Science Spotlight: Summer Research

Soon the campus will empty. Dorm rooms will be stripped down and cleared out, cars will be packed, Commencement caps will fly in the air and the academic year will be done. The custodial staff will busy themselves scrubbing the campus from top to bottom, and then Language Schools will open their doors. Along with the Language School students, more than 100 Middlebury students will remain on campus to do summer research.

In McCardell Bicentennial Hall, research students will be working on projects that extend across the disciplines. Nicholas Caminiti ’15 will be working in the lab of Burr Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Rick Bunt’s lab, continuing the thesis work of Eric Roberts ’13. Roberts “was able to prove that [a] catalysis [reaction] proceeds through a reversible mechanism.  [This summer] I will be testing the reaction under a variety of different conditions — different solvents and different temperatures — in order to further understand this reversibility,” wrote Caminiti in an email.

David Stillman ’14 will also be on campus this summer in the lab of John G. McCullough Professor of Chemistry Sunhee Choi, studying the biochemistry of Amyloid-ß, “a small peptide that aggregates into neurotoxic oligomers and senile plaques, which are diagnostic of Alzheimer’s,” explained Stillman in an email.

Choi and Stillman will be studying the interactions that occur between several metal ions and Amyloid-ß to elucidate the processes behind the development of Alzheimer’s disease. “We are currently investigating the effects of Cu(II) and Zn(II) on the kinetics of glycation of Aß with ribose-5-phosphate.  This summer, we hope to continue to learn more about the relationship between Aß and its possible co-factors and rates of glycation and aggregation, while also characterizing the Aß metal-binding active site,” wrote Stillman.

Stillman and Caminiti will be working full time for a significant portion of the summer on their respective research projects. They will work side-by-side with faculty mentors, but over the course of the summer the project will begin to feel very much like their own.

The Office of Undergraduate Research notes on its website that “research has been identified as one of the top successful practices students can participate in during higher education. The in-depth study and implementation of a research project develops advanced skills that will translate beyond college.”

Research is such a valuable experience because it forces students to take the initiative and develop ideas independently. They take ownership over the project. As Caminiti noted, “research involves actually doing chemistry as opposed to simply learning about its various aspects [in the classroom]. The research involves [a process of] discovery.  In the lab, we’re experimenting to learn about aspects of chemistry that are not currently understood.  We’ll actually be contributing to the body of scientific knowledge, which is an incredible thing [to be able to do as an undergraduate].”

As rewarding as it can be, research during the academic year can be challenging. It’s difficult to balance the host of other commitments that come with being at Middlebury. The summer is a time to engage with the research full time, without trying to juggle classes and extracurricular activities too. There’s a different mindset on campus during the summer. “The chemistry department fosters a really close, supportive community and a relaxed, creative atmosphere.  And Middlebury [has the] resources, equipment and mentors to allow undergraduates to truly contribute something meaningful to our knowledge of the world,” said Stillman

But summer research has an added bonus: Middlebury in the summer. Stillman is an enthusiastic proponent of the experience: “It’s gorgeous every day – it literally rained twice last summer – and the English-speakers on campus are really tight-knit.  You get to experience all Middlebury has to offer without the constraints of [academic work].”