Recent Summer Research Projects
Summer 2010 Research Projects
| Faculty | Dept | Student(s) | Title |
| Yesem Kurt | Mathematics | Thawda Aung ’13 | Cryptology with Mathematica |
| Peter Sheldon** | Science Education | Courtney Collier ’12 | Science and Math Links: Research-Based Teaching Institute |
| Peggy Schimmoeller | Meredith Humphreys ’12 | ||
| Karin Warren | Environmental Science | Ludo Lemaitre ’11 | A Climate Action Plan for Randolph College |
| Gerry Sherayko | History | Nick Marshall ’11 | A History of the Rivermont Historic District |
| Laura-Gray Street | English | Anneka Freeman ’11 | Earth’s Body II: An Anthology of Contemporary American Ecopoetry |
| Beth Schwartz | Psychology | Jerry Wells ’12 | Four Writing Projects in Psychology |
| Gordon Steffey | Religion | Lindsay Wood ’11 | "Burn Her Who is No Bride": A Feminist Assessment of Theclan Traditions |
| Marc Ordower | Mathematics | Richard Coultas ’11 | Non-Repetitiveness as it Applies to Shortest Paths in State Graphs and to Integer Sequences |
| Neo Wang ’11 | |||
| Tatiana Gilstrap | Geophysics | Qingping Yu ’13 | Using semblance analysis to study the microseismicity of Central Virginia |
| Jennifer Gauthier | Communication | Julianna Joyce ’13 | Screening Indigeneity: The National Film Board’s First Nations Films, 1939-2009 |
| Mari Ishibashi | Global Studies | Kathleen Conti ’11 | Memory as a Political Strategy: The Politics of Stalin Remembrance in Russia |
| Rick Barnes | Psychology | Louise Searle ’12 | Sustainable Urban Development in Lynchburg |
| Erinn Sudol ’12 | |||
| Bill Bare | Chemistry | Poojan Pyakurel '11 | Investigation of the Properties of Luminescent Transition Metal Compounds in Silicon Dioxide Polymers and in Ionic Liquids |
| Chet Halka | Spanish Literature | Lis Chacon ’13 | The Presence of Absence in the Works of Juan Rulfo |
| Randy Speer | Music | Karl Speer ’12 | Randolph College’s Musical Heritage: Exploring and Preserving Decades of Musical Performances at Randolph-Macon Woman’s College |
| Christine Gnieski ’13 | |||
| Kurt Seidman* | Chemistry | Rosha Poudyal ’11 | A Theoretical Investigation of Oxidative Pathways of Peroxynitrite |
* funded by Department of Chemistry; ** funded by State Council of Higher Education in Virginia
Summer 2009 Research Projects
| Faculty | Dept | Student(s) | Title |
| Dennis Goff | Psychology | Jillian Barlowe ’11 Shi Hua ’11 |
Finger length ratio as a predictor of individual difference variables |
| Yesem Kurt | Mathematics | Caleb Moxley ’11 Yanpaing Oo ’11 |
Cryptographic Primitives |
| Beth Schwartz | Psychology | Carl Coffey ’11 Alexis Mandarakas ’11 |
Two Investigations in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) |
| Kurt Seidman | Chemistry | Poojan Pyakurel ’11 Rosha Poudyal ’11 |
A Theoretical Investigation of the Potential Connection Between Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons and Cancer |
| Kurt Seidman | Chemistry | Kathryne Allen ’11 | The Correlation of Thermal Bloom Diameters Obtained from the Thermal Lensing of Organic Liquids with the Physical Properties of the Liquids |
| Peter Sheldon Peggy Schimmoeller |
Science Education | Marja Copeland ’11 | The Efficacy and Replication of Hands-on Inquiry Science Methods for ImprovingTeacher Quality and Student Science Achievement |
| Randy Speer | Music | Helena Brown ’12 Karl Speer ’12 |
Randolph College’s Musical Heritage: Exploring and Preserving Four Decades of Musical Performances at Randolph-Macon Woman’s College |
| Susan Stevens | Classics/Archaeology | Rhiannon Knol ’11 Eric Struble ’11 |
