Summer of Scholarship

Life on campus typically slows down in the summer — but not for researchers on campus.

Students and their faculty mentors remain hard at work, heating up reactions in high-tech laboratories, crunching numbers on powerful computers, and asking big questions about everything from genetics to justice. Scores of projects made important progress over the summer in the natural sciences, humanities, social sciences, fine arts and other fields.

The following 93 students were involved in summer research projects, under the expert guidance of 54 faculty mentors, in 2025.

Cascade Science Scholars

The Cascade Science Scholars program is designed for first-year and second-year students in the natural sciences who have no previous research experience: 

• Pedro Araujo ’27, Validating the Indole Lactic Acid Biosynthesis Pathway in Bifidobacteria
  Mentor: Ethan Hillman, visiting assistant professor of biology

• Kieran Hoffman ’28, From Sweet to “Salty:” Identifying and Characterizing Enzymes Involved in Plant Defense Mechanisms
  Mentor: Kerry Rouhier, associate professor of chemistry

• Samir Kafle ’28, Pathway of Sugar Transport in Non-Vascular Land Plants
  Mentor: Kamesh Regmi, assistant professor of biology

• Joseph Lee ’28, Using Genetics to Study Seasonal Responses in the Moss P. patens
  Mentor: Karen Hicks, Peter Rutkoff Distinguished Professor in Diversity and Inclusion and professor of biology

• Wren Luo ’28, Why Do Male and Female Birds (Sometimes) Differ in Their Flight Anatomy?
  Mentor: Natalie Wright, associate professor of biology

• Shoshana Marcus ’28, How Mosquito Kidneys Sort Friend From Foe: Using Dyes to Understand Xenobiotic Transport
  Mentor: Matthew Rouhier, assistant professor of chemistry and chemical instrumentation coordinator

• Ainsley McConnell ’28, Organic Semiconductors in the Solid State
  Mentor: Katie Mauck, associate professor of chemistry

• Kudzaishe Mhere ’28, Identifying Tissue-Specific Causes of Chemosensory Dysfunction in Caenorhabditis Elegans
  Mentor: Peter Kropp, Harvey F. Lodish Faculty Development Chair in Natural Sciences and assistant professor of biology

• Ifti Rahman ’28, Investigating the Role of the Pentose Phosphate Pathway in Annelid Regeneration
  Mentor: Kathy Gillen, assistant professor of biology

• Mariyah Rumpca-Veronese ’28, Bespoke Polymer Degradation
  Mentor: Yutan Getzler, Pamela G. Hollie Endowed Chair in Global Challenges and professor of chemistry

Community-Engaged Summer Research Program

The Community-Engaged Summer Research Program provides opportunities for students to collaborate with faculty members as full participants in community-engaged research. The program is supported in part by the “Sense of Place” grant from the Mellon Foundation.

• Leah Fanello ’26, Representing American Sign Language (ASL) in Learning Materials
  Mentor: Tabitha Payne, associate professor of psychology

Environmental Studies Sustainability Scholars

The Sustainability Scholars program provides opportunities for environmental studies majors to pursue research with a faculty mentor related to climate change or sustainability. The Sustainability Scholars program is supported by the Fund for Environmental Studies.

• Noah Dean ’26, Assessing the Link Between Floral Abundance and Diversity and Parasitoid Control of the San Jose Scale (Quadraspidiotus perniciosus) in Apple Orchards
  Mentor: Lauren Schmitt, assistant professor of environmental studies

• Anabelle Hicks ’26, Bulk and Throughfall Atmospheric Dust Deposition Along a Rural-to-Urban Gradient in Ohio, U.S.
  Mentor: Ruth Heindel, Dorothy and Thomas Jegla Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies

• Bridget Lomax ’28, Impacts of El Niño-Southern Oscillation on Atmospheric Deposition in Ohio, U.S.
  Mentor: Ruth Heindel, Dorothy and Thomas Jegla Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies

Hoskins Frame Summer Science Writing Scholars

The Hoskins Frame Summer Science Writing Scholars program supports student writers who wish to communicate artfully and with precision about science, with the goal of deepening our understanding of the natural world and our place in it. The program is supported by the Hoskins Frame Science Writing Student Associates Fund.

