2012 SUMMER RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS

More than 120 Hamilton students are spending part of their summer conducting research with faculty members. From Clinton to Washington and Green Lakes to Greece, students are collaborating with Hamilton faculty members on Levitt Center public affairs-related research, Emerson fellowships and science research.

• Emerson recipients
• Levitt Summer Fellows
• Levitt Group Grant Recipients
• Science and Mathematics

Participants Listed by Discipline

Africana Studies Anthropology Art Art History Biology Biochemistry Chemistry Comparative Literature

Computer Science Economics English and Creative Writing Geosciences Government History Music Neuroscience

Philosophy Physics Psychology Psychology/Neuroscience Religious Studies Russian Studies Theatre Women's Studies

Africana Studies

David Snyder '13 and Visiting Assistant Professor of Africana Studies Crystal Endsley
Rhyme or Reason: The Development of Rhythm and Rhyme in Poetry of the 20th Century and Beyond

 

Anthropology

Madison Kircher '14 and Associate Professor of Anthropology Chaise LaDousa
Reading Between the Lines: Exploring Divisions of Cultural Literacy
 

Rebecca Weingarten '13 and Christopher Vasantkumar, the Luce Junior Professor of Asian Studies and Anthropology
Transnational Borders: Transnational Minds
 

Jin Zhou '15 and Professor Christopher Vasantkumar, the Luce Junior Professor of Asian Studies and Anthropology
Is "Gaokao" a fair game? – Understanding the Education Gap in China
 

Paige Cross '13, Trevor Howe '13, and Kara Vetrano '13 with Associate Professor of Anthropology Chaise LaDousa
Organizing to Teach Literacy, Reading Cultural Significance
 

Anna Zahm '13, Melissa Segura '14, and Grace Zielinski '14 with Associate Professor of Anthropology Chaise LaDousa
Learning Cultural Lessons While Seeking English in the United States
 
 

Art

Danielle Lashley '13  and Associate Professor of Art Rebecca Murtaugh
Domestic Spaces in Uncommon Places: The Role of Body and Space in Contemporary Art
 
 

Art History

Adriana Fracchia '14 and John McEnroe, the John and Anne Fischer Professor in Fine Arts
Excavation Research in Crete
 
 

Biology

Andrew Seraichick '13 and Professor of Biology Jinnie Garrett

 

Ethan Ayres '13 and Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology Ashleigh Smythe
Helminth Parasites of Neovison vison (American Mink) in Central New York
 

Barsha Baral '13 and Assistant Professor of Biology Wei-Jen Chang
Uncovering Phylogenetic Relationships between Nematodes using Ribosomal Molecular Markers
 

Eli Bunzel '13 and Assistant Professor of Biology Wei-Jen Chang
Vitamin C Synthesis/Metabolism, TBH Metabolism
 

Aaron Geiduschek '14 and Associate Professor of Biology William Pfitsch
Invasive Species at Hamilton College
 

Julia Gelissen '14 and David Gapp, the Silas D. Childs Professor of Biology
 

Rachel Green '14 and Assistant Professor of Biology Wei-Jen Chang
ICH Bacteria
 

Allison Hall '14 and Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology Brianne Barker
 

Agne Jakubauskaite '13 and Professor of Biology Herman Lehman
hMOX Characterization

 

Ravi Jariwala '13
ICH Bacteria
 

Rebecca Knipp '13 and Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology Ashleigh Smythe
Parasite Ecology
 

Salome Kuchukhidze '14 and Associate Professor of Biology William Pfitsch
Invasive Plant Biology
 

Tenzing Lama '13 and Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology Brianne Barker
Isolation and Study of RIG-I Genes from Non-Human Primate Groups
 

Jessica Li '14 and Professor of Biology Herman Lehman
TBhR Gene Research

James Liebow '13 and Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology Ashleigh Smythe
Nematode Species Description
 

Abigail Martin '14 and David Gapp, the Silas D. Childs Professor of Biology
 

Olusegun Ogunwomoju '15 and Professor of Biology Herman Lehman
TBhR Gene Research

Douglas Santoro '14 and Associate Professor of Biology William Pfitsch
Invasive Plant Ecology
 

Yonghyun Song '13 and Assistant Professor of Biology Wei-Jen Chang
Tetrahymena Gene Expression Analysis by Machine Learning
 

