Vol. II Issue No. 1 by Dickinson Science Magazine

DickinsonScienceMagazine

4 December 2015 - Vol. 2 Issue No. 1

Interested in studying

science abroad? Consider the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England!

For more info, contact Prof. Kushner at kushnerd@ dickinson.edu or the Center for Global Study and Engagement at global@ dickinson.edu

CONTENTS 4 December 2015 - Vol. 2 Issue No. 1

Editor’s Choice

Research 30

Sustainability Sustainable Space 5 Sustainable Economics 6 A Brief Look at Long-Term Trends Health & Wellness Music Therapy 7 Yoga CrossFit

Student Research Extreme Rain Events and their Effects on Reservoir Ecology in the Carlisle Area

31 Daisies and Cancer: Electrophilic Activation of the Heat Shock Response 32

Liberal Arts & Science Nature Writing

Editor’s Choice Q & A

The Future of a Tropical Ice Cap: Nevado Coropuna

In Brief

World News World News

16 Save the Sharks, Save the World 18 Vaccines: Imitating the Infection Itself 19

You Can Wear Your Technology Everyday

Priestley Awards: Steven Strogatz Timothy Gowers

Mark Ruffalo: Actor, Avenger, and Activist

Features 24 Forward or Back to the Future 26

Heaven’s Eye

38 The McMath-Pierce Telescope 40

Immersive Connectedness: What is it and why should you care?

Printing Will Never Die! Science Matters at the Library

Opinion

Science News 12

Technology

Personality Disorder: Mental Illness or Moral Illness?

The Value of Data

What We Say and How We Say It

Entertainment

Cover by Nidhi Charan ’17

Science-Fiction Writing Competition 2015

TRIM proteins & develop ment of a high through-put system to screen for protein degradation

Faculty Research Complex Dynamical Systems

Ex Machina: The Speculation and the Reality of A.I.

The Martian Movie Review

How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming

Psychopathology Research: Beyond the “Ivory Tower”

Under the Microscope with Amy Witter

Can Community Health Volunteers Influence Contraceptive Use and Fertility Outcomes?

Crossword Puzzle

Generating Bug-Free Software 3

Letter from the Editor How We Fuel Our Future In 1989, the film Back to the Future Part II offered three main predictions for the year 2015. The first was the most visible: technological advances—the DeLorean time machine, biometric screenings, and hoverboards. The second was that our unwavering regard for societal and moral issues would still matter to us. When Biff, the antagonist of the film, steals a sports almanac of the future to profit from in the past, the town immediately falls into a dystopian society. The last prediction was that we would still be concerned with our future generations. The premise of the movie is that protagonist Marty McFly travels forward in time to stop his son from being imprisoned in hopes of giving him the best possible future. Ever since this film and the first science fiction film, A Trip to the Moon (1902), were released, predictions of alien life forms, dystopian societies, artificial intelligence, and time travel have been recurring themes in motion pictures worldwide. During the past few years, I have seen how Dickinson students and faculty are shaping and sustaining our future. The 1989 film predicted the use of biofuel, with its Mr. Fusion Home Energy Reactor. Dickinson students and faculty produced their first biodiesel from used vegetable oil in 2005, and they continue training others to do the same. The film also predicted holographic movies and video conferencing. Dickinson’s Media Center, with its 3D MakerBot printer, GoPro cameras, and InDesign software, offers us new opportunities to design and create, while the Career Center has enabled students to video chat with professionals around the world. Moreover, Dickinson continues to teach us the importance of investing in our futures and those of others.

onio Dickinson alum, Ant

Marrero ’13 (left).

After four years at Dickinson, I have discovered that my future in science includes combining my interests in journalism, technology, and medicine. I continue to be fascinated by the future of medicine—how medical journalism helps us prevent disease, how 3D printers and polymers create biocompatible organs, and how the latest medical machinery allows access to parts of the body once beyond our reach. I have also learned that the future of medicine is prevention. Last month, I had the opportunity to attend Penn State College of Medicine’s annual Primary Care Day, where I learned the value of preventative medicine and had the chance to visit an old friend, Antonio Marrero, a 2013 Dickinson graduate and third-year medical student at Penn State. For years, Antonio has mentored and inspired me with his journey through medicine. He attributes his success to all that Dickinson taught him as an undergraduate and to the many friends and faculty members who supported him throughout. When I asked Antonio what he thinks about the future, he replied, “I have zero doubt that you and I will be collaborating in the future from our respective fields.” The creativity of science fiction also extends to the pages of the many brilliant novels and short stories that describe new technologies and address social concerns. From George Orwell’s 1984 to Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games, science is interwoven with many important issues like poverty and war. With the support of Michelle Simmons and Dickinson Magazine, DSM editors and I were inspired to hold our first science-fiction writing competition. Each story we received impressed us with its creativity, science-based facts, and social commentary. Topics range from coexistence with aliens to future punishment methods to the ethical dilemmas we face today. Their full stories have been posted on our online Science Fiction Special, and we have included excerpts from their stories on our back cover.

The Albert Paley sculpture in front of the children’s hospital at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.

Dickinson’s science programs not only teach us to value sustaining the future, but also provide the resources we need. For generations, students at Dickinson have been committed to giving back. Dickinson taught my father, a 1985 alum and biology major, the importance of forward thinking, which inspired him to develop community athletic programs. The college also inspired my older sister, a 2012 grad, to create a hospice music program that continues to invite Dickinson student musicians to comfort people during their final stages of life.

The future also lies in discussing and addressing important issues in science. Last semester, one of our editors, Melissa Rifkin, founded Dickinson’s first Women in Science student organization to encourage women to pursue their goals in science. Moreover, our first managing editor, Lydia Marks ’14, combined her interests in communications and med-

icine to become a member of the TEDMED team, where she addresses many of the difficult medical issues of today.

Lastly, the future of science includes art and graphic design, offering us new and creative ways to communicate, which is why the editors, graphic designers, and photographers of DSM have revamped its pages and improved its design. During this process, we have learned how to make science more accessible and enjoyable to our readers and, as always, we hope you are informed, educated, and inspired by what we have to say. Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a great semester! Sincerely,

Gloria Hwang ’16 Editor-in-Chief

DSM Dickinson Science Magazine Editor-in-Chief Gloria Hwang ’16 Managing Editor Nidhi Charan ’17 Executive Layout Editor Michaela Shaw ’16 Associate Layout Editor Erika Gibb ’18 News Editor Elizabeth Kahl ’16 Features Editor Zoe Irons ’18 Research Editor Sahil Nayyar ’16 Science & Technology Editor Jacqueline Hwang ’19 Science & Entertainment Editor Leah Curran ’18 Opinion Editor Nora Krantz ’18 Content Editor Madonna Enwe ’16 Graphic Designers Callan Donovan ’16 Courtney Gamache ’18 Photography Editor Katie Davison ’16 Photographers Zifan Lu ’18 Lydnsey Tanabe ’16 Executive Copy Editor Elizabeth Lanigan ’16 Copy Editors Allison Curley ’19 Meagan Dashcund ’18 Morgan German ’17 Kiefer McDowell ’18 Mairi Poisson ’16 Ashley Tucewicz ’19 Communications Manager Moriah O’Malley ’16 Event Coordinator Janice Wiss Faculty Advisor Missy Niblock Email: scinews@dickinson.edu Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ DickinsonScienceNews Issuu: http://issuu.com/dickinsonsciencemagazine

