Lab Crawl: It’s Not Just for Scientists</h1> <article> <h1>Lab Crawl: It’s Not Just for Scientists</h1> <p>tapplega — Wed, 11 Oct 2023 18:29:09 +0000</p> <span>Lab Crawl: It’s Not Just for Scientists</span> <span><span>tapplega</span></span> <span><time datetime="2023-10-11T14:29:09-04:00" title="Wednesday, October 11, 2023 - 14:29">Wed, 10/11/2023 - 14:29</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Have you ever peeked through a lab’s open door on your way to class and wondered about the research happening inside? Maybe you've heard students talk in passionate terms about the work they’re taking on with their faculty mentors? 91ֱ��’s <a href="/undergraduate-research/lab-crawl">Lab Crawl</a>, which happens in buildings throughout campus on Friday, October 27, is where your curiosity turns into opportunity.</p><p>Initially fashioned as a celebration of 91ֱ�� science, Lab Crawl is an annual autumn open house that welcomes informal drop-ins on labs and other research spaces, with faculty at the ready to share their ongoing work with students.</p><p>This year, Lab Crawl is broadening its horizons. While still retaining its strong roots in STEM, there’s a focus on highlighting research in the humanities (think <a href="/node/318461">art history</a> and <a href="/node/3226">cinema studies</a>), social sciences (<a href="/node/3366">psychology</a> and <a href="/node/3381">archaeology</a>, among others), and conservatory departments (<a href="/node/51641">TIMARA</a> and <a href="/node/3331">musicology</a>). Numerous campus offices are also onboard, among them <a href="/node/4236">Undergraduate Research</a>—the office that organizes the Crawl—<a href="/node/4416">Bonner Center for Community-Engaged Learning, Teaching and Research</a>; <a href="/node/4521">Career Exploration and Development</a>; and <a href="/node/395516">Entrepreneurship</a>.</p><p>It all happens from noon to 1:30 p.m.</p><p><a href="/node/459641">Gaybe Moore</a> fondly remembers Lab Crawl from his days as an 91ֱ�� biology student. Now the 2015 grad is back on campus, in his first year as an assistant professor of biology, and he’s back in line for Lab Crawl—this time as a faculty presenter.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Oct. 27 open house highlights research across the sciences—and just about everywhere else.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2023-10-24T12:00:00Z">Tue, 10/24/2023 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Communications Staff</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2358">Undergraduate Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2363">Academics & Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2390">Events</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2764">Science Center</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3846">Engaged Liberal Arts</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25251">Biology</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/gabriel-moore" hreflang="und">Gabriel (Gaybe) Moore</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/biology" hreflang="und">Biology</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Participants in 91ֱ��'s 2022 Lab Crawl gather around neuroscience professor Gunnar Kwakye (second from right).</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-cte-images field--type-list-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yes (Individual Images)</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Amanda Phillips</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-flex-content field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden vertical-spacing--basic field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="body-centered-layout"> <div id="obj-30157" data-direction="up" data-order="backward" data-count="2" class="stack pull"> <div class="stack__images"> </div> <div class="figcaption"> <div class="figure__caption"> <p>Gaybe Moore ’15 as a student in Maureen Peters’ biology lab (left)...and Moore today, as an assistant professor of biology.</p> </div> <div class="figure__credit"> Photo credit: Tanya Rosen-Jones '97 </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div id="obj-27832" class="paragraph paragraph--type--para-el-copy paragraph--view-mode--default o-flex--basic-copy basic-copy"> <p>“Lab Crawl is an 91ֱ�� tradition has stayed with me since my time as a student,” says Moore, who will lead a demonstration on infection in <em>Galleria mellonella</em>—aka the greater wax moth. “It was one of the first times I saw the many ways scientific research is accomplished. It’s a full-circle moment to show my research during Lab Crawl this year, and I hope to add to the breadth and diversity of laboratory experiences.”</p><p>The format is simple: Pick up a Lab Crawl passport in any participating building (<a href="/node/4041">Science Center Atrium</a>, <a href="/node/3846">King Building</a>, <a href="/node/3536">Carnegie Geology Lounge</a>, <a href="/node/396216">Center for Engaged Liberal Arts</a>, <a href="/node/4061">Severance Hall</a>, <a href="/node/3976">Peters Hall</a>, and the <a href="/node/3566">Ward</a> and <a href="/node/4151">Venturi</a> art buildings) and make your way through buildings and stations, collecting stickers for your passport along the way. Each sticker is also an entry to win prizes in the raffle that concludes the Crawl.</p><p>Learn more about Lab Crawl 2023—including a list of participating labs and tips for earning a free T-shirt and unlocking your pizza bonus—on the Office of Undergraduate Research’s <a href="/undergraduate-research/lab-crawl">Lab Crawl page.