All News

Although many children spend their summer vacations playing with bugs, few college students can say they get paid to do the same. While conducting an independent behavioral study of Madagascar hissing cockroaches may not exactly be “playing,” Emma Anderson ’17 is enjoying it nonetheless. Anderson, a prospective biology major, is working under the guidance of Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology Heather Mallory to examine the relationship between the cockroaches and the mites that live on them.

Although many people are frightened of the apian workers, honeybees are an integral link in the global food chain. Since 2006, there has been a noted increase in the prevalence of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) across the world. While many postulations exist, the definitive cause of this devastating phenomenon is not known. Jon Shapiro ’17, in coordination with Analytical Instrumentation Specialist Greg Rahn, is spending the summer conducting research as part of his project, “HPLC Analysis of Neonicotinoid Pesticides in Honey and Their Effects on the Kirkland Area.”

Although hundreds of students enroll in science courses every semester, doing summer research is “so much different than any lab class,” says Hannah Ferris ’16. Ferris, who is conducting organic synthesis methodology research under the auspices of Assistant Professor of Chemistry Max Majireck, is so fascinated by the project that she will be continuing her research with an independent study in the fall.

Although many people might not find archaeology as exciting as it’s portrayed in the Indiana Jones franchise, Morgan Biggs ’16 does. Biggs, an archaeology major, is working with Assistant Professor of Archaeology Nathan Goodale to analyze artifacts from the Slocan Narrows Archaeological Project (SNAP). Last summer, Biggs attended Hamilton’s field school, led by Goodale, and excavated artifacts from the Slocan Narrows Pithouse Village in southeastern British Columbia, Canada.

Professor of Physics Seth Major was quoted in an Inside Science article titled “Spacetime May be a Slippery Fluid.” The article described theories about the nature of gravity and how the cosmos works in its entirety.

The Hamilton College Chapter of Sigma Xi, the scientific research society, initiated 24 members of the Class of 2014 to associate membership on May 23 at the annual banquet in the Taylor Science Center Atrium. Three faculty members were initiated as full members.

Ten current and former Hamilton Chemistry Department faculty members co-authored a chapter titled “A Departmental Focus on High Impact Undergraduate Research Experiences” in a recently published edition of the American Chemical Society Symposium Series dedicated to “Developing and Sustaining a Successful Undergraduate Research Program.”

Robert Hayden ’14 has been awarded a research/study Fulbright Grant to Copenhagen, Denmark. He will spend the 2014-15 academic year studying epidemiology and the development of medicines, and apply that coursework to biomedical research with the Copenhagen Hepatitis C (CO-HEP) Program group under the direction of Professor Jens Bukh. Hayden is a biochemistry and molecular biology major at Hamilton.

Associate Professor of Chemistry Myriam Cotten gave an invited seminar presentation at the University of Maryland (Shady Grove) on March 24. Her talk titled “Bridging Structure, Dynamics, and Function in Antimicrobial Peptides: Insights from Studying Piscidin” focused on her ongoing research on how antimicrobial peptides recognize and kill bacteria.

An article by Professor of Geosciences and Upson Chair of Public Discourse Barbara Tewksbury was published in the Geological Society of America’s journal, Geology. Titled “Polygonal faults in chalk: Insights from extensive exposures of the Khoman Formation, Western Desert, Egypt,” the article appeared online on April 15 and will be included in the June print edition.