Still from the film "Farming Forward"

Last summer, Martin Lang (communication studies professor) and Ethan Marxhausen (current sophomore majoring in political science and English) began working on a documentary about sustainable farming. Their work was supported by a Gustavus Presidential Faculty/Student Collaboration Grant. The two have continued their work on this film throughout the past academic year and showed it at a conference last month.

The Make Your Life Count blog posted a great story about Martin & Ethan’s film before I got to it, so instead of rehashing, I’ll suggest you go read that story. That story also links to the trailer for the film, which you can find on YouTube.

But better yet, you can go see film in a couple days! The St. Peter premiere is Thursday, March 11th at 7 pm at the Treaty Site History Center just North of St. Peter on Hwy 169. The showing is free and open to the public.

In addition to the support of the grant from Gustavus, Martin & Ethan’s work and this premiere event are supported by the Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota, the St. Peter Food Cooperative, and the Nicollet County Historical Society.

Rainy days mean it is time for spring, and spring means it is time for the Celebration of Creative Inquiry!

The Celebration is a showcase of student research, scholarship, and creative work that draws presenters and attendees from disciplines across campus. Well over 100 students each year have submitted projects and presented at the Celebration, and many more students, staff, faculty, administrators, families, and alumni attend. The students who participate tell me that it is surprisingly fun and rewarding to present their research to this diverse crowd.

For more information and for the online submission form, visit http://gustavus.edu/kendallcenter/undergraduate-research/creative-inquiry.php

photo via Creative Commons by folkeb

Some frequently asked questions about the Celebration:

What is the format of the Celebration? What we ask you to do for this event is to bring a visual display representing your work, and for you to stand near it and chat with passers-by about what you have done.

Do I have to give a “poster”? Well, yes and no. You are expected to follow the basic format of standing near a visual display and talking to individuals or small groups of people (as opposed to giving a PowerPoint presentation). That said, we welcome and encourage creative thinking about what your display might be, as long as it is respectful of the other presenters near you (so don’t bring a 40-piece brass band or a swarm of angry bees). Past students have brought monitors to show video art projects, or pieces of scenery from a theatre set design project, for example. That said, most students will have a fairly traditional poster. (see the FAQ for more information about exactly what a poster is)

What kind of project can I present? “Research, scholarship, and creative work” can be a little hard to explain in a way that covers traditions in all disciplines. If you are considering presenting a project and are not sure if it is appropriate, your best bet is to ask this question of your faculty sponsor (the faculty member who worked with you on this project or one who works in an area of scholarship related to your project). Still, we have attempted to define creative inquiry as follows: 

• asking a question that has not been asked before.
• attempting to fill a gap in knowledge, or to create new knowledge, information, art, or expression.
• a process or product that requires the student to add ideas or imagination of their own.
• a project that is shaped by choices the student made independently.
• critical reflection.

Spencer Bonnerup, one of last year's HHMI summer researchers, checks on his pesticide-treated plants in the greenhouse.

Applications are now being accepted for a special summer research opportunity open only to Gustavus students currently in their first year, funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Projects are available with faculty members in the biology and chemistry departments and the biochemistry, environmental studies, and neuroscience programs.

Join the summer community of Gustavus faculty and student science researchers!
As a summer research student, you would work closely with a Gustavus professor on one of his or her research projects. Not only will you learn a lot about science and the research process, you have the fun and satisfaction of being personally involved in a real research project that is expanding the boundaries of scientific knowledge. The Gustavus summer research environment is lively and fun, with students and faculty getting to know each other through research collaborations, student research presentations, and community building activities.

There will be an information session about this program on Wednesday, February 24th, 7-8 pm, in Nobel 201. For more information about this program and the application form, contact Brandy Russell (brussell@gustavus.edu). Application deadline is Friday, March 5^th. For more information on the Gustavus research experience in general, visit http://gustavus.edu/academics/research/

If you are not eligible for this program but are interested in summer research opportunities, please know there are other opportunities available. See my recent post on finding summer research opportunities, or talk with faculty members in your discipline for more information.

Kendra Braelgelman purifies DNA that she amplified by PCR and then digested with restriction enzymes, preparing the DNA to be inserted into a vector. (Dr. Marz's class)

First, I stopped by Dr. Karla Marz’s and Dr. Kimberly Murphy’s (both biology faculty) January term classes on Biomolecular Research. The first-year students in these courses are working as a team on the research projects of Dr. Marz and Dr. Murphy. These classes are one of Gustavus’s new programs in biology and chemistry focusing on the first year coursework and early involvement in research, funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Ryan Schmidtman and Dawn Comstock working on their Myxococcus xanthus motility assays in Dr. Murphy's class.

Taylor Eide and Alison Agather use a petrographic microscope to identify sand grain mineralogy from a lake sediment core in Dr. Triplett's course.