</a></p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-article-header field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">0</div> </article> <article> <h1>A Lesson in Computational Modeling</h1> <p>ygay — Thu, 29 Oct 2020 15:06:11 +0000</p> <span>A Lesson in Computational Modeling</span> <span><span>ygay</span></span> <span><time datetime="2020-10-29T11:06:11-04:00" title="Thursday, October 29, 2020 - 11:06">Thu, 10/29/2020 - 11:06</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Workshop participants used the matrix laboratory commonly known as MATLAB. The programming language allows matrix manipulations, plotting of functions and data, implementation of algorithms, creation of user interfaces, and interfacing with programs written in other languages. After spending the first two weeks becoming familiar with the program, participants were led through several modeling principles.</p> <p>“We covered a lot of modeling principles, and focused specifically on some fundamental models in the field of neuroscience, such as reinforcement learning, Bayesian inference, and Drift Diffusion Models," explains van der Merwe. "Essentially, there are basic models or equations that exist for most neural processes, and the trick is knowing how to modify them for the specific research question you are trying to answer.”</p> <p> </p> <p class="obj-center"></p> <h5 style="text-align: justify;">“Computational modeling is a mathematical formalization of complicated systems or processes,” says van der Merwe. “It relies on generating equations that describe how an output results from inputs and properties. Use lunch as an example. The inputs would be the options available, while the properties would be the individual preference for Mexican food over Lebanese or American. Therefore, the output/choice would be eating lunch at Lupita’s Mexican Restaurant. The input and property values are weighted to generate different likelihoods of various outcomes, and these values can be updated as more evidence is presented.”</h5> <p> </p> <p>According to van der Merwe, a neuroscience major, MATLAB is one of the most prevalent programs in the neuroscience field because of how versatile it is, and because it is able to capture complex problems in relatively simple code. </p> <p>“Models can provide insight into behavior that can’t always be inferred from descriptive analysis.” “They provide standardized explanations for complicated phenomena, and can cut down on the cost and time associated with wet-lab experiments. Not to mention, it avoids the ethical concern of using animals as experimental subjects. Because I am planning to pursue graduate work in the field of neuroscience, I was really excited to develop an introductory understanding of computational modeling and programming in MATLAB.”</p> <p>Prior to the workshop, van der Merwe admits to being skeptical about the idea of computational modeling, particularly, how scientists could effectively learn something new about the brain from models that are limited by their current understanding. “However, seeing how these models map on to my previous understanding of how processes like learning and perception occur, I became more and more convinced of their utility. They can reveal patterns and associations that we otherwise might not pick up on, and therefore will be fundamental in propelling us into a new dimension of comprehension.”</p> <p>Van der Merwe is on campus this fall, with plans to undergo a research project with neuroscience faculty members <a href="/christopher-howard" target="_blank">Christopher Howard</a> and <a href="/pat-simen" target="_blank">Patrick Simen</a> using topics that were covered in the MATLAB workshop. The group’s project will study the neural mechanisms underlying the perception of timing using the Drift Diffusion Model. This model attempts to capture how the brain arrives at a correct response to a task that has two possible responses, says van der Merwe. </p> <p>After graduation in May, van der Merwe plans to return to Brown University to continue working in the MATLAB before spending two years at the National Institutes of Health and applying to neuroscience PhD (and potentially MD-PhD) programs. The goal is to work in a medical school as a physician scientist doing translational research on neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington’s and Parkinson’s.</p> <p><br> </p> <p> </p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2020-10-29T12:00:00Z">Thu, 10/29/2020 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yvonne Gay</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>“Computational modeling is the future of neuroscience!” raves Rochelle van der Merwe ’21. So when she had the chance to participate in a Carney Center for Computational Brain Science computational modeling workshop at Brown University, she took full advantage of the opportunity.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2764">Science Center</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2402">Winter Term</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=4861">Neuroscience</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/pat-simen" hreflang="und">Patrick Simen</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/christopher-howard" hreflang="und">Christopher Howard</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/neuroscience" hreflang="und">Neuroscience</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Rochelle van der Merwe '21</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Anokha Venugopal</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Departments Across Campus Donate Personal Protective Equipment to Local Health Care Workers</h1> <p>anagy — Thu, 26 Mar 2020 18:24:10 +0000</p> <span>Departments Across Campus Donate Personal Protective Equipment to Local Health Care Workers</span> <span><span>anagy</span></span> <span><time datetime="2020-03-26T14:24:10-04:00" title="Thursday, March 26, 2020 - 14:24">Thu, 03/26/2020 - 14:24</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>91ֱ��’s Student Health Services and faculty and staff in the Science Center recently donated their inventory of medical supplies to Mercy Health—Allen Hospital and Welcome Nursing Home to help protect health care workers dealing with the <a href="/news/corona-virus-updates">COVID-19</a> outbreak.