Our lab is especially interested in the spongy region, also known as trabecular bone. Hi! My name is Amritha, and I’m a rising senior majoring in Biochemistry/Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering through the Dual Degree Program. This summer, I am working in the Bone Bioengineering Lab (BBL) at Columbia University through the Amgen Program, under Dr….
Biologically Blue: Lauren Simpson Thesis Spotlight
Tell us a little bit about yourself. What inspired you to write a senior thesis?I am a Senior Psychology major from New York. I had never taken a Psychology class before coming to Amherst. I took an Intro class and I loved it and I was particularly interested in abnormal psychology and that led to…
Picking Up Good Oscillations: Annika Lunstad Thesis Spotlight
The following was adapted from a Zoom interview between Sarah Lapean and Annika Lunstad. Annika is a physics and math double major. She came to Amherst wanting to study physics, but without a clear idea of where she wanted to go with it. The summer after her freshman year, she participated in the Summer Science…
From SURF Underdog to Thesis Expert: Lesley Zheng Thesis Spotlight
The following was adapted from an email interview between Sarah Lapean and Lesley Zheng. Tell us a bit about yourself; what life experiences influenced you to write a senior thesis? I am a computer science and mathematics double major. I was born in New York, but I grew up in Beijing, China. Growing up, my…
Protein Research and Being Human in STEM: Professor Jaswal wins 2021 Carl Branden Award
The Protein Society presents the Carl Brändén Award to an outstanding protein scientist who demonstrates dedication to service and education. Professor Sheila Jaswal received this year’s award for pioneering Being Human in STEM (HSTEM) at Amherst in addition to her research on protein structure and dynamics. I had a lovely discussion with Dr. J about…
Mind Over Matter: Heather Scott Thesis Spotlight
The following was adapted from an email interview between Sarah Lapean and Heather Scott. Tell us a bit about yourself. What life experiences influenced you to write a senior thesis? I am a psychology and English double major from a small town in central Illinois. I came to Amherst knowing that I was interested in…
Reaching for the Stars: William Balmer Thesis Spotlight
William Balmer is a senior astronomy and physics double major. They took time out of their busy end-of-term schedule to talk about their thesis with the astronomy department: measuring the orbit and brightness of a young star embedded in a disk of material around another young star. The following was adapted from an email interview…
How Do COVID-19 Vaccines Work?
Currently, there are 96 candidate vaccines for COVID-19, with 27 candidate vaccines in stage 3 clinical trials. So far,13 vaccines have been authorized across multiple countries, and as of May 10th, 3 vaccines have been authorized and recommended for use in the United States: Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson. Differing in how they provide immunity…
A Letter to the Biology Department: Improving Curricula and Access to Research
After careful review of curricula and research opportunities within the Biology Department, Danielle Reed ’21, Eva Nelson’22, and Andrea Mirow’22 (with the support of 105 signatories as of May 11, 2021) call for the following steps to further integrate anti-racist values and practices within the Biology Department. Reed’21, Nelson’22, and Mirow’22 would like to thank…
Chasing an Amoeba to Cure Cancer
Visible even from the exterior of the Science Center building, the glass-encased upper floor laboratory spaces offer a glance into the inner workings of the research conducted in the Biology Department. Here, students are often seen working on experiments headed by professors, but they can also elect a more independent project their senior year: a…