Epistulae aliarum gentium (Other People’s Mail): An Intermediate Latin Reader |
Summer 2008 Research Projects
| Faculty | Dept | Student(s) | Title |
| Bill Bare | Chemistry | Amy Thruston ’09 | Evaluation and Modification of Bioavailability Extractions for Lead-Contaminated Soils with high Phosphate Content |
| Bill Bare | Chemistry | Rebika Shrestha ’10 | Correlation of Lead Contamination in Soil with Architectural Risk |
| Rebecka Brasso | Biology | Marwa Abdel-Latif ’09 | Mercury allocation into eggs laid by female tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) |
| Rick Barnes Karin Warren |
Environmental Studies | Ludovic Lemaitre ’11 Megan Roberts ’10 Karl Sakas ’11 |
A Green Master Plan for Randolph College |
| Mari Ishibashi | Global Studies | Tenzin Deckyi ’09 |
Explaining the New Political Identity: The Emergence of the Pro-Independence Discourse in the Exiled Tibetan Community |
| Dan Raessler | Music | John Baga ’09 | Edward MacDowell and His Indianist Works |
| Peter Sheldon | Physics | Kacey Meaker ’08 | A Book for the Roller Coaster Enthusiast that Does Good Physics |
| Susan Stevens | Classics/Archaeology | Rhiannon Knol ’11 | Carried upon the Shoulders of the Good Shepherd. Expressions of Christian Identity and Afterlife on the new tomb mosaics at Leptiminus (Lamta, Tunisia) |
| Laura-Gray Street | English | Ashley Hale ’09 | Earth’s Body: An Anthology of Ecopoetry and Ecopoetics |
| Holly Tatum | Psychology | Anu Thapa ’10 Laura Phillips (10 |
A Content Analysis of Gender Stereotypes in Young Children’s Television Programming |
| Tatiana Toteva | Geophysics | Iva Gerasimenko ’10 Sreya Bagchi ’10 |
Fault damage and healing processes from semblance analysis of waveforms generated by repeating earthquakes |
Summer 2007 Research Projects
| Faculty | Dept | Student(s) | Title |
| Jennifer Abbassi | Political Science/ Global Studies | Mekhala Chaubal ’08 | Coalition of the Coerced? Explaining African Nations’ Positions on the UN Security Council’s Iraq War Debate, November 2002-March 2003 |
| Bill Bare * | Chemistry | Shirae Leslie ’09 | Modifications to Existing Methods of Sequential Selective Extraction of Lead |
| Bill Bare * | Chemistry | Aliyah Barrett ’09 | Development of an Undergraduate Lab Activity in Phytoremediation |
| Brad Bullock | Sociology/ Anthropology | Danielle Hansen ’08 | The Randolph-Macon Social Survey: Two decades of student opinions at a small woman’s college |
| Amy Cohen | Classics | Brittany Stallings ’09 Katrina Wiechmann ’09 |
Greek Theatrical Masks: Practical Methods and Artistic Implications |
| Dennis Goff | Psychology | Ashley Crippen ’08 | Finger Length Ratio as a Predictor of Individual Difference Variables. |
| Mari Ishibashi | Political Science | Tara Bajracharya ’08 | Giving Voice to the Silenced Minority?: The Role of Third Parties in the Separatist Movement by the Madhesis in Nepal |
| Ken Parks | Theatre | Hannah Hudson ’09 Kate Devine ’09 |
Visualization Tools for Teaching Stage Design: Developing animated illustrations of spatial design concepts in a 3D modeling environment |
| Peggy Schimmoeller and Gail Brown ** | Education | Nicole Perry ’08 | Expanded Partnerships for Improving Teaching and Learning: A Continuous Clinical Faculty Preparation and Induction Model. |
| Tatiana Toteva | Environmental Studies/ Physics | Archana Datta ’09 Reeju Pokharel ’09 | Seismic Refraction Analysis to Define Depth to Bedrock in Lynchburg, VA |
* Project also supported by Lead-Safe Lynchburg Grant. ** Project also supported by a grant from the VA Dept. of Education.