Editor’s Choice

sustainable space

sustainable economics

Have you ever wondered how many trees there are on the Dickinson College campus? Or how many acres of fields it takes the College Farm to produce all those wonderful vegetables that are available every week at the Dining Hall? Or how about deciding where to locate the next edible garden on campus? The common theme for exploring all of these questions is understanding the importance of space and geography in the everyday management for an organization the size of Dickinson. One of the tools that is helping the college to investigate these kinds of sustainability topics is something called GIS. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a powerful technology for managing information about geographic places, analyzing spatial relationships, and modeling spatial processes. GIS draws upon many disciplines to provide a broad spectrum of capabilities to collect, organize, manipulate, analyze, display, output, and visualize spatial data. Using these capabilities, GIS allows us to think about problems more broadly in a geographic context and provides us with tools to answer questions such as: Where is something? Why is it there? How is it related to the things around it? Why should we care? GIS can be found in many aspects of our daily lives, although most of us are unaware of it. For example, we use GIS technology every time we call up the GPS devices in our cars and smart phones, or when we access online computer applications such as Google Earth or Google Maps. GIS is also widely used by many businesses and commercial companies in various ways to increase the economic and financial sustainability of their operations, or for making informed business decisions and overcoming operational challenges. Some examples of these efficiencies include enhanced crime analysis, improved 9-1-1 emergency response, more successful farming operations, better routing and delivery systems, lower transportation costs, improved access to healthcare, and more equitable election planning. Dickinson currently offers two GIS courses each year that are open to students of all majors: an introductory course in the fall and an advanced course offered every other year in the spring. These courses provide a foundation of theoretical and applied skills in GIS technologies that enable students to investigate and make decisions regarding spatial issues. The Dickinson GIS Lab (188 Kaufman) has many resources that are available to students, faculty, and staff, and offers a quiet place where all members of the Dickinson community are welcome to come work on GIS projects and conduct research.

When the Environmental Protection Agency was established in 1970, it focused on reducing the most obviously harmful pollutants: human sewage in rivers and lakes and hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides that contributed to urban smog. The EPA was required to focus only on the benefits from reducing pollution and was prohibited from taking the costs of implementation into account. For many early environmental policies, where the benefits were quite clearly higher than the costs, we might not worry. Now that the set of potential policies is much greater, selecting policies that deliver benefits greater than costs–whether now or in the future–is more difficult. This prioritization of policies is where environmental economics can help. Scientific research is continually improving our understanding of the many ways in which our consumption, production, and recreation decisions impact human health and environmental quality. As we better understand the impact of our decisions, appropriately valuing environmental quality matters more than ever. From climate change to the ongoing drought in California or the declining ecological health of the Great Barrier Reef, we are experiencing the consequences of inadvertently undervaluing environmental assets. Dickinson’s commitment to sustainability across the curriculum builds upon the college’s history of interdisciplinary study. Environmental and resource economics are not new courses at the college; neither are environmental and natural resource issues of only recent interest to economists. They are both expanding fields of research. Climate change has been one driver of this. The first UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report in 1990 focused on the science. Economists soon developed models to assess the economic impacts of climate change and of potential policies. By the second IPCC report in 1996, analysis of the economic and social dimensions of climate change was added. Many EPA decisions now include economic analysis of the impacts of regulatory changes, such as the recent and controversial revision to the definition of waters of the United States to which the Clean Water Act applies. Research in environmental and natural resource economics has become increasingly global and interdisciplinary. Policies informed by economic analysis, such as those that allow for the pricing of scarce water, result in greater resource protection and less environmental damage to species habitat whatever the location. Environmental economics is a part of Dickinson’s interdisciplinary curriculum that will make sure Dickinson students play a role in improving our policy decisions for a sustainable future.

James Ciarrocca GIS Specialist

Nicola Tynan Associate Professor of Economics

Editor’s Choice

A Brief Look at Long-Term Trends By: Hendrik Van Gijseghem Visiting Assistant Professor of Archaeology

It can be argued - and it has - that sustainability was never a simple challenge for human groups to meet. When we look deep into the human past, we witness groups that were frequently absorbed into Malthusian vortices and played out allegories such as the so-called “tragedy of the commons,” in which environmental costs are shared but benefits are not. In our history, when something resembling sustainability was achieved, it was because it was rigorously enforced by strict norms, morals, sanctions, and cultural attitudes toward population, inequality, and resources. Even then, the processes of intensification were slowed down, but never truly halted. In the past, changes in the relationship between people and their environment have been extremely slow. Before recently, few humans lived the twilight of their lives in a world drastically different than the one in which they were born. But human groups, little by little, were compelled to steadily modify their subsistence practices and transform the natural environment. Agriculture and domestication, in many places, resulted from these slow incremental changes. In some of those

places, many of the norms, morals, and sanctions preventing runaway intensification ceased to be effective. And here we are. I admit that on the surface, this is a grim assessment. But what if we used these sobering observations as the basis for fantastic opportunities? What if we learned from our species’ blemished past and reimagined the norms, morals, sanctions that allowed some of our ancestors a more reasonable and fair use of resources? Sustainability is hard, constant work. Archaeology shows that it always has been, but never as much as it is now. Dickinson’s many sustainability initiatives will resonate positive changes into the world within a generation, and inch us collectively closer to this difficult goal. I join my academic voice to the late and great archaeologist Bruce Trigger, and to countless others, by claiming that “the challenge for the present is for progressive anthropologists to draw on their knowledge of social behavior to try to design societies of a sort that have never existed before in human history.” Let us meet that challenge. I am new to Dickinson. But I already feel that, maybe, it starts here.

Editor’s Choice

Health & Wellness

Music therapy in action may not look very scientific. An instrumental session for children with disabilities may look just like playtime; a singalong with the elderly may appear purely recreational; improvisation with troubled teenagers may seem more like touchy-feely leisure time than structured treatment. But music therapy has been a research-based profession for more than 60 years, with a steadily growing body of literature in medicine, psychiatry, special education, gerontology, and other disciplines. To the extent that changes in people’s behavior and emotions can be measured, the effectiveness of music therapy can be assessed scientifically. Techniques range from simply counting specific behaviors or asking questions to measuring physiological responses such as heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, galvanic skin response, muscle tension, and brain waves. The mystery of the music itself always remains a variable, as does the influence of the therapist. But, as in all therapies, the unknowns don’t discount the science. -Kirk Doran Technical Services Librarian

When I was younger, my friends and family saw tension radiate from my skin and stood within a ten foot radius of me. Daily panic attacks were my norm and I constantly had a “deer in the headlights” look. My mind and my body were two totally different things. My mind dictated my body and ignored what it was telling me. If my body cried for sleep or asked to stop eating, my mind brushed it off and continued acting on autopilot. I shyly went to my first yoga class when I was 17 years old. It was the first time I ever felt like I was in my body. It is a difficult feeling to describe. My brain, always feeling frozen and foggy, finally de-thawed. My tight muscles and cracking bones felt sweet release, and from the tips of my toes to the crown of my head…I felt free. College is the time where we navigate who we are and what we want to be in the world. Yoga gives me the time and space to reflect and work through who I am today and who I want to be tomorrow. I am so glad that my mind and body finally got to know one another because they make a pretty dynamic duo.

