What Would it Take to Offset 100% of Elizabethtown College’s Electricity Consumption with Solar Power?

Emmanuel Attah spent his summer alongside faculty mentor, Associate Professor of Engineering & Physics Brenda Read-Daily researching what it would take to transition Elizabethtown College’s electricity consumption to 100% solar. In addition to gaining in-depth knowledge about how solar panels work and their substantial benefits, Attah is hoping to raise awareness for sustainability at the College and explore the feasibility of this hypothetical initiative.

Biomechanical Analysis of an Optimized Sprint Start

Melissa Patton ’25 combined two passions through research on campus to identify the optimal sprint start for track runners. Patton, a sprinter on the women's track and field team, and faculty mentor Professor of Engineering & Physics Kurt DeGoede utilized an open-source software developed at Stanford University, OpenCap to record and process 3D motion capture data.

The Effects of Floodplain Restoration on Reptiles and Amphibians

Makenzi Reed and Angelymarie Pacheco conducted research at the nearby Conewago Creek restored wetland site this summer with faculty mentor Associate Professor of Biology David Bowne to determine what species inhabit the site. Reed and Pacheco’s research is a continuation of a 2022 SCARP project, with the goal of identifying if the spotted turtle, a species of special concern in Pa., is inhabiting the wetland site.

Effects of Environmental Factors on the Pattern Formation in BZ Chemical Reaction Systems

Neil Divins, Andy Hoch, and Samantha Small spent their summer on campus researching the Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction system, an oscillatory chemical system, by testing and characterizing wave pattern formations under varying environmental conditions, such as chemical composition and temperature.

The trio worked alongside Visiting Assistant Professor of Chemistry Dr. Desmond Yengi to build a BZ reaction “recipe book” for wave pattern formations and quantify the results by measuring wavelengths and velocities to aid future research.

Minimizing the Effects of Stimulation Artifact in Bionic Hands Equipped with Biomimetic Sensory Feedback

Elizabethtown College Engineering major Caroline Casumpang ’26 spent her summer on campus researching how effective electrocutaneous stimulation is in helping prosthetic users determine the appropriate amount of force needed to pick up objects without breaking them.

Casumpang worked alongside faculty mentor and Assistant Professor of Engineering & Physics Mark Brinton in a continuation of a 2023 SCARP project, running tests with the ultimate goal of helping to achieve a natural feeling for prosthetics by using electric stimulation.

Investigating Ancient and Contemporary Celadon Glazes and Their Application on Contemporary Ceramic Objects

Elizabethtown College Fine Arts major Gienah Sonnema ’25 combined art and chemistry this summer, analyzing ancient and contemporary celadon glazes and testing different recipes in hopes of replicating the glazes. Working with faculty mentor Professor of Art Milt Friedly, who provided his expertise and experience, the pair of Blue Jays performed numerous tests to establish the “perfect color” for the glaze, which is a light blue crackle. Sonnema has the ultimate goal of developing new and unique Celadon glaze recipes to expand Etown’s glaze palette and create 20 finished pieces to showcase them.

The Impact of Diversity, Equity, and Belonging Engagement on First-Year Students

Delaney Peckham ’25 wanted to better understand what fosters a sense of belonging and well-being among students with marginalized identities at Elizabethtown College. To do so, the Psychology major worked alongside faculty mentor and Associate Professor of Psychology Evan Smith this summer analyzing data that was collected from Smith’s research of First-Year Seminar students as a DEIB Faculty Fellow during the 2023-24 academic year and examining how students from underrepresented backgrounds have different perceptions in their belonging at Etown.

Peckham plans to submit her findings to the Association for Psychological Science (APS) this fall with hopes of presenting in the spring. The duo is also collaborating this summer on a chapter for the upcoming book, “Teaching Introduction to Psychology” in the Elgar Guides to Teaching series, in which they will discuss ways to build students’ understanding of Psychology’s active role in bettering the human condition.

Examination into the Relationships Between Visual Imagery, False Memory, and Gray Matter Structure

Human memory has its flaws, which can often lead to people mistakenly remembering information that they were never exposed to. This phenomenon is known as false memory and was the focus of Elizabethtown College Neuroscience major Ryder Pavela’s research. Pavela, who aims to become an ophthalmologist (eye care specialist), worked alongside faculty mentor and Assistant Professor of Psychology, Jennifer Wittmeyer to analyze magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data to determine what brain regions are making us encode false information.

Establishing a C. Elegans Model System to Expand our Understanding of the Gut Microbiome

Biology majors Mia Cudmore ’25 and Alayna Trynosky ’25 performed research to better understand how C. elegans, a transparent nematode (worm) that feeds on microbes such as bacteria, both develop and are influenced by their environment.

