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About one in every seven American men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime1. Combatting cancer is difficult, but one crucial step is early detection, which is made possible through screening examinations such as the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test. Philip Parkes ’17 is working with Professor of Biology Herm Lehman on a project titled “The Origins of Over-Testing: Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) Test” that is sponsored by a Levitt Summer Research Grant.

While the U.S. is a global leader in many fields, such is not the case with our public education system, which lags behind 13 other countries.1 Brian Sobotko ’16, a public policy major and education studies minor, thinks that the solution for failing public schools may be more obvious than we imagine. As a Levitt Summer Research Fellow, he is working on an independent examination of  “Transformational Leadership in American Public Schools.”

Although the term “America” is often used to mean “the United States of America,” there is much more to America than our 50 states. Maggie Joyce ’16, a world politics major with a concentration on Latin America, is interning at the Council on Hemispheric Affairs (COHA) in Washington, D.C., to promote precisely that idea.

Although many children spend their summer vacations playing with bugs, few college students can say they get paid to do the same. While conducting an independent behavioral study of Madagascar hissing cockroaches may not exactly be “playing,” Emma Anderson ’17 is enjoying it nonetheless. Anderson, a prospective biology major, is working under the guidance of Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology Heather Mallory to examine the relationship between the cockroaches and the mites that live on them.

Rushing through the dimly lit tunnels of the subway, passengers might be too focused on their transportation to pay any attention to the changing gallery of graffiti on the walls. Yet each piece in this underground collection has a story, an author, an objective. Collin Spinney ’16 is examining this through an Emerson project, “Beautiful Deviancy: A Work of Fiction and Poetry Born Out of Activist Art.” 

The corn from Ohio, the blueberries from Maine, and the strawberries from California that all ended up at your summer barbeque traveled quite a distance before arriving on your plate. “Farm to Fork,” a term used by the college’s food service provider, Bon Appétit, entails buying locally grown products when possible in order to reduce carbon emissions caused by transporting food long distances, as well as to stimulate the local economy. Nicole LaBarge ’15 is working on a Levitt Project, “Analyzing the Sustainability of Bon Appétit at Hamilton College Using Life Cycle Assessment.”

Although many people are frightened of the apian workers, honeybees are an integral link in the global food chain. Since 2006, there has been a noted increase in the prevalence of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) across the world. While many postulations exist, the definitive cause of this devastating phenomenon is not known. Jon Shapiro ’17, in coordination with Analytical Instrumentation Specialist Greg Rahn, is spending the summer conducting research as part of his project, “HPLC Analysis of Neonicotinoid Pesticides in Honey and Their Effects on the Kirkland Area.”

This past February, Hamilton welcomed actress, writer, producer, and transgender advocate, Laverne Cox, as the keynote speaker of the NY6 Spectrum Conference. Cox portrays the incarcerated Sophia Burset on the critically acclaimed television show Orange is the New Black, which follows the lives of inmates in a women’s federal prison.

Although hundreds of students enroll in science courses every semester, doing summer research is “so much different than any lab class,” says Hannah Ferris ’16. Ferris, who is conducting organic synthesis methodology research under the auspices of Assistant Professor of Chemistry Max Majireck, is so fascinated by the project that she will be continuing her research with an independent study in the fall.

In a world riddled with social injustice, it’s important to discover the tools that can enlighten a population. Caleb Williamson ’17, a philosophy major and government minor, is working with Professor of Philosophy Todd Franklin to determine just that. His Emerson project, “The 21st Century New Negro,” was inspired by Franklin’s course, “The Black Self.”