What is CrossFit? Most people think of CrossFit as oversized men and women performing strange, complex, and seemingly dangerous movements as fast as they can. However, the majority of what most people assume about CrossFit is only true of the top .01% of the sport’s professional athletes. So what really is CrossFit? CrossFit consists of functional movements such as squatting down to sit in a chair. These fundamental movements are practiced day-to-day, with constant changes to the reps and sets. The intensity part only comes with mastery of these functional movements in order to ensure safety. CrossFit is beneficial to all who try it. In fact, the number of students here at Dickinson who do CrossFit might surprise you! Whether you are an athlete looking to get into better shape, or just a student looking to get into fitness, CrossFit is for you! Go check out a local gym near you! You might be surprised about how much your body is capable of. -Jordan Turner ’16

-Danielle Melnick ’17

Editor’s Choice

Nature Writing A Uniquely American Literary Genre

By: Ashton Nichols, Professor of English and Environmental Studies

Nature writing is to literature what jazz is to music; that is, it is the sole uniquely American contribution to the literary tradition. Before Henry David Thoreau published his seminal volume Walden: or, Life in the Woods in 1854, no one had produced a book that placed nature at the center of the human author’s subject matter, that rendered up a text in which plants, animals, pond, and sky were equal to any aspect of human activity and concern. Thoreau’s two years and two months on the shores of a pond, just a mile-and-a-half from Concord, Massachusetts, produced observations and reflections that have had a powerful impact on American and global life ever since: “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” These words, as much as any in the American literary canon, have given us terms to live by and a reason to keep our lives close to the natural world from which we all emerged. Since Thoreau, numerous authors have picked up this idea and realized the power of the literary text to engage with nature, privilege the natural (as we might now say), and offer up a rhetoric of the woods in service of the natural. So John Muir used his words to help found the Sierra Club, while saving Yosemite Valley and Sequoia National Park in America’s West. John Burroughs did the same for the great Eastern forests of the Hudson Valley, the Adirondacks, and beyond: thousands of mountains, lakes, trees, and streams. Next came Aldo Leopold, the author of the Sand County Almanac, a book that celebrated an unlikely landscape made of sand and scrub vegetation and little else. Leopold, however, was an author who managed, because of the power and beauty of his words, to save a landscape that had barely been noticed until he did so. He did what all great nature writers before and since have done; he

paid attention to his surroundings and then carefully described them: dancing birds and worthy wolves, and plants and animals of all kinds that made this Wisconsin landscape into something far from humble, something well worth celebrating and saving. In more recent decades, Annie Dillard won a Pulitzer Prize by writing about the simple—and surprisingly complex—natural joys and tiny terrors of a place called Tinker Creek on the suburban outskirts of Roanoke, Virginia, a creek with wily muskrats, and copperhead snakes bitten by mosquitoes, and female praying mantises eating their mates after copulating, and then laying frothy blobs of egg sacs that harden against twigs and tiny branches, only to perform this precise reproductive dance again from year to year. Most recently, Bill McKibben has given us nature writing linked to activism, activism for which Dickinson awarded him the $100,000 Rose-Walters Prize at Dickinson College for Global Environmental Activism, because McKibben wrote the first book (1989) to bring global warming to the attention of a wide and public audience. If anything can save our planet, McKibben’s own career suggests, it may be words. Words may save us because words, even more than pictures and moving images, may give us the logic, the reasoning, and the precise emotions that can convince us of new ways to act. Read the nature writers of the past and of today. Read them especially when they reflect upon, and lay out the details of, how we can save our lives and the lives of other living things from the damage that humans do: the habitat destruction, the wide-ranging pollution, and especially now the climate change: scalding heat and drying deserts, melting glaciers and violent storms, all those extremes of manmade nature that are heading our way. Nature writing may help to save us, and the world around us.

Photo courtesy of Carl Socolow

Editor’s Choice

e th e b l il w k in th u o y o d t a Q: Wh in t n e m e c n a v d a t n ta most impor ? y r tu n e c t x e n e th in h it w science

According to Dickinson students:

22% Genetic Engineering

I think the future of science is gearing towards sustainable practices. Environmental science seems to be the current trend that people in society are finding significant for the growth and well-being of the population. There have been many advancements already in agriculture and water purification systems, but there are still many more inventions that could be modified to create a greener earth. Perhaps there will be a new invention in the next couple of years to completely separate oil from huge bodies of water. For example, the Great Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. Rather than adding chemicals or simply waiting for natural processes to get rid of the oil that still remains in the Gulf ’s waters, there could be a better way that will not harm the aquatic creatures. Right now, society seems to need innovations in environmental science more than ever. More and more people grow passionate about sustainability as they learn more about how it truly affects the health of human beings and generations to come whether it is through college courses or through first-hand experience with pollution or pesticides in our food. This has always been an important science, but I feel that the current generation is putting more of an emphasis on it, which will lead to continuous advancements within the next century. -Kristina Rodriguez ’19 10

Throughout history, technological innovation has deemed the impossible, possible: Neil Armstrong’s moonwalk, talking computers/cell phones, and hover boards, among others. These innovations, which are commonplace today, were once limited to the minds of science fiction’s writers. So what is the “impossible” innovation of our generation? What aspect of science fiction will no longer be limited to a writer’s mind? The other day I read an online article entitled, “Would you buy a driverless car? Autonomous cars are coming, but are consumers ready?” As I was reading, all I could only a picture a little old lady who could not see over the steering wheel. Driverless cars may seem far-fetched now, but isn’t that what people in the 1960’s thought when they saw talking computers on Star Trek? We take Siri and our smartphones for granted, so will our kids take driverless cars for granted? Only time will tell.

10% Lab-Grown Organs

2% Terraforming

14% Artificial Intelligence

45% Renewable Energies

-Courtney Rogers ’17

6% Teleportation

1% Brain Enhancing “Smart” Drugs

Editor’s Choice

In Garret Hardin’s “Tragedy of the Commons” he states, among other issues, that it is human nature to take a little more than one’s equal share of a common resource to gain more benefits at the expense of the rest who are using the commons. Today, the atmosphere is arguably the planet’s most important common. We all breathe the N2-O2 mixture in it, its relatively small percentage of CO2 and other greenhouse gases keeps the planet habitable, and yet we all pollute it with excess CO2 and other residual gases from the industrial processes that made our civilization what it is. Rather than taking from the commons, developed nations are dumping more of their CO2 waste into the commons than the vast majority of less developed nations. Since the start of the industrial revolution, the burning of coal and, more recently, oil and natural gas to generate electricity is now undeniably raising the temperature of the planet’s atmosphere, which in turn is creating positive (bad) feedbacks that are changing a heretofore relatively stable climate. The unintended consequences could be dire for the survival of many on the planet and will fall disproportionally on the poor in Africa, Asia and South America. We do not know the extent of these consequences but we can surmise that the continued attitude of “business-as-usual” will not produce good results in the long term. By 2050 we will see very clear planetary changes from the excess CO2 already in the climate system. This December, 194 countries will gather for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Paris. The goal of the meeting this time will be to craft an agreement to

reduce greenhouse gases significantly by 2020. This has been and will continue to be a difficult negotiation. How do you get 194 countries to agree to do anything with one voice? We have already seen China, the US, and India, the three largest emitters, state different ways for achieving reductions. Yet the survival of the planet may depend on every country pitching in. How does a civilization stop using the very resource that made it what

