Muhlenberg College

Three Student Researchers Are Co-Authors of Recently Published Mindfulness Study

Students in Professor Gretchen Gotthard's Lab perform research, present at conferences and may even co-author articles in academic journals.

Paige Jones and David Strzeminski, both Class of '22, worked remotely with Professor of Chemistry Keri Colabroy this summer studying protein catalysts which can play a role in the discovery of new antibiotics and other natural products.

Danny Monzo worked with Biology Professor Bruce Wightman to study the genetics of sleep in the species C.elegans.

Alice Banta did research on Leonard Bernstein and how his personal identities helped shape the portrayals of race, gender and sexuality in "West Side Story."

Michael Gatazka '21, Maria Vazquez '21, Michael Albdewi '22 and Alexander Vu '22, under the guidance of Sherri Young, associate professor of chemistry, accumulated information on peptoids from the scientific literature to summarize and gain insight into how the conformational preferences of these molecules affect their properties.

Aviv Campbell '23 and Renee Heller '21 are analyzing the vast amount of information found on marine acidification to find trends that can relate to freshwater acidification. The research team also plans to investigate which organisms would be most affected by the pH changes due to the acidification.

Double major Francesca Jones '21 combines her interests in a summer research project examining differences in the perceived risk of climate change among different socioeconomic groups.

Sarah Vetesi '21 helped design a research project with her two mentors this summer that focused on assessing the level of care patients received when seeking treatment for potential sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

Vijay Rao '22 and Jessica Sommer '21, working with Jordanna Sprayberry, professor of biology, explore the intricacies of bumblebee foraging. They're creating a framework for their research to explore how the enviromental conditions affect bee foraging and help other researchers studying the topic.

Adam Cantor '21 and Jonah Silverman '22 create an app to establish a home base for tick research across the country.

Caya Greenspan-Layman '22, with the help of professor of sociology Janine Chi, analyzes how performance art shapes identity and enacts social change in Southeast Asia.

Director of Public Health Chrysan Cronin and Kevan Shah '22 applied for the grant together last fall and announced the grant together to the community and the media at a campus event on January 16. The funds will be used to train students to train members of the Lehigh Valley community to administer the lifesaving drug Narcan.

Rebecca Shear '21 is working with Gretchen Gotthard, professor of neuroscience, to determine the impact of overloading working memory using visuospatial tasks such as Tetris.

Brian Acquaviva '21, Alexandria Lerner and Malak Rayes '21 are analyzing a recent scientific breakthrough called vibrational strong coupling (VSC), a phenomena that alters the characteristics of chemical bonds in ways never before seen.

Morgan Tietz '21 is analyzing and comparing biodiversity at two different types of green spaces in Allentown and conducting a sociodemographic search to determine which populations have access to these green spaces.

Cole Giessler is looking at how native and non-native plants' blooming patterns change due to a warmer climate.

Have you ever wondered how your brain and mouth go from thinking about a word to articulating it? Alexandra Frazer, assistant professor of psychology, put this question to the test with the help of Muhlenberg student researcher Kat Hodges '20, a biochemistry major and public health minor. Students Alyce Huot '20, Hazem Abdelaal '20, Jessica Oxer '21 and Marwan Rajha '21 also assisted with the research.

Three students shared their research at the Joint Mathematics Meeting's Student Research Poster Session in Denver, Colorado, this January.

Muhlenberg faculty and students are using the spotted lanternfly to attract local high schoolers to math and science.

Muhlenberg students presented global education research at the annual LVAIC Global Student Conference.

Three Muhlenberg student researchers co-authored a paper with Assistant Professor Justin Sparks published in 'American Chemical Society Photonics.'

Last spring, six Muhlenberg students who work with Gretchen Gotthard, associate professor of psychology and neuroscience, presented their research at a conference in France.

Muhlenberg student Olivia Toner '20 spent her summer in Lehigh Valley Health Network's Oncology Lab, where she worked alongside health professionals to map treatment strategies and record patient outcomes.

Olivia Garcia '20 conducted historical research this summer at Muhlenberg College. Working with Cathy Ouelette, associate professor of history, Garcia connected several fields of study, such as political science, economics, dance, Latin, and American studies, to understand Argentine identity in the early 2000s. Titled 'The Politics of Performance,' the project seeks to make connections across disciplines in order to draw conclusions about the state of Argentina and its people in the time period.

Working with Erika Iyengar, professor of biology, Austin Hoffman studied how the time in streams and ponds can affect the biodiversity that colonizes leaf packs he plants. Isopods are crucial to stream and pond biodiversity, considering the amount of organisms that feed on them. By looking at the condition of leaves that is most inhabitable for the isopods, Hoffman can gauge when they are more effectively populated.

Steven Smith '19 studied the impact of age and gender on a child's ability to manage behavior and presented his research last spring at the Society for Research in Child Development Conference in Baltimore, Maryland.

Psychology students work with a local nonprofit to collect and analyze information it can use to ensure its continued funding-and continued success.

The Seed Box, a four-week pilot program, brought together sustainability studies and innovation and entrepreneurship faculty and students to come up with a concept that would offer a solution to a sustainability-related problem.

With mentorship from Jonathan Mathias Lassiter, assistant professor of psychology, Steven Smith '19 conducted an independent research project at Muhlenberg focused on how age and gender affect a child's development of their ability to manage their behavior. He presented the study last March at the Society for Research in Child Development Conference in Baltimore, Maryland.