Remote research: Daron Janzen, PhD, and mentees Hope Holte '22 (left) and Hil Ngouajio 21 (right) stay connected during work for their green synthesis project.
Haley Dammar '21 (left) and mentor James Wollack, PhD associate professor (right), pause for a masked lab selfie. Photo courtesy of Haley Dammar.
In Mendel Hall, Summer Scholars students Anisa Tapper '23 (left) and Callie Korzeniowski 23 (right) work on their stratospheric ballooning project with physics professor Erick Agrimson.
Summer Scholars 2020
As in-person classes and events at St. 做厙輦⑹ shifted to online format to fit the restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in spring 2020, the 10th annual Summer Scholars research program pivoted as well. This years 13 faculty-student teams showcased their work to the St. Kates community in a new way virtually. Cynthia Norton, PhD, Director of Collaborative Undergraduate Research (CUR) and professor of Biology and Womens Studies at St. Kates, had no doubt the scholars were committed to the challenge. All of the teams that were initially accepted into the program were able to continue, said Norton. This is in sharp contrast to many programs at other institutions that were canceled. I was impressed with the flexibility, persistence, and positive attitudes of the Summer Scholars mentors and the students.
The transition was more straightforward for some teams than others, but they all faced the challenges headlong. Some scholars who focused on economics and psychology adjusted topics to answer questions relevant to current crises, such as housing insecurity. These teams had electronic data sets and were able to conduct their research online this was not the case for everyone. Teams who pursued biology and chemistry research with in-person plans, like recording health care assessments or visiting a training camp, had to develop alternate projects in April.
The faculty and students, who normally carry out their work side-by-side, quickly acclimated to their Google Meets sessions and modified topics. The mentors and mentees set academic goals, raised important questions, and provided feedback on each others projects. One way they did this was through weekly workshops, an integral component within the Summer Scholars program. It was in these meetings that they cultivated not only professional development but also a sense of togetherness. Dr. Norton put the students into mixed interdisciplinary groups to develop trust and be comfortable sharing their ideas. I was apprehensive about the workshops, Norton said. But I was pleasantly surprised that we were able to establish such a strong community of scholars under these circumstances. By fostering their relationships, they were able to accomplish far more than their research.
I believe that the opportunity to work on these projects this summer provided a space where students could make a contribution and feel that they were doing important work while little else in the world was under control, Dr. Norton said. This works collaborative nature provided a community when students and mentors were separated by physical distance. And the skills that students develop through participating in undergraduate research will prepare them to become leaders and make a difference in the world. In July, some of the science groups were granted the opportunity to carry out on-campus lab work, but it was the initial virtual meetings that established meaningful connections.
Meghan Mason, PhD, MPH, Associate Professor of Public Health and BA/BS Program Director, agreed that the virtual formats challenges did not compromise the goals of the Summer Scholars. In fact, by giving explicit permission to think differently about our projects, it seemed the project outcomes were more accessible to a broader audience than just narrow disciplinary silos, Mason said.
Mason and her student collaborator, Grace Anne Ludvik 22 explored housing instability, a topic which complemented that of another team Marina Gorzig, Ph.D., and her mentee, Karisa Johnson 22, and their research on discrimination in the Twin Cities rental market. These teams formed a book club during which they read The Address Book: What Street Addresses Reveal About Identity, Race, Wealth, and Power by Dierdre Mask.
The research and creative work led up to the symposium. The 2020 Summer Scholars have shown us that through teamwork, we can persevere through times of doubt.
Summer Scholars 2020 teams
History
Welcoming the Dear Neighbor? A History of Housing Inequality in Ramsey County
Alexandra A S Keller 21 International Studies, History minor; Vee Signorelli 21 Theology
Rachel Neiwert, History
Biology
Writing an Education Primer for the Journal Genetics
Kylie Burkstrand Dec 20 Biology
Andrea Kalis, Biology
Biochemistry and Chemistry
Synthesis of a Norbornene-Containing Substrate for the Enzyme Geranylgeranyltransferase
Haley Dammar 21 Chemistry (ACS)
James Wollack, Chemistry
Green Synthesis of Solar Cell Materials
Hope Holte 22 Chemistry; Badraa Al-jasim 21, Chemistry and Biochemistry; Hil Ngouajio 21, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Daron Janzen, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Addressing the Antibiotic Crisis: Drug Discovery in Microbes
Porhouy Minh 21 Chemistry and Biochemistry, Math minor
Annalisa Jordan, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Physics
Measurements Recorded via Stratospheric Ballooning
Stratospheric Ballooning Investigation of the 2023 and 2024 Eclipses
Callie Korzeniowski 23 Chemistry, Physics minor; Anisa Tapper 23 Math, Physics minor
Erick Agrimson, Physics
Modeling Low-Energy Nuclear Quenching in Super CDMS Using Neutron Capture Data
Judy Panmany 20 Chemistry
Hannah Rogers, Physics
Economics
Discrimination in the Twin Cities Rental Market
Karisa Johnson 22 Economics and Public Policy, Statistics minor
Marina Mileo Gorzig, Economics
Unintended Tradeoffs: Adolescent Sleep vs. Elementary Enrollment
Emma Kettle 22 Economics and Public Policy; Olivia Matzke 21
Economics Kristine West, Economics
Nutrition, Dietetics, and Exercise Sciences
Nutrition Assessment in St. Marys Health Clinic Serving Undocumented, Non-English Speaking, Latinx Patients
Katie Lilja 21 Nutrition and Dietetics; Teal Walters Dec 20 Nutrition and Dietetics
Ambria Crusan and Megan Baumler, Nutrition and Dietetics
The effect of gait training devices of gait range of motion in older adults after a six-week walking intervention Julia Clark 21 Exercise Science pre-PT; Reilee Schepper 22 Exercise Science pre-PT
Lana Prokop, Nutrition and Exercise Sciences
Psychology
Gender and Sustainability: An Empirical Investigation of Ecofeminism
Elyse Collyer 21 Psychology
Gabrielle Filip Crawford, Psychology
Public Health
How Do Healthcare Providers Screen Children and Families for Housing Instability? A Literature Review
Grace Anne Ludvik 22 Public Health, Spanish minor
Meghan Mason, Public Health