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Hydrate inclusion compounds are compounds in which water crystallizes to form "cages," for example, hydrogen-bonded host lattices, that can physically enclose, on the atomic scale, other molecules, called "guests. The semi-clathrate hydrates are one type of hydrate inclusion compound. As their name implies, the semi-clathrates are only partial inclusion compounds because parts of their water cages are broken to accommodate large guest molecules. Fallon Chipidza '10 (Harare, Zimbabwe) is working with Assistant Professor of Chemistry Camille Jones with several semi-clathrate hydrates to more closely analyze the water-guest relationship in these inclusion compounds. Her goal is to determine the exact water of hydration for three guest molecules: tetra-n-butyl ammonium fluoride (TBAF), chloride (TBAC), and bromide (TBAB). The term "water of hydration" refers to water molecules that are chemically combined with the salts in such a way that they can be removed by physical means without substantially changing the chemical composition of the salts.

Associate Professor of Dance Leslie Norton is the author of a new book, Frederic Franklin: A Biography of the Ballet Star (McFarland & Company, July, 2007). Franklin is one of the greatest ballet dancers of the twentieth century and is still performing at the age of 93, dancing principal roles for American Ballet Theatre. In writing the book, Norton conducted more than 60 hours of taped interviews with Franklin and his most noteworthy colleagues

Alumni, parents and friends of Hamilton College contributed $30.8 million during the fiscal year that ended June 30, an increase of 45 percent over the previous year and 32 percent more than the previous record, set a decade ago.

The Nominations Committee of the Alumni Council invites recommendations for the 2008 Distinguished Service Award. Presented by the Council on behalf of the Alumni Association, the award recognizes an employee who has substantially contributed to Hamilton through distinguished job performance and through involvement in student, alumni, or other activities in the College community. At the time of selection, the recipient must be an active member of Hamilton's faculty, administration, staff, or maintenance and operations. 

Nine current and former Hamilton chemistry students published an article in the International Journal of Quantum Chemistry with former postdoctoral associate Steve Feldgus, co-director of the Center for Molecular Design Karl Kirschner, and Winslow Professor of Chemistry George Shields. The students involved were Katrina Lexa '05, Katherine Alser '09, Amanda Salisburg '08, Damien Ellens '03, Lorena Hernandez '03, Sam Bono '00, Heather Michael '07, Jennifer Derby '01, and Jaime Skiba '02. Their research article, "The Search for Low Energy Conformational Families of Small Peptides: Searching for Active Conformations of Small Peptides in the Absence of a Known Receptor," is the result of six years of research.

Eric Kuhn ’09 published an interview this month with White House Photographer and Special Assistant to the President Eric Draper in PBase Magazine. The Washington Examiner picked up on the Pbase article and reported on both Kuhn and this interview in its newspaper and on its Web site. He met Draper in the West Wing while participating in Hamilton’s Washington, D.C., program last semester. It took Kuhn two years to arrange for the interview, contacting Draper on a regular basis. Draper was able to schedule an interview on Kuhn’s last day in the D.C. program.

Associate Professor of Dance Leslie Norton spoke at Jacob's Pillow, Mass., on July 14 about her new book, Frederic Franklin: A Biography of the Ballet Star, which has just been released by McFarland & Co., Inc.  Franklin, one of the greatest ballet dancers of the twentieth century, joined Norton for the talk, which is part of the festival's "Pillow Talk" series. Jacob's Pillow hosts an internationally renowned dance festival each summer, presenting the works of some of the world's finest dance companies, dancers and choreographers.

Only half an hour from the Hamilton College campus, near Fayetteville, N.Y., there is a rare biological spectacle lying hidden from casual eyes. Green Lake is one of the few meromitic lakes in the world. The term "meromitic" refers to that while most lakes have constant water cycling (water that was at the top of the lake one week could be at the bottom the next) Green Lake has virtually none, leading to portions of water that have been on the bottom of the lake for hundreds of years. For practical purposes, such as swimming or boating, the distinction makes little difference but Greg Ray '08 (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and Tara Apo '10 (Maui, HI) and their research advisors Professor of Biology Jinnie Garrett and Assistant Professor of Biology Michael McCormick aren't there to swim. Instead, the team is working to gain new insights into the levels, patterns, and characteristics of diversity in one of the world's most unique and understudied ecosystems.

Cuttlefish, dogfish, and puffer-fish are not common household pets, but Genevieve Flanders '09 is getting up-close and personal with them this summer. She is spending the summer as an intern at the Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) in Massachusetts where she works with those as well as Hermissenda crassicornis sea slugs.

The self-help industry can solve your problems, but at what cost? Melissa Kong ’08 (Sunnyside, N.Y.), who has an Emerson grant to study the self-help revolution, is particularly interested in the gendered assumptions behind our lively self-help culture. Working with the Elihu Root Peace Fund Associate Professor of Women's Studies Vivyan Adair, Kong will research and report on the cultural phenomenon of self-help through the lens of feminist, racial, and cultural criticism.