Academics at Wesleyan
Student Research Opportunities
Wesleyan faculty are active researchers in their fields. They frequently publish books and scientific papers, speak at conferences, and are quoted in the press. Wesleyan also requires that its professors be excellent teachers, stimulating in the classroom while bringing a fresh and insightful eye to the material. We believe that professors are better teachers when they are actively pushing the boundaries of new knowledge in their disciplines, as well. Because professors are often bringing new research topics into the classrooms, the classroom is a breeding ground for new ideas.
Wesleyan is rich in resources for supporting student research. In any year, there are more than $7.3 million in research grants. These funds help support undergraduate participation in laboratories and research projects. Wesleyan is unusual among liberal arts colleges in maintaining full PhD programs in many of its science departments, so its science faculty conduct active, year-round research programs, providing numerous opportunities for undergraduate involvement.
Wesleyan is an equally strong place to pursue research in the social sciences, humanities, and arts. Each year, more than 35 percent of Wesleyan fourth-year students undertake senior theses. These projects involve working independently with a faculty member to explore an original research topic.
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Recent Wesleyan senior theses in the Sciences
- CD9 and the (alpha)6(beta)1 Integrin: Association and Function in the F9 Teratocarcinoma Cell System, J. Allen
- Neuronal Survival and DNA Repair, E. Schiller
- A Geological and Paleoecological Study of a New England Cranberry Bog: The Helen Carlson Wildlife Sanctuary, Portland, CT, B. Betensky
- The F-box Protein Ppa Mediates Prd Protein Expression in Drosphila Melanogaster Embryogenesis, M. Fernandes
- Acidification and Autophagy of Apoptotic Nuclei in Tetrahymena Thermophila, E. Lu
- Patterns of Postnatal Cell Genesis in the Cerebral Cortex of DNA-PKcs Deficient Mice, J. Gooley
- Using Overt Rehearsal Procedures in Conjunction with the DRM Paradigm: A Question of the Source of False Memory, S. Toner
- An ICEy Death: Caspases are Required for Nuclear Death in Conjugating Tetrahymena Thermophila, R. Ejercito
- Hedgehog Signaling in ES Cell Embryoid Bodies: A Role for the Gli Genes, E. Kasameyer
- Compensatory Evolution Following the Acquisition of Antibiotic Resistance: Evolution of Bacillus Subtilis in Two Lab Experiments, P. Russell
- Analysis of the DNA-Dependent Protein Kinase Catalytic Subunit (KNA-PKcs) in the Development of the Murine Cerebral Cortex, M. Daugherty
- Entropy of Molecular Dynamics Simulations Using Matrices, D. Andrews
- Applications of Pferidine Adenosine Analogues in Investigation A-tract Structure and DNA Protein Interactions, K. Augustyne
- Selected Organic Transformation in Room Temperature Tonic Liquids, D. Barrett
- Near-Infared Properties of KISS Emission-Line Galaxies, S. Chung
- Memory-based Performance Assessment Following Positive and Negative Feedback, M. Crampton
- Diffuse Spectral Reflectance Within the Oxygen Minimum Zone: Evidence for Contennial to Decadal-Scale Climate Shifts over the Last 10,000 Years, J. DelViscio
- Oak Ecology of Serpentine Soils; Potential Value for the Reforestation of Contaminated Sites, K. Fingerman
- Small Molecule Inhibition of the UIA-U1sn RNA Complex and Characterization of a Small Molecule-RNA Interaction, A. Gayle
- Etiology of the Stigmatization of Depressed Individuals, B. Goldstein
- The Occurrence of False Memories Under Distraction, M. Goodkind
- An Investigation of UIA Binding to a UlsnRNA Pool Containing a 10 Nucleotide Randomized Sequence, P. Kaimakliotis
- A Photometric Study of the Star KH15D, A. Rhodes
- Tectonic Analysis of Eastern Flank of Higganum Dome, A. Zinsser
- Recent Wesleyan senior theses in the Social Sciences
- The Commodified Latina: The Latin Explosion and the Women Who Popped out of the Cake, L. Perez-Longobardo
- The First Postmodern Revolution: Understanding Socialist Struggle in the Regime of Flexible Accumulation, C. Memoli
- The New Brazilian Land Reform, B. Allen
- Death and Dolls: Sacrificing St. Sabastien, A. Barco
- The Emergence of an Independent Public Sphere in Post-Totalitarian Eastern Europe, V. Belanger
- Urban Expressways and Social Structure, C. Braxton
- Microfinance and Capability Expansion in Nepal, E. Burchfield
- Feminism and Prostitution: Theory Production, Activism and Identity in the Prostitutes' Rights, E. Collins
- Post-Cold War Russian Foreign Policy, R. Earley
- The Wheat Trap Sprung: Nigeria 1960-2000, A. Emerson
- Conservation and Community: The Interdictions Between Human and Natural Landscapes in Norwich, Vermont, K. Gajewski
- Woodland Communities in Medieval England, 1250-1350, L. Hay
- Environmental Influences on Reading Development and Their Policy Implications, A. Johnson
- American Missionaries in Aintab, 1860-1922: Evangelism, Education, and Intercommunal Relations, S. Kistler
- Recent Wesleyan senior theses in the Arts & Humanities
- Time, L. Miranda
- Dwelling Inside the Other: Examining Postcolonialism Through Arabesques, K. Weingarten
- Somatics and Liminality in Art and Religion, S. Yong
- Multiculturalism in Theater, M. Aaronson-Gelb
- Joe Hill's Musical Legacy, J. Avirgan
