Campus News

2013 Winter Term Chronicles, Part 1

February 12, 2013
Office of Communications

Students traveled far and wide, both physically and mentally, this past winter term. An opportunity for growth, reflection, and new experiences, winter term lets students continue the process of personal and academic discovery outside the confines of a classroom. Gathered here are descriptions of projects submitted by students; more installments in the 2013 Winter Term Chronicles will be published throughout February.

Photo Gallery

Photograph of someone posing with snow and a waterfall as a backdrop.
Nicole Le ’14, A Venture in Behavioral Neuroscience “I spent the month in Dr. Jacob Raber's lab at Oregon Health & Science University assisting in two research projects: 1) a NASA project investigating the effects of space radiation (that's outer-space radiation) on cognitive function in mouse models, and 2) a project studying the possible link between diabetes/obesity and Alzheimer's disease. Obie alum Blair Stewart ’12, having invited me to the university for winter term, was one of my mentors in Professor Raber’s lab, and I was graciously hosted by two other alums, Amanda Duncan and Caitlin Reid. I’m in the middle of trying my hand at a lot of different branches in science, and this winter term gave me a lot of insight into the directions I want to keep pursuing. Aside from the time I spent in lab, I spent many hours exploring Portland and its surrounding areas, learning to be on my own without the comforts of family and friends close by. There were a lot of incredible things to be found. This photo taken while snow-hiking at Columbia River Gorge in Oneonta, Oregon.” Photo credit: Courtesy of Nicole Le
Illustration of a step-by-step recipe.
Naomi Morduch Toubman ’14, Cooking and Design “I spent winter term at home in Connecticut, where I cooked every day to grow more confident in my ability to make decisions rather than follow recipes exactly. To strengthen my design ability, I shared the experience on [my blog](http://nmorduch.tumblr.com/tagged/cooking) in the form of diagrams that loosely represent the recipes.” Photo credit: Courtesy of Naomi Morduch Toubman
Headshot photograph of Dylan Bleier
Dylan Bleier ’15, Atmospheric Chemistry Research “I studied the reactions of monoterpene-derived epoxide intermediates on secondary organic aerosol (SOA). Monoterpenes are alkenes, produced mainly by trees, thought to form epoxide intermediates that play a role in both tropospheric ozone and SOA formation, and are thus linked to air pollution and global climate change. I studied the kinetics of isomerization, ether-forming, and de/hydration reactions of alpha-pinene-derived epoxide intermediates in SOA environments via 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy. This work will allow for a more detailed quantitative modeling of monoterpene-derived SOA in the atmosphere. I've been working on this project since winter term 2012, including during the semester for academic credit and in the summer as a paid researcher. During summer 2012, I wrote and presented a PowerPoint and a poster on my work. Currently, I am writing a paper with Professor Matthew Elrod on the atmospherically relevant reactions of alpha-p inene oxide. We are now studying the reactions of beta-pinene oxide and limonene oxide, and plan to investigate the reactions of various other monoterpenes.” Photo credit: Courtesy of Dylan Bleier
Photograph of a building.
Jena Mauldin ’14, Recovering Voices Intern Fourth-year double degree student worked at the National Museum of Natural History (above), where she took part in [Recovering Voices: Documenting and Sustaining Endangered Languages and Knowledge](http://anthropology.si.edu/recovering_voices/index.htm), a program that promotes the documentation and revitalization of the world’s endangered languages. “This winter-term internship will allow me to explore the fields of museum studies and linguistic anthropology, two career paths I am strongly considering,” says Mauldin. “I will also have the opportunity to build connections and meet professionals ... . Above all, I’m looking for a niche where I can be myself, where my passion can find an outlet. This winter term will open doors and possibilities that cannot be found anywhere else.” Photo credit: Courtesy of the Smithsonian
Image of project trailer for a film festival.
Alex Rosen ’15, ReelAbilities 2013 Trailer “My project was to create a trailer for the 2013 Greater DC ReelAbilities Film Festival, a film series that focuses on disability awareness. This festival occurs in more 13 cities, with seven to eight films shown at each location. I have now been requested to do a second trailer for the Philadelphia area. The Manhattan group posted my trailer on its [YouTube page](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlKcscd-_Xc).” Photo credit: Courtesy of Oberlin College
Photograph of a bare tree and snow on the ground.
Corina Miner ’16, Wintry Contemplations “I went to a spot in the woods every day and spent 30 to 50 minutes sitting quietly there, watching my surroundings, and thinking about things. Every day when I went back to my house, I wrote a journal entry about my thoughts and observations. By doing this, I improved my ability to think abstractly without any specific prompt, and learned to appreciate cold weather and solitude more.” Photo credit: Courtesy of Corina Miner ’16
Photograph of someone in a yoga pose.
