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Due to the limited capacity of the brain to repair itself, strokes are the leading cause of adult disability. Although physical and occupational therapy can encourage damaged brain circuits to recover by enhancing their activity, such strategies are hampered by patient participation, limited ability to increase the therapy "dose" and the labor-intensive nature of the methods. However, several new classes of drugs have recently been developed that stimulate brain activity after strokes, possibly leading to increased neural repair and recovery.

A critical concern for U.S. policymakers is how to secure a reliable source of energy in the coming years. Even as fears about a decline in global petroleum reserves lead the country to use the range of its diplomatic options to achieve "energy security," competition for resources is intensifying with the economic growth of countries like Russia, China and India. As a Levitt Fellow this summer, Cameron Gaylord '09 (Westport, Conn.) is delving into these issues, studying the global political arena to assess the challenges that finite energy resources present for international policy.

Members of Hamilton's Class of 2012 arrive on campus on Saturday, Aug. 23, to begin five days of new student orientation before classes begin on Aug. 28. Activities will include opening ceremonies, an address by Hamilton President Joan Hinde Stewart, a new volunteer service initiative, advising sessions and academic information sessions, as well as an all-campus barbecue, first-year Field Days and Big Prize Bingo.

Members of Hamilton's Class of 2012 arrive on campus on Saturday, Aug. 23, to begin five days of new student orientation before classes begin on Aug. 28. Activities will include opening ceremonies, an address by Hamilton President Joan Hinde Stewart, a new volunteer service initiative, advising sessions and academic information meetings, as well as an all-campus barbecue, first-year Field Days and Big Prize Bingo.

Although Cristina Garafola '11 (Sparta, N.J.) only started learning Chinese this year, she has a long-standing interest in languages. Garafola studied German and Latin in high school, and continued learning German in her first year of college. Having taken several different languages with different teachers, she noticed that as a student, her mastery of the language depended on the methods of instruction. "The way the teachers taught really affected how much we were able to learn," she says. This summer Garafola is researching how different teaching methods contributed to the acquisition of Chinese as a second language at study abroad programs in Beijing.

Assistant Professor of Comparative Literature Anjela Peck presented a paper titled "The Libros plúmbeos and the Divine Feminine: Mary, Alchemy and the Magical Star of Solomon" at an International Conference on Conversos and Moriscos in Segovia, Spain, in June.

This weekend, the Stanley Theatre will open its doors for a unique piece of community action and entertainment. For the Good Inc., a non-profit organization started by Kirkland alumna Cassandra Harris-Lockwood '74, has collaborated with the youth of Utica and Cornhill to stage The Wonderful Wizard of Was, an adaptation of L. Frank Baum's children's classic set in Utica. The show, which is written and produced by Harris-Lockwood, features some of the best-known songs from Quincy Jones' The Wiz and the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. The Utica production is directed by T. K. Howard. Doris Yager, originator of the locally famed Rhythmlites, is the associate producer, and Hamilton Professor of Music Michael "Doc" Woods serves as music director, as well as the arranger and pit conductor.

Although Hamilton students have traveled to different sites across the country this summer in pursuit of research opportunities, conducting fieldwork doesn't necessarily involve traveling to a remote area. Some sites are found right in Central New York. Megan Fung '10, Katie Giuliano '10 and Ryan Jorrey '10, working with Joel W. Johnson Family Professor of Geosciences Eugene Domack, are studying a well-known local landmark, mapping the sedimentology of the east end of Oneida Lake.

While most rising college seniors relax during their last free summer, Matt Crowson got a head-start on his upcoming Senior Fellowship with an internship at the University of Chicago Department of Medicine's Biomedical Informatics Center. The Center uses computer applications to sift through vast amounts of biochemical information in the hope of accelerating the pace of medical research. An aspiring M.D./Ph.D., Crowson reports that he tackled a cutting-edge project called "BioMedLEE."

According to a recent press release, the National Kidney Foundation serving Upstate New York has announced Hamilton College alumna, Ann Russ, PhD, of the University of Rochester as a grant award winner for her research.  Russ' investigation into the decision-making process among elderly dialysis patients regarding treatment near end of life and the roles of family and clinicians in the decision making process is one of several projects within the psychiatry department at the University of Rochester that she has studied.