hear all kinds of perspectives from passionate students,” she said. “In these first two weeks, I feel like I’ve already learned so much about researching, writing, and preparing for graduate school.”
“It’s heartening to see her get this chance,” McCullough said. “Her experience and the knowledge she brings back will reach her classmates and those who follow in her footsteps.”
