Skidmore researchers earn engagement prize
An enthusiastic group ready for pre-dawn
departure
Nearly 100 students from seven colleges and universities attended the annual New York Six consortiumâs undergraduate research conference, hosted at St. Lawrence University this year, in late September. And 25% of the students came from Skidmoreâa testament to their collective enthusiasm for their work and for the sharing of their experiences and findings.
The other five member institutions were Clarkson, Union, Siena, Colgate, and SUNY-Potsdam. The conference included oral presentations and poster sessions in research fields from the sciences to the social sciences to the humanities ().
âOur students were really engaged because they know how worthwhile the experience is,â says chemistry professor Reba Howard, who attended with Jody-Ann Facey â14 and Erika Riederer â14. âSkidmore students really like talking about their research; theyâre disappointed if people donât ask them questions. And theyâre eager to ask questions too. They understand itâs not good science if they donât communicate it well.â
Bob Turner, a government professor and director of Skidmoreâs Faculty-Student Summer Research Program, was impressed that all the students were on timeâand mostly smilingâfor the 5:30 a.m. bus departure from the Skidmore campus. And he adds, âI loved overhearing snippets from their conversations with their counterparts: âWhat kind of assay did you use? How do you control for pH in the soil? I love your experimental design.â They werenât so much students as fellow scholars admiring each otherâs work.â
âThe conference was amazingâan excellent opportunity to network with fellow undergraduate researchers,â says Nile Nair â15. He produced a poster on his investigations into how the bacterium Bacillus halodurans encodes two distinct pathways for the synthesis of a genetic enzyme. This was Nairâs second consecutive summer with chemistry professor Kelly Sheppard, who he says is an âamazing mentor who encourages me to think outside the box when we encounter bumps along the way.â
A chance to relax and refuelâstudents enjoy
dinner at the NY6 conference
Angelo Gonzalez â15 presented which analyzes and builds the case for food as a significant contributor to the Latinization of American culture. He built the projectâs Web site in collaboration with Spanish professor Viviana Rangil. At the conference, he says, âI talked with students who also had an interest in computer science, and we shared a lot of neat tips and tricks with each other. It was really nice to see students talking passionately about their research projects, and at the same time being interested in my food project as well.â (For more on Gonzalezâs work, click here.)
Turner reports that, even after their 15-hour day, including six hours on the road, the students exited the bus saying that the experience was âawesome.â
Skidmoreâs conference participants:
Ariel Alperstein â14, âDual Pathway for Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus Asparaginyl-tRNA Formation,â with mentor Kelly Sheppard, assistant professor of chemistry
Mark Benhaim â14 and Israel Da Silva â15, âExpanding the Genetic Code With Pyroglutamate,â with mentor Kelly Sheppard, assistant professor of chemistry
Spencer Berstler â15, âSynthetic Strategies in the Organic Chemistry Laboratory,â with mentor Kara Cetto Bales, senior teaching associate in chemistry
Emily Carbone â14, âMitochondrial Dysfunction in Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 1,â with mentor Sarita Lagalwar, assistant professor of neuroscience and Susan Kettering Williamson â59 Professor of Neuroscience
Michael Coffel â14 and Renee Schapiro â15, âHemispheric Specialization and Self-Relevant Stimuli Mediate Emotional Stroop Effects,â with mentor Denise Evert, associate professor of psychology
Jody-Ann Facey â14, âModulation of a Bacterial Proton-gated Ion Channel by 18-methoxycoronaridine,â with mentor Rebecca Howard, assistant professor of chemistry
Melanie Feen â16, âDiscriminating Nature of the Aspartyl-tRNA Synthetases from Three Human Pathogens,â with additional authors Denise Garofalo â13 and Mohammed Islam â15 and mentor Kelly Sheppard, assistant professor of chemistry
Olivia Frank â16, âUnderstanding UPK: A Case Study in New York,â with mentor Hope Casto, assistant professor of education studies
Mohammed Islam â15, âDiscriminating Nature of the Aspartyl-tRNA Synthetases from Three Human Pathogens,â with mentor Kelly Sheppard, Assistant Professor of Chemistry
Elise Taverna â14 and Sara Brandt â14, âNon-Medical Use of Prescription Drugs among żŰżŰ÷Ă˝Students,â with mentor Robert M. Hallock, visiting assistant professor of neuroscience
Angelo GonzĂĄlez â15, âComida Latina: Spanning Cultures, Building Bridges,â with mentor Viviana Rangil, associate professor of Spanish
Maura LaBrecque â14, âAre All Artificial Sweeteners Created Equal? with mentor Robert M. Hallock, visiting assistant professor of neuroscience
William Miller â15, âSynthesis of 3-Penten-2-One: Use in the Undergraduate Organic Chemistry Laboratory, with additional author Brian Geraghty â14 and mentor Kara Cetto Bales, senior teaching associate in chemistry
Stefani Mladenova â14, âDual Routes for S. Aureus Asparaginyl-tRNA Formation,â with mentor Kelly Sheppard, assistant professor of chemistry
Nilendra Nair â15, âDual Routes for B. Halodurans Asparaginyl-tRNA Synthesis,â with mentor Kelly Sheppard, Assistant Professor of Chemistry
Erika Riederer â14, âAlcohol Modulation of a Eukaryotic Ligand-Gated Ion Channel of Known Structure,â with mentor Reba Howard, assistant professor of chemistry
Kara Rode â15, âThe Role of Mediator in Transcription of Inducible Genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae,â with mentor Randy Morse, a professor at the Wadsworth Center in Albany
Berke Tinaz â16 and Camille Yongue â14, âExperimental Manipulation of Primary Cell Wall and Morphological Plasticity in the Unicellular Green Alga Penium margaritaceum,â with additional author Julie Ochs â14 and mentor David Domozych, professor of biology
Sibin Wang â16, âUrine-based Diagnostic Assay for Malaria,â with mentor Kimberley Frederick, professor of chemistry
