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For Kat Lexa '05, Heather Michael '07 and Meghan Dunn (George Washington '06), examining nearly 36,000 different molecular structures has proven both difficult and rewarding. The students are spending this summer in Hamilton's new Science Center studying the molecular composition of peptides in an effort to eventually produce a more effective drug for the treatment of breast cancer.

Mark Cryer, assistant professor of theater, will perform "99 Questions You've Always Wanted to Ask an African-American" at the Edinburgh (Scotland) Fringe Theatre Festival, Aug. 22-27. The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the biggest and best known arts festival in the world, with more than 20,000 performances, 10,000 artists and 200 venues.  Cryer was also elected editor of The Beat, the newsletter of the Association of Theatre in Higher Education.

Ann Silversmith, professor of physics, has been awarded funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for the acquisition of equipment for "Thermal and Optical Studies of Sol-gel Materials Containing Rare Earth Ions."  Silversmith applied for the grant with Daniel Boye, professor of physics at Davidson College. According to their proposal, the project will be a “continuation of the fruitful interdisciplinary (physics and chemistry) collaborations between Davidson and Hamilton colleges in a study of the optical properties of doped sol-gel materials."

Philip Klinkner, James S. Sherman Associate Professor of Government, was quoted in the Dallas Morning News article "History suggests 9-11 panel won't bring big changes."  Klinkner commented on the Warren commission report and said it was the "least successful" commission because its report fed even more conspiracy theories about Kennedy's assassination.

In the summer of 2002, biology professor Bill Pfitsch and his students began studying the ecology of the Rome, NY, sand plains and the the wild blue lupine, a host plant for the endangered frosted elfin butterfly. Now, in the third year of the study, they are beginning to see some progress in their efforts, according to Mollie Wright and Ashley Kuenzi, both '05, who are continuing the research this summer.

Assistant Professor of Biology Mike McCormick and Associate Professor of Chemistry Tim Elgren have received a grant from the National Science Foundation's Major Research Instrumentation program to support the acquisition of a Raman Microscope. This instrument will be used to support the geo-microbiology research activities in McCormick's lab and bio-inorganic studies in Elgren's lab.  The instrument will also be incorporated into chemistry, biology and geology laboratory courses.

Cheng Li, the William R. Kenan Professor of Government, discussed the uneven regional economic development in China during a Voice of America interview. 

Hamilton College is currently hosting the 3rd Mercury Conference in Undergraduate Computational Chemistry from Thursday, July 29 to Saturday, July 31. The Mercury Conference, devoted solely to undergraduate computational chemistry, provides a great opportunity for students to learn about the broad field of computational chemistry, particularly in interdisciplinary subjects. Students also can discuss their work with other undergraduate computational chemists and leaders in their field. Undergraduate poster presentations and speakers will display new work done in computational chemistry, allow others to learn about the field and create a sense of community amongst students and faculty of many colleges and universities.

Russell Blackwood, the John Stuart Kennedy Professor of Philosophy Emeritus and a long-time trustee of the American Institute of Pakistan Studies, has been appointed by the institute to conduct a national undergraduate essay contest in Pakistan Studies. Contest winners will receive a financial prize and publication of abstracts of their papers in Pakistan Studies News.  Several current Hamilton students as well as Kamila Shamsie '94, visiting assistant professor of English, graduated from Karachi Grammar School.

When Yin Tian '07 first arrived at Hamilton, she knew little about the global market and the effects of globalization. As a Levitt fellow, Tian hopes to learn more about the global economy and the way larger US corporations affect her world in her project, "Wal-Mart in China: The Gigantic U.S. Corporation's Expansion Ruins China’s Labor Market."