- French Theatre in Anticipation, Occupation and Liberation (1933-1953), D. Burson
- Early Widescreen Filmmaking of the 1950s, E. Crosby
- Is Bigger always Better: Technology's Effect on Theater, C. Davison
- Bobby Hutcherson and the Transformation of the Vibraphone in African-American Music, C. Dingman
- 'beat' a d.v. short by M.L. Durning, M. Durning
- Constructing Race in American Theater: An Analysis of Three Constructions of Blackness, E. Gardiner
- The Aghelastos Sleeps in the Tarpit: The Psychological Roots and Function of Humor, A. Koppel
- MTV: Helping to Create a Progressive Youth Culture, E. Kushins
- Tevye and the Land of In-Between: A Journey from Page to Stage, S. Light
- Playing the Tabla on Drumset, G. Rogove
- Peter Altenberg's Ashantee: A Translation and New Look, J. Nichols
- A sampling of recent publications by Wesleyan faculty
- Anne Baranger (chemistry), "Contribution of RNA Conformation to the Stability of a High-affinity RNA-protein Complex," Journal of the American Chemical Society
- Jeanine Basinger (film studies), Silent Stars
- Allan Berlind (biology), "Monoamine Pharmacology of the Lobster Cardiac Ganglion," Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology
- Reinhold Blumel (physics), "Autocorrelation Function of Level Velocities for Ray-splitting Billiards," Physical Review
- Eric Charry (music), Mande Music: Traditional and Modern Music of the Maninka and Mandinka of Western Africa
- Martha Crenshaw (government), "Why America? The Globalization of Civil War," Current History
- Stephen Devoto (biology), "The Zebrafish Slow-muscle-omitted Gene Product is Required for Hedgehog Signal Transduction and the Development of Slow Muscle Identity," Development
- Marc Eisner (government), From Warfare State to Welfare State
- William Firshein (molecular biology and biochemistry), "TfrA Dependent Inner Membrane Associated Plasmid RK2 DNA Synthesis and the Association of this Protein with Members of Different Gram Negative Hosts," Journal of Bacteriology
- Martha Gilmore (earth and environmental sciences), "Sequential Deformation of Plains at the margin of Alpha Regio, Venus: Implications for Tessera Formation," Meteoritics and Planetary Science
- William Herbst (astronomy), "A Variability Study of Pre-main Sequence Stars in the Extremely Young Cluster IC 348," The Astronomical Journal
- Mark Hovey (mathematics), "Galois Theory of Thick Subcategories in Modular Representation Theory," Journal of Algebra
- Noah Isenberg (German studies), Between Redemption and Doom: The Strains of German-Jewish Modernism
- Joyce Jacobsen (economics), "The Rate of Return on Investment in Wine," Economic Inquiry
- Roderick Jensen (physics), "On the Structure of the Stark Recurrence Spectrum," Physical Review
- John Kirn (biology), "Targeted Neuronal Death Affects Neuronal Replacement and Vocal Behavior in Adult Songbirds," Neuron
- Joseph Knee (chemistry), "3-Ethylindole Electronic Spectroscopy: S1 and Cation Torsional Potential Surfaces," Journal of Chemical Physics
- Daniel Krizanc (mathematics), "String Recognition in Anonymous Rings," Theory of Computing Systems
- Bruce Masters (history), Christians and Jews in the Ottoman Arab World: The Roots of Sectarianism
- Donald Oliver (molecular biology and biochemistry), "Distinct Membrane-binding Properties of N- and C-terminal Domains of Escherichia Coli SecA ATPase," Journal of Biolgocial Chemistry
- Akos Ostor (anthropology), The Making of Forest Bliss (book, DVD, and Web links)
- Christopher Parslow (classical studies), Rediscovering Antiquity: Karl Weber and the Excavation of Herculaneum, Pompeii, and Stabiae
- Gayle Pemberton (African American studies/English), The Hottest Water in Chicago: On Family, Race, Time, and American Culture
- Claire Potter (history), War on Crime: Bandits, G-Men, and the Politics of Mass Culture
- Phyllis Rose (English), The Year of Reading Proust
- John Salzer (astronomy), "Emissionline Galaxy Surveys as Probes of the Spatial Distribution on Dwarf Galaxies," The Astrophysical Journal
- Karl Scheibe (psychology), The Drama of Everyday Life
- Paul Schwaber (College of Letters), The Cast of Characters: A Reading of "Ulysses"
- Vera Schwarcz (East Asian studies), Bridge Across Broken Time: Chinese and Jewish Cultural Memory
- John Seamon (psychology), "Repetition Can Have Similar or Different Effects on Accurate and False Recognition," Journal of Memory and Language
- Norman Shapiro (Romance languages and literatures) with David Schorr (art), Fifty More Fables of La Fontaine
- Joseph Siry (art and art history), Unity Temple: Frank Lloyd Wright and Architecture for Liberal Religion
- Mark Slobin (music), Fiddler on the Move: Exploring the Lkezmer World
- Richard Slotkin (American studies), Abe: A Novel
- Ruth Striegel-Moore (psychology), Eating Disorders: Innovative Directions in Research and Practice
- Sonia Sultan (biology), "Phenotypic Plasticity for Fitness Components in Polygonum Species of Contrasting Ecological Breadth," Ecology
- Johan Varecamp (earth and environmental sciences), "The Stable Isotope Geochemistry of Volcanic Lakes: Examples from Indonesia," Journal of Volcanic Geothermal Research
- Jan Willis (religion), Dreaming Me: An African American Woman's Spiritual Journey
- Jelle Zeilinga de Boer 9earth and environmental science), Volcanoes in Human History