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The mathematical field of graph theory is a study of just that:  a study of mathematical figures consisting of points and lines connected to them. Yonghyun Song ’13 is serving as an intern for Associate Professor of Mathematics Sally Cockburn on a graph theory project. His work was supported by the Monica Odening Student Internship and Research Fund in Mathematics through the Career Center.

Adirondack Adventure (AA), Hamilton's eight-day outdoor program for incoming students, and its sister program Outreach Adventure (OA), will welcome members of the class of 2015 on Friday, Aug. 12, for pre-orientation.

Piscidin is an antimicrobial peptide found in hybrid striped bass which binds to cell membranes in order to destroy them. Victoria Bogen ’14, Robert Hayden ’14, Akritee Shrestha ’13, Leah Cairns ’13 and Christopher Rider ’12 are working with Associate Professor of Chemistry Myriam Cotten to conduct research on piscidin. Their research aims to solve the peptide’s structure and behavior in various conditions.

Silas D. Childs Professor of Chemistry Emeritus Robin B. Kinnel presented a poster titled “Two Unusual Chlorinated Metabolites from Lyngbya bouillonii Revealed by MALDI Analysis” at the 52nd national meeting of the American Society of Pharmacognosy on Aug. 1 in San Diego. The work, accomplished primarily while he was on sabbatical leave at Scripps Institution of Oceanography during the spring of 2010, capitalized on a new technique for discovering potentially useful natural products.

How to Determine the Meaning of a Sacred Text, a collection of 22 essays by Walcott-Bartlett Professor of Religion Jay Williams ’54, was recently published by Edwin Mellen Press. The essays, written over a period of almost 40 years, cover a variety of subjects including mythology, the Hebrew scriptures, Confucian texts, Buddhist texts, gospels and classical spiritual poetry.

For those who want to spend time abroad, the wide variety of choices can make it confusing and difficult to compare programs. GO! Overseas, an upstart company based in Berkeley, Calif., helps ease the process of going abroad through a website that compares different programs. Katherine Harloe ’12 is spending the summer as an editorial and marketing intern for GO! Overseas, writing articles and brainstorming ways to expand the website.

According to Jumpstart, a literacy program with locations all over the country, America is facing an “early education crisis.” Low-income neighborhoods seem to face a disadvantage when it comes to education, and children from these areas fall behind in their schooling much more easily. To help provide a solution to this education gap, Jumpstart offers a program designed to help at-risk students succeed. Joanna Leff ’12 is spending the summer as an intern with Jumpstart.

Christie Bell Vilsack K ’72 recently announced her intention to run for Congress in Iowa’s new Fourth Congressional District.

Hamilton’s Kirkland and Rogers glens offer beautiful forest paths for joggers, dog-walkers and nature lovers. Hidden within the lush greenery, a well-trained eye can spot several plant species growing there that aren’t native to the glens. Invasive plant species in forests have the potential to interfere with native plants and animals, as well as disrupt the microbial balance of the soil. Five biology students and Professor Bill Pfitsch are mapping these unwelcome visitors in a summer research project.

By organizing all eukaryotic species into groups and depicting their evolution in a tree-like structure, researchers shape a better understanding of how different sets of organisms relate to one another and how they evolved. However beneficial these trees might be, there is some debate as to which genetic markers should serve as the trees’ organizing principle, as well as which method of grouping should be utilized. Tani Leigh ’12 is working with Assistant Professor of Biology Wei-Jen Chang this summer to create a new version of the eukaryotic phylogenetic tree using ribosomal proteins.