Skip to Main Content
Skidmore College
Dean of the Faculty/Vice President for Academic Affairs

Faculty Student Summer Research Program
2015 Research Projects

For summer 2015, there are 88 students and 41 faculty members working on 67 different projects.

Biology major Robert Kahn '14 in the lab
Biology major Robert Kahn '14 in the lab (photo by Gary Gold)

Projects

  • Synthetic investigation and application of a substituted 4,6-dimethyl-3-cyclohexene compound, 10-week, Weg
    Nicholas Friedman '17
    Kara Cetto Bales, Senior Teaching Associate, Chemistry
  • Synthetic investigation of Diels-Alder reactions with a-B unsaturated ketones, 10-week, Weg
    Justin O'Sullivan '17
    Kara Cetto Bales, Senior Teaching Associate, Chemistry
  • Synthetic investigation of Diels-Alder reactions with a-B unsaturated ketones, 5-week-1, Weg
    Lauren Soong '16
    Kara Cetto Bales, Senior Teaching Associate, Chemistry
  • Using zebrafish to study nervous system defects in fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, 10-week, Philip P. Markowitz
    Agnieszka Brojakowska '17
    Jennifer Bonner, Associate Professor, Biology and Neuroscience
  • Using zebrafish to study nervous system defects in fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, 10-week, HEOP
    Delon Campbell '16
    Jennifer Bonner, Associate Professor, Biology and Neuroscience
  • Role of nano-economics in economic growth and development , 5-week-2, undesignated
    Lukas Raynaud '17
    Monica Das, Associate Professor, Economics
  • Functional role of auxin hormones in charophytes: an evolutionary perspective, 10-week, Weg
    Anna Lietz '17
    David Domozych, Professor, Biology
  • Charophyte cell wall proteomics: In search of the super polymer domain, 10-week, Weg
    Molly Patten '17
    David Domozych, Professor, Biology
  • Who let the wolves in? Geometric morphometric analysis of morphological variation during domestication, 5-week-2, Weg
    Jessica Street '16
    Abby Grace Drake, Teaching Professor, Biology
  • Assessing water quality in Kayaderosseras Creek, 5-week-1, Axelrod
    Lauren Sidor '17
    Anne Ernst, ES Program Coordiator, Environmental Studies
  • Assessing water quality in Kayaderosseras Creek, 10-week, Margaret Williams Page
    Nate Van Meter '17
    Anne Ernst, ES Program Coordiator, Environmental Studies
  • Measuring hydrothermal plume particles with optical backscattering sensors: preliminary tests of a new method, 10-week, Samuel Croll
    Emma McCully '16
    Margaret Estapa, Visiting Assistant Professor, Geosciences
  • Development of a lab-on-a-CD player analysis platform, 5-week-2, Weg
    Julie Bryant '16
    Kimberley Frederick, Professor, Chemistry
  • Construction of a lab-on-a-CD player analysis platform, Schupf (10-week)
    Kelly Cantwell '18
    Kimberley Frederick, Professor, Chemistry
  • Development of a remote analysis device for monitoring water contamination near fracking sites, Schupf (10-week)
    Jillian Greenspan '17
    Kimberley Frederick, Professor, Chemistry
  • Development of a urine-based diagnostic for malaria, 10-week, Reiderer Family
    Nathanael Rehmeyer '18
    Kimberley Frederick, Professor, Chemistry
  • Development of a paper-based test for malaria, 5-week-2, HEOP
    Sibin Wang '16
    Kimberley Frederick, Professor, Chemistry
  • Synthetic investigations of tandem intramolecular diels-alder reactions, 5-week-1, D & J Richards Fund
    Jood Ani '16
    Ray Giguere, Professor, Chemistry
  • Inflation in 2+1 dimensions, 8-week, undesignated
    Guram Vardiashvili '16
    Evan Halstead, Visiting Assistant Professor, Physics
  • Physicochemical determinants of alcohol modulation in a model ligand-gated ion channel binding site, 5-week-1, Riederer Family
    Alex Mola '16
    Rebecca Howard, Assistant Professor, Chemistry
  • Physicochemical determinants of alcohol modulation in a model ligand-gated ion channel binding site, 5-week-1, Axelrod
    Travers Ruel '16
    Rebecca Howard, Assistant Professor, Chemistry
  • Strangite Mormon narratives of religious freedom and religious persecution in New York and beyond, 8-week, undesignated
