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While most Hamilton researchers spent their summer in the Science Center, Lisa Fontes '09 (West Danville, Vt.) traveled to the Nevada desert to work on her research project. Fontes and 12 other Hamilton students participated in the College's 2007 Archaeological Field School, which was located about 35 miles from Ely, Nevada. For six weeks, the group studied sites in the central Great Basin, focusing on areas inhabited by Paleoindians 8,000 to 11,000 years ago. They investigated land use, mobility patterns, subsistence strategies, and other aspects of the lifestyle and cultural ecology of early Great Basin people.

Work created by Associate Professor of Art Ella Gant is on exhibit now through October 23 at Light Work, an arts center focused on the mediums of photography and digital imaging. As a recipient of one of the 33rd Annual Light Work Grants in Photography, Gant is exhibiting her work with two other recipients, Brantley Carroll and David Moore. A gallery reception will be held on Thursday, Sept. 6, from 5 – 8 p.m. The exhibition and reception are free and open to the public.

Professor of French John C. O'Neal traveled to Washington, D.C. in August to serve on the Romance Studies panel of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). College and university professors as well as independent scholars compete for the fellowships program funded by NEH. The Endowment received some 1400 fellowship applications for the 37 different panels this year. Currently, 12-month fellowships provide $50,400 in support for research projects. The panel in Romance Studies on which O'Neal served consisted of five members, four of whom came from large research universities. They reviewed a total of 44 proposals. NEH estimates that one out of every 10 proposals will ultimately receive funding.

Hamilton students migrate south for the summer, leaving one Hill for another, and Maura Kernan ’08 was one of several Hamiltonians interning in Washington, D.C. this summer. While some of her classmates worked in senatorial offices, Kernan had a position with the Department of Labor in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, where she worked as a research assistant under the directorate of science, technology and medicine.

Living in America, we tend to take the existence of democracy and the separation of church and state as a given. Andrew Gumbiner '08 (Glencoe, Ill.) is interested, however, in the parts of the world where this is not necessarily true. Gumbiner, a world politics major, was awarded a Levitt Fellowship this summer to research the current culture of democracy in the Middle East.

Visiting Instructor of Art Sylvia de Swaan is among the invited artists exhibiting photographs in the Cazenovia College Art Gallery Exhibition, Signs of Life, which opens on Thursday, Sept. 6. An artist's lecture and reception will be held on Sept. 6 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in the gallery. The exhibition, lecture and reception are free and open to the public. The show will close on Sept. 27.

Join alumni, faculty members, students and friends for Fallcoming '07 which will take place Thursday, Sept. 27 through Sunday, Sept. 30. During Fallcoming we will celebrate our inaugural Multicultural Reunion as well as a full schedule with world-class jazz, panel discussions and athletic contests.

Thump… thump… thump. Hamilton’s College Marshall John H. O’Neill struck the stage of Wellin Hall three times with his ceremonial staff to begin Hamilton’s 196th convocation. Thus began a new year for all the students and faculty on the Hill and the first for the newly matriculated Class of 2011. O’Neill’s call to order was followed by a brief invocation by College Chaplain Jeffrey McArn who appealed to the “Great Teacher” to give students the strength and enthusiasm to embrace the contentions that make the college experience so valuable.

Economics professors Ann Owen and Julio Videras published "Culture and Public Goods: The Case of Religion and the Voluntary Provision of Environmental Quality" in the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management in the September 2007 issue. The paper uses new statistical methods to characterize religious beliefs and concludes that culture does play a role in determining pro-environment behavior. Owen and Videras' research was supported by the Levitt Center's Sustainability Program via a grant from the Blue Moon Fund. Pragyan Pradhan '08 was a research assistant on the project.

A native of Hollywood, Calif., Lyndra Vassar '09 is, like many others in that area, interested in being a part of the entertainment industry. The rising junior is considering a career in entertainment law and decided to get a head start on work experience this summer. After some research, Vassar applied for and received a position as an intern with MTV Network's Press Department.