“How does a civilization stop using the very resource that made it what it is today?” it is today? We have grown addicted to fossil fuels. How does 80% of the world’s population expect to raise its quality of life in the future without using the same level of energy that gave the richest 20% their standard of living? The answer cannot reside only in renewable and non-fossil fuel energy generation. Natural gas, while it creates half as much CO2 as coal, is still but a bridge to our energy future, not the future itself. So what to do? We must get off a diet of fossil fuels in order to avoid an uninhabitable planet. Renewables are geographically specific and land-intensive if they are produced at a scale that generates enough elec-

tricity for our global urban lifestyles, and nuclear fission was once again dealt a major psychological setback after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami at Fukushima, Japan, not to mention the fact the radioactive waste that has been and will continue to be generated. Nuclear fusion, the power generated inside a star, would seem to me to be the only viable way to solve the vast energy issues the planet will face. By fusing two hydrogen atoms together to form helium, a tremendous amount of heat is generated which, if harnessed, could create enough energy to power the world many times over. The “fuel” for fusion is water; in fact, seawater can be used. The operative notion, however, is harnessing the power of the sun for an extended period of time at very high temperatures. Lockheed Martin Corporation has been developing a new approach to containing that power. If it works and fusion reactors can be appropriately sized, then electrical grids can be established to provide electricity to a small region, which would avoid regional brownouts resulting from overloading of the current, and rather old, electrical grid system. The production of a reliable, small-scale nuclear fusion reactor before the end of the century would allow the planet to get off fossil fuels completely, thus avoiding the worst-case scenarios of climate change and providing the electricity needed to power our civilization for the foreseeable future. -Jeff Niemitz Emeritus Professor of Earth Science

In Brief

Photo courtesy of Carl Socolow

“The future of science is gearing towards sustainable practices.”

Photo courtesy of Carl Socolow

“Yoga gives me the time and space to reflect and work through who I am today and who I want to be tomorrow.”

▶ KRISTINA RODRIGUEZ ’19 ▶ DANIELLE MELNICK ’17, from her article predicting an important advancement in science

from her article about yoga in Health and Wellness

Photo courtesy of http://pcwallart.com/

“Imagine being able to use your camera to find your friends nearby while walking down D-Walk.”

▶ CASSIE BOQUIREN-GAR-

CIA‘15, from her article, “You Can Wear Your Technology Everyday”

Photo courtesy of Carl Socolow

“What do brain waves, fireflies, pacemakers, sleep cycles, and lasers have in common?” ▶

SAHIL NAYYAR ‘16, from his article “Priestley Award Steven Strogatz”

Photo courtesy of Carl Socolow

Photo courtesy of http://bentheillustrator.tumblr.com

Photo courtesy of Carl Socolow

Graphic courtesy of Courtney Gamache ’18

“The short answer to Gowers’s research question? Yes; computers can, in fact, be mathematicians.”

“Now, we come back to the position we were thirty years ago, predicting the future.”

“Ruffalo is a true superhero, fighting to eliminate a real world danger.”

▶ AMANDA RATAJCZAK ’17

▶ LIAM STENSON ’19 from

▶ JACQUELINE HWANG ’19 ▶ LENA FRIEDMAN ’19,

from her article “Priestley Award Timothy Gowers”

his article, “Forward or Back to the Future”

from her article “Actor, Avenger, and Activist”

“I want to smell the trees. You hear me?! I want to touch the grass! I want—my head.”

from her science fiction story “Heaven’s Eye”

News

World

News 20 YEARS POST-MORTEM, SCARFACE HAS BABIES

BRAIN-IN-A-DISH AS MATURE AS FIVE-WEEK-OLD FETUS BRAIN From the skin cells of adult humans, scientists were able to grow and develop a brain similar in maturity to that of a 5 week-old-fetus, in a dish. The brain, with an identifiable structure, matches 99% of the genes found in fetal brains. This brain model could serve as a way to study autism, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s, and could potentially be used for stroke therapy and PTSDstudies, all within a dish.

For more information: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/08/150819083334.htm

In an effort to save the black-footed ferret of North America from extinction, scientists hope to use the frozen semen of ‘Scarface’, a male black-footed ferret who passed away 20 years ago. They hope to show that artificial insemination using frozen spermatozoa is beneficial to the genetic diversity of an endangered species. If successful, the results of this study could have tremendous implications for future research of extinct species.

For more information: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/08/150813130242.htm

News

SMART MICE TAP INTO COGNITIVE DISORDERS Scientists researching the molecular basis for memory and learning altered one gene in mice, creating mice that were smarter, learned faster, and had better memories. Additionally, the mice were less anxious and less likely to recall fear. This study has future implications for PTSD and for cognitive decline and disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Schizophrenia. For more information: http://www.leeds.ac.uk/news/article/3740/ brainy_mice_raise_hope_of_better_treatments_for_cognitive_disorders

“MOTHER” ROBOT BUILDS EVOLVING BABIES Scientists have created a robot that learns every time it builds. This “mother” robot is building babies out of mechanical boxes, and is learning how to make them more efficient with every generation. What does this mean for the future? Only time will tell... For more information: http://www.iflscience.com/technology/ robot-evolves http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0128444

A COMPUTER CAPABLE OF PREDICTING THE FUTURE Researches from Georgia Institute of Technology have worked to develop a computer program that predicts human behavior by using an “ego-centric” camera programmed to take 40,000 photos per day, or about one every 2.16 seconds. They believe that this technology will help advance our understanding of human behavior and our ability to predict or suggest alternative behavioral options in daily lives. For more information: http://www.cc.gatech.edu/cpl/projects/dailyactivities/

By: Rebecca Winsor ’16 Elizabeth Kahl ’16

Save the Sharks, Save the World Shark Populations Linked to Climate Change By: Lyndsey Tanabe â&#x20AC;&#x2122;16

News

Shark Week has become a household name. Everyone gets excited to learn about one of the oceanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most feared, and most misunderstood, monsters of the deep. Even though there is so much love for these creatures on land, it is estimated that 100 million sharks are killed per year by humans. This slaughter may have devastating repercussions on the marine ecosystem and our world. Sharks are one of the top predators of the ocean, keeping fish populations at bay and the food web in balance. They are considered to be a keystone species, meaning that elimination of sharks from the ecosystem would cause the environment to collapse. A new study published in Nature Climate Change suggests that culling shark populations could be det-

rimental to the climate. Researchers hypothesize that recent global reductions in marine predator populations could generate cascading negative effects on carbon sequestration. A recent decline in plants and algae can be attributed to flourishing shark prey populations, including sea turtles, stingrays, and crabs. The increase in the population of these prey species has had a notable impact on seagrass abundance, which impacts carbon cycling. Research suggests that if just 1% of coastal vegetation is lost, 460 million tons of carbon dioxide would be released-- the equivalent emissions of 97 million cars. Within the sediments below seagrass are vast reserves of carbon. When this seagrass is consumed, more carbon is â&#x20AC;&#x153;unlockedâ&#x20AC;? and released into the atmosphere, accelerating

climate change. Without top marine predators to keep prey species populations in check, this overpopulation can result in severe negative effects on plant species. Through imitation, predators regulate the behavior of prey species and prevent them from overgrazing habitats. Researchers hope that by shedding light on the benefits of conserving top predators, greater protection for sharks and regulatory action can be taken to preserve biodiversity. Sharks have ruled the deep for 450 million years and are at risk of becoming extinct within our lifetime. These monsters have been unfairly portrayed as mindless eating machines, but they might just be a piece of the puzzle that helps us understand climate change.

