Eckley Summer Scholars and Artists Endowment for Excellence The first five students to benefit from the Eckley Summer Scholars and Artists Endowment spent this past summer pursuing their passions in a myriad of ways, ranging from the sciences to literature and art, while working closely with a faculty mentor. Psychology major Daniel Maurer ’12 conducted investigational experiments with volunteers that sought to uncover connections between crime, cleanliness and the sexual orientation of suspects. Rachel Bransen ’14, an English Literature and international studies double major, spent her summer conducting a comparative literature study of how fairy tales were used as ideological tools in both the former Soviet Union and by the American Left during similar periods in time. Eckley summer scholar Justyna Koscielniak ’14, who plans to become a nurse anesthetist, worked more than 40 hours per week in a Center for Natural Sciences and Research (CNS) chemistry lab designing complex instruments to study the dynamics of space molecules, in hopes of uncovering insights into creating artificial atmospheres that would sustain human life on other planets. Across the quad at the Ames School of Art, Dustin Springer ’12, spent his summer creating large scale paintings that his rigorous academic schedule would otherwise not have allowed. In so doing, he moved from his artistic comfort zone of acrylics to slow-curing oils. The fifth scholar, pre-med biology major Sarah Takushi ’13, spent her summer in a CNS biology lab studying cowbird eggshells to glean insights into evolutionary adaptation. Sarah’s ornithological interests began in her junior year when she did fieldwork in the Ecuadorian Andes. Her passion for research has made Sarah consider a gap year before medical school and may even lead to a career in biomedical research.
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T r a nsfor m i ng L i v e s
Eckley Lecture in Economics The inaugural Eckley lecture is scheduled for March 27, 2013 when noted economist Daron Acemoglu, the Elizabeth and James Killian Professor of Economics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology comes to campus. The winner of numerous awards and prizes in economics and a prolific author, Acemoglu’s most recent book, Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty, was co-authored by James Robinson of Harvard University. The annual Eckley lecture is open to both the University community and general public. Look for details about the Daron Acemoglu lecture on the University website in March 2013.
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