A Midd Summer is for Research, in the Sciences and Beyond
By Blair Kloman
MIDDLEBURY, Vt. — In late May, when most Middlebury undergrads were packing and heading off to spend their summer months elsewhere, dozens of their fellow students stayed behind. Their rewards: Enjoying summer in Vermont, inarguably the best time of year in the state, and, more importantly, taking advantage of a unique opportunity to work intensely, one-on-one, with Middlebury faculty members.
More than 80 Middlebury students remained on campus for the summer of 2004 to take part in various academic research projects. For them, the school week has simply become a workweek. And for one such student, Ben Zegarelli '05, that work takes place on the fifth floor of McCardell Bicentennial Hall, where he joins two other students in Jeff Byers' lab.
 |
| Jeff Byers, at left, professor of chemistry, and Middlebury student researcher Ben Zegarelli '05 |
With Byers, a professor in the department of chemistry and biochemistry, Zegarelli is working to find ways to further stabilize a reactive molecule—one that could be instrumental in manufacturing pharmaceuticals. His enthusiasm for the work is obvious and infectious.
When asked about his research, he quickly leaps from his chair and begins drawing a "layman's version" on the chalkboard. His project involves the study of cyclobutadieneiron tricarbonyl, and his efforts are paid for in part by a grant from Pfizer, the pharmaceutical manufacturer. Zegarelli's interest is in finding ways of building cyclobutadieneiron tricarbonylinto more complex molecules. Pfizer's interest is in Zegarelli's success—as it relates to future advances in manufacturing.
"It's really fun," Zegarelli says. "I only switched my major last year, and I was lucky to have Professor Byers as an advisor. That's how I got into all this."
Zegarelli's summer experience is atypical in one respect. Unlike most of the summer research students, selected to work with faculty members who have received grants of one kind or another, Zegarelli applied for his own grant. Back in January, he submitted a proposal to Pfizer's Summer Undergraduate Research Program. "Mine was just one of a ton of proposals," he recalls. "I had to wait until March to hear back, and there was never any assurance whatsoever." Pfizer solicits applications from more than 300 colleges and universities, and only about 40 awards are made. (As it happens, Zegarelli is one of nine Middlebury students so honored in the decade that the Pfizer program has been around.)
It's not just about languages anymore
"When we think of summer studies here on campus," says Jeff Byers, "most people think only of the Language Schools. But there's another growing group of students and faculty who are also here—and doing some pretty cool things." One of those cool things is getting the chance to work closely with Middlebury faculty members. As Byers notes, "In the chem/bio department alone, 16 students are working with six faculty members. Not a bad student-teacher ratio!"
As it happens, this is not breaking news. The science departments at Middlebury have been promoting this kind of intense, hands-on summer research for more than 30 years. The news is that this established and successful academic model has influenced and guided other departments.
"There are all kinds of things happening on campus this summer," says Franci Farnsworth, who facilitates grants for many of the faculty members who work with students over the summer, "from environmental studies to economics to English. It really has grown beyond the sciences."
The money for these summer research projects comes from a variety of sources. According to Susan Campbell, dean of the faculty, "Some of the students are funded by faculty grants or college funds, and we have a number of faculty in the humanities who have availed themselves of the Undergraduate Collaborative Research Fund, which the college created specifically to promote summer research projects across the departments."
In political science, for example, the Rohatyn Center for International Affairs is alive with activity this summer as two students assist nine faculty members with myriad in-depth projects, all funded by the center. According to Charlotte Tate, assistant director of the center, this summer's projects have been very successful, and are likely to promote future summer research.
Elise Harris '06, one of the two students involved in this research, is equally optimistic. "Most of the work that I'm doing is related to the European Union, and as an Independent Scholar in linguistics with a focus on modern Indo-European languages, this kind of research gives me a chance to more deeply study politics and economics. It presents a different and more well-rounded perspective than what I am used to, broadening my knowledge of an already familiar subject area."
And the opportunity for Harris to work closely with professors is undeniably a key advantage to the experience. "I'm working on several separate projects for five professors," she says, "and for some of the professors, I have more than one project." Her work includes finding and collecting articles on American views of the French, translating texts on French politics, proofreading and editing the journals of a Harvard filmmaker, researching military outsourcing, and logging economic statistics.
A Dana Scholar researches ... the Dana family
Dixie Dillon '04 also spends her summer hours deep in the details of documents—in this case historical ones. Dillon is working with President Emeritus John McCardell, also a Middlebury history professor, on a project involving the genealogical and historical significance of the Dana family in Vermont. Dillon expects her work will enlighten both the College and the Charles A. Dana Foundation about the family's earliest generations. Familiar on the Middlebury campus for Dana Auditorium and the Dana Scholars Program, the Dana Foundation is known nationwide for its philanthropy in the areas of neurological research, the arts, and education. Several early generations of the family spent time in Vermont—participating as doctors, lawyers, politicians and other community pillars.
Dillon hopes to discover more about these Vermont Danas. When asked how she got involved in the project, she answers simply, "I asked to do it. … As a sophomore I was selected as one of 12 Dana Scholars, so I attended this year's celebratory dinner." There, she approached Charles Dana III, "told him I was a history major and wanted to do some research into the family," she says. "I thought it would be neat."
Through her work with John McCardell, Dillon has begun to create more than a typical "family tree." With patience and diligence, she's discovering who the family was, why they were here in Vermont, and what their ties were to education and Middlebury College. "It's amazing work," she says. "I'm getting the kind of primary research experience I'd never get otherwise. So I can form a stronger base of knowledge and see if it's something I'd like to pursue after graduation. It's great training!"
Working so closely with the former college president has also been a valuable and unique experience. "He is a true historian," she says. "He has such a wealth of knowledge in the field. It's been a real challenge, but incredible work."
Many of these summer research projects come to an end in late July after nine intense weeks of demanding work. Quite a few of the science students will present their work in a poster session in the Great Hall of McCardell Bicentennial Hall at noon on Thursday, July 29.
But for many the work will carry on in various ways. Ben Zegarelli, for example, will travel to Pfizer in the fall with Jeff Byers to present their conclusions at a poster session. For Elise Harris, her studies may be the impetus for a future career. And for many others, their gleanings may become the spark behind a thesis or a published paper.
But for all of the focused and committed students who chose to stay on campus this summer as researchers, the opportunity to work so closely with faculty members is one they will no doubt remember long after their classmates return in September and the green of a Vermont summer is replaced by the colors of fall.
— Blair Kloman is a freelance writer and editor from Ripton who holds a master's degree from the Bread Loaf School of English.
Posted 7/2004