    Alina Williams '16
    David Howlett, Visiting Assistant Professor linked with Eliza Kent, Professor Philosophy & Religion
  • The effects of aging, a high fat diet, and long term succinic acid treatment on vascular health and mitochondrial function in mice, 10-week, Richard A. Mellon
    Cassandra Eddy '17
    Stephen Ives, Assistant Professor, Health and Exercise Sciences
  • The effects of aging, a high fat diet, and long term succinic acid treatment on vascular health and mitochondrial function in mice, 10-week, Christy Johnson
    Gabe O'Brien '16
    Stephen Ives, Assistant Professor, Health and Exercise Sciences
  • The processing of blend words in visual word recognition, 10-week, Harman Cain Family
    Sarah Rose Slate '16
    Rebecca Johnson, Associate Professor, Psychology
  • The effect of emotion-laden words on processing during reading, 5-week-2, Harman Cain Family
    Emma Starr '16
    Rebecca Johnson, Associate Professor, Psychology
  • The future of restorative justice, 10-week, undesignated
    Olivia Frank '16
    David Karp, Campus Life
  • The power of the Chittenden Falls dam, 5-week-1, Marlene Oberkotter Fowler
    Caroline Hobbs '16
    Karen Kellogg, Associate Professor, Environmental Studies
  • Computational photochemistry of organic fluorescent molecules, 10-week, Shehan Dissanayake
    Elijah Kofke '16
    William Kennerly, Visiting Assistant Professor, Chemistry
  • Meta proactive interference, 8-week, Harman Cain Family
    Juliana Boucher '16
    H. Faye Knickerbocker, Visiting Assistant Professor, Psychology
  • Modeling spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 in mice and cells, 5-week-2, Rafael Nasser
    Spencer Lowry '18
    Sara Lagalwar, Assistant Professor, Neuroscience
  • Modeling spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 in mice and cells, 5-week-2, Rafael Nasser
    Donna Nguyen '18
    Sara Lagalwar, Assistant Professor, Neuroscience
  • Modeling spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 in mice and cells, 5-week-2, Rafael Nasser
    Eliza Burr '17
    Sara Lagalwar, Assistant Professor, internNeuroscience
  • Creative Web Design: Application of cognitive map theory in the context of online restaurant marketing, 10-week, Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth Woodcock
    Sarah Rinaolo '17
    Ela Lepkowska-White, Associate Professor, Management and Business and International Affairs
  • Education systems in the international context, 5-week-1, Jim Lippman and Linda Friedman Lippman
    Kendall Gross '16
    Soyong Lee, Associate Professor, Education Studies
  • Dacryoconarid biostratigraphy of the middle devonian bakoven shale of Eastern NYS,  5-week-1, undesignated
    Matthew Kilgore '16
    Richard Lindemann, Associate Professor, Geosciences
  • How does cannabidiol reduce seizure activity?, 5-week-1, Weg
    Kathleen Schoolcraft ’16
    Hassan Lopez, Associate Professor, Psychology and Neuroscience
  • Relative age effect on college admission and enrollment, 10-week, Jim Lippman and Linda Friedman Lippman
    Mackenzie Furman '16
    Michael Lopez, Assistant Professor, Mathematics
  • Relative age effect on college admission and enrollment, 10-week, undesignated
    Sarah Markiewicz '16
    Michael Lopez, Assistant Professor, Mathematics
  • Survival under copper shock - testing the importance of a proposed copper resistance island, 5-week-1, Weg
    Ana Sofia Rivera '16
    Sylvia McDevitt, Associate Professor, Biology
  • Copper-Silver cross resistance-testing the potential of homolog proteins of CopA from Escherichia coli, 5-week-1, Richard A. Mellon
    Bryan Zepeda-Carranza '17
    Sylvia McDevitt, Associate Professor, Biology
  • Surveillance studies in the 21st century: A study of GIS and surveillance technologies for classroom use and museum exhibition, 5-week-1, Marlene Oberkotter Fowler
    Makeda Diggs '17
    Scott Mulligan, Visiting Assistant Professor, Management and Business and International Affairs
  • Reel sport and Hollywood, 5-week-1, Marlene Oberkotter Fowler
    Nevon Kipperman '16
    Daniel Nathan, Professor, American Studies