News

Vaccines Imitating the Infection Itself By: Madelene Sacra â&#x20AC;&#x2122;18

Every year between October and March, a virus sweeps across the Northern Hemisphere, leaving behind high fevers, body aches, and headaches. This virus is commonly referred to as the influenza virus or â&#x20AC;&#x153;flu.â&#x20AC;? A virus is a microscopic organism that requires a living host in order to survive. The influenza virus attaches to epithelial cells, disrupting signaling pathways and replicating itself via the lytic cycle. The virus multiplies and releases other infected cells which spread throughout the body. The seasonal influenza virus typically presents itself in three to four different strains per year. Because of the continual evolution of viruses, vaccine development is difficult for researchers. In order for vaccines to be as effective as possible, researchers need to reformulate the vaccines annually, predicting which strains of the flu may become pandemics. Vaccine development currently relies on chicken eggs for research. The slow virus development in the eggs presents a problem for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and researchers because it does not allow for quick reaction time when a pandemic, such as the H1N1 influenza pandemic, breaks out in the United States. Researchers must decide which antigen will be most effective in a flu vaccine. Even though the antigen may change seasonally, the manufacturing process remains unchanged in the production of influenza vaccines. Besides the antigen, vaccines contain many other ingredients necessary for making the vaccine safe and effective. Vaccines protect us against infection by imitating the infection itself; they trigger an immune response, causing your body to create the necessary antibodies needed for immunity. The higher the number of consecutive years one receives the flu shot, the more immune that person will become to the flu and other related viruses. This year, 2015, there are two different types of flu vaccines: the trivalent vaccine and the quadrivalent vaccine. The trivalent flu vaccine protects against influenza A1N1, influenza A H3N2, and influenza B/ Yamagata lineage virus. The quadrivalent vaccine will protect against these same three strains of influenza, including additional protection against a second B virus: B/Victoria lineage virus. While we currently use vaccines to prevent illnesses like the flu, research is showing that vaccines may play a critical role in targeted cancer research. Only time will tell what this exciting cutting-edge research will yield.

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you can wear your technology everyday By: Cassandra Boquiren-Garcia ’14

Wearable technology seems to be the newest chapter in the push for “human optimization.” Google Glass and the Apple Watch are some of the more popular products the genre has brought us. In a field that seeks to increase productivity, the greatest allure of wearable technology is its ability to quantify the user’s lifestyle through synchronization with the physical body. For example, products give users the ability to monitor their heartbeat, on-foot mileage, body temperature, blood glucose, and various other physiological processes. There are high hopes for the market given the coinciding boom in health-consciousness. While the increase of efficiency, productivity, and control is commonly seen as a positive development– especially in this day and age–wearable technology also brings a whole new set of possibilities for invasions of privacy. For example, the same GPS capability that is necessary for tracking on-foot mileage is being used to create products that allow parents to keep track of their children’s whereabouts. With the growth of cyber crime, this would mean that users of wearable technology could be located and tracked just like smartphone users. How, then, would this affect the safety of children using these devices? Similar-

ARE YOU BEING

WATCHED?

ly, claims have been made that employers are using wearable technology to spy on employees. In addition to utilizing the location capabilities of the device, employers are also accessing the results of physiological monitoring to gage their employees’ behavior and performance. Following this train of thought, the data that these devices collect presents corporations and big businesses with a wealth of knowledge about the market and its possible demands. Imagine being able to use your camera to find your friends nearby while walking down D-Walk. You could figure out if the Snar is crowded, or if your brunch date is in the HUB yet. Augmented reality sounds like a distant futuristic technology; however, something that was once dreamed about is now a reality, and what many people don’t know is that they are utilizing augmented reality apps everyday. Yelp now can use your phone’s camera to give you information about the restaurants and services around you, while Facebook wants to create a way to instantly update people on what you are doing using augmented reality. As we start to integrate this technology into our lives, it raises questions about what we gain from sacrificing our privacy.

News

Priestley Steven Strogatz By: Sahil Nayyar ‘16

Photos taken by: Carl Socolow

What do brain waves, fireflies, pacemakers, sleep cycles, and lasers have in common? The answer, as it turns out, is that they all can be explained through the powerful lens of nonlinear dynamics. This year, the Priestley award was presented to mathematician Stephen Strogatz of Cornell University, where he resides as the Jacob Gould Schurman Professor of Applied Mathematics. He works in the interdisciplinary areas of nonlinear dynamics and complex systems, where he has tackled problems in fields such as physics, engineering, biology, and even the social sciences. He is one of the world’s leading contributors to his field; for example, his landmark 1998 paper with Duncan Watts, “Collective dynamics of small-world networks,” has been cited over 27,000 times. Strogatz’s passions lie not only in the advancement of mathematics, but also in its popularization and communication. Apart from his countless publications in academic journals, he has written three popular nonfiction books, a college-level textbook on nonlinear dynamics and chaos, and several essays and newspaper articles. His Priestley address, titled “Synchronization in Nature,” discussed the ubiquity of synchronization in the world around us. “Sync,” says Strogatz, “is something that comes naturally to us.” As a demonstration, he directed the audience to clap in sync with him. While people were discordant at first, everyone was clapping in sync near the end. This kind of synchronization that arises from chaotic behavior can be seen in all kinds of dynamic systems around us. For example, if metronomes ticking at different rates are placed on a table that vibrates easily, they will eventually come into sync. Synchronization even occurs on the microscopic level, biochemically. Menstruating women produce sweat that, if put in contact with other women, will cause them to menstruate as well, effectively synchronizing their menstruating cycles. Of course, the question is, why does all this order come out of disorder? The answer to this question, Strogatz says, is still not well understood. What mathematicians do know, however, is that such patterns of synchrony can be predicted and controlled, to an extent. Just as ice melts at a certain temperature, there is a sort of “phase transition” that occurs with the amount of homogeneity in a system. This can be seen in the case of the Millenium Bridge, known more informally as the “Wobbly Bridge.” Upon its opening in 2000, the bridge began to wobble sideways as large amounts of people started to walk across it. The catch, however, is that this only happens once a certain amount of people have boarded the bridge, akin to a “threshold.” After this point has been reached, the bridge begins to wobble just slightly, causing the people on top to wobble synchronously in response. This further increases the bridge’s wobbling, which in turn causes the people to wobble even more. This effect of positive feedback is what drives the phase transition between “wobbliness” and “nonwobbliness.” The key point of Strogatz’s lecture is that the mathematics behind nonlinear dynamics and chaos, as weird and mysterious as they may be, give us powerful insights into the world around us.

