2024: The Year in Photos

From star-studded speakers at the Bucknell Forum to the spectacular display of the Aurora Borealis painting the skies across campus, Emily Paine, photography supervisor and photography editor for Bucknell Magazine, and James T. Giffen, communications photographer and production assistant, have captured a broad spectrum of events at Bucknell University. With more than 200,000 images made in 2024, Paine and Giffen share the behind-the-scenes stories of the year's most memorable moments.

January

With a fresh layer of snow on the ground, students walk through the Science Quad to get to class. Photo by Emily Paine, Marketing & Communications

"There's something about fresh snow on the ground that immediately enhances the campus's beauty," says Paine. "There's still snow clinging to the branches of the trees, the students look happy, and it's the beginning of a new semester and a new year."

February

Professor Gulay Guzel, markets, innovation and design (MIDE), teaches a MIDE 201 class in Holmes Hall. Photo by Emily Paine, Marketing & Communications

"This space is emblematic of the modern-day classroom — it's airy, filled with natural light and home to some of the most dynamic and innovative work taking place in the Freeman College of Management," says Paine. "The cool thing about taking this photo is that I also got to hang around and hear part of a lecture on consumer research. I got to be this fly on the wall, and I came away from it feeling like I really learned some cool, fascinating facts."

March

During a Bucknell Forum Q&A session, Academy Award-winning actor, activist and author Jane Fonda shares stories about her life and career with students from an integrated perspectives class. Photo by Emily Paine, Marketing & Communcations

"A lot of the Bucknell Forum guests are on pretty tight schedules when they visit, which is why it was so remarkable that Jane Fonda ended up spending much more than her allotted time with the students," says Paine. "She genuinely engaged with each one of them. It was so cool to see an A-list, Hollywood star sincerely enjoying her time with the students, and I think this photo captures how mutual that feeling was."

April

Marlee Olsson ’27 sits beneath blooming cherry blossoms on the Malesardi Quadrangle. Photo by Emily Paine, Marketing & Communications

"There's a traditional custom in Japan called 'Hanami,' and it refers to the act of enjoying the transient beauty of the cherry blossom blooms," says Paine. "We must take hundreds or even thousands of photos of the cherry blossoms on campus each year, but the reason I chose this one is because of how well it illustrates the concept of Hanami. Here's a student just soaking in the natural beauty of campus and springtime while writing in her notebook."

May

Members of the Class of 2024 celebrate their graduation at Bucknell's 174th Commencement ceremony. Photo by Emily Paine, Marketing & Communications

"Something that a lot of people might not know is that I have to carefully orchestrate the iconic photo of students throwing their caps in the air," says Paine. "Whenever Commencement ends, I jump up on the stage and, as loudly as possible, tell the students to throw their caps on the count of three. It's one of those shots where I have to rattle off the shutter at just the right moment. Once the caps are in the air, I basically have no control over what that will look like, but what I love about this photo is how they are perfectly framing the clock tower."

June

Fireworks explode above the clock tower over Bertrand Library during Reunion Weekend. Photo by Emily Paine, Marketing & Communications

"Bucknell has only been doing fireworks over the Freas Lawn for the last three years, and I've known ever since then how amazing it would be to photograph fireworks illuminating the clocktower. In fact, I'd been dying to capture an image just like this," says Paine. "They're coming up at just the right height, and the light looks really beautiful. Reunion is one of those events that makes me a little jealous that I didn't go to Bucknell as a student."

July

Professor Sarah Lower, biology, and her students conduct research into the use of pheromones and chemical communication between firefly species at the Forrest D. Brown Conference Center in Cowan, Pa. Photo by James T. Giffen, Marketing & Communications
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"Right when the researchers were wrapping up and everybody was getting ready to leave, I had the idea to take one more photo," says Giffen. "As it got darker and darker, the field just kept getting more and more blanketed with fireflies, so I asked everyone if they could go back out into the field and strike a comfortable pose, because I needed to take a longer exposure to capture the fireflies lighting up. Luckily, they were all game for it and we came away with a really standout image."

August

The Class of 2028 sings karaoke during the Hall Olympics games of Orientation. Photo by Emily Paine, Marketing & Communications

"Karaoke is one of my favorite things to photograph because you get a big group of students who are all genuinely absorbed in the moment," says Paine. "The Orientation Assistants are at the front of the crowd, motivating everyone else to sing along and perform all of the hand movements and dance moves. It's such a fun way for new students to get introduced to campus and get to know their hall mates."

September

Fall Fest is in full swing with free rides, food, student performances and more. Photo by Duc Thanh Nguyen '27

"One of my student photographers, Duc Thanh Nguyen '27, took this photo," says Paine. "One interesting thing is that, because it had rained, the carnival was moved from the lawn to the parking lot, so all of the rides were condensed into a smaller space. The effect is really neat, because the photo is bursting with energy and color, and I think Nguyen did a great job of capturing that feeling in a single scene."

October

The Aurora Borealis paint the sky over Bucknell's campus. Photo by Emily Paine, Marketing & Communications

"I'm in a Facebook group devoted to spotting the Aurora Borealis in Pennsylvania, so when I heard there was a chance it might be visible in our area, I was already on the lookout. Then, one night, I glanced out of my window and saw the sky glowing red, so I rushed to campus to grab my gear," says Paine. "At first, I was bummed because the lights weren't showing up on my camera, but I realized that I needed to do a longer exposure. The challenge with long exposures is that the longer the shutter stays open, the more you catch the motion and blur of the stars and the sky that is normally invisible to the naked eye. I probably was on campus for an hour just experimenting with different exposure lengths. In the end, 10 seconds was just right."

November

Students cast their votes on election day at the polling location in Weis Center. Photo by Emily Paine, Marketing & Communications

"Bucknell does a really good job of not only providing polling places on campus but also informing students about how they can participate in the election process. When I think back to being a college student, I don't think it even occurred to me that I could vote without traveling back home," says Paine.

December

Students, faculty, staff and community members gather in Rooke Chapel for the annual Christmas Candlelight Service. Photo by James T. Giffen, Marketing & Communications

"As a relatively new employee, I was really looking forward to the Christmas Candlelight Service because it's an iconic event that I'd heard about on numerous occasions upon arriving at Bucknell," says Giffen. "The Department of Music did a great job and Rooke Chapel was so nicely decorated. I'm glad I finally had the opportunity to see it in person."