A thank you to our HCEMS
Hamilton recognizes — and thanks — our 28 HCEMS student volunteers during National Collegiate EMS month. These dedicated students are New York State certified EMTs whose work helps keep the College community safe 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week, while classes are in session.
This year’s squad is Phoebe Anderson, ’24, Allison Berkowitz ’25, Bailey Black ’24, Ashlyn Blessey ’26, Madeline Boger ’25, Maeve Browne ’25, Caroline Burd ’26, Ethan Connolly ’25, Josephine Cooper ’26, Gabriella Crawford ’25, Felix Halloran ’26, Madison Hinojos ’24, Faith Hollyer ’25, Sarah John ’24, Zach Lucchini ’25, Caitlin Malecky ’26, Andreas Matejka ’25, Christiana Melucci ’26, Isabella Piacentino ’24, Barb “Bobbi” Roca ’24, Thomas Sheft ’26, Sophia Sherman ’24, Hannah Singer ’24, Zach Smith ’25, Jacob Spafford ’25, Claire Tratnyek ’26, Alexi Vaillancourt ’24, and Natalie Yarnall ’26.
Photo: Eniman Imoke ’26
Students Present at National GSA Conference
Holly Mirales ’26 presented a poster at the National Geological Society of America conference in Pittsburgh based on her summer fellowship with the Keck Geology Consortium. She spent five weeks in San Antonio conducting research on uranium mobilization in groundwater at Trinity University. Others in her group were Yarely Contreras-Joya ’26 of Hamilton, Amber Nelson ’26 of Amherst College, and Anna Heikes ’26 of Trinity University.
Mirales and Nelson focused on designing and running an experiment focused on determining the principal reactions driving uranium mobilization in groundwater. They also considered if these reactions are microbially mediated or if they occur abiotically. Contreras-Joya and Heike’s undertook a geospatial and statistical analysis project in which they used publicly available data to make maps and analyze the correlations between uranium contamination in groundwater and the presence of other chemicals/features of the water.
10 Elected to Phi Beta Kappa
In its first meeting of the 2023-24 academic year, the Hamilton Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa elected 10 members of the Class of 2024:
- Cassandra Adler, Creative Writing and Hispanic Studies
- Campbell Berry, Biology
- Bailey Black, Neuroscience
- Sabrina Broderick, Literature
- Mark Fakler, Biochemistry/Molecular Biology and Philosophy
- Kelly Grossman, Neuroscience
- Clare Nelle, Physics
- Catherine Schmitt, Neuroscience and Philosophy
- Sophia Sherman, Hispanic Studies
- Kloe Shkane, Hispanic Studies and History
Summer Intern Blatte ’26 Writes for NEH
Communications and Marketing Office student writer Dana Blatte ’26 authored four articles for the National Endowment for the Humanities where she interned in the division of preservation and access last summer. An anthropology/creative writing double major, she wrote:
- Teaching Resiliency: Preparing Alaska’s Cultural Organizations for Emergencies
- In With the Old and New: Improving Environmental Conditions at the New Hampshire Historical Society
- Silent No More: Lifting the Veil on Women and People of Color in Silent and Short Film; and
- Voices of the Vietnam War
Mock Trial Team Enjoying Fall Semester Success
The Mock Trial Team participated in the Bing Bearcat Invitational in October at Binghamton University. One of Hamilton’s teams earned first place while the other team received the SPAMTA (sportsmanship award). Maliyah LeFevour ’27 garnered two awards for her work as a witness, and Mia McGrath ’25 received an award for her job as an attorney.
In November, the team participated in the Big Red Invitational Classic at Cornell where Mame Thiam ’27 picked up a witness award, and Abigail Lowder ’25 was recognized for her work as an attorney.
Student Researchers Present at NY6 Undergraduate Conference
Thirty-seven students attended the 11th annual New York 6 Undergraduate Research conference, held this year at Hobart & William Smith Colleges. Hamilton students gave oral presentations and exhibited posters of their research on topics ranging from ““Oh! Phew!” We Might Know for Whom You’re Voting,” to “Facial cues’ effect on individuals’ evaluation of sickness in the faces of others.”
Their presentations were based on summer research they conducted with Hamilton faculty during the summer in the sciences and through Emerson Foundation grants.
Jaboldinov ’26 and Team Present Research at iGEM
Alinur Jaboldinov ’26 attended the Internationally Genetically Engineered Machine Grand Jamboree, the largest synthetic biology competition in the world on the undergraduate level, in Paris from Nov. 2 to 5. He was selected to join the team of Nazarbayev University from his home country of Kazakhstan, where the team presented their project "Living bacteria-mediated carcinoma tumor therapy." He received RENYI funding from Hamilton to attend, and hopes to establish an iGEM club on campus, similar to the American Chemical Society club.
Schmitt ’24 Co-Authors Philosophy Article
Professor of Philosophy Russell Marcus and Catherine Schmitt ’24 are co-authors of an article that appeared the fall 2023 issue of APA Studies on Teaching Philosophy, a publication of the American Philosophical Association. In “Summer Experiments in Pedagogical Innovation,” Marcus and Schmitt describe in detail the 2022 Hamilton College Summer Program in Philosophy, emphasizing the pedagogical innovations of its three instructors and the courses they taught.
Voice Students Awarded Prizes in Competition
Ari Sher ’26, Alex Kim ’25, Anna Skrobala ’24, and Aubrey Campbell ’26, voice students of Kay Smith Paulsen, participated in the National Association of Teachers of Singing Finger Lakes Chapter Vocal Competition held at Houghton University on Oct. 21. The chapter includes Eastman and Crane schools of music, SUNY schools in Buffalo and Binghamton, and other smaller institutions in the area.
Hamilton students prepared three classical vocal pieces of varying styles and performed them from memory for a panel of judges. Skrobala and Campbell qualified for the final round where they participated in a recital. Campbell was awarded second place in his division, winning a cash prize, and he and Skrobala were awarded certificates as finalists. All of the Hamilton students can move on to compete in the North East Regional Competition in March, which includes schools from as far north as Canada and as far south as West Virginia.
Winston ’26 Attends Journalists Convention
Greg Winston ’26 attended the Society of Professional Journalists’ national convention in Las Vegas in October. Over four days, aspiring student journalists were given the chance to interact with award-winning professionals in the field, providing valuable networking opportunities. This year’s conference hosted Giovanni “Gio” Benitez of Good Morning America: Weekend Edition and Inside Edition’s Lisa Guerrero as keynote speakers. Winston’s trip was funded by the Reyni Leadership Fund.