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Awards Timothy Gowers By: Amanda Ratajczak ‘17 This past March, Dickinson welcomed esteemed professor and scholar Dr. Timothy Gowers to our campus. Gowers, who received the 2015 Joseph Priestly Award for his research in the field of mathematics, has many accolades attached to his name, such as the Rouse Ball Professorship of Mathematics at Cambridge, and a Fields Medal for his work in Banach space theory and combinatorics. Gowers gave a number of talks during his two days at Dickinson, the largest of which was his Clarke Forum lecture “Can Computers be Mathematicians?” This talk focused on Automatic Theorem Proving- the idea of making math mechanical. Gowers’ research looked at the ability of computers to solve mathematical proofs, as well as their capability to eventually replace humans as mathematicians. The short answer to Gowers’s research question? Yes; computers can, in fact, be mathematicians. But it is not the computer’s solution that Gowers is interested in; he is far more interested in its process. One of the main advantages that computers have over humans is speed. Says Gowers of computer’s speed, “[We] exploit what the computer’s good at, and what the computer’s good at is doing lots of little things really quickly.” When offered a proof that human mathematicians might toil over for years, computers approach the problem systemically and are able to check the plausibility of a solution infinitely faster than a human. If the solution is correct, the computer has succeeded in creating a mathematical proof. If the solution is not correct, the computer continues checking alternate solutions with the same impressive speed until it finds the correct answer. Often, this same process would take human mathematicians months or even years. In this regard, computer-generated proofs are, admittedly, more efficient than human-derived proofs, but Gowers argues that something is sacrificed in the process: “The human way leads to more understanding—doing it the mechanical way gives us a meaningless answer.” “We somehow have these little flashes of inspiration when we try to solve a problem,” Gowers muses as he speaks about the beauty of human-derived proofs. While Gowers has proven that these “flashes of pure genius” are not necessary to create a proof, they provide a sense of joy that is uniquely human. “As a mathematician, I enjoy the puzzle— math is fun for me. I like seeing the little connections, and figuring out how it all works,” says Dickinson Professor of Mathematics Barry Tesman. Similarly, chemistry and mathematics major Olivia Wilkins ’16, states: “The benefit of machine-derived proofs is the same as that of plugging ‘136 + 1637’ into your calculator—a machine can do [the problem] faster. The downside is that you lose the pride that a human being is capable of doing something no one else has yet been able to do.”

Photo courtesy of http://math-blog.com/

Mark Ruffalo

Actor, Avenger, & Activist

Photos taken by: Carl Socolow

News

hange finds its strength in numbers, action, and urgency. On October 5th, 2015, Dickinson College welcomed environmental activist and renowned actor Mark Ruffalo, awarding him the Rose-Walters Prize for Global Environmental Activism. Ruffalo is the co-founder and spokesperson for two organizations: Water Defense, which battles hydrofracking, and the Solutions Project, which plans to make the United States 100% renewable by 2050. Ruffalo embodied the characteristics of bold leadership, endurance, and passion about the environment, respectable qualities for every Rose-Walters honoree. The Rose-Walters prize includes a temporary campus residency during which Ruffalo attended classes in environmental studies, theatre, and political science, viewed student research projects, discussed climate efforts with student leaders, collaborated with ALLARM, the Treehouse, and the Center for Sustainability Education, and performed a public interview in the ATS Auditorium. Throughout his residency, Ruffalo shared his plans to collaborate with YouTube star Hank Green to further inform the public through a series of educational videos. During his live interview with Professor Amy Farrell, Professor of American Studies and Women in Gender Studies, Ruffalo inspired Dickinson students and faculty to “buck the system,” embrace discomfort, and “challenge belief systems that no longer apply.” Although faculty laughed nervously at Ruffalo’s adamant advice to “misbehave,” there was unanimous support in favor of fighting for the future of sustainability. He calls himself an “accidental activist” who was initially thrown into the fight against fracking, but later found himself growing “exponentially” in his “righteous anger” for sustainability as he witnessed the real-life dangers of hydrofracking. “Those places where you find resistance in yourself, that’s where growth happens. You challenge assumptions you have, assumptions created in your own minds.” Ruffalo expanded on the importance of environmental change by relating it to other social issues such as racism, gender inequality, and economic division. He believes that these social conflicts are beginning to “dovetail” together into an overdue need to enact change and eliminate elitism. However, Ruffalo also stated that elitism, ignorance, and money are not sufficient barriers against the universal detriments of climate change. Whether students came because they were interested in environmental studies or wanted to see the Hulk, they left with an understanding that “whoever controls your energy, controls your life.” Climate problems are inescapable and unbiased. Celebrities are given much attention, and while many back down from power companies that “could literally kill you,” as Robert Downey Jr. describes, Ruffalo uses his spotlight to shine light on growing environmental concerns. He is a defining force in film and is not afraid to use his liberal arts proficiency to act and speak out against the monopoly of hydrofracking. Ruffalo is a true superhero, fighting to eliminate a real-world danger that currently threatens the lives of millions and, if unaddressed, has the potential to harm future generations.

“Ruffalo is a true superhero, fighting to eliminate a real world danger that currently threatens the lives of millions and, if unaddressed, has the potential to harm future generations.”

-Jacqueline Hwang ’19

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FORWARD

FUTURE

News

he future is a time when we hope technology will have rendered most of our current problems nonexistent. After watching the films Back to the Future and Back to the Future Part II, many of us were crossing our fingers in the hopes of being present for the invention of all the technological innovations that Marty McFly and Doctor Emmet Brown encounter when they travel to 2015. In some ways, technology has failed to live up to our expectations. In others, however, we have progressed far past anything the creators of Back to the Future ever imagined. In Back to the Future, Marty and Doc kick off their adventure when Marty travels 30 years into the past (November 5th, 1955) in the stylish DeLorean by traveling at 88 miles per hour and using Doc’s new invention, the Flux Capacitor. A fuel shortage leaves Marty stranded in 1955 and he must find the Doc of the past to figure out how to go back to the future. In 1955, Marty fails to take into account how his presence would affect the future, and before returning to 1985, he is forced to correct the effects he has had on his teenaged parents’ lives. Soon after he returns to 1985, Marty encounters Doc, who has just returned from visiting the future and is looking for Marty’s help. Marty’s son’s future is in danger of causing a chain reaction of tragic events, so the pair travels to October 21st, 2015 to fix the future again. The second film, produced in 1985, made a number of predictions about the development of technology in 2015. Today, we can evaluate these predictions of a futuristic society made by those 30 years ago. Many people have been excited for the development of these new technologies and while some of us are somewhat upset that we can’t use a hover board, go to a rejuvenation clinic, or wear size-adjusting clothing, we have made significant progress in several other areas. The technologies relating to transportation, communication, and information services have changed dramatically through the latter half of the twentieth century. Automobiles in 1955 were cumbersome and, although vehicles with automatic transmissions were commercially available (and had been since the 1920s), they were not fuel-efficient and released large amounts of pollutants. Telephones at the time had to be connected to a

