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Andy Chen ’16, John McGuinnis ’16 and Zachary Pilson ’16 are applying the science behind a survivalist water-collecting technique to develop an alternative energy-generating device. With a Levitt Research Group Grant, the team is utilizing a method similar to solar stills to generate energy from falling condensation.

In speeches and debates, contemporary politicians often relate their values back to the principles of America’s founding fathers. However, how well they actually represent those ideals is disputable. In her Emerson Foundation project, “What Would Jefferson Do? The Jeffersonian Ideal and Modern Day Environmental Policy,” Claire Zurlo ’14 is examining how Thomas Jefferson’s political philosophy relates to today’s environmentalism.

Many Hamilton students consider themselves environmentally conscious and aware of the consequences of putting profits ahead of environmental conservation. Oil extraction, whether it is from shale deposits, sea floors or sands, can threaten natural habitats and introduce environmental pollutants. This summer, Nicholas Anastasi ‘15 is researching government transparency and rhetoric surrounding oil sand development in Alberta, Canada.

The New England Center for Children (NECC), a school for children diagnosed with autism, has a long-standing close relationship with Hamilton College.  NECC was founded by Hamilton alumnus, Vincent Strully Jr. ’69, who serves as chief executive officer. Each semester, students interested in education and psychology work and take courses there as part of Hamilton’s cooperative education program, managed by James L. Ferguson Professor of Psychology Jonathan Vaughan.  Rosmery Rodriguez ’15 is interning as a full-time teacher with the Center’s students this summer.

Many Hamilton students do not begin serious internship experiences until their sophomore or junior years. However, through a program called First Year Forward, 33 first-year students are working with the Career Center to participate in workshops throughout the academic year and complete career-related experience the summer following their first year at Hamilton. One such student is Sharon Yam ’16, who is interning with an education firm, Independent Placements.

Associate Professor of Sociology Stephen Ellingson is the author of a chapter in Religion in Consumer Society: Brands, Consumers, and Markets.  In his chapter, "Packaging Religious Experience, Selling Modular Religion: Explaining The Emergence and Expansion of Megachurches," Ellingson shows  how the growth and success of megachurches has been fueled by their ability to create new religious practices that are easily adapted across theological and denominational boundaries.

John Boudreau ’14, a history major, never expected to be an expert on art history. However, working as a communications intern at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute this summer has provided him a detailed knowledge of painters such as Winslow Homer. Boudreau has also been able to develop his writing skills and gain experience toward possible careers in curatorial work or journalism. His internship is supported by the Richard and Patsy Couper fund.

With tight budgets and even tighter refrigeration space, some schools find serving fresh meals to be a challenge.  The current state of school meals is an issue of concern, but one company is providing nutritious alternative options. Heather Krieger ’14 is interning this summer for Red Rabbit, a company providing New York City schools with farm fresh, healthy and sustainable food options.

An InsideHigherEd article titled “Majoring in a Professor,” focused on a paper, “Faculty Gatekeepers and Academic Taste in Undergraduate Students’ Choice of Major,”  co-authored by Dan Chambliss, the Eugene M. Tobin Distinguished Professor of Sociology,  and his former student Christopher G. Takacs, a Ph.D. student at the University of Chicago.  Takacs presented the paper on Aug. 10 at the American Sociology Association meeting in New York City.

For Meghan O’Sullivan ’15, immigration is not just an abstract policy issue. This summer, as part of the Kirkland Summer Associates Program, she is pursuing a research project, “Oral Expression of Refugee Women.” Her goal is to create a podcast that gives some insight into the first-hand experience of the refugee women who have come to Utica, N.Y.