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St. Olaf students wrap up summer science research

By Lisa Gulya '07
August 5, 2005

This summer, 60 St. Olaf students have worked alongside 30 science and mathematics faculty members as part of St. Olaf's summer science research program, which began in 1989. Students conduct research with professors on 10-week paid projects in biology, chemistry, mathematics, neuroscience, computer science, statistics, physics and psychology.

Summer research results in a symbiotic relationship between faculty and students. Faculty get "a very willing and competent individual," says Assistant Professor of Chemistry Greg Muth. Students. Studnets, on the other hand, receive training and a chance to be actively involved in real research, not just textbook experiments.

Students test their own hypotheses in the lab. "It gets a little addictive. It's like, 'What if I did this? What if I did that?'" says Muth. "At the end of 10 weeks things are really just getting started." Muth says professors encourage students to enroll in independent research and continue their projects through the academic year.

Three physics students have returned to the same project for a second summer. John Nichol '06, Jimmy Randolph '06 and Sarah Fortman '06 have continued their research with molecular beam spectroscopy, working with Professors of Physics James Cederberg and David Nitz. The group used the spectrometer to record molecular data and developed software to further analyze it.

Kelly Nail '07 is used her biology and mathematics majors to make models for the design of marine reserves with Professor of Mathematics Urmila Malvadkar. Intrigued by her research, Nail is considering a career in mathematical ecology.

Bethany Jacobson '06 and Allison Madison '07 studied environmental psychology. "We explored questions like whether the way we think about bad nature experiences is different from the way we think about bad urban experiences, or how religion is related to nature and the effects of nature and religion on well-being," says Jacobson.

Two St. Olaf students, Brennan Decker '06 and Russ Johnson '06, are researching internationally, thanks to the funds from the college's latest grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Decker, a biology and chemistry double major, is conducting summer research at the University of Pecs, Hungary. His objective is to explore what, if any, changes occur in the gross morphology and/or physiological properties of filamentous actin (a polymeric protein that plays an essential role in cell structure, intracellular transport, and muscle contraction) when it's heated.

"The project will contribute to the understanding of the structural properties of this important biological molecule," says Decker, who will continue his research when he returns to campus. <

Johnson, a chemistry major with a biomolecular studies concentration, is working at the Institut Pasteur in Paris with Robert Menard M.D., Ph.D, Chief of the Malaria Biology and Genetics Unit. Johnson is building a gene construct that will be introduced into [the haploid protozoan] Plasmodium berghei to allow other researchers to distinguish between the two types of entry the sporozoite stage of malaria uses to invade hepatocytes (liver cells).

Muth advised Johnson to choose his location based on the supervisor's enthusiasm for working with undergraduates. This advice served Johnson well. "Different people in the lab, from master's students to Dr. Menard himself, have sat down and spent hours teaching me techniques and strategies," Johnson says. "They all have their own research which they need to attend to, but are still willing to take time to walk me through things that may seem elementary to them."

On August 5, on-campus summer researchers discussed their research and participated in a poster presentation during a half-day science symposium.

Contact Carole Engblom at 507-786-3271 or leigh@stolaf.edu.