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Skidmore College
Dean of the Faculty/Vice President for Academic Affairs

Faculty Student Summer Research Program

2012 Research Projects

Project Summary:

For summer 2012, there are 77 students and 32 faculty members working on 46 different projects. Forty-eight of the projects were funded by internal grants; 29 by external grants.

American Studies 1   Health and Exercise Science 5
Arts Administration 2   International Affairs 1
Biology 9   Management and Business 1
Chemistry 7   Mathematics and Computer Science 4
Dance 1   Neuroscience 1
Economics 1   Psychology 5
Educational Studies 2   Sociology 3
Government 1   Studio Art 2
* some projects receive funding from more than one source, and may be listed in multiple areas

 Support for these teams provided by:

Projects

SLIP CASTING FOR LANDSCAPES
Megan Pini, 2014
Leslie Ferst, Visiting Professor, Ceramics Department

WHAT THE EUROPEANS MIGHT TEACH AMERICA ABOUT PROTECTING CONSUMERS’ PRIVACY AND INTERNET FREEDOM
Evan Friedler, 2013
Scott Mulligan, Lecturer, Management & Business Department, International Affairs Program

IMPORTANCE OF copF AND silCBA OF Cupriavidus metallidurans UNDER COPPER STRESS
Jack Fischer and R Baer, 2014
Sylvia McDevitt, Assistant Professor, Biology Department

THE MOST EFFECTIVE LEARNING STYLE IN EMERGING ADULTS
Jungeun Lee, 2014
Joan Ann Swanson, Lecturer in Education, Department of Education

COULDA, WOULDA, SHOULDA: HOW EFFECTIVE ARE WEB REFERENCES IN PRINT ADVERTISEMENTS?
Laura Kirschner, 2012
Elzbieta Lepkowska-White, Associate Professor, Management and Business Department

FITTING THE SCHECHTER FUNCTION TO HI MASSES IN GROUPS OF GALAXIES
Pauline Searles, 2015
Mary Crone Odekon, Professor, Physics Department

ALL JOKING ASIDE: AMERICAN HUMOR AND ITS DISCONTENTS
Becky Stern, 2014
Beck Krefting, Assistant Professor, American Studies Department

SYTHETIC STRATEGIES IN THE ORGANIC CHEMISTRY LABORATORY
Brian Geraghty, 2014
Kara Cetto Bales, Senior Teaching Associate, Chemistry Department

WEAVING THE ARABESQUE: AN EXPLORATION IN MODERN TAPESTRY DESIGN
Maia Binhammer, 2013
Chelsea Dupuis, 2013
Maria Kozmin, 2013
Sang Wook Lee, Associate Professor, Art Department

MOUSE STRAINS C57 BL/6J AND BALB/CJ DISPLAY TYPICAL NESTING BEHAVIOR AFTER PRENATAL LEAD EXPOSURE
Nicole Sue, 2015
Bernard P. Possidente, Professor, Biology Department

K-BAR UNIT BAR VISIBILITY GRAPHS
Nikolay Rangelov, 2014
Alice Dean, Professor, Mathematics and Computer Science

DESIGNING PMMA MICROFLUIDIC DEVICES FOR BIOMEDICAL ANALYSIS
Leland Martin 2014
Kimberley Frederick, Professor, Chemistry Department

3-DIMENSIONAL GEOMETRIC MORPHOMETRICS USING PHOTOMODELER
Evan Nathan, 2015, Keena Newton, 2013, Amber Plante, 2014
Abby Drake, Visiting Assistant Professor, Biology Department
 
COULDA, WOULDA, SHOULDA: HOW EFFECTIVE ARE WEB REFERENCES IN PRINT ADVERTISEMENTS?
Laura Kirschner, 2012
Elzbieta Lepkowska-White, Associate Professor, Management and Business Department

WEAVING THE ARABESQUE: AN EXPLORATION IN MODERN TAPESTRY DESIGN
Maia Binhammer, 2013; Chelsea Dupuis, 2013; Maria Kozmin, 2013
Sang Wook Lee, Associate Professor, Art Department

INHIBITION OF THE GAG REFLEX USING SUCROSE AND SALT SOLUTIONS
Anna-Mariya Kirova, 2014
Robert M Hallock, Vis Asst Prof, Dept of Neuroscience

MALARIA DIAGNOSTIC ASSAY FOR USE ON A MICROFLUIDIC CHIP
Katrina Ellis, 2015; Katrina Puffer, 2013
Kimberley Frederick, Professor, Chemistry Department