</p> <p>In the past week, Mercy’s emergency department received a substantial donation of N-95 face masks, surgical masks, face shields, gloves, disposable lab coats, and safety glasses from Student Health Services and the <a href="/node/3346">biology</a>, <a href="/chemistry">chemistry</a> and <a href="/biochemistry">biochemistry</a>, and <a href="/neuroscience">neuroscience</a> departments.</p> <p>Aimee Holmes, an advanced practice registered nurse in Student Health, said the staff felt compelled to donate because they knew there was a need. </p> <p>“Every time I saw nurses and doctors on the news desperate for personal protective equipment, I knew we had to do something. With so few students on campus, we knew we would not need all the equipment that we had. We felt it should be with the medical staff on the front lines,” Holmes said.</p> <p>Student Health made an initial donation of 100 N-95 masks and 25 face shields to Mercy, and 80 N-95 masks and 25 face shields to Welcome Nursing Home. </p> <p>“After the initial donation, we decided to take another look at our inventory when we heard that the hospital was still in need,” Holmes said. Student Health donated an additional 100 gowns, 16 deluxe protection kits and 3,000 gloves. </p> <p>Forrest Rose, the building manager for the <a href="/science-center">Science Center</a>, coordinated a donation of protective equipment from the teaching and research labs, which included 108 boxes of gloves, 14 boxes of disposable lab coats, 25 N-95 masks, 360 surgical masks, and a small quantity of face shields and safety glasses.</p> <p>“Since most of our labs will be conducted remotely for the remainder of the semester, we do not have an urgent need for the stock of supplies we keep on hand to keep students and staff safe in the lab setting,” Rose said. “We couldn't sit by and let our supplies sit in cabinets or on shelves when the hospital could use them to help save lives. That’s why we donated—to save lives.”</p> <p>Scott Jasko in 91ֱ��’s transportation department helped Science Center staff load a 6x3 flat cart piled four feet high with supplies, and they were delivered to Mercy’s ER the next morning. After their donation, Rose said the hospital informed him that they could use all of the nitrile gloves the labs can spare. “We are going to rise to the challenge,” he said.</p> <p>“We appreciate everything that local health care providers are doing to take care of this community, and we want to make sure that they are staying safe,” Holmes said. “Although what we have given is not much compared to what is needed, if the supplies that we give can protect one person for one more day, then it’s worth it.”</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2020-03-26T12:00:00Z">Thu, 03/26/2020 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Amanda Nagy</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2385">Community</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2362">Health and Wellness</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2764">Science Center</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25251">Biology</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25246">Biochemistry</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25306">Chemistry</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=4861">Neuroscience</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/biology" hreflang="und">Biology</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/chemistry-biochemistry" hreflang="und">Chemistry and Biochemistry</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/neuroscience" hreflang="und">Neuroscience</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">A large cart of personal protective equipment from the 91ֱ�� Science Center labs was delivered to Mercy Allen Hospital emergency room.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Courtesy of Forrest Rose</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Independent Scientific Research Opportunities Abound During Winter Term</h1> <p>hhempste — Thu, 30 Jan 2020 21:14:44 +0000</p> <span>Independent Scientific Research Opportunities Abound During Winter Term</span> <span><span>hhempste</span></span> <span><time datetime="2020-01-30T16:14:44-05:00" title="Thursday, January 30, 2020 - 16:14">Thu, 01/30/2020 - 16:14</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry <a href="/will-parsons" target="_blank">William Parsons’</a> lab focuses on understanding the functions of proteins in the body that, to date, have not been well-characterized. In doing this, the hope is to not only contribute to fundamental knowledge in biology but also to potentially identify new targets to treat disease.</p> <p>“Our approach is to make new chemical compounds in the laboratory that can be used as probes of protein function,” says Parsons. “These compounds could then potentially serve as templates for the development of medicinal compounds.”</p> <p>Most students in Parsons’ lab begin their work by designing methods for accessing new chemical structures that can potentially serve as probes. Parsons explains that by starting from commercially available reagents, students perform a short sequence of chemical reactions to access new chemical matter. They then have the opportunity to study how the new chemical compound they have made behaves in a cellular context.