• Isabel Braun ’26

• Abigail Conklin ’27

• Julius/Sophia Gabelberger ’26

• Dylan Gibson ’27

• Marisol Hernandez Brito ’26

• Marisa Phoeung ’26

Mentors: Chris Gillen, Robert A. Oden, Jr. Professor of Biology; Orchid Tierney, William P. Rice Associate Professor of Literature; Ruth Heindel, Dorothy and Thomas Jegla Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies; and Jodi Kovach, Pamela and Christopher Hoehn-Saric Deputy Director of Curatorial Affairs and Education.

John W. Adams Summer Scholars Program in Socio-Legal Studies

The John W. Adams Summer Scholars Program in Socio-legal Studies provides opportunities for students to work in close collaboration with faculty members as full participants in the design and execution of a socio-legal studies research project. The initiative was established in 2008 by the Foundation for Law, Justice, and Society in honor of the father of Michael W. Adams ’93. 

• Amelia Chung ’26, Preparing Pro Se: Navigating Immigration Court without Legal Representation
  Mentor: Christopher Levesque, assistant professor of law and society and sociology

• Xuning (Alina) Gao ’26, Expedient Law or Moral Law? A Case Study on AWA’s New Definition of “Animal”
  Mentor: Alexandra Bradner, visiting assistant professor of philosophy

• Zoë Goykhman ’28, The Rise of Accountability Mechanisms: The Next Wave of International Justice?
  Mentor: Jacqueline McAllister, associate professor of political science

• Alex Grenn ’27, The Rise of Accountability Mechanisms: The Next Wave of International Justice?
  Mentor: Jacqueline McAllister, associate professor of political science

• Grace Jansen ’26, The Effect of Race on Perpetrator Arrest Rates and Case Prosecution in Cases of Child Sexual Abuse
  Mentor: Margaret Stevenson, associate professor of psychology

• Aidan Jordan ’26, The Philosophy of Responsibility as a Legal Concept in Global Conversations Surrounding Artificial Intelligence
  Mentor: Yang Xiao, professor of philosophy

• Joyce Katana ’26, The Rise of Accountability Mechanisms: The Next Wave of International Justice?
  Mentor: Jacqueline McAllister, associate professor of political science

• Chau Anh Nguyen ’27, Legal Barriers to Trans Futures: The Impact of Anti-Trans Legislation on Parents and Families of Transgender Youth
  Mentor: Austin Johnson, associate professor of sociology

• Hung Nguyen ’26, Mapping the Federalist Society
  Mentor: Zachary McGee, assistant professor of political science

• Annika Schultz ’26, When “Do No Harm” and “Child Protection” Conflict: Assessing Drug Screening and Reporting Practices Among Ohio Healthcare Providers
  Mentor: Melina Singh, teacher scholar postdoctoral science fellow and visiting assistant professor of psychology

• Sam VanderWeele ’27, The Organizational Affiliate Network in American Politics
  Mentor: Zachary McGee, assistant professor of political science

• Chau Vu ’26, Summer Internship at Immigrant Worker Project
  Mentor: Christopher Levesque, assistant professor of law and society and sociology

• Melissa Vu ’26, Analyzing Rural Sentiments Toward Renewable Energy Projects Through Public Comments: A Case Study of Frasier Solar
  Mentor: Nicholas Theis, assistant professor of sociology

• Abby Warshauer ’27, Analyzing Rural Sentiments Toward Renewable Energy Projects Through Public Comments: A Case Study of Frasier Solar
  Mentor: Nicholas Theis, assistant professor of sociology

• Oli Wulff ’26, College Students’ Perceptions of SB-104 and the Role of Student-College Interactions
  Mentor: Austin Johnson, associate professor of sociology

• Siqi Yue ’26, Stand Your Ground Laws and Juror Bias in Self-Defense Cases
  Mentor: Margaret Stevenson, associate professor of psychology

• Jiarong Zhang ’26, Legal Protection for Patients with Mental Disorders
  Mentor: Aashna Aggarwal, assistant professor of psychology

Kenyon College and The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center Pelotonia Partnership

For this highly competitive 10-week summer research project at Ohio State’s James Cancer Hospital that uses Pelotonia funds, scholars participate in groundbreaking studies and methods to advance cancer research. 