Matthew Therkelsen '12
ICH Bacteria

Dominic Veconi '15 and Assistant Professor of Biology Wei-Jen Chang
ICH Bacteria
 

Ashley Williams '14 and David Gapp, the Silas D. Childs Professor of Biology

 

Biochemistry

Kimberly Bogardus '14 and Associate Professor of Chemistry Myriam Cotten
Understanding Why we Stay Healthy: Structure-Function Relationship Studies in Host Defense Peptides Spanning All Kingdoms of Life
 

Joseph Lobel '13 and Assistant Professor of Biology Wei-Jen Chang
Transcription Factors in Tetrahymena
 

Chemistry

Robert Clayton '15 and Assistant Professor of Chemistry Adam Van Wynsberghe
Computational Investigations of Protein-Ligand Binding
 

Gabrielle Fleming '14 and Robin Kinnel, the Silas D. Childs Professor of Chemistry Emeritus
Toward the Synthesis of Di- and Trichlorobouillonamide
 

Cam Ha '14 and Professor of Chemistry Karen Brewer
Synthesis and Characterization of Sol-Gel Encapsulation of Rare Earth Chelated Complexes
 

Leah Krause '14 and Assistant Professor of Chemistry Adam Van Wynsberghe
Computational Investigations of Protein-Ligand Binding
 

Daniel Mermelstein '14 and Robin Kinnel, the Silas D. Childs Professor of Chemistry Emeritus
Synthesis and Activity of Depsipeptides Related to the Active Site of Alpha-fetoprotein
 

Jonathan Michel '13 and Professor of Chemistry Karen Brewer
 

Akritee Shrestha '13 and Associate Professor of Chemistry Myriam Cotten
Effect of Lipid Structure on Piscidins
 

Bryce Timm '15 and Robin Kinnel, the Silas D. Childs Professor of Chemistry Emeritus
Synthesis of Cryptomaldamide Stereoisomers
 

Kathleen Vaughan '13 and Robin Kinnel, the Silas D. Childs Professor of Chemistry Emeritus
Toward the Synthesis of Di- and Trichlorobouillonamides
 

Duy Vo '14 and Professor of Chemistry Karen Brewer
 

Chris Whiting '14 and Associate Professor of Chemistry Myriam Cotten
Structure-Function Relationship Studies in Membrane-Active Peptides
 

Mandy Wong '15 and Professor of Chemistry Karen Brewer
Preparation and Fluorescence of Sol-Gel Encapsulated Rare Earth Chelated Compounds
 

Alvin Wu '13 and Assistant Professor of Chemistry Adam Van Wynsberghe
Characterization of the Association between Neuraminidase and Sialic Acid using Molecular Dynamics Simulations
 
 

Comparative Literature

Alex Pure '13 and Visiting Assistant Professor of Comparative Literature Janelle Schwartz
Pentimento: A Study of Literary Form in Funetes' Aura
 
 

Computer Science

Duo Gong '14 and Associate Professor of Computer Science Alistair Campbell
Collaborative Heterogeneous Cognitive Robotics
 

Sarah Hammond '14 and Associate Professor of Computer Science Mark Bailey
An Investigation of Capture, Analysis and Visualization of Programming Sessions
 

Eric Murray '13 and Stuart Hirshfield, the Stephen Harper Kirner Chair of Computer Science
Brain-Computer Interaction Techniques Applied to Human-Computer Interface and Adaptive Systems
 

Diane Paverman '13 and Stuart Hirshfield, the Stephen Harper Kirner Chair of Computer Science
Brain-Computer Interaction Techniques Applied to Human-Computer Interface and Adaptive Systems
 

Carson Potter '14 and Associate Professor of Computer Science Alistair Campbell
Collaborative Heterogeneous Cognitive Robots
 

Justin Smith '14 and Associate Professor of Computer Science Mark Bailey
An investigation of capture, analysis, and visualization of programming sessions
 
 

Economics

Julian Aronowitz '14 with Professor of Economics Elizabeth Jensen
A Network Analysis of the Interconnectivity of Financial Firms
 

Beril Esen '13 with Lecturer in Economics Nesecan Balkan
Domestic Violence against Women in Istanbul, Turkey
 

Max Schnidman '14 and Professor of Economics Erol Balkan
From Sanctuary to Second Life: Analyzing Virtual Markets
 

Pauline Wafula '13 with Associate Professor of Economics Stephen Wu
Female Education and HIV/AIDS Prevalence in Kenya
 