</p> <p>Fourth-year Alyssa Chow took the opportunity to use Parsons’ Chemical Biology and Organic Chemistry Research Winter Term project to conduct her honors research. Chow says she values the extended period of time that Winter Term allowed her to devote to her work.</p> <p>“This Winter Term has served as the most crucial time of my honors project with Professor Parsons in terms of collecting data,” says the biochemistry major. “Unlike the limited time available during the semester, Winter Term allows me to commit myself full time to lab work with Professor Parsons’s supervision and guidance. This work ranges from trying new experiments to repeating old experiments to confirm previously-observed results.”</p> <p>Parsons says that the most important aspect of performing research at the undergraduate level, particularly during Winter Term, is getting the opportunity to experience what it is like to conduct independent scientific research where the results of your experiments are not known to anyone until you perform them.</p> <p>“In a traditional teaching lab experience, students perform experiments that typically have been run many times before and have highly predictable outcomes. During an original research experience, you quickly learn that what you discover is not only new to you but also all of your colleagues, including your faculty mentor.”</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2020-01-20T12:00:00Z">Mon, 01/20/2020 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Hillary Hempstead</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>In Professor William Parsons’ Chemical Biology and Organic Chemistry Research Winter Term project, students delve deep into independent scientific research.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2402">Winter Term</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2379">Student Life</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2764">Science Center</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2358">Undergraduate Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2367">Science & Math</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2363">Academics & Research</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25246">Biochemistry</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25306">Chemistry</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/will-parsons" hreflang="und">William (Will) Parsons</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/chemistry-biochemistry" hreflang="und">Chemistry and Biochemistry</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Students conduct independent research in Professor William Parsons’ lab during Winter Term.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yvonne Gay</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>A Conversation with Alison Ricker, Science Librarian</h1> <p>anagy — Thu, 11 Apr 2019 14:50:46 +0000</p> <span>A Conversation with Alison Ricker, Science Librarian</span> <span><span>anagy</span></span> <span><time datetime="2019-04-11T10:50:46-04:00" title="Thursday, April 11, 2019 - 10:50">Thu, 04/11/2019 - 10:50</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><strong>When did you begin working at 91ֱ��? Have you always been the science librarian, or did you work in other areas?</strong></p> <p>I was hired as science librarian in July 1983, just as the college was winding down the 150th anniversary celebrations and gearing up for the inauguration of Fred Starr as president. My position title was changed to Head, Science Library during a reorganization of the libraries in 2017. I never thought I would be in the same position for 35-plus years, but academic librarianship is continually changing, so what I do now is very different from the work I did when I was hired. That keeps it fresh and interesting.</p> <p><strong>What inspired you to pursue a career in librarianship? Did you previously have a science background?</strong></p> <p>My bachelor’s is in biology, with an emphasis on ecology. My honors project was on overwintering of invertebrates in a river floodplain in northern Michigan, and I intended to pursue a PhD in ecology. Life circumstances took me to Rhode Island, where I took a course at the URI Graduate School of Oceanography and spent a lot of time in their delightful marine science library. There I learned that librarians with a science background were in short supply and that I could find an interesting job combining science and librarianship if I obtained a master’s in library and information science. It was going to be a short-term pursuit, but I found that my first job, as an oceanographic research librarian, was so much fun I wanted to stick with it.</p> <p><strong>What does your typical day at 91ֱ�� look like? What are the different ways you support students and faculty?</strong></p> <p>My days are varied and generally include some time at our service desk answering questions and doing whatever is needed to connect library users with the information resources they need. Working directly with students or faculty, either one-on-one or in the classroom, is the best part of any day. More often, I’m working behind the scenes to select materials for the collection, promote their use in as many ways possible (via four social media accounts, website updates, email and displays), and manage the library so it is both a source of information and inspiration. That includes supervision and collaboration with many other staff members—these days, a well-run library is very dependent on intersecting networks of people and resources.