Current RLC

Current logo with a yellow lightbulb

The Current Residential Learning Community brings together first-year women to build and engage in academic, intellectual, STEM-focused communities at Tulane, in New Orleans, and beyond. Drawing on the legacy of Newcomb College, CURRENT provides a place for first-year women to cultivate their interest in STEM fields- to energize their current- as they forge meaningful connections with one another and with faculty, staff, and alumnae through STEM- and gender-focused programming, research, and development opportunities provided by the Newcomb Institute.

Campus Partner

HRL works in partnership with Newcomb Institute on the Current RLC. If you have questions about the RLC content or programming, please contact Julie Henriquez Aldana (jhenriquez@tulane.edu), Director of Student Leadership and Engagement and Admin, Assistant Professor of Women’s Leadership at Newcomb Institute.

Program Examples

Below are a few examples of programs that Current RLC students can expect to be involved in. The programs vary each year with input from RLC students, staff, and faculty, but you can expect to participate in programs such as:

  • Faculty and Practitioner Dinners- invite a faculty member and a practitioner from a specific STEM discipline once per month who will discuss their academic and career paths.  This will allow students to explore different pathways in STEM disciplines so they can identify possible paths for themselves.

  • Research Panels with faculty seeking Research Assistants

  • Programming hosted by NCI student orgs: Women in Science (WIS), Women in Tech (WIT), Society of Women Engineers (SWE); for example: Faculty Networking Mixers, Career Panels, Tea with SWE.

  • Service project with Girls in Science and Tech (GiST), in collaboration with NCI student orgs.

  • NCI Programming, including a possible high-profile speaker series

  • Leadership development workshops & collaboration with Spark RLC

  • Opening and Closing events

  • Study breaks/self-care social activities

TIDES Courses

As a member of the Current RLC, you must take a Tulane Interdisciplinary Experience Seminary (TIDES) course that is affiliated with the RLC. The TIDES program offers first-year courses to students to promote interdisciplinary scholarship and exploration. For descriptions of the courses being offered in each RLC please see the RLC application. 

Residence Hall

The Current RLC will be located in Josephine Louise Hall for the 2024-2025 academic year.

How to Apply

The RLC application can be found on your Housing Portal when you apply for housing. You must fill out both a Housing Application AND an RLC Application to be considered for the RLC.