George Shields, Winslow Professor of Chemistry, hosted a panel discussion titled "Drug Design and Global Warming: Undergraduates Making a Difference" as an Alumni College during Reunion Weekend on June 1. The panel gave alumni a chance to learn about the myriad research projects students are conducting in his and Co-Director of the Center for Molecular Design Karl Kirschner's computational chemistry and molecular design lab over the summer, as well as an overview of all science research taking place at Hamilton. After describing the research taking place in the lab and the numerous publications his students have co-authored, science students Katherine Alser '09, Rebecca Mackenzie '08, and Alexa Schwarzman '09 shared their research experiences.
Shields began by explaining just how much the Hamilton summer science research program has grown over the years. A decade ago, there were fewer than 10 students who participated in research projects. Now, with the help of the new Science Center, the program has expanded to nearly 90 students. These students work in many diverse fields, such as anthropology, biology, chemistry, geoscience, physics and psychology. He also commented on how the number of Goldwater Scholarships, "the gold-standard for success in undergraduate research," awarded to Hamilton students has sharply increased in the last few years, which serves as another indicator of the success of the College's science research program. Each year, colleges and universities from across the nation nominate students for a Goldwater Scholarship. To be eligible, candidates must earn straight A's in their coursework, demonstrate an aptitude for research, and plan to pursue research as a career. Prior to 2000, there were no Goldwater scholars from Hamilton. Since 2000, however, 10 Hamilton students have been awarded the highly competitive scholarship.
Shields continued by saying that he has found his involvement in the summer research program very fulfilling because it has allowed him to combine his love of working with undergraduates with his desire to conduct research that will make a difference. Student researchers under the advisement of him and Kirschner are involved in many different projects ranging from atmospheric chemistry to medicinal and biological chemistry. They carry out their projects using computer programs that are able to model how atoms and molecules behave in real life.
Since any research is meaningless if the scientific community does not know about it, Shields has worked hard to make sure his students' projects do not go unnoticed. He showed a long list of student research that has been published in a variety of different scientific journals, a significant accomplishment for undergraduates.
He also brings his student researchers to the annual Sanibel Symposium, an international conference on theory and computation in quantum chemistry, condensed matter and chemical physics, nanoscience, quantum biochemistry and biophysics, so they can present their findings and collaborate with other people who are doing research in related fields. Although they are the only undergraduates at the conference, Shields says they are just as knowledgeable in their area of research as graduate students and expert scientists.
After describing student research at Hamilton and giving an overview of the work being done in his lab, Shields turned the discussion over to Alser, Mackenzie, and Schwarzman, who described their research experiences. According to Alser, research has been "unlike anything [she] has done before." It has been a very happy, positive experience that has taught her a great deal about her project and everything that has gone along with it, such as learning how to run simulations on the computer, organize and interpret the data those simulations generate, determine how best to utilize the data, and keeping track of the goals of the experiment.
Whereas many students begin their research as soon as possible, Mackenzie jokingly said she initially resisted spending the summer working in the Science Center because she felt she was "too cool" for research. After some gentle nudging from her parents and conversations with Shields, Mackenzie decided to apply for a research position. When she first began, Mackenzie said she "didn't even know how to turn on the computers," let alone use any of the chemistry programs. A senior who had previously worked on the project she was taking over taught her everything she needed to know however, and soon, Mackenzie found herself "addicted" to research. Now in her second summer of research, she regrets taking the Hamilton research program for granted. Unlike larger schools, students at Hamilton are able to interact and speak with their professors every day and they don't have to compete with graduate students for positions. Furthermore, Mackenzie said that research has helped her succeed in her coursework because it has allowed her to apply abstract chemical concepts to real world situations.
-- by Nick Berry '09
Shields began by explaining just how much the Hamilton summer science research program has grown over the years. A decade ago, there were fewer than 10 students who participated in research projects. Now, with the help of the new Science Center, the program has expanded to nearly 90 students. These students work in many diverse fields, such as anthropology, biology, chemistry, geoscience, physics and psychology. He also commented on how the number of Goldwater Scholarships, "the gold-standard for success in undergraduate research," awarded to Hamilton students has sharply increased in the last few years, which serves as another indicator of the success of the College's science research program. Each year, colleges and universities from across the nation nominate students for a Goldwater Scholarship. To be eligible, candidates must earn straight A's in their coursework, demonstrate an aptitude for research, and plan to pursue research as a career. Prior to 2000, there were no Goldwater scholars from Hamilton. Since 2000, however, 10 Hamilton students have been awarded the highly competitive scholarship.
Shields continued by saying that he has found his involvement in the summer research program very fulfilling because it has allowed him to combine his love of working with undergraduates with his desire to conduct research that will make a difference. Student researchers under the advisement of him and Kirschner are involved in many different projects ranging from atmospheric chemistry to medicinal and biological chemistry. They carry out their projects using computer programs that are able to model how atoms and molecules behave in real life.
Since any research is meaningless if the scientific community does not know about it, Shields has worked hard to make sure his students' projects do not go unnoticed. He showed a long list of student research that has been published in a variety of different scientific journals, a significant accomplishment for undergraduates.
He also brings his student researchers to the annual Sanibel Symposium, an international conference on theory and computation in quantum chemistry, condensed matter and chemical physics, nanoscience, quantum biochemistry and biophysics, so they can present their findings and collaborate with other people who are doing research in related fields. Although they are the only undergraduates at the conference, Shields says they are just as knowledgeable in their area of research as graduate students and expert scientists.
After describing student research at Hamilton and giving an overview of the work being done in his lab, Shields turned the discussion over to Alser, Mackenzie, and Schwarzman, who described their research experiences. According to Alser, research has been "unlike anything [she] has done before." It has been a very happy, positive experience that has taught her a great deal about her project and everything that has gone along with it, such as learning how to run simulations on the computer, organize and interpret the data those simulations generate, determine how best to utilize the data, and keeping track of the goals of the experiment.
Whereas many students begin their research as soon as possible, Mackenzie jokingly said she initially resisted spending the summer working in the Science Center because she felt she was "too cool" for research. After some gentle nudging from her parents and conversations with Shields, Mackenzie decided to apply for a research position. When she first began, Mackenzie said she "didn't even know how to turn on the computers," let alone use any of the chemistry programs. A senior who had previously worked on the project she was taking over taught her everything she needed to know however, and soon, Mackenzie found herself "addicted" to research. Now in her second summer of research, she regrets taking the Hamilton research program for granted. Unlike larger schools, students at Hamilton are able to interact and speak with their professors every day and they don't have to compete with graduate students for positions. Furthermore, Mackenzie said that research has helped her succeed in her coursework because it has allowed her to apply abstract chemical concepts to real world situations.
-- by Nick Berry '09