</p> <p><strong>You are leading a Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon for Citizen Science Day on <a href="/events/citizen_science_day_wikipedia_edit-thon">Sunday, April 14</a>. What is the mission behind this event, and what will volunteers be doing? </strong></p> <p>We will celebrate citizen science by adding needed references to science-related articles, and looking for peer-reviewed, open access sources. Participants will gain experience in evaluating Wikipedia articles for completeness, accuracy, and bias as they review articles with <em>[citation needed]</em> tags, and search for relevant sources that confirm or clarify unsupported statements. Accurate communication of scientific research findings is an essential component of the scientific method. Participation in this process of documentation is one way we can all be citizen scientists and help make Wikipedia even more useful for the general reader. </p> <p><strong>Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know.</strong></p> <p>I am a volunteer reviewer for <em>Choice</em>, an organization that publishes brief reviews of scholarly or academic works most relevant for higher education. The really cool thing about that is getting to keep any books I review and donating them to the science library. Despite that opportunity, I rarely read books at work and don’t know any librarian who does—there simply isn’t time! I just want to debunk the notion that librarians read all day long.</p> <p> </p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2019-04-11T12:00:00Z">Thu, 04/11/2019 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Communications Staff</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>As the head of 91ֱ��’s science library, Alison Ricker works behind the scenes in myriad ways. This weekend, in observance of <a href="https://www.citizenscience.org/2016/03/31/citizen-science-day-and-our-inspired-unnamed-movement/">Citizen Science Day</a>, she will lead a volunteer effort to evaluate science-related Wikipedia articles.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2582">Science Library</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2764">Science Center</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2597">Faculty and Staff</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Alison Ricker has been an invaluable resource to science students and faculty for more than 35 years.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Tanya Rosen-Jones</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Reborn Herbarium is a Boon to Biodiversity</h1> <p>anagy — Tue, 17 Jul 2018 19:29:54 +0000</p> <span>Reborn Herbarium is a Boon to Biodiversity</span> <span><span>anagy</span></span> <span><time datetime="2018-07-17T15:29:54-04:00" title="Tuesday, July 17, 2018 - 15:29">Tue, 07/17/2018 - 15:29</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Since arriving at 91ֱ�� in 2007, Professor of Biology <a href="/node/5191" target="_blank">Michael Moore</a> has been collecting plant species from all over North America, but mostly from the Chihuahuan Desert, which encompasses New Mexico, West Texas, and parts of North Central Mexico. Up until recently, he’s preserved and stored these species with the intent of donating them to nearby museums.</p> <p>“I would keep specimens in what amounted to a utility closet, and they were fine, but I never mounted them. I kept collecting, then I got tenure, and I got to thinking about what I wanted to do, so I decided it would be a good idea to have these housed permanently at 91ֱ��,” says Moore, a leader in the field of plant systematics—a science that studies the origin and evolution of plant diversity.</p> <p>This summer, with the help of some leftover funding from a National Science Foundation grant, Moore began installing an herbarium in the Science Center to properly archive his roughly 4,000 specimens right here on campus.</p> <p>“When we go out in the field we collect plant specimens, and we collect enough material to get duplicates so we can share with another herbarium and so I can keep some for myself. It’s a good way to introduce students to plant diversity and plant taxonomy and systematics. It’s also a really good introduction into biodiversity—not just plants, but collections in general,” Moore says.</p> <p>While an herbarium is surprisingly low-tech, the value to research and learning is immeasurable.</p> <p>“There’s a real resurgence nationwide on objects-based teaching and this is another object,” Moore says. “People really connect better with physical things rather than abstract things. I plan to incorporate this into student research, and I’m hoping to get it involved in my upper-level class on plant systematics.”</p> <p> </p> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>A preserved plant specimen that will be mounted and stored in 91ֱ��’s new herbarium. Photo: Yvonne Gay</figcaption> </figure> <p>The herbarium consists of 10 large cabinets in what used to be the hazardous materials room in the biology wing of the Science Center. Moore and his students will take the preserved plants and mount them on high-quality archival card stock. Everything he has collected has digitized collections data associated with it, and he hopes to eventually make both the specimens and their data publicly available.</p> <p>“Mounted samples can last for centuries. They form a permanent record of the things we’ve collected. They’re valuable for understanding the evolution of what we call morphology— roughly speaking, the anatomy of plants. They can also help to confirm whether species are new or not.”