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

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