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Collaborative Research, 2004
Skidmore students and their professors have worked together
on numerous research projects. This kind of high-level scholarship
does more than enhance a student's understanding in a given
disipline; the practical, hands-on experience and "real-world"
accomplishment also instill a sense of confidence that will
benefit a graduate in any career. Such research often leads
to co-authored articles in professional journals and presentations
at conferences.
Project: “The Truth Wrapped in a Package of Lies”:
Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York and Popular Culture as
Public History Participants: Daniel Nathan, Assistant Professor of American
Studies, Peter Berg ’06, Erin Klemyk ’05 Plan: A much-anticipated film, Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New
York (2002) provides a visually stunning representation of
mid-nineteenth century New York City. Although the film's mixed
critical reception and poor box office receipts disappointed its
makers, Gangs was widely praised for its gritty evocation of the past.
This project examines how Gangs recreates its most important
subjects, as well as its historical vision and cultural politics. It
carefully considers what the film does well and what it does poorly,
historically speaking. Ultimately, this project, which will take the
form of several conference presentations and will be submitted for
review in a refereed journal, argues that it is a mistake to dwell on
the film's historical inaccuracies and that Gangs is a vibrant,
compelling example of popular culture as public history, one that
educates as well as entertains.
Project: China Encounters the West: Trans-national Capital, Trade, and
Acculturation Participants: Professor Mao Chen of Foreign Languages, Zhen Le ’06 Plan: This project will focus on the following questions: Will
China apply the Special Economic Zone policy to the inland cities as
well? How did Nanjing Treaty after Opium War affect Chinese trade
culture at the five open-port cities? Will China lose its
"Chineseness" by practicing complete open-door policy? In what way can
we compare post-Opium War China trade with recent China's entry to the
WTO? How much a role does culture play in China trade?
Biochemistry
Project: Isolation, Purification and Characterization of a
Novel Metalloprotease from Vibrio fischeri: A Symbiotic Model
for Pathogenic Associations Participants: Michelle W. Frey, Assistant Professor of
Chemistry, Anna Gates ’05 Plan: The squid Euprymna scolopes and the chemiluminescent
bacterium Vibrio fischeri form a symbiotic relationship in which the
bacteria obtains an exclusive living environment complete with a
nutritional source within the squid's light organ, while the squid
utilizes the light given off by the resident bacteria as an
anti-predatory mechanism. It has been hypothesized that central to the
establishment of this relationship is the activity of a
surface-associated leucine aminopeptidase enzyme. The goal is to
isolate and purify this enzyme from the bacteria and characterize its
activity through a variety of enzyme assays. An understanding of this
enzyme's function may well lead to a clearer understanding of the role
of surface enzymes in the establishment of both symbiotic and
pathogenic relationships between bacteria and their hosts.
Project: Characterization of pre-mRNA metabolism in Yeast
pre-mRNA Splicing Mutants Participants: Patricia Hilleren, Lubin Family Professor for
Women in Science, Rob Caiazzo ’05 Plan: All cells undergo a set of fundamental biological
processes (DNA replication, mRNA and protein synthesis, and cell
division) that must occur with precision to ensure faithful cell
function. The biological machines that carry out these processes have
themselves evolved quality control mechanisms that enable mistakes to
be caught and eliminated. Many cancers arise because these biological
quality control systems fail. A fundamental processing step in gene
expression is pre-mRNA splicing wherein a complex called the
spliceosome assembles onto the pre-mRNA to cut and paste the pre-mRNA
into a mature form (mRNA). This processing step can be error-prone,
producing potentially deleterious mistakes. In this project we examine
how the cell eliminated these mistakes, and specifically how factors
that disassemble the sliceosome contribute to this process.
Project: Biochemical Characterization and Role of Superoxide
Dismutase in Vibrio fischeri, the Light Organ Symbiont of
Sepiolid Squid Participants: Pat Fidopiastis, Assistant Professor of Biology,
Adam Klein ’05 Plan: The goal of this project is to understand how cells of V.
fischeri overcome oxidative stress in the squid light organ. A gene
was identified within the genome of V. fischeri whose sequence is
similar to "superdioxide dismutase" (SOD) in other bacteria. SOD
assists in the detoxification of superoxide to water. Identification
of the SOD gene enabled cloning of the gene. The current process is
mutating the gene to create a strain of V. fischeri that is incapable
of SOD expression. It is hypothesized that this mutant will be unable
to detoxify superoxide in the light organ and therefore will not
colonize the squid. These data might explain why only cells of V.
fischeri, among all other bacteria in seawater, are able to colonize
the squid.
Project: Algorithms for Intelligent Game Playing Participants: Thomas C. O’Connell, Assistant Professor of
Computer Science, Andrew Matusiewicz ’05 Plan: Games have been an active area of research in artificial
intelligence since the field began. A number of highly successful
programs that act as intelligent players have been developed. Most of
these programs use some variant of a technique known as the "minimax"
algorithm. In this project, recent alternative algorithms that have
been proposed for games in which minimax has been unsuccessful and to
develop algorithms for game playing will be experimented with. One of
the major goals is to develop algorithms for games in which one or
more of the players have private information about the game such as
poker and bridge, where each player can see his own cards but cannot
see the opponent's cards.