</p> <p>This particular collection of plants is new to 91ֱ��, but the idea of an herbarium certainly isn’t. In fact, 91ֱ�� once boasted an herbarium with more than 200,000 specimens. The collection was sold off in two events, first in the 1960s to Ohio State University, and next in the 1990s to Miami University. When Moore arrived, all that was left were a couple of cabinets and some odds and ends.</p> <p>Moore announced his plans a couple months ago on Twitter, and news in the plant research community went viral. “Immediately, everyone was offering specimens as gifts” to the new herbarium, Moore says. “The director of the herbarium at Miami University isn’t even on Twitter, and the next day he sent an email asking if I’d like duplicates from our old collection.”</p> <p>Without a strong advocate, Moore explains, collections such as these are in jeopardy.</p> <p>“Most people don’t understand why we need to do this. It’s a valid question,” he says. “In these collections are the biological heritage of the earth. A photo cannot capture the anatomy of an organism. I want to know the internal anatomy—what the seed looks like on the inside. There’s no substitute in this day and age.</p> <p>“Second, you can document in space and time when and where something lived. It is because of biological collections that have been made in New England for the last 200 years that we know that plants are now flowering earlier than they were 200 years ago. It is a direct impact of global warming.”</p> <p>The value to 91ֱ�� is pedagogical. The collection gives students the opportunity to work with plants they otherwise wouldn’t see, and it has the potential to get more people interested in studying biodiversity and botany.</p> <p>“Personally, I worry a lot about the growing disconnect between modern folks and nature,” Moore says. “If I were a professor at 91ֱ�� 100 years ago, all of my students would know what an oak tree was. That is a rare thing these days. There are real problems with that in terms of how we treat nature and what it means for conservation in the long run. If this is one way I can get more students interested in studying nature, that’s great for me.”</p> <p><br> </p> <p><span style="border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; text-indent: 20px; width: auto; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; text-align: center; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: bold; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: 20px; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(255, 255, 255); background-image: url(data:image/svg+xml;base64,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); background-size: 14px 14px; background-color: rgb(189, 8, 28); position: absolute; opacity: 1; z-index: 8675309; display: none; cursor: pointer; border: none; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; top: 441px; left: 60px; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat;">Save</span><span style="border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; text-indent: 20px; width: auto; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; text-align: center; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: bold; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: 20px; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(255, 255, 255); background-image: url(data:image/svg+xml;base64,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); background-size: 14px 14px; background-color: rgb(189, 8, 28); position: absolute; opacity: 1; z-index: 8675309; display: none; cursor: pointer; border: none; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; top: 441px; left: 60px; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat;">Save</span></p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2018-07-19T12:00:00Z">Thu, 07/19/2018 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Amanda Nagy</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2363">Academics & Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2764">Science Center</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25251">Biology</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/mike-moore" hreflang="und">Michael (Mike) Moore</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/biology" hreflang="und">Biology</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Professor of Biology Michael Moore holds preserved plant specimens that will be mounted and archived in 91ֱ��’s new herbarium.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yvonne Gay</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Greenhouse Provides Space for Botanical Investigations</h1> <p>hhempste — Thu, 18 Jan 2018 14:24:58 +0000</p> <span>Greenhouse Provides Space for Botanical Investigations</span> <span><span>hhempste</span></span> <span><time datetime="2018-01-18T09:24:58-05:00" title="Thursday, January 18, 2018 - 09:24">Thu, 01/18/2018 - 09:24</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>It may be cold outside, but it’s balmy on the roof of the <a href="/science-center">Science Center</a>.</p> <p>There, a 2,581-square-foot <a href="/greenhouse">greenhouse</a> provides space for botanical investigations by students and faculty. The facility includes a planting room and three separate growing bays with individual light and temperature controls.</p> <p>Approximately 700 plants fill the greenhouse, representing some 75 different plant families, says greenhouse manager Judy Laushman. Plants from the greenhouse are used for instruction in science classrooms and laboratories.</p> <p>During fall semester, students in Professor of Biology Marta Laskowski’s Organismal Biology class employed greenhouse flora to study various plant adaptations. Through the use of these plants, students “demonstrated what they learned about plant physiology by explaining what adaptation the plant displayed and how they expected that adaptation to promote success in a particular environment,” says Laskowski.