phone line via cables and could only be used for calling within the United States, and searching for services had to be done through phone books and human telephone operators. After 30 years, there were few drastic technological innovations. Automobiles were not incredibly different. Some designs became faster, more fuel-efficient, and included new safety features. However, they were still comparable to their 1955 counterparts. Telephones, meanwhile, became more available. Some were now portable, although they were bulky, very expensive, did not hold a charge well, and could only be used for making calls. Still, global communication was significantly enhanced. Due to the increase in and ease of communication, telephone operators became increasingly important to provide services and information. The technological advances between 1955 and 1985 seem modest when compared to the dramatic advancements made between 1985 and 2015. Today, cars with automatic transmissions are widespread and (especially in the United States) are the norm. They have matched their standard counterparts in terms of fuel-efficiency and cost. Some cars are even available as hybrids (powered with electricity as well as a combustion engine), which drastically decreases gasoline usage and reduces greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere. In Back to the Future Part II, Marty and Doc encounter hoverboards and flying cars, both of which exist today in limited permutations. Today’s flying cars are mostly experimental and are not available to consumers due to safety concerns. Hoverboards have been built by various parties, but they are not yet useful in practical situations. At Dickinson, the Society of Physics Students has built a hoverboard with a leaf blower and plywood. It works by creating a layer of air under the craft, eliminating most of the friction between it and the floor. Telephones have perhaps changed the most since 1985. Originally devices strictly used for calling, phones can now video call, a feature accurately predicted in Back to the Future Part II, but they can do so much more. Phones can function as a GPS and store contact information, which eliminates the need

to memorize phone numbers. They are no longer tied to landlines or vehicles and are highly customizable. They can provide massive amounts of information (supported by the now-ubiquitous Internet) and are powered to some degree by intelligent personal assistants (IPAs), voice-activated computer programs that can direct consumers to an appropriate representative or answer simple questions immediately. The previously essential job of telephone operator is slowly being mechanized. How will these technologies further evolve in the next 30 years, in 2045? It is very possible that flying automobiles will be widely available in the near future, if the technology becomes affordable and available to a large number of people. If we are lucky, ionocrafts will be available by 2045 as well. These futuristic vehicles would be powered by large amounts of electrical energy that ionize air particles and force an electro-hydrodynamic thrust under the craft that elevates the vehicle. If ionocraft technology is perfected, hoverboards and numerous other levitating devices will become available to consumers. In 30 years, phones could have the capability to display three-dimensional holograms and could become solar-powered as solar cell technology improves, eliminating the need to periodically charge cell phones. Similarly, IPAs such as Siri (Apple) and Cortana (Windows) are quickly becoming more accurate and lifelike. It is possible that telephone operators, along with many other positions indispensable in 1955, will be completely obsolete by 2045. Progress in the scientific field is one of the most powerful drives into the future. Current trends suggest that in the future, technology will continue to make things “más Bueno, Bonito y Barato” (better, prettier, and cheaper). As new technology becomes available, society adapts and changes in ways we cannot always predict. One thing is sure: technological advances will never cease to surprise us with the next best thing. For more information, visit online publication.

-Liam Alec Stenson ’19

Personal Logs: Operator 472 436-336-12

436-337-68

Today there was a government review, and we were all trotted out for the bigwigs. See the little operators in their little metal helmets—you know, they used to say that tin foil protected you from mind control and all that. Isn’t it funny, now that’s how we link to Heaven’s Eye. Little tin soldiers all in a row, giving meaning to little pixels. We do all the real work, and those suits who stand up there in their hats and their shiny shoes, taking all the credit while we keep them safe.

Today’s missions:

They think they can just keep us here, in these Tunnels. It’s like crawling over the city in the huge tubes of an anthill, just going from screen to screen. Track this vehicle here! Go back through the footage to find out where this suspect came from! Oh, this suspect sir? This little almost indiscernible patch of pixels? Not a problem, not at all. I’ll find your patterns. Patterns of white against gray and 2 is 2 by 6 is 12 and a car travelling down a road must be going somewhere… And then the officials all left. Back to the world. I wonder what it’s like, without a screen or the Tunnels’ glass in between, from a distance high above. I wonder what rain feels like. I don’t want to be “safe,” I don’t want to translate Heaven’s Eye for you! I want to smell the trees. You hear me?! I want to touch the grass! I want—my head. My head is too full. My tDCS reprogramming is scheduled for tomorrow. Thank God.

Kidnapping of government official at 5:00, white van, sector 118. Tracked through 16 frame-by-frames, located final base in sector 250 subsection 11.5. Active forces dispatched. Mission: successful. Complications: van passed through significant wooded region, required extra 36.7 minutes to relocate van, 5 miles west of entrance point.

436-338-76 Today’s missions: Identified and tracked suspected spy, small blue car. Assigned only as advisor in extreme pattern recognition because of size and color of target. Mission: successful. Complications: image quality was insufficient to track target with desired accuracy. Complication was solved through participation by myself and additional operators. Technical issues with 15 small Heaven’s Eye drones today, leading to massive blind spots in up-close imagery throughout 56 separate sectors. Poor image quality in mission was due to reliance on images from higher drone cameras.

436-341-02 Missions from today: Assigned to track and report on conspiracy agents suspected in a long term bombing project. The purpose is to try and locate a possible larger conspiracy group—have been assigned a lower-flying drone of Heaven’s Eye to ensure more accu-

rate image and pattern recognition. Target files identify one female, 5’4” with slight build, dark skin tone, and one androgyne, 5’8”, medium skin tone. Nature of conspiracy and further information on targets is classified. There was little activity with targets today. They are currently occupying an empty building on the edge of sector 134. Reports will continue as needed.

436-349-45 I’m becoming curious about the targets’ activities. They move from empty building to empty building with no discernable pattern and no observed meet-ups. Only excursions have been to procure food. My Heaven’s Eye drone is flying as low as possible without detection, but I still feel that the image quality holds insufficient information. I’ll request a closer one. I need to find out what they’re doing—there’s no pattern, I can’t find a pattern. There must be a pattern. (I considered asking for a premature tDCS; at this point, if it would help me find what I’m looking for, I would strap those electrodes into their ports myself.)

436-353-89 I’ve been tracking targets through the new close-target imitation life drones, which has allowed me to acquire up close and in-building images. There have still been no meet ups or conspiracy activity of any kind. Perhaps the assignment was given by mistake—but why these two? Why were they singled out? There is

some sort of irregularity on or near the woman’s head, but unfortunately one of the tradeoffs of such a small camera is a fuzziness and lack of differentiation between come colors and shades. However, I have begun compiling composite representations of their faces. Perhaps it can assist the active forces if it comes to that.

use my own eyes. I just need more data. At this point I know—these cannot be conspirators. They have focused me to analyze the data and I say the data does not support. I know the patterns. This does not fit. So why am I tracking them? If they have done no wrong, why is the gaze of Heaven’s Eye fixed upon them?