Nicholas Andres Yepes '15 with Assistant Professor of Economics Emily Conover
A Needs Assessment of Guarani Migrant Entrepreneurs in Asuncion, Paraguay
 
 

English and Creative Writing

Martin Cain '13 and Professor of English Onno Oerlemans
The Real is Surreal: Reinterpreting the Poetic Pastoral
 

Jimmy Nguyen '14 with Professor of English and Creative Writing Doran Larson
A Comparative Study of Human and Constitutional Rights in Developed and Developing Countries
 

Genevieve Nierman '13 and Professor of English Steve Yao
The Lemon Soap: Joyce's Ulysses and the Marketing of Dublin Culture
 

Anna Paikert '13 and Associate Professor of English Tina Hall
Creative Writing: A Therapy for the Developmentally Disabled
 
 

Geosciences

Deanna Nappi '15 and Eugene Domack, the J. W. Johnson Family Professor of Environmental Studies
Antarctic Research
 

Dana Angell Leonard '13 and Associate Professor of Geosciences Todd Rayne
Groundwater - Surface Water Interactions in Waterville, NY
 

Catherine Smith '13 and Eugene Domack, the J. W. Johnson Family Professor of Environmental Studies
Sedimentology of Antarctic Glacial Marine Sequences
 

Rebecca Straw '14 and Eugene Domack, the J. W. Johnson Family Professor of Environmental Studies
Geophysical Survey of Oneida Lake
 

Hannah Wagner '15 and Eugene Domack, the J. W. Johnson Family Professor of Environmental Studies
Antarctic Research
 

Isabelle Weisman '15 and Associate Professor of Geosciences Todd Rayne
Groundwater - Surface Water Interactions in Waterville, NY
 

Clifford Yu '13 and Professor of Geosciences Barbara Tewksbury
Analysis of Polygonal Faults and Related Features in the Khoman Chalk, Western Desert, Egypt
 
 

Government

Matthew Ha '14 and Alan Cafruny, the Henry Platt Bristol Professor of International Affairs
Responding to the New North Korean Regime: A Reinvention of South Korean Foreign Policy
 

Martin Lavallee '14 with Professor of Government Stephen Orvis
Agrarian Land Reform in Honduras
 

Melissa Mann '13 with Assistant Professor of Government Peter Cannavo
Brownfields in Brooklyn: How Environmental Injustice is Affecting Latino Communities
 

Peter Adelfio '13 and Benjamin Anderson '14 with Philip Klinkner, the James S. Sherman Professor of Government
A Field Experiment Approach to Analyzing Voting Behavior
 
 

History

Xinyang Li '14 and Professor of History Tom Wilson
Does Confucianism Suggest A Methodology on How We Should Behave?
 

Joshua Yates '14 with Professor of History Shoshana Keller
Israel's Hidden Crisis: The Rise of Fundamental Judaism in Israeli Politics and Society
 
 

Music

Gabriel Mollica '14 and Associate Professor of Music Rob Hopkins
Musical Consequence in Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods
 

Benjamin Salzman '13 and Sam Pellman, the Lenord C. Ferguson Professor of Music
Selected Galaxies: Visual Music
 
 

Neuroscience

Emma Geduldig '13 and Jonathan Vaughan, the James L. Ferguson Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience
Action Planning and Motor Control
 

Sarah Ohanesian '14 and Assistant Professor of Psychology Serena Butcher
Hemispheric Specialization and Visual Field Effects
 

Samantha Otis '14 and Stone Professor of Psychology Doug Weldon
Immunocytochemical Localization of Calcium Binding Proteins in Rats
 
 

Philosophy

Sean Fujimori '14 and Rick Werner, the John Stewart Kennedy Professor of Philosophy
Yogis and Bodhisattvas: Traditions of Mysticism in Society
 
 

Physics

Emily Birch '14 and Associate Professor of Physics Seth Major
Foucault Pendulum
 

McKinley Brumback '14 and Assistant Professor of Physics Natalia Connolly
Astrophysics Research
 

Jillian Hallak '13 and Associate Professor of Physics Brian Collett
Stable LED Pulser for aCORN Calibration
 

Alexandra Huss '14 and Professor of Physics Ann Silversmith
Spectroscopy of Rare Earth Based Solids
 

Elizabeth Jonathan '13 and Professor of Physics Ann Silversmith
Rare Earth Spectroscopy
 

Spencer Olsson '14 and Assistant Professor of Physics Natalia Connolly
ICH Gene Interaction nNetwork Research
 

