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Eli Bunzel ’13 and Dominic Veconi ’15 are carrying out their summer research by examining single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes originally discovered and researched by Matthew Therkelsen ’12. They’re working under Assistant Professor of Biology Wei-Jen Chang with May graduate Leonard Teng ’12.

According to The Wall Street Journal’s “Market Watch,” alternative energy is one of the fastest growing industries in the United States.  Elizabeth Jonathan ’13, a physics concentrator and mathematics minor, and Sunrose Shrethsa ’14, a physics and mathematics double concentrator, are using their summer research grant to investigate new possibilities in this dynamic field.

Spencer Olsson ’14,  a math concentrator with minors in physics and sociology, is spending this summer examining 28,000 rows of data on two fish parasites, a field of study normally researched by Hamilton’s biology department. Olsson is  applying a new physics research technique to the field of biology.

Gabe Mollica ’14 first discovered Stephen Sondheim’s music during a weeklong Westminster Choir summer camp at Rider University and was struck by the complication and sophistication of the composer’s work. Mollica will continue to study Sondheim’s work with the help of an Emerson summer research grant. 

Following are capsule descriptions of a few that took place at the All-Alumni Bicentennial Reunion May 31-June 3.

Biology and women’s studies are two concentrations not usually associated with one another. Ashley Perritt ’14, a 2012 Levitt Summer Grant Recipient, plans to bridge this gap with her summer research project, “An Investigation of the Profiling in the Emergency Room.” Perritt will be advised by Elizabeth J. McCormack Associate Professor of Women's Studies Vivyan Adair.

In the current job market, summer internships are becoming harder and harder to come by, but this did not stop Bonnie Wertheim ’14 from securing two internships this summer in the competitive field of entertainment media. Wertheim is spending the summer splitting her time between VICE Media, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and Universal Republic Records, in New York City.

As Hamilton celebrated the 200th anniversary of the signing of its charter this past week, Don Spencer ’59 was celebrating his birthday as well. While turning 200 might initially seem like a grander feat than turning 76, Don Spencer’s 76th birthday was far from unremarkable. That’s because Spencer turned 76 while riding a bicycle in the midst of a nearly 500-mile journey from Pittsburgh, Pa., to Hamilton’s Bicentennial Alumni Reunion in Clinton, N.Y.

The Diversity and Social Justice Project (DSJP) is a multifaceted initiative intended to “offer students, staff, and members of the broader Hamilton community the intellectual and moral tools for becoming global citizens and compassionate human beings.” This summer, the DSJP is sponsoring five students for national and international research projects aimed broadening understanding of diversity and social justice topics.

Twenty eight percent – that’s the amount of  landfill waste Hamilton College’s annual Cram & Scram program reduces each May. Entering its fifth year, Cram & Scram is a non-profit, student-run recycling program aimed at reducing the inevitable landfill contribution that comes every summer as students move out of their residence halls.