Alexander Bianchi ’14, Becoming the Breath: a Critical Field Study of the Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga Practice With the aid of an Oberlin Shansi In-Asia Study grant, the junior religion major traveled to Mysore, India, for a month of practice and observation at the [Sri K. Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute](http://kpjayi.org). He focused on the teaching methods of Ashtanga, taking daily observational field notes and conducting interviews with fellow practitioners and teachers about their personal histories with and relationships to the practice. In the emerging field of modern yoga studies, researchers have found that many versions of contemporary yoga are a blend of Western and Indian thought and traditions. “This opposes the idea of contemporary yogas being the ancient, pristine traditions they are often said to be,” says Bianchi. But rather than focus on this perceived break from tradition, Bianchi is looking at the internal workings of the Ashtanga lineage in which he practices. Photo credit: Courtesy of Alexander Bianchi
Close-up photograph of a turtle.
Lila Fried ’15, Guatemala Conservation Biology “I worked with the Wildlife Conservation Society on a project involving scarlet macaw and Mesoamerican river turtle conservation in the northern lowland jungle of Guatemala. Our tasks included searching for and censusing macaw nests, as well as tagging turtles through a catch-and-release method and incubating their eggs. Many years ago scarlet macaws could be seen moving in giant flocks, but now the population has been all but obliterated in the country as a result of the ongoing pet trade. River turtles are also a critically endangered species, mainly due to excessive hunting.” Photo credit: Courtesy of Lila Fried
Photograph of two crinoid calyxes from different angels.
Rebecca Selin ’14, Paleontology Collections Administration “It’s a little known fact that Oberlin has a sizable paleontology collection, housed in a tiny and disorganized room on the third floor of the Carnegie Building. My winter-term project aimed to bring some order into the collection; I updated data on specimens, some of which had not been studied since the 1800s; took pictures of fossils, and worked toward publicizing the paleontology collections on an online database. I made a dent in all of the work that needs to be done on this project, but future generations of geology students have their work cut out for them! This picture is one that I took for the digital collection. It shows two crinoid calyxes from different angles. Most of the specimens I studied were crinoids (commonly known as sea lilies— strange aquatic animals that look like plants. They were very common in the Paleozoic, but still exist today in less abundance.” Photo credit: Courtesy of Rebecca Selin
Image of atoms and bonds in a unit cell.
Chris Rackauckas ’13, X-Ray Diffraction Data Models “I am an applied mathematician who has been studying theoretical mathematical models for the last three-and-a-half years, and I wanted to get my hands dirty with a real modeling project. I met Visiting Assistant Professor of Chemistry Jesse Rowsell, who is performing x-ray crystallography experiments and was looking for a student to assist with data analysis. This involves a complicated modeling problem that ties together aspects of mathematics, physics, and chemistry. The researchers in his group grew a crystal and measured how x-rays were diffracted; the data analysis involves building a model of the atomic arrangement to simulate a matching diffraction pattern. For this winter term, I learned the crystallographic concepts and specialized programs that are used to perform these structure determinations. I succeeded in constructing a model that accurately describes the placement of the atoms and bonds in the unit cell and shows how the constituents are repeated to assemble the complete crystal. I will be continuing this project during spring semester with a research assistantship, and I will tackle more complicated crystal structures.” Photo credit: Courtesy of Chris Rackauckas
Photograph of a man and a woman smiling while posing by the Great Wall of China.
Sarah Andrews ’14, Western Academy of Beijing IT Intern While serving internships at the Western Academy of Beijing during winter term, siblings Sarah and Erickson Andrews managed to schedule day trips to the Great Wall of China (above), the Forbidden City, and Xi'an to see the terra cotta warriors. Sarah, a junior computer science major, was an information technology intern at the academy, and Erickson, a sophomore pre-med biochem major, worked with the school's athletic training staff. Photo credit: Courtesy of Sarah Andrews
Photograph of microscopic images of cultured cells.
Jingyan Huang ’16. Research at Beijing Hospital “Along with assisting the professors and PhD students at Beijing Hospital, I cultured my own cells (NIH-373). By applying techniques used in immunohistochemistry, actins in the cell were stained, and I observed the cells under fluorescent microscope.” Photo credit: Courtesy of Jingyan Huang
Photograph of someone posing with snow and a waterfall as a backdrop.
Illustration of a step-by-step recipe.
Headshot photograph of Dylan Bleier
Photograph of a building.
Image of project trailer for a film festival.
Photograph of a bare tree and snow on the ground.
Photograph of someone in a yoga pose.
Close-up photograph of a turtle.
Photograph of two crinoid calyxes from different angels.
Image of atoms and bonds in a unit cell.
Photograph of a man and a woman smiling while posing by the Great Wall of China.
Photograph of microscopic images of cultured cells.

You may also like…

Actor Danny Glover talks to an audience.

Kuumba Week Film Festival

November 19, 2019
Actor, director, and activist Danny Glover is interviewed by Professor of Studio Art and Africana Studies Johnny Coleman after the screening of The Last Black Man in San Francisco, in which Glover portrays Grandpa Allen. The film launched Oberlin’s first Kuumba Week Film Festival. Kuumba Week is an annual celebration of black creativity.
View all news