Summer option lets students pursue original research

Skidmore’s Summer Faculty/Student Research Program marked its 20th anniversary with one of the largest groups ever—51 students and 34 faculty members working collaboratively on 39 different projects—for 10 weeks this summer.

The program provides students with a unique opportunity to work with faculty on original research in disciplines ranging from biology to management and business, including English, physics, dance, and economics. Students have the chance to spend time in the lab or the classroom gaining a hands-on appreciation for scholarly work. As co-researchers, faculty members serve multiple roles: scholarly partner, mentor, and sometimes, cheerleader. They know the pitfalls and the value of patience, and they have the experience that guides younger scholars when the work seems daunting.

Although to some, 10 weeks may seem a generous allotment of time, for most of the research teams, it is just enough to provide a tantalizing hint of the potential of focused work. Several student scholars have plans to forge ahead in upcoming academic year and build upon their work by developing senior or honors theses. Others have used the experience to finalize plans for their majors, or for post-Skidmore study. All agree that summer 2009 has been valuable for the work accomplished and the friendships made.

Below, five research teams share their experiences:

Economics—“Political Economy of Global Food Systems.” Mehmet Odekon, professor of economics, Xanthe Burton and Evan Warshaw, both Class of ’10

In this analysis of the structure of the global food system, the team wanted to know how the contemporary organization and coordination of agribusinesses limit the functioning of competitive agricultural markets. In addition, they wondered how the structure of global agricultural markets is affected by globalization and liberalization. Their goal is to show how food has moved from the field into the factory. A major concern how food is being monopolized, even as 1.2 billion people in the world are subject to starvation.

Warshaw (left), Odekon, and Burton review their work.

At the outset, neither student knew what to expect. Finding and interpreting the data, after assuring that it is reliable, was a challenge—but the division of labor was easily solved:  Xanthe Burton handled the historical analysis and Evan Warshaw, statistical analysis. Writing and editing was similarly divided: Burton is the author and Warshaw, the editor.  Mehmet Odekon said that he’s pleased with the teamwork and calls the experience “rewarding.” Warshaw is appreciative of what the summer provided: “I’m gaining skills that will be applicable in the fall for my senior thesis. This study will be the foundation for that. I also plan to do an honors thesis.”

They hope to publish their results, which will include policy recommendations appropriate for international governments. Odekon also hopes that they can make a presentation at the Eastern Economic Association meeting next year.

Biology—Assistant Professor Sylvia Franke McDevitt oversaw the work of the following students and projects:  Corrina Stoddart ’10, “Cloning of Genes Possibly Involved in Copper and Silver Resistance in Cupriavidus metallidurans CH34”; Sonate Gandonu ’10, “Deletion of Copper and Silver Resistance Genes in Cupriavidus metallidurans CH34”; and Huazhen Chen ’11 and Lily Ng ’12, “Cloning of cusA from Escherichia coli into the Expression Vector pASK-IBA3”

Gene research, bacterial analysis, and microbe-metal interaction—it’s pretty heady stuff, and it all contributes to a larger understanding of the biological mechanism of metals. For this group of students, the projects allowed them to achieve a degree of comfort performing higher-level research while strengthening their skills. Their outcomes, in addition to completed research, included increased confidence and autonomy in the lab setting.

	Stoddart (left) and
	Gandonu in the lab

Corrina Stoddart said that the project gave her a welcome return to the lab after a semester in Ghana. “I was itching to get back. It was hard not to be doing my science,” she said. Sonate Gandonu, who is planning on graduate school, called the research “a plus. When you start, you don’t feel that you will get this but once you get going it happens really fast.” Both have overcome challenges in the lab. Stoddart said that the worst thing to have happened “was spending a few hours on something and then accidentally contaminating the process, meaning I’ve got to start all over.” For Gandonu, learning patience was important. “Half the time is spent waiting for the experiment to work.”

Lily Ng is one of Skidmore’s S3M Scholars. Supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation, the scholars can participate in a five-week summer program featuring undergraduate research in the summer after their first year. She and Huazhen Chen partnered on their project, which involved cloning cusA, a protein that allows E.coli to be copper resistant. Chen finds the complexity of the research appealing, and was happy to share insight with Ng, whose experience is not as deep. Said Chen, “The research will help Lily advance—she has gained a lot in terms of knowledge and technique.” Ng said she feels “lucky” to be doing such sophisticated work. She echoed Chen’s satisfaction when he reported, “Last week we discovered that everything we’ve been working on has been showing that we are doing it right and getting the expected results. I feel like our effort has paid off.” Chen said that they appreciated the feedback provided by Sylvia Franke McDevitt. “She is challenging us to think logically, scientifically, and creatively about what we need to do next.”

For McDevitt, overseeing the work of three student projects allows her “to work on my research and this is an opportunity for students to be part of it. Having multiple projects puts me in the role of project leader and students learn to work independently in the lab. Summer is a good time to do research and I think students get more out of it then.”

