Brett Cox
Modern Masters of Science Fiction: Roger Zelazny Dr. Cox’s ongoing project will result in a book-length study of the work of the American science fiction and fantasy writer Roger Zelazny (1937–1995). Zelazny’s award-winning novel Lord of Light (1967) was a high point of the 1960s “New Wave” of literarily ambitious science fiction (and, decades later, the basis of the unproduced screenplay at the heart of the events dramatized in the film Argo). His Chronicles of Amber fantasy novels (1970–1991) were a precursor to, and a strong influence on, George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones novels. The book will survey Zelazny’s career while interrogating the commonly-held critical stance that Zelazny’s later work never matched the brilliant innovations of his early fiction.
Patricia Ferriera
Irish Merchant Princess and Abolitionist: The Story of Isabel Jennings Dr. Ferreira continued exploring Frederick Douglass’ anti-slavery tour in Ireland during the height of the cataclysmic famine. When Douglass, the 19th Century’s foremost abolitionist, published his 1845 autobiography in Boston, he risked capture back into slavery. He fled first to Ireland where, despite desperate conditions of poverty and starvation, he was embraced and supported. In fact, a Dublin press was the first to publish Douglass’ autobiography outside the United States. Ferreira is currently engaged in studying one of Douglass’ closest Irish compatriots, Isabel Jennings from Cork. The study includes transcribing and annotating Jennings’ letters to illustrate how a woman confined by the parochial and patriarchal mores of Irish society garnered the pluck to become a formidable figure in the spirited Hibernian AntiSlavery Society. Dr. Ferreira’s work on Irish anti-
slavery efforts led National Book Award winner Colum McCann to enlist her as a research consultant for his newly released novel TransAtlantic (Random House, 2013).
Seth H. Frisbie
Inventing an Instrument for the Ultra-sensitive Measurement of Arsenic in Drinking Water
Dr. Frisbie continued research on refining the prototype for ultrasensitive measurement of arsenic in drinking water. Safety issues associated with the prototype were addressed. A series of experiments determined the sources of unsafe pressure buildup; controls were installed to fix this problem. Other experiments determined why highly combustible hydrogen gas was released and additional controls were installed that solved this problem. The printed circuit board that controls the flame ion detector (FID) subsequently failed, and it was determined that it was more cost-effective to replace the FID with a photoionization detector (PID). A PID was identified and ordered that can measure arsenic in water to less than 100 parts per trillion once it is incorporated in the prototype.
Ethan Guth
Development of a Novel Assay for Activity of the Bacterial Transamidase GatCAB Despite the seemingly endless diversity in the natural world, the fundamental features of all living organisms are remarkably similar: all organisms define the cell as the basic unit of life, the activities of which are
governed by the cell’s genetic material, DNA, decoded as functional molecules called enzymes. From this perspective, enzymes can be seen as the effector molecules of the cell and, by extrapolation, life itself. The purpose of Dr. Guth’s research is to understand how these specific pieces of biochemical “machinery” function at the detailed level through biophysical characterization, including pre-steady-state and steady-state kinetics, fluorescence biosensor, and site-directed mutagenesis. Currently, work is centered on an interesting enzyme called GatCAB, found only in bacteria. A better understanding of this particular enzyme could lead to the development of novel antibiotics, the need for which is steadily increasing due to the alarming rise in the incidence of multidrug–resistant bacteria.
Tara Kulkarni
Modeling Exposures from Vapor Intrusion in Vermont Vapor Intrusion (VI) occurs when Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) migrate from the contaminated soil and groundwater into indoor spaces of overlying buildings through passageways such as cracks in basements or foundations. This pathway remains one of the top environmental issues across the nation, with limited guidance on assessing and mitigating VI exposures. Dr. Kulkarni’s project compared the recent final guidance published by the United States Environmental Protection Agency with the April 2012 Vermont guidance, to serve as the basis for a framework to address VI incidents in Vermont. VOC exposure data from Vermont sites were also modeled using equations from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry to determine the potential risk to adults and children from such exposures.
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