Report of Science at Williams 2020
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Report of Science at Williams College 2019-2020 A record of the professional and academic activites of faculty and students in the natural sciences Williamstown, Massachusetts The Science Executive Committee wishes to express its gratitude to the many contributors to this document and especially to the extensive efforts of all of the administrative assistants in the various science departments. Editor: Norman Bell, Science Center Manager This document is printed on recycled paper. III Williams College admits men and women of any background to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the College. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sexual orientation, or national ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other college administered programs. The College does not discriminate on the basis of sex in violation of the Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1973, or the regulations thereunder, in the education programs or activities which it operates, including employment therein. The College does not discrim- inate on the basis of handicap in violation of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act 1973, or the regulations there- under, in admission or access to its programs and activities. Inquiries concerning the College’s non-discrimination policies may be referred to the Dean of the College, Hopkins Hall, Williamstown, MA 01267. IV contents The Sciences at Williams 1 Major Science Funding 2 Major Programs 3 Winter Study 2020 7 The Science Center 13 In Memorium 14 Science Lunch Colloquia 14 Summer Science Research 15 2020 SSR Funding 16 2020 SSR Faculty and Students 17 Pre-First Year Summer Science Program 20 Summer Science Lab Program 21 Sigma Xi 22 Department News - Astronomy 23 Biology 28 Chemistry 37 Computer Science 45 Geosciences 54 Mathematics and Statistics 62 Neuroscience 80 Physics 81 Psychology 87 Abstracts from Student Theses 94 Abstracts from Faculty and Student Publications 125 V Almost done! What a difference a year makes. VI the sciences at williams Students learn science best by doing science; that is enthusiasm, and so provide a “critical mass” of activity by formulating and testing their own hypotheses using that might not be possible within an individual depart- methods capable of producing convincing evidence. ment at a small institution. This is true at the introductory level, where students be- Approximately 265 students graduate with a major in a come interested in further study by encountering science science or mathematics discipline each year, and we con- as discovery rather than rote facts. It is even more im- tinue to see about half of all students at Williams College portant at advanced levels, where students are most like- with at least one major in the sciences. The quality of the ly to become interested in science careers by working as our science programs has nurtured this interest and this fully involved junior colleagues with professionally ac- year 65 students were inducted into the Sigma Xi Honor tive faculty on research projects that explore new scien- Society as associate members. Williams has become a tific ideas. The ability to conduct cutting-edge research leader in the training of future scientists with more than at Williams helps to attract talented scientists as facul- 50 former students entering Ph.D. programs in science ty and keeps them at the forefront of their disciplines, each year. As a result of this commitment, Williams has which in turn allows faculty to bring the excitement of ranked first among predominantly undergraduate insti- their research work to their teaching and course devel- tutions in students receiving NSF pre-doctoral fellow- opment at all levels. The College has invested deeply in ships, averaging about 7 per year over the past ten years. this ambitious program of research and teaching through We attribute this success to an energetic faculty and staff research funding, modern laboratory space, shared in- dedicated to providing an excellent educational experi- strumentation, and technical support. The relatively ence and to the many research opportunities available large number of faculty in all the science departments to Williams students at both advanced and introductory promotes breadth and depth in both research activities levels. and curricular scope. A positive undergraduate research experience is the sin- In May of 2018 we completed phase I of a major expan- gle most important inspiration for future scientists. This sion of the science center complex with the addition of year, 93 students completed theses and 208 were en- a new facility to house 27 faculty offices and research gaged in research with science faculty during the sum- labs in Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Geosciences is mer of 2020 with many more working in labs during also sharing this space until phase II is complete early the school year. 57 students and recent graduates co-au- in 2021. The new building which this year received the thored publications in peer-reviewed journals in the past name The Hopper Science Center, greatly expanded our academic year, including one from the class of '23. microscopy and shop facilities to support all of the sci- Concurrent with the increased student involvement ences and includes an updated teaching lab for biochem- in science, Williams has attracted talented and vibrant istry. Construction of a second building to be named science faculty engaged in competitive research and the Wachenheim Science Center will house the Math/ dedicated to teaching undergraduates. As a result, the Stats, and Psychology departments as well as Geosci- number of external grants awarded to support faculty ences. Construction on the new building, on the site of research or curricular innovation places Williams near the Bronfman Science Center which was demolished in the top of all non-Ph.D granting institutions. Williams the summer of 2018, is nearly complete and is expected science faculty currently have 23 active research grants to enter service in the spring of 2021. totalling over 4.8 million dollars. The individual faculty Our model of the entire science division as a cohesive grants, together with grants from the Sherman Fairchild programmatic unit continues to flourish. Funds for ma- Foundation, the Henry Luce Foundation, endowed funds jor equipment, for individual student-faculty research from the Kresge Foundation, the Keck Foundation, and projects, and for stipend support of students doing re- other sources, has enabled us to purchase and maintain search with faculty are coordinated on a division-wide state-of-the-art equipment for teaching and research. basis by the Science Center Director, the Science Exec- Advanced equipment and facilities together with our utive Committee and the Divisional Research Funding Emphasis on close student-faculty interactions creates Committee. By working together, we are able to share opportunities in undergraduate science education at Wil- not only facilities and equipment, but also ideas and liams that are exciting, diverse, and forward-looking. 1 major science funding Kresge Foundation Equipment Grant research grant initially supported cohorts of up to eight women each year for three years with funding for sum- Williams was awarded a large grant from the Kresge mer research stipends, research supplies and equipment, Foundation in 1990 to replace and update major items and attendance at professional conferences. Williams of scientific equipment and instrumentation. This grant College supports the Clare Boothe Luce scholars pro- is used to purchase new equipment, to support mainte- gram with funds for a second year of honors theses relat- nance contracts and to repair existing instruments, and ed research and funds programmatic enhancements such also to support technical staff members who oversee as visits from CBL professors, cohort-building events the instruments. One aspect of the grant is that the Col- during the academic year, and discussion sessions with lege sets aside endowment funds for the depreciation Williams alumnae currently in graduate school. After and eventual replacement of items purchased under the the initial 3 year funding period expired, the grant has grant. Through this grant the college has purchased and been contined and has funding outstanding women in maintains a 24-inch optical telescope, a gas chromato- the physical sciences in subsequent years. In the 2019- graph mass spectrometer, a MALDI-TOF mas spectrom- 20 year, the grant supported 5 young researchers. eter, transmission and scanning electron microscopes, a UV/Vis/NIR spectrophotometer, an x-ray diffraction in- SMALL strument a confocal microscope and a nuclear magnetic Each summer the Math/Stats department runs a 10-week resonance spectrometer (NMR). In recent years, Kresge Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Pro- endowment funds have been used to upgrade the tele- gram to introduce students to research. Named SMALL scope and NMR and replace the confocal and transmis- after the leading letters of the last names of the five sion electron microscopes. founders, it is now in its 31st year. Funded primarily by These expensive pieces of core equipment are heavily the NSF and Williams, about 30 students each summer used by faculty and students in collaborative research work in small groups closely with their advisor on open projects and in teaching laboratories associated with