  • Environmental effect of humic acids on aqueous iron, 10-week, Weg
    Jaya Borgatta '16
    Juan Navea, Assistant Professor, Chemistry
  • Atmospheric aerosol dissolution, Schupf (10-week)
    Deborah Kim, '18
    Juan Navea, Assistant Professor, Chemistry
  • Water adsorption on tropospheric aerosols, Schupf (10-week)
    Katherine Shi '18
    Juan Navea, Assistant Professor, Chemistry
  • Heterogeneous  chemistry and photochemistry, Schupf (10-week)
    Talia Stortini '18
    Juan Navea, Assistant Professor, Chemistry
  • Paths to Power: An Examination of the Career Trajectories of Turkish Political Elites, 5-week-1, undesignated
    Ovgu Bozgeyik '16
    Feryaz Ocakli, Assistant Professor, Government
  • Paths to Power: An Examination of the Career Trajectories of Turkish Political Elites, 5-week-1, undesignated
    Oyku Bozgeyik '16
    Feryaz Ocakli, Assistant Professor, Government
  • Are galaxies pre-processed in filaments? 5-week-1, undesignated
    Graeme Gengras '17
    Mary Crone Odekon, Professor, Physics
  • Are galaxies pre-processed in filaments? 5-week-1, undesignated
    Mario Hyman '16
    Mary Crone Odekon, Professor, Physics
  • Geometric morphemetric analysis of the effects of lead on Drosophila wing shape and body size, 5-week-2, HEOP
    Randy Cuevas '16
    Bernard Possidente, Professor, Biology
  • Succinic acid as a potential treatment for age-related metabolic dysfunction, 5-week-2, HEOP
    Daniela Escudero '16
    T.H. Reynolds, Associate Professor, Health and Exercise Sciences
  • Succinic acid as a potential treatment for age-related metabolic dysfunction, 5-week-1, Christy Johnson
    Lauren Gorstein '17
    T.H. Reynolds, Associate Professor, Health and Exercise Sciences
  • Tunability of nanoparticle's color in polymer preparation, 5-week-1, Michael Rose
    Hannah Skipper '17
    Maryuri Roca, Visiting Assistant Professor, Chemistry
  • Impacts of participation in environmental voluntourism programs on participant Commitment to Volunteerism, Pro-Environmental Attitudes and Behaviors, and Involvement in Envrionmental Issues, 5-week-2, undesignated
    Sarah Coburn '16
    Andrew J. Schneller, Teaching Professor, Environmental Studies
  • Evaluating the impact of shame on treatment-seeking for anxiety, 5-week-1, Harman Cain Family
    Elizabeth Aaron '16
    Casey Schofield, Assistant Professor, Psychology
  • Asparaginyl-tRNA formation in Bacilli, 10-week, Riederer Family
    Ruth Allard '16
    Kelly Sheppard, Assistant Professor, Chemistry
  • Asparaginyl-tRNA formation in Bacilli, Schupf (10-week)
    Meggie Danielson '17
    Kelly Sheppard, Assistant Professor, Chemistry
  • Expanding the genetic code of E.coli with Pyroglutamate, Schupf (10-week)
    Hannah Schapiro '17
    Kelly Sheppard, Assistant Professor, Chemistry
  • Strange bedfellows of state immigration politics, 10-week, Marlene Oberkotter Fowler
    Elena Veatch '16
    Robert Turner, Associate Professor, Government 

We would like to thank the following donors and funding agencies for their support of our collaborative research efforts and the Faculty Student Summer Research Program:

Alumni, Family, and Friends

Harman Cain Family, Class of 2012

Samuel Croll '73

Marlene Oberkotter Fowler '61

Christiana Johnson '90, given in honor of Tom Lewis

Jim Lippman and Linda Friedman Lippman '82

Philip P. Markowitz '13

Richard A. Mellon '87

Rafael Nasser

Margaret Williams Page '43

Reiderer Family

Michael Rose '90

Shehan Dissanayake

Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Woodcock, Parents 1996

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

Schupf Scholars
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.

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.

Foundation/Grant

D & J Richards Fund

Higher Education Opportunities Program (HEOP)

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research: NSF

W.M. Keck Foundation

The National Science Foundation

Rathmann Family Foundation

S3M Transitional Program

New York State Energy Research and Development Authority

The Charles Slaughter Foundation