Cudmore and Trynosky worked closely with faculty mentor and Professor of Biology Debra Wohl to measure the C. elegans at different growth stages as well as the number of eggs they lay every day. The Blue Jays then separate the C. elegans based on age groups, placing them in various environments to see how they develop over time. Studying C. elegans has important, future research implications as the model system can be used to better understand the indirect impact that antibiotics have on gut microbiome in humans to potentially reduce the negative impacts.

Personality Differences in Music Fandoms

In the music industry, pop sensations Taylor Swift and BTS have captivated fans worldwide with the notable Swifties and the BTS Army fan communities. What sets each fan group apart? Psychology and Religious Studies major and member of the Women’s Lacrosse team, Kathryn Mackey ’25 took a deep dive this summer to uncover how each group’s personality characteristics differ or overlap.

Mackey worked alongside faculty mentor and Professor of Psychology, Michael Roy to conduct a survey with the campus community and beyond to explore this unique topic. The two Blue Jays gathered data to determine why each fan community listens to that specific artist.

eTherapy 2024

Computer Science majors Joey Wagner ’26 and Alexander Roop ’26 worked this summer to redevelop eTherapy, a mobile application previously designed by Elizabethtown College students and faculty to provide biofeedback in occupational therapy and physical therapy sessions. Wagner and Roop worked toward developing a new custom tool for a group of Etown Occupational Therapy students to take with them to a regional clinic this fall to work with head injury patients.

Working alongside Professor of Engineering & Physics Kurt DeGoede, the Blue Jays created a system using Bluetooth sensors to track patients’ motion from the head and arms, which now include haptic functionality for more accurate results. Wagner and Roop’s research is a continuation of over 10 years of collaboration between various Etown Engineering and Occupational Therapy students and faculty.

Donor-Conceived People: Identity and Family Relationships

Given a current, unprecedented epidemic of mental health struggles for many emerging adults between the ages of 18 to 25, Elizabethtown College Psychology major Sara Colletti ’25 conducted research to better understand this population’s attitudes and beliefs in hopes of shedding light on potential barriers to effective treatments.

Colletti worked closely with faculty mentors Professor of Psychology Jean Pretz and Lecturer in Counseling Psychology Mike Shook to conduct the survey, collect data through social media, and connect with the local community. This project is part of the Honors Discipline research that she will be conducting throughout the fall. Colletti is continuing to seek interested participants for the survey.

Investigation of Protein Kinases to Determine Therapeutic Targets

Lauren Berger ’25, Emma Caszatt ’26, and Samuel Langer ’25 were hard at work in the Musser labs this past summer, aiming to find new approaches to aberrant cell signaling in diseases like asthma. Working alongside faculty mentor Assistant Professor of Chemistry Amy Defnet, the trio of Blue Jays researched both the causes of disease development from estrogen and heavy metals, as well as potential treatments in the form of kinase inhibitors, which are enzymes that control many important cell functions.

Policymaking Capacity in the United States Congress 1977-2023

Political Science major Patrick Snyder ’26 took a deep dive this summer, examining U.S. congressional staff members from 1977 to 2023 to assess and analyze their experience levels when taking office.

Snyder worked alongside faculty mentor and Assistant Professor of Political Science Nathan Gibson to collect and enter over 400,000 data entries into opensource software “R” to track trends based on how long congressional staff members have been in office, how long they have stayed in the same position, and the amount of policy change that has taken place. With the research, Snyder is aiming to better understand the true policymaking capabilities of Congress, and create a resource for future research.

Eastern Mediterranean Balance of Power: Projections on the Future of Transatlantic Alliance

Jordyn Dutko ’26 and Gabriel Karl ’25 took a dive into literature reviews, government documents, and news coverage this past summer to gain a new perspective and increase their understanding of international relations and the unprecedented intra-alliance conflict of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The two compiled over 50 pages of text that will aid in the research of Professor of Political Science and College Professor of International Studies (Endowed Chair), Oya Dursun-Ozkanca’s upcoming third book, which will serve as a follow-up to her 2019 published work, “Turkey–West Relations: The Politics of Intra-alliance Opposition.”

Synthesis and Evaluation of Nucleobase Modified Peptide Nucleic Acids for the Sequence Selective Recognition of RNA

Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is an important biomolecule that holds many mysteries that science is likely to unlock. Chemistry majors Isabell Anderson ’26 and Max Marra ’26 spent this past summer with faculty mentor and A.C. Baugher Professor of Chemistry, James MacKay to better understand and advance RNA research. The group of Blue Jays aims to develop new probes using molecules called peptide nucleic acids (PNA) that bind RNA sequences selectively.

