Harvey Mudd Students Showcase Research

Thanks to her chemistry professor, Lydia Jahl ’14 spent the summer in Bologna, Italy.

While she did sample the scenery and cuisine, Jahl did not travel as a tourist but rather as a scientist, working at the Italian National Research Council’s Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate.

She worked with chemist Stefania Gilardoni, a colleague of Harvey Mudd College chemistry professor Lelia Hawkins, studying fog water from the Po Valley. Jahl recorded how much light the collected water samples absorbed and analyzed their organic carbon and organic nitrogen content.

“All of this can be used to help determine what compounds are in the fog, their effect on our climate, and the possible sources of pollution in that area,” said Jahl.

Jahl’s work will be one of 94 projects featured during a Celebration of Summer Research poster session 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2013 in the Linde Activities Center at Harvey Mudd College.

Student researchers will be on hand to answer questions about projects ranging from tissue engineering and nanoelectrochemistry to shark tracking and robotics.

“This is an opportunity to explore all the wonderful research that took place this summer, and to hear firsthand about the students’ discoveries,” said Liz Orwin, professor of engineering and associate dean for research and experiential learning. “It should be a fun and interesting evening.”

About 200 Harvey Mudd students pursued summer research projects—on campus and abroad—working alongside faculty members in biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering, mathematics and physics.

The projects are part of HMC’s Summer Undergraduate Research Program, which engages students in 10 weeks of full-time research.