While I was in Dr. Murphy’s lab, she told me her class was going to join with Dr. Laura Triplett’s (geology) Paleolimnology course to present their final results to one another. So I dropped by the geology department and found Dr. Triplett’s students investigating the sediments in St. Peter’s own Lake Hallett. More pictures and information can be found on the Geology blog here and the Environmental Studies blog here.

From there, I followed my nose up to the third floor, where Dr. Brian O’Brien’s (chemistry) students were learning synthetic research methods by preparing molecules corresponding to interesting odors (mushroom, vanilla) and derivatives of those. There are several clips of students working in this lab course in this YouTube video about the J-term experience, including clips of students creating custom lab glassware using glassblowing techniques.

Matt Klun uses the infrared spectrometer to analyze a compound he made in Dr. O'Brien's class.

Michael Swenson ('10, left) and Tomas Liskutin ('09, right) are using the multidimensional chromatography instrument built in the Stoll laboratory (immediately behind).

A handful of students on the second floor were working on independent research projects instead of a traditional J-term course. (Is there such a thing as a “traditional J-term course”?) Students in Dr. Dwight Stoll’s (chemistry) lab were hard at work developing methods to detect small quantities of a specific molecule in a complex mixtures. In the photo, they’re working on quantifying hydrocortisone in human urine. There are a couple students working in my lab, too (also chemistry). On the day I visited with the camera, they were purifying protein samples so that we can later study how those proteins fold and bind metal atoms.

Alysha Dicke in the cold room (think walk-in refrigerator) purifying protein for her research with Dr. Russell.

And this is just a small sampling: I know I’ve just covered a handful of the students and classes that were doing research, scholarship, and creative work this J-term. For example, I didn’t get a chance to make it to visit the students working on Urinetown, which features significant creative input from students. Notably, students are given credit for set and costume design in the recent story about the production. (By the way, there are still performances of this next weekend, see that last link for ticket information!)

Tell us about your J-term student research experience in the comments!

Involvement at Its Finest – The Gustavian Weekly’s “Gustie of the Week” (10/30/09) is Adam Strand. The article mentions his summer research experience:

New ICP-MS in chemistry, geology departments – Obtained by a grant from the National Science Foundation, this instrument is a marvelous addition to Gustavus’ “toolbox” of instruments for student/faculty research and will be a resource for the region. Congratulations to Professors Jeff Jeremiason, Julie Bartly, and Laura Triplett who wrote the grant proposal!

Patricia Lindell Scholarship winner announced – Allie Skjerven will be doing research with Prof. Julie Gilbert in Spring 2010 on how students use space in libraries.

Fall 2009 issue of Firethorne released – I haven’t read this issue yet, but have really enjoyed past issues. For those not in the know, Firethorne is a literary and graphic arts magazine containing Gustavus student work and edited by Gustavus students.

New scanning laser Doppler vibrometer in physics – Professor Tom Huber received a grant to purchase this instrument, which he will use in his research with students and collaborators at other institutions. Dr. Huber studies vibrational modes of objects (including musical instruments!).

Fall dance concert – Well, it’s too late to go now, but this concert featured choreography by 11 different students. Costume and lighting design was also by students. Sad you missed it? Keep watching, there will be another chance– theatre and dance regularly showcase student work in this way.

Paleolimnology J-term class investigates local mud – Check out the Geology department blog for some stories on the research this class is doing with Dr. Laura Triplett. They’re investigating the mud from the bottom of Lake Hallett in St. Peter.

The latest story on the Gustavus forensics team – Really, if I posted all the news about this team it would fill my blog! Visit their homepage for more. They seem to be having another great year.

New confocal microscope in biology – This amazing instrument was acquired through our Howard Hughes Medical Institute grant and will have an enormous impact on student/faculty research at Gustavus.

Wow, writing this post reminded me how many new instrumentation grants we got this fall. Kudos to everyone involved in those grant proposals!

Did I miss your favorite news story? Got new news to share? Please let me know if there’s anything you’d like to see in this blog – Comment or write to brussell@gustavus.edu

To get started, talk to faculty who do the kind of research that interests you. Even if you have broad interests, you probably can narrow it down to a few departments or programs. Find a faculty member (or two or three) that you know in one of these areas, and talk to them about (1) what kind of research/scholarship/creative work they do, (2) what kinds of opportunities there are for students in this area, including with other faculty, (3) how they would recommend proceeding in your search.

There is a lot of variation in tradition among departments, so when you have this conversation you might find that opportunities are rare in your preferred area, or you might be given a big list of opportunities to think about.