(They’re… beautiful. And something about the woman. I don’t know what. But I find myself struck with the strangest curiosity. I have to find the pattern. I have to understand.)

I’m leaving now. If I can find them, then I’ll know. I have to know. White against gray.

436-355-72 Targets have disappeared from image. They’re gone. I don’t know what happened—there was an electrical short of some kind, and when the image came back online they were gone. I spent hours searching. I know what to look for now. I recognize those little collections of pixels, I know the pattern! I could pick them out in a forest. But I can’t find them now. The pattern is gone. But no pattern is ever gone… 2 is 2 by 6… and a car must be going somewhere… No! Heaven’s Eye, help me! I have to understand. I have to find them. This assignment—there is something important in this mission. Something about this woman. I have to understand.

436-355-94 I’m going out. The last known location I have is only 3 sectors away, and I can get there through the Operator’s Tunnels. I’m just going to… to

436-356-03 I stand in the Operator’s Tunnel, looking out through the clear glass tube to the apartment building 80 yards away. Did I think I’d find them? No. But Fate—maybe Heaven?—has brought me to them. I can see them now, though they probably can’t make out my shape in the gloom. I know their pattern. I know their shape. I know their color. They stand in the window across the empty space between their building and my anthill Tunnel. I can see the bright metal on her head—I can see the dark, empty spots on her head, the electrode ports. They’re just like mine, just like any operator’s. An operator, outside the Operator’s Tunnels. How can that happen? But I see no bombs. I have seen no evidence of bombs. The patterns say no bombs, no conspiracy, nothing but fear of those who would punish her for the abandonment of this sacred task. She’s… free? Oh, God. Heaven’s Eye, protector, bringer of information, help me! I see the images from your drones with

my own eyes, but my assignments— are they true? Do I bring in spies, do I solve kidnappings? Or am I simply informing on him, on her, on them, on every child in the street? Am I no more than a cog in a computer? I won’t do it anymore, I won’t. She escaped! I can do it too. I just need to remember what I’ve learned, remember her, free in the world. I need to tell others how Heaven’s Eye is being used for evil, turning innocents into spies and refugees into conspirators. Tomorrow, oh forgive me Heaven. My tDCS reprogramming—it’s scheduled for tomorrow. Electricity will course over my brain, focusing me back on the images and erasing these little voices in my head. I have to hide—there must be somewhere I can hide in the Tunnels, hide until I can find a way to escape. She did. There’s a way. I don’t want to go, I don’t want to focus, I don’t want to quiet my mind, I won’t play their games any more! I look into that glowing yellow window and I see a woman who chose not to give in to the patterns and the focus. I will protect her, I will protect—I have to hide. They won’t find me. They can’t.

436-357-56 Operator 472, report on long term project K12QR7, track and report. Targets are located at building 56 in sector 89. Observation has yielded no likely connection to larger conspiracy organizations. Recommendation: dispatch of active forces for retrieval.

End of Report.

Research

Extreme Rain Events and their Effects on Reservoir Ecology in the Carlisle Area By: Max Egener â&#x20AC;&#x2122;16

If you have ever wondered how climate change is affecting Carlisle and the greater central Pennsylvania region, research addressing this question is now in full swing on Laurel and Fuller Lakes in Pine Grove Furnace State Park and Opossum Lake in Carlisle. Extreme rain events have been increasing in frequency in this region of Pennsylvania by as much as 80% over the past 60 years. With recent precipitation patterns changing this much, understanding how they will affect these three highly valuable reservoirs is a top priority for park managers and aquatic scientists at Dickinson College. In mid-May of 2015, Professor Kristin Strock and I deployed temperature and oxygen sensors throughout the water columns of these three reservoirs that will take continuous data until we remove them just before winter. These data are being supplemented with biweekly sampling of phytoplankton and zooplankton, as well as pH and conductivity. However, the main focus of this research is to target and analyze the ecological effects of these extreme rain events throughout the seasons. We do this by sampling the reservoirs directly before and after a storm drops an inch or more of rain. This research is unique in many ways, but it is especially significant because 1) it is a collaborative effort between researchers at Dickinson College and park managers at the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and 2) inquiry into the terrestrial ecosystem effects of climate change on entirely man-made systems is rare. The way we see it, if the National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation reported in 2011 that individuals spent more than $40 billion on fishing alone, then it is important for the managers of these reservoirs to be well-informed about the ecological changes they can expect in the years to come. By the end of the Spring 2016 semester, we hope to have completed a comprehensive ecological assessment of seasonal changes and the effects of extreme rain events on these reservoir ecosystems.

Photos courtesy of Max Egener â&#x20AC;&#x2122;16

Research

Daisies and Cancer:

Electrophilic Activation of the Heat Shock Response By: Andrew McGowan ’16

Photo courtesy of Andrew McGowan ’16

Every day, we endure physiological stressors that can damage our proteins and cells. Things like cold or hot temperatures, exercise, UV light, and alcohol can cause proteins to misfold and clump together. This misfolding and aggregating process plays a role in the formation of plaque in the brain and the solid yolk in eggs. Fortunately, most organisms possess a cellular defense mechanism called the heat shock response (HSR), which helps these proteins refold into their usual shape and assists in their degradation. The HSR plays a role in regulatory and inflammatory processes and contributes to the resilience of several types of cancer cells. We also know that small electrophilic molecules can directly upregulate the HSR; however, the exact mechanism of activation is not fully understood. This past year, I worked in Professor Rebecca Connor’s lab, investigating how parthenolide, an electrophile from daises, interacts with the HSR in acute myeloid leukemia cells (THP-1). Parthenolide selectively eradicates leukemia cells and upregulates the HSR through covalent modification. My main project over the summer was to isolate and identify several key proteins from cells treated with an alkyne-bearing parthenolide derivative. To do this, we reacted the treated cells with azide-tagged

biotin, affinity purified all biotinylated proteins using avidin, and identified modified proteins via western blotting. We also treated purified Hsp70 with parthenolide and attempted to identify the specific sites of modification using MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometry. Previous results from in vitro experiments indicate that parthenolide adducts with heat shock proteins 70 and 90 (Hsp70, Hsp90), triggering the production of more heat shock proteins. We were eventually able to pull down Hsp70 from treated THP-1 cells; however, we could not see any sign of modification from the mass spectrophotometry data, most likely because parthenolide does not ionize well. Future experiments will employ a peptidomic approach to identify the sites of modification on Hsp70, replicate my results, and determine if parthenolide adducts with Hsp40 and heat shock transcription factor 1. At the end of the summer, I presented these findings at the American Chemical Society’s national conference. Overall, this research made me a more confident scientist, taught me the importance of resilience in lab work, and made me appreciate the process of science in general.

Research

The Future of a Tropical Ice Cap:

Nevado Coropuna, Peru is projected to last until at least 2140 By: Will Kochtitzky ’16

Glaciers are shrinking across the globe and tropical glaciers are some of the hardest hit. The Andes of South America is one of the tallest mountain ranges in the world and hosts 99% of all tropical glaciers. