Each year, undergraduate students across departments have the opportunity to participate in the John S. Rogers Science Research Program, which supports collaborative scientific research with Lewis & Clark faculty. At this year’s virtual presentations, projects ranged from an interactive game on earthquake preparedness to analysis on ideologies surrounding color blindness and racial passing.
Each week in June and July, students in the John S. Rogers Research Program present their original findings in front of peers and faculty at the Science Brown Bags. The program is designed to prepare students for careers in science by facilitating student-faculty collaboration on research projects.
Student-athlete Katie Kowal BA ’17, winner of Lewis & Clark’s highest academic honor—the Rena Ratte Award—earned degrees in both physics and political science. As the Boulder, Colorado, native heads off to begin a two-year fellowship at the Science and Technology Policy Institute, Katie shares some of her favorite and formative Lewis & Clark memories.
Recruiting and preparing a workforce of K–12 science and math teachers for an increasingly diverse group of students is crucial to improving science education. A new $125,000 National Science Foundation grant to Lewis & Clark will help to fund its STEM Teacher Pathways Project.
Are you interested in learning how to draw different types of plants, bugs, and mammals? Do you have an interest in exploring how to tie together the arts and sciences? Then a Scientific Illustration workshop is for you! A Scientific Illustrator will be visiting campus the weekend of April 7-9 to lead three Workshops. If you are interested and want to sign up for one of these sessions, or want to learn more, click here!
Thank you to SAAB, the Biology Department & the Watzek Library for supporting this event.
The pursuit of a better understanding of how the brain grows and functions is the goal of Tamily Weissman-Unni’s research laboratory. Now Weissman has been named a recipient of a National Science Foundation CAREER award that will support her research and teaching over the next five years.
Maggie Costello ’16 and Sofia Knutson ’16 spent the summer working with Professor of History Elliott Young to study the relationship between immigration and incarceration in the United States and Mexico. They reflect on this experience in the following Q&A.
Kenzie Batali ’15 and Julian Harris ’16 spent the summer working with Assistant Professor of Chemistry Casey Jones to find a potential treatment in red wine for coronary heart disease. They reflect on this experience in the following Q&A.
Professor of Chemistry Louis Kuo has been awarded a $220,116 National Science Foundation grant in support of his research on the degradation of organophosphate (OP) pesticides.
Aojie Zheng ’15 is working with Assistant Professor of Physics Shannon O’Leary to study how laser light can be used to detect and measure magnetic fields. She reflects on this experience in the following Q&A.
Owen Phillips ’16 is working with Professor of Chemistry Louis Kuo to design exciting lab assignments for chemistry students, while also studying crystals. He reflects on this experience in the following Q&A.
Noah Callaghan ’15, Susan Heinselman ’15, and Joel Schooler ’15 are working with high school student Elijah Rebensdorf and Associate Professor of Psychology Erik Nilsen to study how our interactions with technology impact our motivation to be healthy. They reflect on this experience in the following Q&A.
Ashley Hufnagle ’16 has been working with Assistant Professor of Psychology Jennifer LaBounty to study how children respond to the psychological states of those around them. She reflects on this experience in the following Q&A.
Demi Glidden ’16, Jennifer Lakeman ’16, and Melanie Morris ’15 have been working with Assistant Professor of Biology Norma Velázquez Ulloa to study the biological impacts of nicotine on fruit flies. They reflect on this experience in the following Q&A.
Emma Cook ’15 and Tate Sellers ’16 have been working with Assistant Professor of Psychology Todd Watson to study interaction between cognitive inhibition and high calorie foods.
Sarah Lowenstein ’15 and Holly Thomson ’16 have been working with Pamplin Professor of Science Janis Lochner to study the science behind memory formation.
Art, Emotions and the Brain From Neurons to the Great Goddess of Teotihuacan
September 16-17, 2014
We are very excited to have neuroscientist Francisco Fernadez de Miguel as our symposium keynote speaker. Dr. de Miguel, Professor of Neuroscience at the Instituto de Fisiología Celular-Neurociencias of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico, UNAM, will discuss his work in uncovering our brain’s response to viewing art.
Students discuss their research projects during a series of brown-bag talks on Tuesdays in June and July. Each presentation is 15 minutes; there are generally 3-4 talks per session. For more information about projects see project descriptions.
Lewis & Clark students presented a diverse array of research findings to an audience of more than 500 people at the Murdock College Science Research Program’s recent Conference on Undergraduate Research.
With a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Lewis & Clark has acquired a laser scanning confocal microscope for research use by students and faculty in the biology, chemistry, and physics departments.
Keira Roberts ’14 and Luciano Santino ’14 are working with Assistant Professor of Chemistry Anne Bentley to study the controlled growth of metal oxide electrodes as they relate to energy storage and generation. In the following Q&A, the team members reflect on their experience.
Alaina Green B.A. ’13 and Aojie Zheng ’15 are working with Assitant Professor of Chemistry Shannon O’Leary to investigate how laser frequency noise can be used to make precise measurements of magnetic fields. In the following Q&A, Green and Zheng reflect on their experience.
Devin Owen ’14 has the unique experience of working in a laboratory with Christopher Olson, a Post Doctorate Fellow at Oregon Health and Sciences University (OHSU). The two are investigating the ways in which binge drinking in young adults can contribute to problems with cognitive development. They are also pioneering the use of songbirds in human behavioral research. In the following Q&A, Owen reflects on his experience.
Melissa Newton-Mora ’14, Juliana Pirkle B.A. ’13, and Clackamas High School student Kyra Ortega-Schwartz are working closely with Todd Watson, assistant professor of psychology, to study cognitive inhibition in two different age groups: young adults and pre-school aged children. Their study focuses on behavioral impulses and inhibition. In the following Q&A, the students reflect on their experience.
Daniel Blasher B.A. ’13, Sreyhiek Seng ’16, and Abraham De Leon, a student at Rosemary Anderson High School, worked with Associate Professor of Mathematical Sciences Liz Stanhope to construct a computational model of sensory hair cells in the inner ear to better understand hearing in humans and motion detection in fish.
Ben Robinson ’15 is working alongside Professor of Physics Bethe Scalettar to study the ways in which high-resolution microscopes can help us understand memory formation. Their cutting-edge research contributes to a field currently studying the causes of diseases like Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s.
Miles Crabill ’16, Evan Damon B.A. ’13, Kaleb Ganz ’14, and Claire Humbeutel ’15 are working with Professor of Computer Science Jens Mache to integrate cybersecurity knowledge into undergraduate classrooms.
Amaya Lucas ’15 and Reuben Peterson ’14 are working with Assistant Professor of Physics Shannon O’Leary to discover whether or not holographic optical tweezers are well suited in the study of microscopic bubbles.
Sarah Lowenstein ’15 is working with Professor of Chemistry Janis Lochner to research neuronal proteins and memory formation using high-resolution microscopy.
Michelle Garfias ’15 and Janel Hull ’15 worked with Paulette Bierzychudek, William Swindells Sr. Professor of Natural Sciences, to study the effect of removing invasive plant species from River View Natural Area in Southwest Portland.
Brandon Cieslak ’15, Samuel Kelly ’14, Sam Levenick ’15, and Rosemary Anderson High School student Kal Johnson are working alongside Associate Professor of Computer Science Peter Drake and Associate Professor of Mathematics Yung-Pin Chen to develop an artificially intelligent program to play the board game Go.
Desiree Etzel ’14, Marjorie Pichon ’14, and Steven Lucas ’13 are working with Associate Professor of Psychology Erik Nilson to research games that foster problem solving skills in young children.
L & C is hosting another Science Without Limits Symposium this fall , featuring keynote speaker, Dr. Jane Lubchenco Distinguished Professor of Zoology at Oregon State University, former Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and one of today’s most highly regarded ecologists. Dr Lubchenco brings her scientific expertise along with her perspective on how science plays a role in our democratic society and here discussion titles invite a broad audience.
Read about and discuss the future of salmon in the Columbia River: Is Restoration Possible? “We are currently in a holding pattern since the salmon recovery problem has been largely domesticated politically. As a society we appear to be waiting for something to change, be it in the science, technology, economy, or even public attitudes, something that will shake us into a place wherethe problem becomes so apparent that a way forward is both clear and acceptable.” (Lackey, Lach and Duncan, 2006)
Students discuss their research projects during a series of brown-bag talks on Tuesdays in June and July. Each presentation is 15 minutes; there are generally 3-4 talks per session. For more information about projects see project descriptions.
Evan Damon ’13 and Julian Dale B.A. ’12 are working alongside Professor of Computer Science Jens Mache to investigate computer security and brainstorm new methods for teaching the subject to undergraduate students.
Jet’aime Mullins ’13 and Nick Sylvester ’13 are working alongside Associate Professor of Computer Science Peter Drake on research surrounding computer performance in abstract strategy games.
Two undergraduate students, Katherine Garvey ’13 and Alli Rotunno ’14, are working alongside Assistant Professor of Psychology Todd Watson to discover how different personality and behavior traits relate to diet and weight.
Emily Fagan ’14 and Alaina Green ’13 are working alongside Assistant Professor of Physics Shannon O’Leary to discover how laser light interactions are affected by magnetic fields.
Kyla Hamling ’14, Ian Lake ’13, Derek Warner-Reyes ’15, and Leah Weston ’13 are working alongside Assistant Professor of Biology Tamily Weissman-Unni to investigate the neural circuitry of the zebrafish to better understand the brain.
Matthew Sims ’13 and Maya Bendifallah ’13 are working alongside Associate Professor of Chemistry Nikolaus Loening to discover the effects of spider venom on crickets.
In an effort to keep English ivy at bay and turn 146 acres of land into a fully functioning forest, Lewis & Clark students teamed up with Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) to conduct research on the forest recovery process.
Summer science researchers Alex, Lindsay, and Louis offer a tour of Olin Center for Physics and Chemistry and discuss their experiences studying science at Lewis & Clark.