</p> <p>While the greenhouse is not regularly open to the public, Laushman holds <a href="https://flic.kr/s/aHskrUs9w6">open houses</a> at various times during the academic year. This spring, the greenhouse manager also plans to carry out a campus plant sale.</p> <p> </p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2018-01-18T12:00:00Z">Thu, 01/18/2018 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Hillary Hempstead</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2354">Campus Life</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2764">Science Center</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/biology" hreflang="und">Biology</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">A student examines plants during a recent greenhouse open house.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yevhen Gulenko</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Q&A with Nicollette Mitchell ’13 HHMI Inclusive Excellence STEM Fellow</h1> <p>hhempste — Wed, 30 Aug 2017 18:25:53 +0000</p> <span>Q&A with Nicollette Mitchell ’13 HHMI Inclusive Excellence STEM Fellow</span> <span><span>hhempste</span></span> <span><time datetime="2017-08-30T14:25:53-04:00" title="Wednesday, August 30, 2017 - 14:25">Wed, 08/30/2017 - 14:25</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>During master’s degree work on climate change at the University of Arizona, Nicollette Mitchell ’13 mentored young scientists and advocated for inclusive learning environments. So when the graduate in geology and Africana studies discovered a fellowship opportunity within 91ֱ��’s <a href="/news/oberlin-selected-hhmi-inclusive-excellence-initiative">Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)</a>’s Inclusive Excellence initiative, a program that promotes the success of all students in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math), she saw values that reflected her own. </p> <p>“This fellowship stood out to me because it’s in line with my own commitment to scientific excellence and social equity, and it would allow me to really make an impact in the lives of young scientists,” says Mitchell. “Applying to do that work at 91ֱ�� was a no-brainer.”</p> <p>This fall, Mitchell will return to 91ֱ�� as the college’s first HHMI Inclusive Excellence STEM fellow. In this role, she will work with students and partners across campus to develop targeted student programming and nurture STEM access, engagement, and success.</p> <p>“I’m looking forward to being a resource for current students,” says Mitchell. “The Center for Learning, Education and Research in the Sciences (CLEAR), the 91ֱ�� Workshop and Learning Sessions (OWLS), and other related activities did not exist when I was a student at 91ֱ��, so I’m really excited about all of the new possibilities for student engagement. I’m also thrilled to be back at 91ֱ�� in a new position and closer to my mentors in the geology and Africana studies departments.”</p> <p><strong>Find out more about Mitchell in this Q&A</strong></p> <p><strong>1. What’s your favorite spot on campus?</strong><br> The Arb, hands down. I wish I went there more when I was a student—it’s a hidden gem. I may or may not have memories of sledding down the hill using lunch trays. As an administrator, I do not recommend this activity to current students.</p> <p><strong>2. Cats or dogs?</strong><br> Cats. I have two!</p> <p><strong>3. What’s your passion? </strong><br> I love learning new things and seeing new places, because traveling and learning puts life in perspective.</p> <p><strong>4. Go-to ice cream flavor?</strong><br> Rocky road</p> <p><strong>5. Where can we find you on campus?</strong><br> I will be based at the CLEAR center in the Science Center, Mudd library, and elsewhere on campus where there’s CLEAR programming. I’ll be living in Third World House.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2017-08-30T12:00:00Z">Wed, 08/30/2017 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Communications Staff</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Geology and Africana studies graduate Nicollette Mitchell will return to 91ֱ�� as the first HHMI Inclusive Excellence STEM fellow.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2594">CLEAR</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2764">Science Center</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2367">Science & Math</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Nicollette Mitchell ’13, the college’s HHMI Inclusive Excellence STEM fellow.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Nicollette Mitchell</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>From Catching Bats to Fighting Cancer: How Three Science Students Spent Summer Break</h1> <p>hhempste — Thu, 03 Aug 2017 20:30:06 +0000</p> <span>From Catching Bats to Fighting Cancer: How Three Science Students Spent Summer Break</span> <span><span>hhempste</span></span> <span><time datetime="2017-08-03T16:30:06-04:00" title="Thursday, August 3, 2017 - 16:30">Thu, 08/03/2017 - 16:30</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Some might think of bats as disease-ridden, aggressive, and downright unappealing. But third-year Juan Contreras says, “They’re some of the cutest animals I have ever seen!”</p> <p>The biology and environmental studies major views these creatures differently because, as part of a National Science Foundation-Research Experience for Undergraduates (NSF-REU) program, he spent the summer studying them.