• Josiah Cox ’27, The Role of MafB in Endotoxin Tolerance
  Mentor: Stanley Huang, associate professor of microbial infection and immunity at Ohio State

• Damaris Agyekumwaa Darkwah ’27, Liposome Formation from Red Blood Cell Membrane Fragments
  Mentor: Andre Palmer, Ohio Eminent Scholar in Nanotechnology and professor in chemical and biomolecular engineering at Ohio State

• Cloris Liu ’27, Association Between Insulin Resistance Polygenic Risk Score and Body Composition
  Mentor: David Cheng, associate professor in the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control at Ohio State

• Ellie Manning ’26, Investigating PLP Isoform Expression and Function
  Mentor: Junnan Fang, assistant professor in physiology and cell biology at Ohio State

• Samantha Ofori ’26, Functional Interaction Between Wsp1, Hob1 and Hob3 in Fission Yeast Pombe Cell Membrane Integrity
  Mentor: Jian-Qiu Wu, professor in the Department of Molecular Genetics at Ohio State

• Morgan Stucke ’26, Associations Between Social Determinants of Health and Intrapatient Variability in Tacrolimus Levels for Children Post Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant
  Mentor: Micah Skeens, assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Ohio State’s College of Medicine

Kenyon Farm Fellow

The Kenyon Farm Fellow program provides opportunities each summer for students to work with a faculty mentor on research or scholarship related to agriculture at the Kenyon Farm. The program is funded by the Diane Elam ’80 and Nancy Donohue Endowment for Kenyon Farm Fellows.

• Harrison Solomon ’26, Manipulating Floral Density to Maximize Insect Ecosystem Services and Minimize Pest Damage on Brassica Species in Small-Scale Farms
  Mentor: Lauren Schmitt, assistant professor of environmental studies

Ohio 5/Ohio State University Research Scholars

The Ohio State University and the Five Colleges of Ohio co-sponsor 20 paid summer research internships in biochemistry, chemistry, mathematics, physics and statistics. The 10-week program partners interns from Kenyon, Wooster, Denison, Oberlin and Ohio Wesleyan with Ohio State University faculty members to create and execute a research project, then present results in a public forum. 

• Kate Bogan ’27, Intervention Efficacy Methods for Non-Normal Outcomes
  Mentor: Steephanson Anthonymuthu, assistant professor of teaching practice in the Department of Statistics at Ohio State

• Parker Ellis ’26, Comparing Multi-Block Data Analysis Methods
  Mentor: Asuman Turkmen, professor of statistics at Ohio State 

• Emma Kelley ’26, Synthesis and characterization of a (PNNP)Cr complex
  Mentor: Christine Thomas, professor of chemistry and biochemistry at Ohio State

Summer Scholars in the Humanities, Fine Arts and Social Sciences

This Summer Scholars fellowship allows students to work as full participants in the processes of creating a research plan in certain fields, executing a research project and preparing results for presentation in a public forum. The program is funded by Kenyon and a grant from the Beulah Kahler Foundation.

• Jane Barnard ’27, Transcribing the Diaries of Oskar Morgenstern
  Mentor: Max Ehrenfreund, Postdoctoral Fellow in the Center for the Study of American Democracy (CSAD) and the departments of economics and history

• Anna/Robin Pratt ’26, Sufi Philosophy: The Exchange Between Logic and Mysticism
  Mentor: Vernon Schubel, professor of religious studies

• Ammar Raslan ’26, The Aesthetics of Film Perception: Cinematic Space and Time
  Mentor: Joel Richeimer, professor of philosophy

• Arianna Rustad ’26, A Journey Through Washi
  Mentor: Manami Ishimura, assistant professor of studio art

• Annie Specker ’26, The Art and Architecture of Medieval Processions
  Mentor: Brad Hostetler, associate professor of art history

• Zoe Trexel ’27, Temporal Frames and Linguistic Identity: Exploring Connections Between Lived Experience with Language and Grammatical Choices
  Mentor: Mary Kathryn Malone, assistant professor of French and language program coordinator

• Elizabeth Westfall ’27, Developing Systems of Ancient Artifact Management at Kenyon College
  Mentor: Brad Hostetler, associate professor of art history

Summer Science Scholars

Student-faculty pairs spend up to 10 weeks in the summer delving into research projects in the natural sciences. Science scholars present their findings to the public at a research poster session during Family Weekend in October.

