Each fall the H-SC Honors Council holds a poster session for those students that conducted summer research with College faculty. This year the Biology Department was proud to have 7 students participate in a wide array of research projects covering tumor immunology, disease ecology, yeast and plant genetics, and bioinformatics.
Drake Bishop ’14, Christian Lehman ’14, and Alan Fish ’14
Brandon Fox ’14
Francis Polakiewicz ’14
Sam Smith ’13
Charlie Hand ’14
This year the department is happy to have two of its seniors engaging in year-long senior Honors projects. These projects go above the work expectations of a typical research and require a considerable level of academic achievement and preparedness. The work will lead to the production of an Honors thesis and public presentation next semester. Yonathan Ararso ’13 will work with Dr. Kristian Hargadon on a project entitled “An shRNA-mediated RNA Silencing Approach to Understand the Role of Melanoma-derived Factors in the Suppression of Dendritic Cell Maturation and Activation”. Burke Best ’13 will undertake a Senior Fellowship, in which half of his academic time will be dedicated to the production of a multidisciplinary project. Burke will work with Dr. Alex Werth in Biology, Dr. Dan Weese in Psychology, and Dr. Trey Thurman in Physics on “The Effects of Head Trauma on Spatial Balance in Athletes and How Effective Helmets are at Preventing Concussions.”
To open Hampden-Sydney’s new academic year, the College community gathered for its annual convocation. At the ceremony, two biology students were honored for attaining academic records that put them among the very best at Hampden-Sydney. James Hughes ’14 received the Samuel S. Jones Phi Beta Kappa Award Second Honor for attaining the second-highest grade point average in the junior class.
James Hughes ’14 and H-SC President Chris Howard
Burke Best ’13 received the President’s Award for Overall Academic Excellence, presented to the senior with the highest overall grade point average.
Burke Best ’13 and President Howard