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In an article on the news site of the journal Science on varying studies related to monarch butterfly migration declines, Ernest Williams, the William R. Kenan Professor of Biology Emeritus and lecturer in biology, warned that concerns over migration “should be added to—but not replace—the other issues we know to be affecting monarchs.” The Aug. 5 article was titled “Monarch butterfly studies tell a perplexing tale.”

Anna Arnn ’17 is taking her studies in archaeology into the field this summer as part of a program through the University of Montana Missoula. Through the project Arnn will be working with UMM graduate student Matt Walsh, performing faunal analysis, or the study of animal remains in the context of archaeology.

Patrick Marris ’16, David Dacres ’18 and Erin Lewis’18 presented the results of their summer research projects during the 14th annual Molecular Educational Research Consortium in Undergraduate computational chemistry (MERCURY) conference. The conference was held July 23-25 at Bucknell University.

Computer science majors Jason Fortunato ’17 and Linnea Sahlberg ’17 are attempting to improve upon expensive biometric technologies this summer through a research project titled Remote Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy. Working under Stephen Harper Kirner Chair of Computer Science Stuart Hirshfield, their research is focused on the creation of relatively unintrusive alternatives to Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) equipment, utilizing lasers to operate remotely instead of the common skin-contact reliant systems of traditional equipment.

This summer, Jon Shapiro ’17 is working with Assistant Professor of Chemistry Max Majireck to explore molecules with potential, biological application. Shapiro hopes not only to create such a molecule, but he also hopes to develop an understanding of how best to create it.

Organic chemistry research students from Hamilton, Colgate University and Hobart and William Smith Colleges convened to report on their summer research on July 8 when Hamilton’s chemistry department hosted the annual meeting of the Summer Organic Research Symposium (SmORS).

As a Hamilton College neuroscience major, Marina Palumbo ’17 has had to learn, retain, and access plenty of tough material. Befittingly, this summer Palumbo is working alongside Douglas Weldon, the Stone Professor of Psychology and director of the Neuroscience Program, to investigate long-term potentiation: the biological underpinning of learning and memory in the brain

When Marta Antoniv ’17 explains her summer research, she pulls out a pencil and paper. Antoniv is working alongside Assistant Visiting Professor of Chemistry Daniel Griffith ’07 to help identify a novel method of synthesizing nitrogen-containing, seven-membered rings, a process which may aid researchers in developing pharmaceutical drugs. Thankfully, she provided an explanation.

Sharif Shrestha ’17 is staying on campus this summer working with assistant professor Max Majireck on a project at the crossroads of biological chemistry, education, economics and entrepreneurship.

If prompted to identify animals that display high levels of intelligence, many people would probably name well-known exotic species, such as dolphins or chimps. However, one common species that many of us interact with every day may be among the most intelligent species on earth — crows. From tool-building and abstract thinking to complex social behavior, crows display intelligence to a degree that has been of great interest to scientists in recent years.