Project: Drainage Basin Classification Using GIS: The First
Step to Determining the Sedimentation of Lake Mead and Lake Powell Participants: Kyle Nichols, Assistant Professor of Geosciences,
Daniel Feuer ’05 Plan: The Earth's surface predominantly erodes by river incision.
Erosion rates and styles depend on several variables, such as river
gradient, land use, rock type, climate, tectonic activity, and basin
size. Several studies have shown that the complex interaction of these
variables make it nearly impossible to predict the style and rate of
erosion of contiguous basins, a prerequisite to determine large-scale
sediment delivery to rivers. By using Geographic Information Systems
(a powerful computer program with spatial analysis capabilities), we
will develop a framework to classify the basins in the Grand Canyon
area according to their erosion characteristics. This project will
classify basins and allow us to develop a sampling protocol to
quantify erosion rates and thus sediment delivery to the Colorado
River and Lake Mead.
Interdisciplinary
Project: Research and Web Site for the Tang Exhibit A Very
Liquid Heaven Participants: Mary Crone Odekon, Associate Professor of
Physics, and Stephanie Waite ’06 Plan: This project will create a detailed informational Web site
for the Tang exhibit A Very Liquid Heaven, which opens October 2004.
As part of the exhibit, a small cluster of computers will be set up
within the Wachenhein gallery. The presence of the computers will
contribute esthetically and conceptually to the exhibit's
technological theme, and will also allow visitors to explore the ideas
and objects in the show more deeply. The site will be accessible
remotely, to assist faculty in incorporating the exhibit into classes,
and to enhance the visibility of the exhibit off campus. The research
that goes into preparing for the site will also contribute greatly to
wall text and catalog essays.
Project: The European Union and the Logic of Integration Participants: Roy Ginsberg, Professor of Government, Joshua
Hutchinson ’06 Plan: This project proposes to collaborate in the design,
research, and writing of a new interdisciplinary undergraduate book on
the political economy, history, and law of European integration. The
book, European Union and the Logic of Integration, parallels a course
taught by Roy Ginsberg, Political Economy of European Integration (GO
219/LS2), since 1987.
Project: Stories from the Don Giovanni Diaspora (London,
1817-77; Paris, 1811-67; Germany & Austria, 1789-1856): People,
Institutions, and Ideas that Shaped the Variant Versions Participants: Thomas Denny, Associate Professor of Music,
Olivia Gawet ’05, Corinne Stevens ’05 Plan: This project will flesh out the
historical skeleton of variant versions of Don Giovanni from 1787 to
the end of the 19th century. This will be accomplished through intense
investigation of the people, the institutions, and the ideas that
shaped these variants. Periodicals from 19th century Paris, London,
and Germany (on microfilm) will be the principal resource, with
published letters and memoirs, iconographic evidence, and manuscript
theater materials (Harvard; New York Public Library), and secondary
literature adding to the process.
Project:A Very Liquid Heaven Participants: Margo Mensing, Assistant Professor of Art,
Afshaan Rahman ’04 Plan: Mary Crone Odekon and Margo Mensing are co-curating an
exhibition for the Tang Museum, A Very Liquid Heaven, Walkenhein
Gallery, October 12, 2004-June 15, 2005. A Very Liquid Heaven explores
the human perception of stars and the perception of time. Margo
Mensing is also collaborating with Debra Fernandez, David Porter,
Richard Hihn, and two percussionists to perform George Crumb's
Makrokosmos III October 11, 12, and 14, 2004 at the Tang. This event
is essential in itself, but it will also open the exhibition.
Project: An Exploratory Analysis of the Role of Victims’
Families in Capital Juror Decision-Making Participants: David Karp, Assistant Professor of Sociology,
Jarrett Warshaw ’05 Plan: In the Fall of 2003, David Karp and others sponsored a
conference on the impact of the death penalty on victims' families.
Currently, he is editing a book based on the conference. One chapter
is to be co-authored with Jarrett Warshaw '05, examining the role
victims and victims' families play in capital jurors' decisions to
give death sentences. The Capital Juries Project (CJP) is an
NSF-funded sociological study of individuals who served on capital
juries. The principal investigator, William Bowers of Northeastern
University, has provided to us both qualitative and quantitative data
from the CJP.
Project: Evaluating the Vermont Department of Corrections
Offender Reentry Program Participants: David Karp, Assistant Professor of Sociology,
Samantha Anderson ’05 Plan: Offender reentry has become a "hot topic" in criminal
justice police, practice and research for two reasons. First, because
of the explosion in prison sentencing in the last two decades,
hundreds of thousands of prisoners are now being released each year.
Second, recidivism rates are disastrously high. Two-thirds of all
released inmates will be returned to prison within three years. The
Department of Justice is now funding reentry initiatives to ease this
crisis. The State of Vermont has been funded to create an innovative
reentry program. Our task is to evaluate it.
