Justin Jay '03 of Beaverton, a biology major, is cloning genes into vectors for protein expression under the guidance of Dr. Jeffrey Newman, assistant professor of biology. The research is being funded by a grant from the Merck Corporation, the pharmaceutical giant.

Tom Coombs '03 of Dushore, Samantha Geyer '02 of Sunbury, and Alyssa Macri '02 of Berwick, biology and chemistry majors, are measuring the preference of gall flies for various species of goldenrod.: chemistry of Solidago Altissima and Resistance to Eurosta Solidaginis." They are working with Dr. Michelle Briggs, assistant professor of biology, and Dr. Holly Bendorf, assistant professor of chemistry. The funding comes from a Merck grant, as well.

Chris Robbins '02 of Newport, a biology and chemistry major, is studying synthetic organic chemistry under Dr. Chriss McDonald, associate professor of chemistry. The project is funded by a Merck grant and the American Academy for the Advancement of Science.

Stacy Howerter '02 of Millersburg, a chemistry major, is researching new synthetic compounds made from molybedenum, selenium, and tungsten under the guidance of Dr Charles Mahler, assistant professor of chemistry. Howerter received a stipend from the Stout Endowed Research Fund.

Samantha Keener '03 of Carlisle, a biology major, and Christina Panko '02 of Coplay, a biology and environmental science major, are studying the decay rate of leaves in different types of streams to determine water quality. They are working with Dr. Mel Zimmerman, professor of biology, and Dr. David Franz, professor of chemistry. The project is also funded by a Merck grant.

Jeff Musselman '03 of Millerstown, a chemistry major, is researching intramolecular hydroacylation of sulfur containing substrates under the guidance of Dr. Bendorf. Tara Tiley '02 of Quakertown, a chemistry major is researching intramolecular hydroacylation of oxygen containing substrates under Dr. Holly Bendorf, as well..

The research is made possible through a grant from the American Chemical Society's Petroleum Research Fund.

Under Dr. Zimmerman, two students are working on three separate projects funded by the "Growing Greener" initiative of Pennsylvania, a program to improve water quality of in the Susquehanna River watershed.

Eric Hoover '03 of Ashville, a biology major, is studying the effectsof natural stream channel restoration on the trout population of Big Bear Creek. Dawn Lipinski '02, a biology major, of Huntersville is analyzing water quality along the Susquehanna River and major tributaries from Lock Haven to Sunbury.

The students are putting in eight-hour days on the job, although there are some opportunities for fun. The summer scientists usually meet for lunch each week to exchange notes. There's the occasional barbecue and a couple of informal off-campus road trips to enliven the summer.

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