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The Hamilton College Arboretum Association hosted a family day on Saturday, July 19. More than 100 people participated in Root Glen walks, a scavanger hunt, storytelling, and fairy house building.

Daniel Chambliss, Eugene M. Tobin Distinguished Professor of Sociology, was quoted in The Chronicle of Higher Education in a July 21 article titled "Spellings Campaign Runs Low on Time and Power to Persuade." As a member of the executive committee of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, Chambliss was invited to the previous week's Spellings Summit in Chicago.

Maxwell Akuamoah-Boateng '09 (Winneba, Ghana/Syracuse, N.Y.) says that his work this summer is about "applying classroom skills to real-life situations." Akuamoah-Boateng is working in Portland, Maine, in the Minority Health Program (MHP), a division of the city's Health and Human Services Department. The Minority Health Program works to decrease disparities in the healthcare system by providing the city's minority ethnic groups with health services and information such as interpreting services, house visits to follow-up with patients, information services for patients, and any other needed aid.

On the 36th day of Run for the Fallen, the cross-country memorial relay for soldiers killed in Iraq, a flag was planted in memory of Hamilton alumnus Michael Cleary '03. Members of the relay team attached the flag to a placard detailing Cleary's life and service at 9:30 a.m. CDT on Sunday, July 20. Cleary's flag was the 29th of 58 flags planted during the day's 58-mile run between Winfield and Longton Kansas.

As I entered the computer lab, Trevor Pedrick '09 sat tranquilly waiting with a cup of Earl Grey tea in his hand. I learned quickly that 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. are tea time on the chemistry floor of the science building. Pedrick deserves a much needed break after working hard on encapsulating peroxidases into Sol-gel. A peroxidase is a type of enzyme. Enzymes are used to speed up chemical reactions. Trevor spends most of his day working with peroxidases as well as halophenols. Halophenols, acting as a substrate, are the chemical compound that reacts with the enzyme. In this case, the halophenol substrate loses a halogen group in the reaction.

Often the word "research" conjures up images of poring through books or staring through microscopes, sitting in a library or working in a lab. But research can also involve the most current issues affecting people's lives. Robin Joseph '09 (Watertown, Mass.) is taking the latter route, using her knowledge of women's studies and desire to advocate for women to a project investigating the issue of female mutilation.

Cheng Li, William R. Kenan Professor of Government and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, has published "China's Fifth Generation: Is Diversity a Source of Strength or Weakness?" in the July issue of Asia Policy. The abridged article will appear in its complete form in a forthcoming publication based on The National Bureau of Asian Research's "Emerging Leaders in East Asia" project.

The 40-year-old Kirner-Johnson Building is getting a major facelift and Phase 1 construction is on schedule for faculty move-in by July 28. Interior finish work is in high gear as painting, window installation and flooring near completion. Bill Huggins, associate director of Physical Plant, said "our goal is to wrap construction around July 23 then have opportunities for moves and furniture delivery and to start shifting offices." 

Sometimes obtaining a Hamilton degree involves much more than just a student's experience on the Hill. For Kristin Webster '09, studying neuroscience has involved the entire spectrum of topics, from the research at the cellular level under Associate Professor of Biology Herman Lehman to classes on abnormal psychology and neuropsychology during a spring abroad at Oxford University. This summer, Webster is adding practical experience in neuropsychology to the list, interning at John Heinz Rehabilitation Center in Wilkes Barre, Pa.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution on July 15 sponsored by Representative Michael A. Arcuri (D-Utica) congratulating the Hamilton College Continentals on winning the NCAA Division III women's lacrosse championship.