Summer 2006 Research Projects
| Faculty | Dept | Student(s) | Title |
| Bare | Chem. | Amanda Leto ’08 Rebecca Chapman ’07 |
Investigation of Translocation of Lead in Plant Roots and Stems with Implications for a Novel Strategy of Phytoremediation |
| Barnes | Psych. | Anne Waritu ’07 | An Inventory and History of the R-MWC Antique Psychology Lab Equipment Collection |
| Cohen | Classics | Naomi Fritts ’08 | The History and Future of Greek Theatrical Masks |
| Gauthier | Comm. | Andrea Miller ’08 | Second Chances: Women as Non-Traditional College Students |
| Schimmoeller and Brown* | Educ. | Staci Mason ’07 Laura Ratliff ’07 |
Expanded Partnerships for Improving Teaching and Learning: A Continuous Clinical Faculty Preparation and Induction Model |
| Schwartz, B. | Psych. | Stacey Lantz ’08 Jacquelyn Brown ’07 |
Coding Children’s Drawings: Does Drawing Content Influence the Improvement of Memory Reports? |
| Sheldon | Physics | Wei Sze (Winncy) Cheung ’09 Katrina Wiechmann ’09 |
Optical Spectroscopy of Defects in Yttrium Orthovanadate (YVO4) Crystals |
| Sheldon and Schimmoeller* | Educ.,Physics | Jessica Maidment ’06 Sunnie Joshi ’07 |
Collaborative Institute in the Sciences: A Classroom-focused Professional Development Activity |
| Thresher | Russian Studies | Emily Owens ’08 | Soviet Family Law Codes and their Reflection in Russian Cinema and Literature |
| Warren | Env. St. | Matea Osti ’08 Marwa Latif ’08 |
Consider a Spherical Calf: Student-Faculty Collaboration on an Introductory Textbook in Environmental Problem Solving |
| Bare and Warren | Chem., Env. St. | Jessica Shahan ’08 | Biodiesel Generation: A College-Community Partnership |
Summer 2005 Research Projects
| Faculty | Dept | Student(s) | Title |
| Bare | Chem. | Jessica. Erickson ’06 Mamata Thapa ’06 |
Preliminary Investigation of the Feasibility of Phytoremediation of Lead in Lynchburg |
| Brown and Schimmoeller | Educ. | Kira Lenhart ’06 Staci Mason ’07 |
Evaluation of Clinical Faculty Preparation and Induction Model |
| Campbell | Art His. | Brittany Hagar ’08 | Muse, Mother, or Master? Encountering Women’s Roles in Italian Renaissance Art |
| Coulter | Eng. | Jennifer Driesslein ’07 | The Value of the Page: A Look at Medieval Manuscripts |
| Geisert | His. | Brandy Corbin ’06 | Preliminary Work on a Korea Segment of an East Asian Civilization Course |
| Gonsalves-Jackson | Bio. | Sara Lawrence ’06 | Opisthobranch Mollusks from Virginia’s Eastern Shore: Systematics and Development |
| Gotthard | Psych. | Ashley Smith ’06 | Spatial Learning and Memory in the Sand Maze: Does WIN-2 Produce State Dependent Retention in Rats? |
| Parks | Theatre | Ana Curajos ’07 Tatiana Galitzin ’08 |
Historic Theatres: Developing Digital Models of Historic Theatre Spaces and Stage Machinery |
| Parks | Theatre | Verity Gerni ’07 | Interactive Virtual Theatre: Developing Interactive Digital Models of Historic Theatre Spaces and Stage Machinery |
| Schimmoeller and Sheldon | Physics | Kidest (Kiddy) Tita ’06 | Can Science Teaching be More Effective Using Active Learning Techniques in the K-8 Classroom? |
| Schwartz, B. | Psych. | Fahima. Vakalia ’06 Margaret Johnson ’06 |
Refining the Drawing Interview to Further Improve Children’s Memory Reports |
| Seidman | Chem. | Kacey Meaker ’08 | The Determination of the Heat Capacities of Liquids with Thermal Lens Calorimetry: The Problem of Sample Preparation |
| Sherayko | His. | Veronika Redmann ’06 | Identifying Primary Documents: Paris and Berlin in the 1920s: A Cultural History |
| Stevens | Classics | Jenny Kreiger ’08 | A Cemetery of Vandalic Date at Carthage |
| Tatum | Psych. | Sommer Altman ’06 | Is Laughter Really the Best Medicine? Sense of Humor and Personality Correlates of Health and Well-being |
Summer 2004 Research Projects
| Faculty | Student(s) | Title |
| Deirdre Gonsalves-Jackson | Corraine Scott ’05 | Dietary Preferences in Conspecifics, Deroceras, D. reticulatum, Arion hortensis, and A. intermedius as it Relates to Radula Morphology. |
| Deirdre Gonsalves-Jackson | Andreen Fearon ’06 Mamata Thapa ’06 |