• Dasha/Darya Aminia ’26, From Sugar to Defense: Deciphering the Role of β-Ketoacyl ACP Synthase I in Acyl Sugar Elongation Within the Solanaceae Plant Family
  Mentor: Kerry Rouhier, associate professor of chemistry

• Cooper Bertschi ’26, Agriculture in the Lenape Ohio Country: Planting the Seeds and Sharing the Stories of the Delaware in Ohio
  Mentor: Patrick Bottiger, associate professor of history
  Supported by the Kimber High Impact Experience Fund

• Mars Black ’27, Kynurenine Aminotransferase Activity Assay Using Optimized HPLC Separation of Kynurenine and Kynurenic Acid
  Mentor: Ethan Hillman, visiting assistant professor of biology

• Ethan Blake ’26, PACMANN
  Mentor: Madeline Wade, associate professor of physics

• Owen Brown ’27, Cosmology Research
  Mentor: Tom Giblin, professor of physics

• David Chintala ’26, Hyperparameter Tuning LIGO Glitch MLAs
  Mentor: Madeline Wade, associate professor of physics
  Supported by the Stautberg Fund for Career Development

• Katherine Choi ’27, Exploring Gauge-Preheating in the Presence of Linearized Gravity
  Mentor: Tom Giblin, professor of physics

• Kendall Clark ’26, Investigating Molecular Doping in Organic Semiconductor Thin Films
  Mentor: Katie Mauck, associate professor of chemistry

• Isabel/Ellie Connor ’27, The Effect of Nest Quality on Offspring Growth and Development in Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica erythrogaster)
  Mentor: Iris Levin, associate professor of biology and environmental science

• An Dang ’28, Ha Giang’s Double Loop: Social Media and Adventure Travel
  Mentor: Sam Pack, professor of anthropology

• Aaron Davidson ’26, Repeatability of Parental Care Behaviors in Barn Swallows
  Mentor: Iris Levin, associate professor of biology and environmental science

• Calvin Deka ’28, Building AI Learning Activities and Applications
  Mentor: Jim Skon, professor of mathematics and computer science
  Supported by the Thomas Y. Au Summer Scholar Fund

• Vivian Faur ’28, Inflation of the Universe
  Mentor: Tom Giblin, professor of physics

• Erin Frank ’27, Investigation of the Pentose Phosphate Pathway in Lumbriculus Regeneration
  Mentor: Kathy Gillen, assistant professor of biology

• Hibat Allah Gillani ’28, The Relationship Between Aerial Courtship Displays and Sexual Dimorphism in Flight Muscle and Wing Bone Structure
  Mentor: Natalie Wright, associate professor of biology

• Greyson Greischar ’27, Toward the Effective Polymerization of γ-acyloxy-ε-caprolactones
  Mentor: Yutan Getzler, Pamela G. Hollie Endowed Chair in Global Challenges and professor of chemistry

• Becca Gwynne ’26, Investigating the Effects of EDC Exposure on Sexual Differentiation of the Preoptic Area in Rats
  Mentor: Lauren Rudolph, assistant professor of neuroscience
  Supported by the Cynthia Patterson Internship/Research Fund

• Jiaxi (Reina) He ’26, Chemosensory Effect of nfu-1 Mutations in Caenorhabditis elegans
  Mentor: Peter Kropp, Harvey F. Lodish Faculty Development Chair in Natural Sciences and assistant professor of biology

• Noah Hopkins ’26, Using Bilby to Choose the Number of Parameters for Neutron Star Equations of State
  Mentor: Leslie Wade, associate professor of physics

• Godwin Idowu ’27, Creating AI Learning Activities at Kenyon Computing Program
  Mentor: Noah Aydin, professor of mathematics

