Faculty Sponsored Research Projects-2012

     The following summer research projects will be supported in 2012 by faculty members with grants from various foundations and corporations.  Interested students should contact faculty members directly for information on opportunities for Summer 2012.  This page will be updated as information becomes available.   Students selected for these projects are considered part of the Summer Research Program, are eligible for subsidized housing and other support, and are expected to participate in the activities of the program, especially the Research Ethics conversation and the End of Summer Conference.   

• The Library Special Collections Dept. will support three students to develop OxyCorps --a StoryCorps for Occidental College-- to capture personal narratives (visual/oral histories) of Oxy alumni to document liberal arts college life of the 20th century. A peer to peer/transgenerational experience-- current students working with alums to conduct the interviews, organize and analyze, describe, and post segments or full interviews online and/or create multimedia stories representing their research. A prime source of interview opportunities is the five day Alumni Week (June 13 - 17). There would be a preparation period, interview period and analysis period coinciding with the 2012 summer research program.  Interested students should contact Dale Stieber, Library.
   

• Prof. Andrew Shtulman can support 3 to 4 students with a background in Psychology or Cognitive Science to help with an NSF-funded project on conceptual development and conceptual change, particularly as they relate to science education. The research entails a variety of cognitive, developmental, and educational studies. Interested students should contact Prof. Shtulman, Biology Dept.
   

• The Tropical Ecology Mentorship Program of Southern California (TEMP) is a year-round research program oriented towards the field of ecology. During the summer, TEMP scholars will work out of La Selva Biological Station in the northeastern rainforests of Costa Rica. During the academic year, TEMP scholars continue research on-campus and may ultimately present findings at a research conference. Funded in part by an NSF grant, this program can support one to three TEMP scholars in 2012. Interested students should contact Prof. Beth Braker, Biology Dept.
   

• A grant from the Chemistry Division of the National Science Foundation, "Surface & Analytical Chemistry to Elucidate Fundamental Biofilm Properties and Mechanisms of Biofilm Control" will support one or two students. Contact Prof. Eileen Spain, Chemistry Dept.
   

• Of drugs and viruses: Prof. Andrew K. Udit may support two students working on projects involving 1) developing biocatalysts for pharmaceutical applications using cytochrome P450; and 2) generating heparin synthetics using viruses. Interested students should contact Prof. Andrew Udit, Chemistry Dept.
   

• Prof. Dennis Eggleston can support one or two students to help with his research on plasma transport, a project funded by the Department of Energy and the NSF. Contact Prof. Eggleston, Physics Dept.
   

• Prof. George Schmiedeshoff will support one or two summer students to participate in his NSF-funded project "Quantum criticality in rare-earth and actinide-based intermetallics" studying the thermodynamic and transport properties of novel materials at low temperatures and in high magnetic fields. Interested students should contact Prof. Schmiedeshoff, Physics Dept.
   

• UEPI will support several interns who will work with community-based non-profits on housing issues such as affordability, homelessness, community development, and improvement of conditions in low-income neighborhoods. Interns will work with professional staff at a variety of local organizations.  Details are available at  http://www.oxy.edu/x8393.xml or contact Prof. Peter Dreier, UEPI.
   

• Prof. Dan Snowden-Ifft can support up to 2 students to help with his
  search for dark matter in the galaxy, an NSF funded project. Contact Prof. Snowden-Ifft, Physics Dept.
   

• Prof. Joseph Schulz will support two students to work on an NIH-funded project, "Cone snail venom peptides that modulate zebrafish spinal motor activity." Students interested in molecular biology, peptide biochemistry and neurophysiology are especially encouraged to apply. Contact Prof. Schulz, Biology Dept.