</p> <p>In Puerto Rico’s El Yunque National Forest, Contreras explored the host-specificity of parasites on bats—specifically, whether particular parasites only attach themselves to certain species of bats. To do this, Contreras, with a group of student researchers, spent weeks collecting samples from the 13 species of neotropical bats who live in a large network of caves.</p> <p>“When we go sampling for bats, we typically have two people stationed at the cave entrance with the trap and someone else who runs the bats from the cave to our sampling area,” says Contreras.</p> <p>The students wear personal protective equipment to collect the bats’ sex, species, reproductive status, forearm length, weight, ectoparasite load, ectoparasite samples, and fecal samples. The data that Contreras and the other student researchers collected will be used in a University of Connecticut PhD student’s thesis on bat viruses.</p> <p>“We take the ectoparasites off with soft tweezers that won't crush the parasites body,” Contreras says. “Most of the time, the ectoparasites are fairly easy to take off of a bat’s body. Because bats typically have many ectoparasites, we try to take at least one of each observable species, and then record a general estimate of quantity in our field notebooks.”</p> <p>For Contreras, the summer experience expanded his view of who a scientist can be. “Growing up in the south side of Chicago and coming from an immigrant family, a master’s degree or PhD has always seem like a farfetched idea. But working among scientists that often only speak Spanish, with scientists who look like me and come from humble beginnings, has validated my identity as a scientist and has pushed me to continue to achieve my goals.”</p> <h2 class="h3">Astrophysics Research in Montreal</h2> <p>This summer, fourth-year physics major Stella Ocker found herself part of a tightly knit group of astrophysics professors, postdocs, grad students, and undergrads at Montreal’s McGill University. There, she worked as a research assistant with Victoria Kaspi at the McGill Space Institute.</p> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Fourth year physics major Stella Ocker worked as a research assistant at the McGill Space Institute. Photo by Mie Beers.</figcaption> </figure> <p>The subject of her research was the repeating fast radio burst, a “mysterious source located in a dwarf galaxy” that has been producing frequent radio bursts (FRB) of unknown cause. “The bursts don't have a known periodicity, which means we can't predict when the next burst will arrive,” says Ocker. </p> <p>“The goal of my project is to determine whether or not the bursts' arrival times can be modeled by some kind of Poissonian distribution, which is a statistical distribution used to model independent, random events.” Ocker and Kaspi have also been exploring whether there is another way to analyze the collected data.</p> <p>“We’re hoping by the end of the summer we will have a definitive answer as to whether the repeating FRB can be described by a Poissonian distribution or not. And if not, we’ll have some rough idea of alternative statistical distributions that could describe it,” says Ocker.</p> <h2 class="h3">Research with a Giant Telescope in China</h2> <p>Highly magnetized neutron stars, known as pulsars, are the remnants of large main-sequence stars after they exhaust their fuel and explode in supernovae. Their cores collapse and they rotate, generating a strong magnetic field and emitting electromagnetic waves. Scientists detect these pulsars by using radio telescopes.</p> <p>This summer, second-year physics major Shana Li gained experience with the world’s largest single-dish radio telescope, the 500-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope, or “FAST” for short, located in China’s Guizhou province.</p> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Shana Li (left) and another student walking in front of the world’s largest single-dish radio telescope, the 500-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope. Photo courtesy of Shana Li.</figcaption> </figure> <p>Li, along with a student from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, worked under Professor Di Li of the National Astronomical Observatory of China on pulsar data analysis by writing code to run data through FAST's data processing pipeline to find pulsar candidates.</p> <p>“The goal of my project in China was mainly to gain some research experience working with the professors and postdocs and to refine some of the skills—computing, data understanding, analysis—that I can use in future research back in 91ֱ�� and in other places,”says Li.</p> <p>However, her personal goal was more simple. “[I want] to just learn as much as possible while I'm surrounded by so many professionals. I hope to hone my research skills and be more confident in an intensive research environment. Of course, it would be super cool to find a new pulsar!”</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2017-08-03T12:00:00Z">Thu, 08/03/2017 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Hillary Hempstead</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2764">Science Center</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2367">Science & Math</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25351">Environmental Studies and Sciences</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/physics-and-astronomy" hreflang="und">Physics and Astronomy</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/biology" hreflang="und">Biology</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Biology and environmental studies major Juan Contreras spent the summer studying bats in Puerto Rico's El Yunque National Forest.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Courtesy of Juan Contreras</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> </main></body></html>