Muhlenberg College

First performed in 1895, Oscar Wilde's 'The Importance of Being Earnest' continues to be one of the most popular and performed comedies of the modern stage. In this production, Wilde's much loved masterpiece is celebrated with cutting wit, deadpan ludicrousness, and a dubious fervor for all things "Bunbury" - and performed entirely by an acting company of women.

Krystal Hall '21 is the student director of the M.U.L.E. Community Cabinet which provides resources for Muhlenberg students experiencing scarcity or other hardship.

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.

Maya Illovsky '21 totaled 51 digs in two matches against Vassar and Morrisville State, raising her career total to 1,010. She is the 14th player in team history to reach 1,000, but just the second to get there as a junior.

Val Weisler '20 helps empower young people around the world.

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.

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.

Caroline Hogg '20 landed a summer role with the Madison Square Garden Company after learning about the position through a trip with Muhlenberg's Career Center.

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.

Maye-gan Brown '20 was a communications intern last summer with the Philadelphia Department of Human Services, as part of the Mayor's Internship Program.

After twice working as a summer analyst, Wells Fargo offered Gabrielle Neuman '20 a full-time role for after graduation.

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.

Danielle Kraes '21 conducted research in psychology at Muhlenberg College over the summer. Working with Kenneth Michniewicz, assistant professor of psychology, Kraes conducted research on the expectations of identity when associated with musical instruments. Gender biases are placed on those who violate these expectations negatively, such as women playing guitar. Kraes' research implies that someone viewed as an underdog is deemed more likable. The project will explore, through an experimental survey, whether or not underdog identity eliminates harsh evaluations when musicians violate expectations.

Jessica Deemer '21 conducted research in psychology at Muhlenberg College over the summer. Working with Psychology Professor Jeff Rudksi, Deemer aims to understand the stigma individuals have about using psychotropic medication for mental illness, especially depression. The research she is conducting will determine if individuals think one can still be their authentic, true self while using medication, or if they believe they are completely altered and no longer themselves.

For the fourth time in his career, junior Michael Hnatkowsky of the Muhlenberg football team was named Centennial Conference offensive player of the week.

Working with Alexandra Frazer, assistant professor of psychology, this summer, Jacob Lader '22 studied the psychology of perceiving visual art. The research involves the categorization of stimuli, pre-trial surveys, trials using an eye-tracker, and post-trial questionnaires. The analyzation and interpretation of data are aimed to better understand the experience of visual stimuli. Lader studies this phenomenon through abstract and representational art. "The visual arts, and how people both create and experience them, has always been interesting to me. Summer research allows me to explore my interest in-depth in a scholarly environment while preparing me for future research experiences."

Kristen Corless '20, an English and theatre double major, is conducting research at Muhlenberg College this summer. Working with Jill Stephen, professor of English, Corless studies how Dickinson used nature to explore immortality and death. Going through each of Dickinson's 1775 poems, Corless finds those discussing nature and organizes them into categories. She gives each a close read and tries to decipher Dickinson's code of the natural world, utilizing her extensive understanding of the poet's history and her own English theory. "Scholars have not given this particular subject enough attention and I hope to bring a new eye to it, uncovering new truths about Dickinson's poetry," she says.

Dario Lewczyk '20, a chemistry major, is conducting research at Muhlenberg College this summer. Working with Justin Sparks, assistant professor of chemistry, Lewczyk is working with the substances that are used by perfumers to slow down the evaporation of a fragrance to make it last longer.

Moira Ferrer '22 is conducting physics research this summer at Muhlenberg College. Working with Brett Fadem, associate professor of physics, Ferrer is designing, building and testing cosmic ray detectors. Cosmic rays are atom fragments that rain down on the earth's surface from outside the solar system and are commonly blamed for electronic problems in satellites and other machinery. Building a detector is a significant task as these rays move at the speed of light. Ferrer is working backward first, testing old cosmic ray detectors and troubleshooting ones that did not succeed. Then she'll work on building a system to detect the cosmic rays and coding a program to analyze the collected data.

Christopher Dasaro '20, a neuroscience major, conducted research at Muhlenberg this summer with Christine Ingersoll Fermier, professor of chemistry. He analyzed essential oils and their contents with an instrument called gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, or GC-MS.

Working with Thaddeus Robinson, associate professor of philosophy, Andrew Leahy '21 is conducting research this summer that aims to objectify some of the ways that writing can be enlisted as a tool for critical thought. He hopes to forge a closer connection between writing and critical thinking. Given the complexities that both entail, it is often difficult to realize their links - that writing can be enlisted as a tool for higher-level thought, and that critical thinking can be grounded in the tangible work of writing. Leahy's aim is to make these connections more accessible and approachable.

Jessica Sommer '21 is determining the distinctions between olfactory and visual cues when manipulating spaces around bumblebees.

Victoria Basciano '20, Alexander Goldberg '21, Mira-Belle Haddad '22 and Miranda Robinson '21 are conducting biochemistry research related to plant enzyme structures this summer through a grant from the National Science Foundation under the mentorship of Keri Colabroy, associate professor of chemistry.

Caitlin Segarra '21, a neuroscience major, conducts research at Muhlenberg College this summer.

Natalie Trachtman '20 is conducting research in biology this summer at Muhlenberg College.

Vanessa Pham '21 is conducting biological research at Muhlenberg College this summer. Working with Jordanna Sprayberry, associate professor of biology, Vanessa Pham '21 is dedicating her research to the health and safety of bumblebees, focusing on responses to their sensory cues such as vision and olfaction.

Cole Geissler '21 is conducting research of climate change through plant phenology at Muhlenberg College this summer. Working with Rich Niesenbaum, professor of biology, Cole Geissler '21 is tracking seasonal plant changes in relation to climate data, allowing for a deeper understanding of the factors that impact plant growth.

Iffat Imran '20, a biochemistry major with a math minor, is conducting research at Muhlenberg College this summer.