Summer Research

Saint Mary’s faculty and students continue their research projects and academic work during the summer months on campus and around the world. Funding from the National Science Foundation, the Marjorie Neuhoff Summer Science grant—specifically for research in biology, chemistry and physics—along with other College endowments make the pursuit of new discoveries possible.

“Modeling Belief Evolution Over Time in Society,” Madeline Pooler ’24, Molly Mullett ’23, and Pushpi Paranamana, assistant professor of mathematics and computer science

“IIBR Informatics: Intuitive Software for Automated Tracking and Counting,” Kyra Obert ’22, Samantha Vorderer ’23, and Ian Bentley, associate professor of physics 

“Explorations in Chemical Ecology and Animal Behavior,” Lex Gilman ’23, Scout Steinhiser ’23, and Cassie Majetic, professor of biology (See campus mushrooms on right.)

“Neural Network Architecture for Stellar Labels,” Kathleen Connick ’23, Rose Brienza ’24, and Marwan Gebran, associate professor of physics and astronomy physics

“Investigating Trifluoromethylation Strategies and Applications,” Makaya Robinson ’24, Sarah Leddy ’24, and Elsa Hinds, assistant professor of chemistry

“Dialogue and Democracy Summer Institute,” Mary Lois Burke ’25, Anais Juliano ’25, Choloe Westrate ’25, Paige Madden ’23, and Megan Zwart, professor of philosophy

The Study of the United States Institutes (SUSI), Zahraa Mozan ’24, Crystal Ramirez ’23, McKenzie Lookebill ’22, Neelofar Ahmed ’22, and Emily Rose McManus, director of the Center for Women’s Intercultural Leadership, academic director of SUSI

Student Independent Study and Research (SISTAR)

“Place Based Elementary Inquiry,” Hanna Maheras ’23, and Jeff Grenier, professor of education

“Development in Cross Cultural Literacy Practicum,” Janet Nantumbwe ’23, and Katherine Higgs Coulthard, professor of education

“Assessing The Effects of Anxiety and Acute Stress on Prospective Memory,” Cecilia Swanson ’23, and Andrea O’Rear, professor of psychology

“Interreligious Conflict and Cooperation in the Medieval Mediterranean,” Paige Madden ’23, and Jessalyn Bird, professor of humanistic studies

“Restorative Justice and Prison Reform,” Sydney Ellis ’23, and Andrew Pierce, professor of philosophy

“Living and Dying Exposed: Comparing the Ethics of Bodily Exposures in Ireland and Chile,” Mary Elsinger ’23, and Nell Haynes, visiting assistant professor of global studies

“Leveraging the Libre Texts Project into the Next Generation Hub for Construction, Dissemination, and Usage of Open Educational Resource Textbooks,” Therese Diamond ’23, and Laura Williamson Ambrose, associate professor of humanistic studies †