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Susquehanna University Annual Report 2002 | |
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President's Letter
ARCHIVES
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Research at Susquehanna
The Quest for New Knowledge
A hula hoop might seem an unlikely tool in the pursuit of scientific knowledge, but it fit the bill nicely for biology major Sarah Kiemle '03 who spent her summer studying wolf spider migration and microhabitat selection in the corn and soybean fields adjacent to campus. The hoop is a handy way to measure off a standard sampling area for collecting data on the number, ages, and sex of the spiders - something Sarah did 20 hours a week -- in record-breaking temperatures and amid corn stalks soaked with rain. One of the most common ground-dwelling predators in agricultural systems in the eastern half of the U.S., wolf spiders have a potential use in biological pest control as an alternative to pesticides. Little is known about the species and Sarah is one of several students working with Assistant Professor of Biology Matt Persons to help fill in the blanks. "Finding out the unknown is the last frontier of exploration," she explains. "There are so many questions about organisms that are not answered. The idea of answering some of those questions is just great." Summer Research Partners The spider research project is evidence of the close student-faculty collaboration, opportunities for hands-on experience, and quest for new knowledge that characterize a Susquehanna education, not only in the sciences but across the disciplines. Eight Susquehanna students spent the summer working with faculty mentors in the university's ongoing Research Partners Program. Each student received $2,400 and a housing allowance for ten weeks of work. Now in its seventh year, the Research Partners Program provides an opportunity for students and faculty mentors in chemistry, biology, mathematics, and environmental science to continue research done during the academic year or delve into new areas. Amanda Geiser '04 and Matthew Nagy '04 spent the summer working with Assistant Professor of Mathematics Bill Miller researching matroids, an abstract area of mathematics combining linear algebra, discrete structures, combinatronics, and graph theory to study finite arrangements of points in space. "We are hoping to find something new on the topic to contribute to the mathematical community at large," says Geiser. "I am sharpening my math skills in many areas as well as learning about a whole new topic." Centralia Interdisciplinary Laboratory Four of the eight students conducted research related to the ongoing interdisciplinary study of the biological, chemical, and environmental effects of the Centralia, Pa., underground mine fire. Associate Professor of Chemistry Christopher Janzen, Associate Professor of Biology Tammy Tobin-Janzen, Assistant Professor of Chemistry Katherine Miller and Assistant Professor of Geological and Environmental Sciences Dan Ressler are among those collaborating on the project. A $95,000 grant from the Merck Company Foundation is underwriting the research and funded the purchase of equipment including an atomic absorption spectrometer and an automated DNA sequencer.
The focus of the study is to determine how the fire has altered the near-surface environment, and how the soil microorganisms originally present have adapted to these changes. "All of the data collected will be portrayed using different computer mapping software to aid in visualizing the activity of the underground mine fire as it shapes the hostile environment, " says Jason Yablonski '03, who has been working with Ressler to monitor surface temperature and soil moisture and collect soil samples. A Presentation Hallmark Initial research results from the project, launched in 2000, have already been presented by several faculty members and students, including Amy Martinez '02, a summer 2001 research partner, who presented her research with Ressler at the American Geological Society in Boston in 2001. The student-faculty collaborative work is just one example of regular presentations by Susquehanna students at professional forums such as the Pennsylvania Academy of Sciences, the National Council on Undergraduate Research, and the Eastern Psychological Association. Associate Professor of Psychology Mary Lou Klotz sees the emphasis on research and resources for students as one of the things that often sets Susquehanna apart from many other universities. "We really encourage our students to submit proposals - especially to the Eastern Psychological conference," says Klotz. "We generally take a relatively large group - certainly by standards of other small liberal arts schools. We have a lot of people presenting research - and they're presenting it in a general session with people who have Ph.D.s and with people who are in graduate school." Research Benefits Such experience is invaluable, especially for students bound for graduate school. Kurt Wolf '99, who presented as an undergraduate with Associate Professor Chris Janzen at the Pennsylvania Academy of Sciences, is currently completing requirements for a Ph.D. in chemistry from Princeton University. "I had good research practices from SU, a lot of research under my belt and papers already published."
The opportunity for research experience has benefits even for students who are not going on to graduate school. "I think that having some background in what the research process is makes for a more intelligent consumer, and we're all going to be consumers of the products of research," says Klotz. "It's a great joy to have students who may start out being very frightened about research and then to see them get more comfortable with it and get a sense of accomplishment." NSF Grant Support While most student research during the academic year is unpaid, a new grant from the National Science Foundation will enable Persons to train and employ up to eight students a year for the next four years for his ongoing research on wolf spiders. The $625,000 grant, awarded jointly to Persons and longtime colleague Ann Rypstra at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, also includes funds to cover student presentation and publishing costs as well as the purchase of new, cutting-edge equipment including automated video tracking systems to monitor spider activity. One goal of his projects, says Persons, is to have the scientific value match the teaching value. "They're synergistic, and in many cases, at least for me, I can't do my research without collaborating with students," he adds. Along the way, students experience lessons in scholarship that include everything from designing experiments and publishing results to the financial costs of generating new knowledge and the "messy parts" of laboratory housekeeping, says Persons. "The major benefit is that they really have an understanding of not just the process and the facts, but the whole culture of science." Senior Scholars' Day Each April, dozens of students present their work and honor faculty mentors at the university's annual Senior Scholars' Day. The event is a forum for students within and also outside the sciences. Topics presented over the past two years have included "The Flag Desecration Controversy -- A Case Study in Judicial vs. Legislative Authority," "The Politics of the American Newspaper Editorial Cartoon," and "Corporate Theater's Financial Impact on Broadway." Other students have presented research on national missile defense, rebellious civil society in Poland, the spirituality of American artist Thomas Cole, and study abroad programs and service learning programs at Susquehanna.
On the Trail of History The Senior Scholars' Day regularly features presentations from the history department, which offers a variety of research opportunities. In summer of 2001, Ellen Mull '04 and Matt Davis '03 did summer internships working with Degenstein Professor of History and university archivist Don Housley to research the properties flanking University Avenue adjacent to the campus. "We tried to recreate the evolution of the neighborhood by deed searching, tax records assessment, and looking at census returns, maps and local newspapers," explains Housley. "It's possible through the use of space to help tell the story of the community."
History majors take a sophomore-level history methods class with Housley. In one popular project, students learn techniques by researching an individual house, using properties and people to piece together stories of Selinsgrove's past. The project includes learning how to evaluate architectural style and trips to the county courthouse to learn how to deed search and correlate the names on the deed with past records. Such hands-on activities have been a really good way for students to acquire skills that historians use, says Housley. "Many of them have found it a career-defining experience and go on to further study or careers in public history." Thinking Creatively The department also requires a senior research project for all majors. Though the requirement is both challenging for students and time-consuming for faculty mentors, "we're committed, as a department to doing this," says Professor of History and Department Head Linda McMillin. "It's the point where all the skills that we have talked through and played around with in all the other courses that the students take come together," she says. "They have dealt with primary sources. They have dealt with secondary works. They have tried to think creatively and interpretively about what they learned. It's the moment when the student is a historian." |
