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Public schools, and particularly the teachers who staff these schools, play an integral part in shaping the future. Marcus Sesin ’13, a recipient of a 2011 Emerson Summer Grant, is studying the recent changes in tenure acquisition procedures in NYC public schools. Through interviews and research, Sesin hopes to understand the effect of the new procedures on teachers.

On July 26, a tornado touched down on the south side of Hamilton’s campus, uprooting or snapping more than 30 trees along the Kirkland Glen’s Bridle Path and around the Clinton Early Learning Center. Other damage included a destroyed bleacher in the South Campus Intramural Field. Terry Hawkridge, the assistant director of Grounds, Horticulture and Arboretum, has been overseeing the damage clean-up, while Geosciences Technician Dave Tewksbury has created a map of the damage.

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter linked to aggression, depression, and neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia. This summer, Anisha Bhanot ’13, Marla Marquez ’14 and Bridget Fitzpatrick ’13 conducted research on two serotonin receptor subtypes in male rats with regard to how different drugs affect each type of receptor. They worked under Douglas Weldon, the Stone Professor of Psychology and director of the Neuroscience Program.

Alexander Hamilton left an incredible legacy as a political and economic thinker. Centuries after his death, three Hamilton professors founded the Alexander Hamilton Institute for the Study of Western Civilization, an organization dedicated to providing innovative, educational programming about a wide range of topics. Marta Johnson ’13 was a summer intern for the institute, supported by Hamilton’s Eckman Fund through the Career Center.

With the latest advances in prosthetic and orthotic technology, injured people can resume many activities. The field of prosthetics is particularly important to military personnel, many of whom face loss of limb from their injuries. Lauren Brousseau ’12 is a summer intern in the Prosthetic and Orthotic Service at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Her internship is supported by the Jeffery Fund through the Career Center.

Although millions of people rely on optometrists to keep their eyes healthy and improve their vision, the inner-workings of an optometrist’s office are rarely seen by the patient. Kayla Brenden ’13 is spending the summer as an intern for Morrison Eye Care in their Detroit Lakes and Mahnomen locations in Minnesota. Her internship is supported by the Anderson Fund through the Career Center.

African asylum-seekers and refugees who go to Israel are frequently either turned away or face very difficult conditions. Henry Anreder '12, a recipient of a Levitt Research Fellowship Grant, is exploring the issues surrounding African refugees in Israel for his project with Professor of Government Steve Orvis.

The chemicals in pharmaceutical drugs must be carefully controlled to ensure that only one specific 3-D arrangement of each molecule ends up in the drug. However, separating very similar chemicals from a solution can pose significant challenges to researchers. This summer four students are working under Visiting Assistant Professor of Chemistry Timothy Chapp to separate phosphine enantiomers.

Disadvantaged children in struggling schools are often not given a chance to succeed, and public school systems are sometimes unable to find the resources to encourage or inspire some of their students. Emma Simmons ’11 is working as a teaching fellow for Citizen Schools, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering students from struggling schools across the country.

If modern medicine fails to adequately treat a condition, some patients turn to alternative healing methods. Francis Holistic Medical Center in West Boylston, Mass., provides this approach to healing. Emily Gaudet ’12 is an intern at the Francis Holistic Medical Center, where she interacts directly with patients and helps provide administrative support. Gaudet’s internship is supported by the Jeffrey Fund through the Career Center.