Student Research Spotlights

The fall and spring Research Fairs highlight student-faculty research collaborations. These collaborations started in the 1950s in the natural sciences. Today they encompass the arts and humanities, social sciences and natural sciences.  During the 2008-2009 academic year the Leser, Nissley and Marshall funds provided $63490 for 53 student research projects

Here's a sampling of the projects that illustrates the breadth of topics studied:

Fall 2009

• Kari Taylor '10, Calamari Calculations: Non-uniform Muscle Strain in the Mantle of Long-Finned Squid, Doryteuthis pealeii
• Jessica Jackson '10, William “Bill” Hutson: A Campus Treasure 
• John Picard '11, Metal, Cloth, and Human Remains: Archaeological Approaches to Mortuary Materials from the 18th Century Multinational Village of Otstonwakin
• Laura Schimberg '10, Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes: A Study of Socio-Demographic and Prenatal Interventions Factors Relevant to Low Birth Weight and Preterm Birth

Spring 2009

• Daniel Aschaffenburg '09, Benzonitrile as a Solvatochromic IR Probe
• Megan Hays '09, Collaborating With The Community: Franklin & Marshall College Science Teaching Internship and the School District of Lancaster
• Douglas Smith '09, The Bauls of Bengal: A New Generation
• Jennifer Stuart '09, Psychosocial Determinants of Pregnancy Outcomes Among the Amish

The Research Fair includes student paper and poster presentations at the Ann & Richard Barshinger Life Sciences & Philosophy Building.

The Hackman Summer Research Scholars program has grown considerably since its inception in the early 1980s. Between the summers of 2000 and 2009, the College supported 651 students with $1,982,691 in stipends. These students worked with 444 faculty mentors on research projects. During the summer of 2009, 71 students received more than $230,300 of institutional support from the Bonchek, Hackman, HHMI and Eyler funds.