Systematics and Life History of Pulminate Gastropods in the Virginia Piedmont area. |
| Kurt Seidman | Ashleigh Baber ’05 | The Determination of the Heat Capacities of Liquids with Thermal Lens Calorimetry: The Problem of Sample Preparation |
| Beth Schwartz | Elaine Hall ’06 | Improving Children’s Memory Through Drawing |
| Marc Ordower | Kristina Krsteva ’06 | Partition Regularity for Simple Diophantine Equations |
| Peter Sheldon | Jennifer Lundy ’05 Carly Torisky ’06 |
The New Science Teacher: Educational Resources for the Science Educator |
| Ken Parks | Verity Gerni ’07 | Virtual Theatre: Developing Interactive Digital Models of Historic Theatre Spaces and Stage Machinery |
| Rick Barnes | Katie Radke ’06 | Greening R-MWC: Development of a Campus Environmental Audit |
| Gail Brown | Lauren Black ’06 | Evaluation of Clinical Faculty Preparation and Induction Model |
Summer 2003 Research Projects
| Faculty | Student(s) | Title |
| Deirdre Gonsalves-Jackson | Corraine Scott ’05 | Systematics and Life History of Pulmonate Gastropods in the Virginia Piedmont Area |
| Bill Bare | Chi Pham ’06 | Optimization of Experimental Parameters for Fluorescence Monitoring of Glucose Oxidation Using an Inexpensive Spectrofluorimeter |
| Kurt Seidman | Karishma Rajani ’05 | The Determination of the Heat Capacities of Liquids with Thermal Lens Calorimetry: Redefining the Procedure |
| Karin Warren | Naomi Hollifield ’06 | Design of Interdisciplinary Laboratory and Field Exercises in Global Change and Earth Interactions |
| Mara Amster | Darcie Dikeman ’04 | Exploring the Archives: Looking at Prostitution in the 17th Century |
| Ann Fabirkiewicz | Monique Birmiel ’04 | Quantifying Antioxidants via the FRAP Assay |
| Peggy Schimmoeller and Peter Sheldon | Weiqin Bao ’05 Aliya Gifford ’04 Gemma Griffon ’04 |
Strengthening K-8 Science Teaching Through the Science Pages: Web-based Initiatives for Science Educators |
| Ken Parks | Yonique Sutherland ’06 | Virtual Theatre: Developing Interactive Digital Models of Historic Theatre Spaces and Stage Machinery |
| Carla Heath | Innocentia Afagbegee ’04 Hana Brown ’04 |
HIV/AIDS Education and Prevention Campaigns |
| Meg Pope | Jessamine Newer ’05 Wendy Satterwhite ’06 |
Identification and Isolation of pilR and pilS Homologs from a Bacteriophage Genomic Library of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus |
| Randall Speer | Kim Holmes ’05 | A Phonetic Approach to the Rules of English Diction for Singers: Creation of an Orthographic/Phonetic Reference Chart |
| Elizabeth Perry | Arati Dahal ’03 Kara Moore ’04 |
An Economic Impact Study of Habitat Home Ownership in Lynchburg, VA |
Summer 2002 Research Projects
| Faculty | Student(s) | Title |
| Deirdre Gonsalves-Jackson | Alana Anthony ’05 | Development of a Taxonomic Database of Panamanian Opisthobranch Mollusks |
| Martha Dasef and Paul Irwin | Nilanjana Rahman ’04 and Eva Andrijcic ’04 | Primitive Pythagorean Triples and Graphical Implementation of CS Algorithms |
| Kurt Seidman | Holly Groover ’04 | Theoretical Investigation of the Transport Mechanism(s) of Nitric Oxide in Biological Systems |
| Dennis Goff | Brandy Shaw ’04, Noelle deSouza ’04 | The Development of Humor in School Aged Children |
| Susan Stevens | Jennifer Hogg ’04, Ryan Gipson ’03 | Contextualizing Ancient Artifacts |
| Beth Schwartz-Kenney and Peggy Schimmoeller | Meagan Christenson ’04, Rachel MacNutt ’04, Julie Spradlin, ’03 | Improving Instruction Strategies in Elementary and Middle School Classrooms |
| Peggy Schimmoeller and Peter Sheldon | Lourdes Cuellar ’04, Tracey-Ann Wellington ’05 | How Interactive Online Science Modules Influence the Development of Scientific Concepts and Pedagogical Knowledge of Prospective K-8 Educators |
| Jennifer Abbassi | Elizabeth Willett ’04 | Hitler, Milosevic, and the Command Responsibility Doctrine |
| Peter Sheldon | Tracy Thorn ’03 | Luminescence Spectroscopy of Optical Crystals Using a Home-Built Dye Laser |
| Hermina Hendricks | Rehema Kahurananga ’04 | Clarence W. Seay: Excellence in Education |
| Elizabeth Perry | Arati Dahal ’04 | What If Everyone Had a Beautiful Mind |