Their study is a continuation of a collaborative research project with Binghamton University professor Eriks Rozners, that dates back to the fall of 2015. Elizabethtown College’s contributions are aimed primarily at the synthesis of new molecules. Anderson and Marra are working toward unique targets that will advance the science. Over the summer, the group connected with Biochemistry and Molecular Biology alumnus Kyle Hess ’23 at the University of Delaware to explore a key step in synthesizing one PNA nucleobase target. Hess, a current graduate student at the University of Delaware previously researched this SCARP project in 2021.

Contemporary Travel Writing: Documenting British Culture through Creative Expression

Kaitlyn Gilmore ’26 experienced life as a full-time writer this summer, producing travel pieces intended to market locations and experiences, along with a portfolio of poetry tied to places following a memorable study abroad trip to England in May. Accompanied on the journey by faculty mentor and Etown Associate Professor of English, Tara Moore, Gilmore is planning to pitch her pieces to publishing venues.

The Letter Versus the Spirit of the Law Post-Apartheid: Building an Interactive DH Website on Truth and Reconciliation in South Africa

Finance major Kaden Wagner ’24 developed an interactive and collaborative ​annotation tool this summer to advance the understanding of the South African Truth and Reconciliation process. Wagner, who traveled to South Africa this summer where he performed research and interviewed people who experienced apartheid firsthand, worked closely with faculty mentor and Etown Assistant Professor of English Literature Patrick Allen to build a website that houses annotated Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) documents, offers annotation tutorials, and provides educational resources on apartheid. Their aim for the project was to provide students and professional scholars with an accessible, navigable resource.

Augmented Reality Tool for Engineering Analysis

Through the use of cutting-edge Augmented Reality (AR) software, Computer Engineering major Leif Hoffman ’26 worked alongside faculty mentor and Associate Professor of Engineering & Physics, Jean Batista Abreu to develop an application that will allow Elizabethtown College students to better visualize concepts they are learning in entry-level Engineering courses. Their work aimed to make problem-solving exercises more authentic and relevant for students while creating a repository of learning resources that move away from unrelatable textbook problems to provide interactive, realistic structures and machines to study.

Behind the Pulpit: The Lived Experiences of Women Ministers in the Church of the Brethren

Sociology major Hannah Smith ’25 explored the untold stories of women ministers within the Church of the Brethren, shining a light on their experiences and how they are perceived in a male-dominated occupation. Smith worked closely with Etown Professor of Sociology Michele-Lee Kozimor to conduct anonymous interviews with 20 women ministers from across the nation, spanning from the Pacific Coast to Indiana and Iowa, with the ultimate goal of creating a resource for future research.

Elucidating the Effect of the SV40 T-Antigen Oncoprotein Expression to the Alteration of Splicing Protein Profiles and the Effect on the Downstream Splicing Targets

Sophia Berry ’25, Kara Davies ’26, and Kassandra Zivny ’24 were hard at work this past summer, researching and testing new approaches to cancer treatment. The three Blue Jays worked alongside faculty mentor Professor of Biology Jane Cavender to analyze various chemotherapy drugs to evaluate if they are successful in killing more cancer cells than healthy cells.

Preserving the Stories of Etown Students and Alumni of Color

Legal Studies major Kalen Tendo ’27 was hard at work this summer, combing through yearbooks and other historical items within the Hess Archives to share the stories and history of students of color at Elizabethtown College.

Tendo worked alongside staff mentor and Etown Archivist Rachel Grove Rohrbaugh to plan an ongoing oral history project with alumni of color, recording their stories to use as a resource while creating a timeline to help enhance the celebration of the College’s 125th anniversary. The project also serves as a complement to the College’s recent designation as an American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) Truth Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT) Campus Center, which helps prepare the next generation of leaders to break down systemic racism and dismantle belief in a hierarchy of human value.

Elizabethtown College 125th Anniversary National Historic Preservation Trust This Place Matters Campaign & Campus Historic Building Survey Based on the National Parks Service Historic American Building Survey

As Elizabethtown College begins celebrating its 125th anniversary this fall, Ava Barton ’27 and Shawn Gipe ’27 spent their summer on campus working alongside faculty mentor and Director of Prestigious Scholarships and Public Heritage Studies Jean-Paul Benowitz to create a resource highlighting the architectural and biographical history of the College.

Their research led to the creation of a Historic Walking Tour of Elizabethtown College, along with posters showcasing the history of each campus building, which will be displayed inside the buildings this fall. The group’s research was also part of The National Historic Preservation Trust’s, “This Place Matters” campaign, which helps promote public awareness of the importance of maintaining, preserving, and recognizing the historical and cultural significance of locations and properties across the country.