TOWARDS UNDERSTANDING BETTER ANALYTICAL PERFORMANCE IN CAPILLARY ELECTROPHORESIS
Ryan Ahern 2014
Kimberly Frederick, Professor, Chemistry Department

FLUCTUATING ASYMMETRY IN RELATION TO SEX AND LEAD EXPOSURE
Keena Newton, 2013, Amber Plante, 2014, and Evan Nathan, 2015
Abby Drake, Visiting Assistant Professor, Biology Department

TOXIC EFFECTS OF LIPOPHILE AND HYDROPHILE COMPOUNDS USING DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER
Abdoulaye Bah, 2012
Bernard Possidente, Professor, Biology Department

A MASKED FORM PRIMING MEGA –STUDY
Alexa Banculli, 2013
Rebecca Johnson, Assistant Professor, Psychology Department

SERIAL PROCESSING OF LETTERS IN NORMAL SKILLED READERS
Jennifer Brown, 2013
Rebecca Johnson, Assistant Professor, Psychology Department

UNIT BAR VISIBILTY GRAPHS WITH LIMITED TRANSPARENCY
Melissa Philley, 2013
Alice M. Dean, Professor, Mathematics & Computer Science Department

COPPER-SILVER CROSS RESISTANCE – TESTING THE POTENTIAL OF HOMOLOG PROTEINS OF CopA FROM Escherichia coli
Evan Stater, 2013
Sylvia McDevitt, Assistant Professor, Biology Department

PREFETCHING FOR SPECULATIVE MULTITHREADED MULTICORE PROCESSORS
Adina Micula and Haoran Ma
Leo Porter, Assistant Professor, Mathematics and Computer Science

FROM ONE LEARNER TO ANOTHER: HOW CHILDREN LEARN ABOUT OBJECTS BY WATCHING ADULTS
Hannah Miller, 2014
Amy Gardiner, Assistant Professor, Psychology Department

REORIENTING EUROPE
Emma Kurs, 2012
Kate Graney, Associate Professor, Government Department


Schupf Scholar Program

Established in 2008 by Sara Lubin Schupf '62 to support summer faculty-student research with a preference given to students pursuing projects in the STEM disciplines.  Schupf Scholars are selected beginning the summer after their freshman or sophomore year.  Schupf Scholars may access additional funding for travel to meetings and conferences as well as for research supplies and expenses during their continuing research with faculty during their academic career at Skidmore.

NUTRIENT UPTAKE AND DECOMPOSITION RATES OF COTTONWOOD AND MAPLE LEAVES IN ARTIFICIAL STREAM CHANNELS
Jen Harfmann, 2014
Cathy Gibson, Assistant Professor, Environmental Studies Program

DEVELOPING AN ON-CHIP METHOD FOR ANALYZING WATER BASED CONTAMINENTS
Rafaella Pontes 2015
Kimberley Frederick, Professor, Chemistry Department

MOUSE MODELS FOR AUTISM: BTBR T+ tf/J EXHIBIT NORMAL CIRCADIAN ACTIVITY RYTHMS
Kara Rode, 2015
Bernard Possidente, Professor, Biology Department

DEVELOPMENTAL LEAD EXPOSURE ALTERS WHEEL RUNNING ACTIVITY IN BALB/cJ MICE BUT NOT IN C57BL/6J
Kara Rode, 2015
Bernard Possidente, Professor, Biology Department

MODELING THE DYNAMICS BETWEEN YEAST AND BACTERIA
Carol Wu, Class of 2014
Rachel Roe-Dale, Assistant Professor, Mathematics and Computer Science

Axelrod-Porges Scholars

Established in 2006 by Felicia Axelrod '62 and Robert Porges to support faculty-student teams in the area of the sciences.

DUAL ROUTES FOR BACTERIAL ASPARAGINYL-TRNA FORMATION
Stefani Mladenova, 2014
Ariel Alperstein, 2014
Nile Nair, 2015
Kelly Sheppard, Assistant Professor, Chemistry Department

EXPANDING THE GENETIC CODE WITH PYROGLUTAMATE
Matt Walsh, 2013
Mark Benhaim, 2014
Kelly Sheppard, Assistant Professor, Chemistry Department

Mellon High Impact Research Experiences Project

A MASKED FORM PRIMING MEGA –STUDY
Alexa Banculli, 2013
Rebecca Johnson, Assistant Professor, Psychology Department

Weg Scholars

Established in 2010 by Carol Little Weg '64 and Ken Weg and awarded with a preference for students pursuing projects in the sciences and social sciences.

