College Celebrates Student Research
Fourteen students will show off their summer research projects Thursday, Sept. 7, at 4 p.m, in Founders Dining Room. “A Celebration of Student Research at Westmont” will include a student’s work investigating the angular mapping of cosmic muon flux over the sky as well as another student’s work determining the physical structures responsible for working memory.
One of the hallmarks of Westmont’s academic program is the opportunity for undergraduate students to work with faculty on research projects.
The presentation is free and open to the public. Students will present their findings on posterboards and be available to answer questions.
Student Angela Mayfield will discuss her work detailing the transformation of a fairly simple organic molecule that takes place at very high temperatures using a technique called flash vacuum pyrolysis. Mayfield used stable isotope labeling to examine the minor products in the reaction and determine how they were formed.
Student Kirsten Holshausen investigated the efficiency of short-term medical missions in hopes of improving the health of served communities.
Eileen McMahon, assistant professor of biology, assisted Holshausen with her interdisciplinary work.
“It’s very unusual,” says McMahon. “This is a very liberal arts-based project coming out of theology, medical studies, biology, bio-ethics maybe even a little ethics-theology in there.”
Holshausen plans to continue her research while on future missions trips, including Potter’s Clay, Westmont’s annual spring break service trip to Ensenada, Mexico.
Because Westmont focuses solely on undergraduate studies, McMahon says some professors at other colleges and universities may not be aware of the degree of excellence in the student’s work.
“They think we’re a teaching institution,” she says. “They think that maybe we do a little research, but it’s really just for the value of teaching during the research, which is really not true. These students are doing high-quality research that students at larger research institutions would also be proud of.”