Lauren RubensteinFifteen Wesleyan students presented posters on their research in the sciences and mathematics at the seventh annual “Celebration of Science Theses” event held April 19. “You help keep our sciences here vibrant and alive,” Ishita Mukerji, dean of natural sciences and mathematics, professor of molecular biology and biochemistry, tells the students gathered in the lobby of Exley Science Center as she congratulates them. Mukerji says she hopes that after pausing to celebrate their achievements, the students will continue to pursue research for many years to come. The work presented by seniors and BA/MA students spans a wide range of disciplines.…
Olivia Drake(more…)
Does participating in combat sports (like martial arts and wrestling) or playing contact sports (like football and hockey) influence aggression outside of the sport? According to a study by Zander Parkinson '13, the answer might be, yes. "I found that among male adolescents there was a significant association between activity level and increased likelihood of getting into a physical fight," Parkinson explained during the Quantitative Analysis Center's Fall Poster Session Dec. 9. "Adolescents who played an active sport three or more times a week were significantly more likely to get into a physical fight than non-active adolescents who played an…
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[youtube width="640" height="420"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49QKAlwdq8s[/youtube] Q: Mary, what is your class year, and what are you majoring in? A: I'm a junior, and I'm double-majoring in neuroscience and behavior and English. Q: You’re currently working in the lab of Jan Naegele, professor of neuroscience and behavior, professor of biology. Can you tell us a bit about your research in the Naegele Lab? A: The Naegele Lab studies temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), which involves instances of elevated electrical activity in the brain called seizures. In cases where medication does not alleviate seizures, TLE patients experience cell death and damage in the dentate gyrus,…
There's something fishy about one of Connecticut's minnows, and the topic hooked researchers in the Department of Biology. During the last ice age, Connecticut was covered by layers of snow and ice, forcing organisms to seek refuge elsewhere. After the glaciers retreated, recolonization of the fauna and flora resulted in the diversity of native species that inhabit the state today. "But where did they come from? How did they come back to the Northeast to give us all the organisms we see today?" asks biology graduate student Michelle Tipton. "These questions are of particular interest to the ichthyologists at Wesleyan with…
This semester, 18 earth and environmental sciences majors explored dwarf mangrove forests, studied landslide susceptibility in a rainforest, examined if cave rocks record bat inhabitation, and analyzed the chemistry of coastal seagrass – all in Puerto Rico. The students, who are enrolled in the E&ES 398 course Senior Seminar, developed observational, interpretative and research skills through their island studies. The seniors traveled to Puerto Rico in January for fieldwork, and spent the past few months analyzing their findings. They presented their Senior Seminar Presentations on April 19 and 21 as part of the Stearns (more…)
By synthesizing the antimatter particle antihydrogen, physicists will have the ability to create a more accurate picture and explanation of the universe. "Would antimatter fall down -- or fall up?," asks physics major Guy Geyer '13. "If we could trap antihydrogen for a longer length of time, we could test the gravitational effects of the particle. This would certainly be what scientists aim to do in the end." Geyer, who studies antihydrogen at Wesleyan, received honorable mention for the 2011-12 Barry Goldwater Scholarship. He competed with 1,095 mathematics, science, and engineering students nationwide for the award. Geyer began his antihydrogen…
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