Hands-On Discovery: Students Present Bold Research

More than 30 student researchers present 20 different projects at the annual Celebration of Summer Research on Oct. 16, 3-4:30 p.m. in the Winter Hall Third Floor Atrium. The Office of the Provost sponsors the event, which is free and open to the public. Many of the students worked as paid, full-time research assistants, collaborating with professors on cutting-edge projects that sometimes extend into the school year.

Providing opportunities for students to conduct significant research with faculty is a hallmark of the college’s outstanding undergraduate liberal arts education. “Westmont’s classic education features professors and students conducting research together, which provides valuable experiences that can lead to internships, jobs and rewarding careers,” says Provost Kim Denu.

Select titles from the 20 research posters representing the natural and behavioral sciences division include: “Higher Rainfall and Lower Temperature Are Correlated with Higher Reptile Capture Rates on Santa Cruz Island,” “Ashes to Grasses: Fire Supports Native Life,” “High Resolution Spectroscopy of Methane in the Visible Range near 682nm,” “Cryobiopsy in Lung Pathology: If it’s not cancer, what is it?” “She’s a Muon, She’s a Track Star: Tracking Particles through Cloud Chambers” and “Poor man’s altitude: heat exposure may enhance altitude acclimatization.”

At Westmont, about 1,300 undergraduates enjoy a student-to-faculty ratio of 11 to 1 and an average class size of 18, which allows them to develop close relationships with outstanding faculty who are committed to teaching, scholarship, research, service and involving undergraduates in research. Some students even co-author scholarly papers with their professors.