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A combination of social oppression, poverty and discrimination has kept Mayan women in Guatemala from raising their voices and using their full potential. Deaf women in particular are stripped of their rights and made to believe that they have no worth. This summer Mariela Meza ’13 interviewed Guatemalan women in the highland community of Nahuala in an effort to prove that they can be valuable contributors to their community. Meza’s work was funded through an Emerson Summer Grant.

According to Jumpstart, a literacy program with locations all over the country, America is facing an “early education crisis.” Low-income neighborhoods seem to face a disadvantage when it comes to education, and children from these areas fall behind in their schooling much more easily. To help provide a solution to this education gap, Jumpstart offers a program designed to help at-risk students succeed. Joanna Leff ’12 is spending the summer as an intern with Jumpstart.

As much as science has uncovered about the human brain, the relationship between brain and movement remains relatively unclear. For example, when attempting to point to or touch a specific, moving target, response times vary based on a wide variety of factors. This  summer, Elin Lantz ’13 and Robert Hawkins ’13 along with Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience Jonathan Vaughan will study how speed and accuracy of movement are different in the right and left hands.

The political climate in many South American countries is difficult to contemplate.  Ecuador, for example, must cope with a divided population, a struggling democracy, and a president whose power is steadily -- and perhaps dangerously -- increasing. In an attempt to shed some light on Ecuador’s government, Kevin Tutasig ’13  will complete a Summer 2011 Levitt Leadership Program Public Service Internship in Quito, Ecuador, with the Ecuadorian National Assembly.

The Hamilton College Chapter of Sigma Xi, the scientific research society, initiated 27 members of the Class of 2011 to associate membership at the annual banquet in the Science Center Atrium on May 20. Family members in attendance heard a program of brief observations by mentors about the students and their research.

In a weakened school system that faces continual budget cuts, co-curricular field trips are usually among the first programs that schools discontinue. In Washington, D.C., this rings especially true, as an increasing number of middle schools are deciding to drop field trips from their curriculum.

Many Hamilton students take advantage of their junior year to spend a semester studying overseas. Affiliated programs with Hamilton provide myriad opportunities in every corner of the globe, so students have the freedom to choose a study abroad program specifically catered to their interests. For Gabe Hage ’12, a semester at the University of Sydney in Sydney, Australia, was a perfect fit—Hage is an Ultimate Frisbee fanatic and is dividing his time in Sydney between his studies, travel and his favorite sport.

Eight student delegates from Hamilton attended the European Union Simulation Conference (EuroSim) in Philadelphia from March 31-April 3. Alan Cafruny, the Henry Platt Bristol Professor of International Affairs and faculty advisor of Hamilton’s Model European Union, also attended the conference which included 166 undergraduate and graduate students from Europe and North America.

Galia Slayen ’13, who with and Perry Ryan ’12 provided the impetus for Hamilton’s participation in the National Eating Disorder Awareness Week (NEDAW), will be featured on NBC’s Today Show on Thursday, April 14, in a segment that will air in Utica on WKTV in the 11 a.m. hour. An essay by Slayen was also featured on Huffington Post titled “The Scary Reality of a Real-Life Barbie Doll” on April 8.

Alexandria Nicholson-Dotson ’11 has been awarded Hamilton’s prestigious Bristol Fellowship. The Bristol Fellowship was begun in 1996 as part of a gift to the college by William M. Bristol Jr., (Class of 1917).  Created by his family, the fellowship is designed to encourage Hamilton students to experience the richness of the world by living outside the United States for one year and studying an area of great personal interest.