• Shelly Kahn ’26, Characterizing Potential Anti-diuretic Properties of the Dye Thioflavin T on Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes
  Mentor: Matthew Rouhier, assistant professor of chemistry and chemical instrumentation coordinator

• Rebecca Keller ’26, The Baeyer-Villiger Oxidation: Synthesizing ε-Caprolactone Monomers
  Mentor: Yutan Getzler, Pamela G. Hollie Endowed Chair in Global Challenges and professor of chemistry
  Supported by the Andrew J. Bobick ’00 Summer Science Endowment Fund

• Christine Kessens ’26, Axion Kination
  Mentor: Tom Giblin, professor of physics

• Ezekiel/Zeke Kiwanuka ’26, The Effects of Sleep Hygiene Mobile Game: Pokémon Sleep on Sleep Quality
  Mentor: Patrick Ewell, associate professor of psychology
  Supported by the Dr. Joseph Babb ’61 and Professor Charles Thornton Summer Science Research Fund

• Orion Kristel ’26, Factors Influencing American College Students’ Preferences for Therapists: A Conjoint Analysis
  Mentor: Aashna Aggarwal, assistant professor of psychology

• Berkay Kurnaz ’27, Characterizing Effectors of tcf15-mediated Peripheral Nerve Patterning
  Mentor: Sarah Petersen, Ashby Denoon Associate Professor of Neuroscience

• Xinyi Liu ’26, Construction of Chimeric Plasmid for Sink-specific Overexpression of Sucrose Synthase 4 in Arabidopsis thaliana
  Mentor: Kamesh Regmi, assistant professor of biology

• Vivien Luce ’28, Modeling Inflation and Preheating
  Mentor: Tom Giblin, professor of physics
  Supported by the Child Family Summer Scholars Fund for Physics

• Liza Nazaruk ’28, Investigating Intermolecular Interactions in Organic Semiconductors
  Mentor: Katie Mauck, associate professor of chemistry

• Alexis/Lex Newman ’26, Kynurenic Acid Biosynthesis in Bifidobacteria
  Mentor: Ethan Hillman, visiting assistant professor of biology

• Matteo Pescione ’26, Assessing Regenerative Metabolism in the California Blackworm
  Mentor: Kathy Gillen, assistant professor of biology

• Jenna Ray ’27, A Greener Baeyer-Villiger Oxidation Method: Synthesizing γ-acyloxy-ε-caprolactones Using Oxone
  Mentor: Yutan Getzler, Pamela G. Hollie Endowed Chair in Global Challenges and professor of chemistry

• John/Jack Ross ’26, Hematocrit in Nestling Barn Swallows
  Mentor: Toshi Tsunekage, assistant professor of biology

• Sascha Shapiro ’27, GOLIATH — Using Neural Networks and Machine Learning to Detect Glitches and High Mass Black Holes using LIGO Detection Data
  Mentor: Leslie Wade, associate professor of physics

• Gabriel Suhm ’27, Characterizing the Role of RIG Proteases in Seasonal Reproduction in P. patens
  Mentor: Karen Hicks, Peter Rutkoff Distinguished Professor in Diversity and Inclusion and professor of biology

• Austin Vaughan ’26, Helping Skills in Undergraduates: Empathy as a Predictor
  Mentor: Aashna Aggarwal, assistant professor of psychology

• Jin/Judy Yang ’27, Investigating the Functional Impact of Na+/Li+ Binding Mutations in aeCCC2 and Ncc83
  Mentor: Chris Gillen, Robert A. Oden, Jr. Professor of Biology

• Ally Zimmerman ’28, Flight Maneuverability of Male and Female House Sparrows
  Mentor: Natalie Wright, associate professor of biology

Thomas W. Smith Free Market Societies Scholar

The Thomas W. Smith Free Market Societies Scholars Program provides opportunities for students to explore how markets and market-supporting institutions may shape social life and social outcomes, be used to address pressing social problems, or contribute to greater prosperity, democracy, or human liberty. The program is supported by a grant from the Thomas W. Smith Foundation to the Center for the Study of American Democracy.

• Andrew Mayer ’26, The Effect of Local Newspaper Closures on State Transfers to Local Governments
  Mentor: Daniel Kolliner, Wright Family Assistant Professor of Economics