Dance—“Dance on Video and Video Dance.”  Rubén Graciani, assistant professor of dance, Elissa Nadworny ’10 and Emily Sferra ’09

This trio focused on creating an original dance and multi-media installation that featured a live dance performance with video, and a dance made exclusively for video performance.  At its heart, the project tells a story— through dance—of a day in the life of a couple.  They are shown dancing and interacting with a film piece. Rubén Graciani, new this year to the Skidmore faculty, created the choreography with gestures contributed by Emily Sferra. She noted, “This is a fulfilling and exciting project that opens up the world of dance to new possibilities. It adds depth and layers.”

Film was shot in a number of locations, including a campus office, the Tang elevator, and the boathouse dock, all of which provided special challenges. Three music selections—“Lakmé,” the Flower Duet by Delibes, a Debussy string quartet, and “Que Sera, Sera”—accompany the action, and balancing the music and movement was critical. 

Elissa Nadworny said, “It’s cool to see how film can be used in this way. I am learning how to use the camera to create movement by filming and editing movement in real life and seeing how it translates.”

Sferra noted, “One of the biggest challenges is creating a reality between the film and the dancers. There is a very careful relationship between the two. To tell a story, things like the projection level must be understood and conquered.”

According to Graciani, “When you perform live, you don’t see yourself. But when you’re watching yourself on film, sometimes you have to live with what you have and learn to let it go.” The experience was valuable to all. Said Nadworny, “I’ve gained the skill of working with others and a whole language of modern dance and ballet.” Sferra added, “I helped to create and edit a dance. This is huge advantage.”

Their teacher may have gained the most. Said Graciani, “Making an authentic project allows everyone’s vision to be seen. There is a different investment in time and a different return. I have learned so much and it has been a crazy learning curve.”

Mathematics and Chemistry—“Modeling Time-Dependent Electroosmotic Flow.” Rachel Roe-Dale, assistant professor of mathematics, Emese Lipcsey-Magyar ’10 and Marissa Civic ’11

Using a set of experimental data, this team examined Electroosmotic Flow (EOF), the induced flow at the interface between a charged surface and a solution, upon application of an external potential.  EOF has many applications, including the purification of contaminated drinking water and forensics.

For Rachel Roe-Dale, this was her second summer as a faculty scholar and she was mindful of designing a project that would give her student collaborators “a conclusive point after 10 weeks.” 

Emese Lipcsey-Magyar said the summer work “has been a great experience and led me to decide to pursue my Ph.D. in math.” She will continue with the project in the coming year, as she prepares a senior thesis. “Harder Hall is my second home,” she noted.

For Marissa Civic, an S3M Scholar, the research project introduced her to Skidmore. She transferred to Skidmore from Adirondack Community College and will be a junior majoring in chemistry this fall. “I was excited to be exposed to Skidmore so early,” she said. “This program has given me a chance to see what research is all about. I was nervous about transferring to a new place and was glad to get such a personalized Skidmore experience.” 

The Middle Grove resident said that the S3M opportunity “made it possible for me to go to Skidmore.”

“Marissa had let me know how excited she was to do this for the summer and made up in enthusiasm what she lacked in knowledge.  That is the beauty of applied math—there is something for people at all levels,” explained Roe-Dale.

Lipcsey-Magyar added, “This makes applied math fun. I give Marissa a hard time. I want her to convert from majoring in chemistry to majoring in math, but I like that she is applying her math knowledge to our project.”

Kimberly Frederick, who is joining the Chemistry Department as associate professor this year, contributed to the team by, among other things, providing the data for analysis.

Exercise Science—“Senior Cybercycling with a Virtual Team:  Behavioral, Neuropsychological and Physiological Outcomes.” Paul Arciero, associate professor of exercise science, with Shi Feng Lin, Naoko Okuma, and Nicholas Steward, all Class of ’10; Eric Hultquist and Julia Sarni, Class of ’11; and Stephen Brink ’12

Arciero’s two-year, multi-site study tests relevant exergame theories affecting lifestyle behaviors and subsequent changes in physiological and neuropsychologial functions in a senior adult (60 to 100 years old) independent living population.

This large, multi-year study called for a large, committed team, and that’s exactly what Paul Arciero got. “This is probably the strongest group of student researchers I’ve had, in terms of their ownership of the project,” he said. “They have taken the components of a very large study for themselves. I’ve been able to help them specialize and they have fed off each other. They are excellent.”

The students have recruited study participants, overseen the completion of project tasks and then analyzed such variables as blood; body composition; muscular strength and function; and cardiovascular variables such as heart rate and blood pressure. They want to know if the exercise has positive benefits for the 47 seniors participating in the project.

	Arciero (left) and Lin review data

Shi Feng Lin said that he had harbored the thought of “going into research, but this has convinced me that this is what I want to do. I had not done research before but I had heard great things about this program and knew that by the start of my senior year I wanted to have some research under my belt.”

Responsible for measuring body composition (fat, muscle, and bone) using the iDXA scan, he added, “I wanted to study things related to what we’d studied in the classroom and be able to manipulate, control, and evaluate outcomes. I really love it.” He plans to complete a senior thesis and incorporate some of the summer material into his project.

Tags: rachel roe-dale, kimberly frederick, mehmet odekon, paul arciero, summer faculty/student research program, s3m, sylvia franke mcdevitt, rubén graciani