Here’s some advice for you to consider before starting to meet with faculty to talk about summer research:

• Most faculty love to talk about their research/scholarship/creative work! So don’t be shy to ask them about what they do.
• Make an appointment, rather than just dropping in. Most faculty will prefer this, I think. When you request the appointment, be clear about what you want to discuss. Maybe you’re just getting started and just want information about what research is like in this field and what kinds of opportunities are out there for students. Maybe you’re already sold on research and are out to find a position. Either way, just try to explain what it is you want to discuss.
• Be prepared for your meeting. Think about the questions you want to ask before you go. If your meeting is specifically to ask about a particular research opportunity, be ready to talk about why you want the opportunity (see next bullet point) and the relevant courses/experiences/gifts you may bring to the table.
• Think carefully about why you are seeking a research opportunity and be ready to explain this to the faculty members you talk with.  If you are just interested in research because you hear it will help you get into med school (or something along those lines), this is not terribly inspiring to potential research advisors. What do you hope to learn, or how do you hope research will affect your educational or career path? If you’re interested in research but aren’t sure how to articulate your interests, I suggest you meet with your advisor or another trusted faculty member to discuss this particular issue before you go any farther.
• Start early. Some opportunities are snapped up in the fall by students who plan ahead. Be one of those students! Also, sometimes it can take time to arrange opportunities.
• Be flexible. Until you start investigating, it’s hard to predict what opportunities (if any) will be available, and what they will look like. Some faculty only offer summer opportunities to students who are willing to commit some time during the academic year as well. Sometimes, you might need to consider a research opportunity in a field related to, but not exactly the same as, the one you were hoping for. Maybe no one in your preferred department does research with students during the summer, but they have a particular class that you could take during the academic year that includes research. Maybe they know of some opportunities on other campuses.
• If a faculty member is explaining their research/scholarship/creative work to you, listen and ask questions. If you don’t understand something, speak up. Sometimes students feel like they should try to look as smart as possible and will pretend to understand things that are actually going over their heads– try not to fall into this trap. It’s impossible to do research without asking questions, and no one expects you to know as much about their work as they do– they’ve probably spent years or decades on this project and you’ve been listening only for a few minutes.
• If a faculty member tells you they don’t have any opportunities for you, thank them for their time. Also consider asking them if they have any suggestions of other people you could talk to or other resources you could use in your search for a research opportunity.

I hope this is helpful! Please comment if you have questions, or other suggestions for students!

This year there are two J-term research courses offered:

1) Dr. Murphy studies two bacteria, Myxococcus xanthus and Cellulomonas flavigena. M.  xanthus fruiting body formation is a well-studied model for understanding the genetics behind the formation of disease-causing biofilms.  Specifically, the goals of this project are to identify new genes required for M. xanthus fruiting body formation using mutational analysis, and to understand the roles of their corresponding protein products at a molecular level.

C. flavigena is a microbe that was extracted from the soil and is a potential resource for bioenergy.  It degrades cellulose, one of the basic products of plants, into usable resources for energy production. The genome of C. flavigena was recently sequenced.  Dr. Murphy has been provided the genome sequence by the Department of Energy.  In this course, we will be annotating the genome and initiating some functional analysis of this organism.

2) Dr. Marz studies the cell biology of circadian rhythms.  Circadian rhythms are approximately 24-hour cycles of gene expression, behavior, and other phenomena.  Research in her laboratory focuses on two core circadian clock protein called Cryptochromes, or CRYs.  Projects in this course are designed to 1) tease apart the CRYs’ roles by defining and examining the importance of specific interactions between CRYs and other proteins, and 2) uncover how CRY gene expression is regulated in different tissues.

Most Gustavus science majors get involved in a research project at some point during their time here. Research experiences are a great way to learn about your field while getting some practical experience and exposure to how scholarship really gets done. Getting involved in research during your first year might seem a little intimidating at first, but these courses are specially designed with first-year students in mind. You don’t need any prior experience (except that there is a prerequisite of BIO-101 or CHE-107)– they will teach you all you need to know to get started! Trying research out in J-term can be a great way to get an experience while not committing to a full summer’s project or trying to fit research in around your classes during a regular semester. Most students who have tried these courses in the past, though, have found they do enjoy research and have gone on to other research experiences later.

If you are interested in either of these courses, contact Dr. Marz (kmarz@gustavus.edu) or Dr. Murphy (kmurphy) for an application form or more information.

If you know of a student research opportunity you’d like to see me blog about here (or if you’d like to write a guest blog post), e-mail me (brussell) and let me know!

The application deadline hasn’t been announced yet, but it’s normally in February. Though the deadline seems far away, interested students should start working on this soon, because the application does take some time to complete and because Gustavus can only nominate a limited number of students. If you wish to apply, contact Bob Weisenfeld (bweis@gustavus.edu) who is our institutional representative who will formally nominate interested students. He will also assist Gustavus nominees with the narrative portion of the application.

The stipend is $4000 for 11 weeks and NIST also pays housing and travel costs. (Normally these travel costs just are enough to get you there and back, not to ship you home for visits on the weekend or to travel around town once you’re there.)

If you know of a student research opportunity you’d like to see me blog about here (or if you’d like to write a guest blog post), e-mail me (brussell) and let me know!