Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Summer Scholars Research Fellow Hannah Angelico '25 collaborates on the Seneca Review’s ‘Beyond Category’ online database with Geoffrey Babbitt, Associate Professor of Writing and Rhetoric and of English and Creative Writing. The project is part of the Office of Academic Affair’s Summer Scholarly Experience.

With Professor of Chemistry Erin Pelkey, Keira Potvin ’26 works up a reaction using a liquid-liquid extraction while Merrelle Grillo ’26 uses flash column chromatography to purify anti-cancer pre-cursor.

This week, we’re spotlighting students engaged in research with faculty this summer. Here, Aspen Suwyn ’25 works with Professor of Chemistry Justin Miller to synthesize proteins and other molecules with possible pharmaceutical applications.

Kevin Frost ‘25 and Ava Lee ‘25 use liquid nitrogen to freeze hemp tissue samples for preservation to later conduct DNA analysis while working at Cornell AgriTech in Geneva.

Greta Paasch '27 and Mia Tetrault '25 (center) work with Professor of Gender, Sexuality, and Intersectional Justice Betty M. Bayer (right) and Rochester Institute of Technology Professor Juilee Decker to arrange photos for an exhibition at The National Women's Hall of Fame titled “The Rollercoaster for Women’s Rights, Equality, and Freedom.”

Professors of Spanish and Hispanic Studies Fernando Rodríguez-Mansilla and May Farnsworth lead a read along and discussion of “Los Abismos” by Pilar Quintana with students at Empire Coffee & Donuts.

At Cornell AgriTech, Andrew Painton ‘25 prepares to transfer fungal samples as part of a study of diseases that affect apple trees in order to test various treatments.

Piper Polga ’26 and Abigail Cole ’25 visit Anthony Road Winery’s vineyard with Cornell University graduate student Donald Caldwell as part of research on the history and economics of the Finger Lakes wine region with Associate Professor of Sociology Ervin Kosta.

Professors of International Relations Vikash Yadav and Stacey Philbrick Yadav talk with Rafael Aguilar ‘25, Kelly Howe ‘26 and Sandeep Tissaaratchy ‘26 during Weekly Donuts, an event hosted by faculty members for students doing research during the summer. Philbrick Yadav and students are conducting research on post-conflict societies.

Marcella Venettozzi ’25, Professor of Biology Patricia Mowery and Delaney Williams ’26 test compounds synthesized in Professor of Chemistry Erin Pelkey’s lab for anti-cancer activity.

Working with Professor of Geoscience Nan Crystal Arens, Mohammad Yassin ‘25 uses data analytics to assess the impacts that landfills have on air quality in Geneva, N.Y.

Associate Professor of Anthropology Chris Annear meets with Chloé Woods ‘27, Najma Ahmed ‘26, Michelle Mangione ‘27 and Estelle Bignet ‘26 to discuss their research on Chinese engagement in Zambia. This work supports Annear’s upcoming book "Big Brother, Big Man."

Under the direction of Professor of Geoscience Nan Crystal Arens, Arshi Fawad '26 and Bailey Gervais '27 clean and preserve Early Eocene-age leaf fossils from southwestern Alabama to gain information on earth’s climate 54 million years ago.

Associate Professor of Music Charity Lofthouse and John Bewley '27 discuss Japanese pop music, with a specific focus on the musical connections between Japan, South America and the music scene of Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking Japanese artists in Japan.

Professor of Chemistry Kristin Slade and her research students Camila Garcia '24, Lina Hassini '26 and Genevieve Larkin '27 study malate dehydrogenase (MDH), a critical enzyme in the citric acid cycle. In the lab, they purify the enzyme to observe its kinetics under different conditions.

Associate Professor of Physics Leslie Hebb takes a selfie with Jake Romney '26 and Biruk Nardos '25 at the Space History Museum in Alamogordo, New Mexico. This summer, Romney is analyzing spectra of hundreds of stars to measure their magnetic activity and see how it changes over time, while Nardos is working on a project to simulate the interior structure of extrasolar planets.