Katie Pierce '14 and Assistant Professor of Physics Natalia Connolly
Exploring Novel Statistical Techniques for Astrophysical Applications
 

Kevin Rovelli '15 and Professor of Physics Ann Silversmith
Spectroscopy Research
 

Sunrose Shrestha '14 and Professor of Physics Ann Silversmith
Spectroscopy Research
 

Kerkira Stockton '14 and Associate Professor of Physics Brian Collett
aCORN Data Analysis
 

Nicholas Sylvester '13 and Associate Professor of Physics Brian Collett
aCORN

Brandon Wilson '14 and Associate Professor of Physics Brian Collett
Hot Filament Alignment
 
 

Psychology

Sarah Andrews '14 and Jonathan Vaughan, the James L. Ferguson Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience
Action Planning and Motor Control
 

Summer Bottini '14 and Visiting Assistant Professor of Psychology Michael Frederick
Needless Bar-Pressing: Contrafreeloading in Quinpirole-Treated Rats
 

Hallie Brown '13 and Visiting Assistant Professor of Psychology Michael Frederick
Compulsive Bar Pressing: Contrafreeloading in Quinpirole-Treated Rats under Varying Schedules of Reinforcement
 

Bonnie Buis '13 and Assistant Professor of Psychology Jeremy Skipper
Language, Action and Brain
 

Kelsey Burke '13 and Stone Professor of Psychology Douglas Weldon
Immunocytochemical Localization of Calcium Binding Proteins in Rats
 

Beril Esen '13 and Associate Professor of Psychology Jennifer Borton
Correlates of Fragile Self-Esteem
 

Bradley Hagan '15 and Assistant Professor of Psychology Jeremy Skipper
Language, Action and Brain
 

Livia Houston '13 and Assistant Professor of Psychology Jeremy Skipper
Language, Action and Brain
 

Daniel Lustberg '14 and Assistant Professor of Psychology Jeremy Skipper
Language, Action and Brain
 

Jose Mendez Guherrez '14 and Associate Professor of Psychology Jennifer Borton
Correlates of Fragile Self-Esteem
 

Susannah Parkin '13 and Associate Professor of Psychology Jennifer Borton
Correlates of Fragile Self-Esteem
 

Scott Pillette '14 and Visiting Assistant Professor of Psychology Michael Frederick
Contrafreeloading
 

Sandy Rao '14 and Assistant Professor of Psychology Jeremy Skipper
Language, Action and Brain
 

Allison Reeder '14 and Stone Professor of Psychology Douglas Weldon
Serotonegic Effects on Accoustic Startle Responses in Rats
 

Quan Wan '13 and Assistant Professor of Psychology Jeremy Skipper
Language, Action and Brain
 

John Wildman '15 and Jonathan Vaughan, the James L. Ferguson Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience
Action Planning and Motor Control
 
 

Psychology/Neuroscience

Liza Gergenti '14 and Visiting Assistant Professor of Psychology Michael Frederick
Contrafreeloading
 

Ramya Ramnath '13 and Assistant Professor of Psychology Serena Butcher
Hemispheric Specialization and Visual Field Effects
 
 

Religious Studies

Kathleen Herlihy '14 and Assistant Professor of Religious Studies Erich Fox Tree
Helping Hands: The Application of Sign Language in Classical Art
 

William Sinton '13 and Richard Seager, the Bates and Benjamin Professor of Classical and Religious Studies
Sands of the Spirit: The Influence and Legacy of the Desert Mothers and Fathers of Early Christian Monasticism
 
 

Russian Studies

Grace Lee '13 and Associate Professor of German and Russian Languages and Literatures Frank Sciacca
Ivan the Fool Enters the Kremlin: The Interplay of Russian Folklore and Modern Political Process
 
 

Theatre

Danielle Brockmann ’13 and Associate Professor of Theatre Mark Cryer
A Leurs Yeux
 

Amanda Fox '13 and Katherine Delesalle '14 with Visiting Assistant Professor of Theatre Andrew Holland
Bricks: An Intersection of Community and Architecture
 

Victoria Harbour '14 and Erika Marte '15 with Professor of Theatre Carole Bellini-Sharp
Bricks: An Intersection of Community and Architecture
 
 

Women's Studies

Ashley Perritt '14 with Vivyan Adair, the Elizabeth J. McCormack Associate Professor of Women's Studies
Emergency Room Profiling in High and Low Income Neighborhoods