PREDICTORS OF POSITIVE ASSESSMENT OF THE TENURE AND PROMOTION PROCESSES
Rena Linden, 2012
Catherine White Berheide, Professor, Sociology Department

FACULTY PERCEPTIONS OF STUDENT RESPECT
Kayleigh Kahn, 2013
Catherine White Berheide, Professor, Sociology Department

USING ZEBRAFISH TO MODEL FETAL ALCOHOL SPECTRUM DISORDER
Aaron Beck, 2014
Jennifer Bonner, Assistant Professor, Biology Department

Harman Cain Family Fund for Collaborative Research

SELF-FORGIVENESS AND POST-DIVORCE ADJUSTMENT
Cara McCabe 2013
Mark Rye, Associate Professor, Psychology Department


EXTERNALLY FUNDED PROJECTS

Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

EXAMINATION OF POSSIBLE COUPLING BETWEEN NITROGEN AND PHOSPHORUS CYCLING IN ARTIFICIAL STREAMS
Norah Crossnohere, 2012
Cathy Gibson, Assistant Professor, Environmental Studies Program
                                                                                                               
CONSEQUENCES OF CLIMATIC VARIATION AND LANDSCAPE COMPOSITION FOR THE FUNCTIONING OF PLANT-ANIMAL MUTUALISMS
Alexandra Guest 2014      
Jordan Stark 2015                                                                                                               
Josh Ness, Associate Professor of Biology                                                                                                   

SKIDMORE WOODLAND ATLAS
Jeremy Rosen, 2014
Matthew Tatkow, 2013
Melissa Green, 2013
Sondra Lipshutz, 2013
Robert Jones, Associate Professor, Economics Department

National Science Foundation

RUI: GUIDED IMAGERY AND MEMORY ERRORS: IDENTIFYING BASIC MECHANISMS BY TESTING THE EFFECTS OF SCRIPT AUTHOR AND IMAGERY CONTENT
Adina Fried 2012
Hannah Levine 2014
Jennifer Wicks 2014
Stephanie Madlener 2014
Rachel Port 2013 
Mary Ann Foley, Professor of Psychology

Dean of the Faculty

ONGOING STUDY OF SEXUAL SELECTION AND COMMUNICATION IN A BREEDING POPULATION OF COMMON YELLOWTHROATS          
Katherine Littrell 2013     
Corey Freeman-Gallant, Professor of Biology

The New World Foundation

INTERGROUP RELATIONS (IGR) PROGRAM
Josephine Orlandella 2014
Kali Block-Steele 2013
Eric Moretti 2013
Kristie Ford, Associate Professor of Sociology

S3M Transitional Program

Ronnell Evans 2015
Raquel Escobar 2015
Brittney Dioneda 2015
Kathleen Amo 2015
Katrina Ellis 2015
Pauline Searles 2015
Nicole Sue 2015
Alicia Saylor, Visiting Assistant Professor of Neuroscience

National Institutes of Health

THE ROLE OF HO-1 EXPRESSION AND MITOCHONDRIAL BIOGENESIS ON MANGANESE PORPHYRIN INDUCED WEIGHT LOSS
Tim Brodsky, 2014
Allie Sosinsky, 2014
T.H. Reynolds, Associate Professor, Exercise and Health Sciences

EFFECTS OF DIETARY INDUCED OBESITY, EXERCISE TRAINING, AND AGING ON HEPATIC CIDE EXPRESSION
Jacob Donohue, 2013 and Dan Schwarz, 2013
T.H. Reynolds, Associate Professor, Exercise and Health Sciences

Research Corporation for Science Advancement, Cottrell College Science Award

EXPANDING THE GENETIC CODE WITH PYROGLUTAMATE
Matt Walsh, 2013
Mark Benhaim, 2014
Kelly Sheppard, Assistant Professor, Chemistry Department

Petrlik Foundation

Katherine Murphy 2014
Study of Alzheimer’s Disease and neural degenerative diseases in Tracy Young-Pierce (’97) laboratory, Harvard Medical School

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research 

Maryann Countryman 2013
Towards a better understanding of Caribbean and ENP Hurricane Activities:  Targeted enhancement to CRN2050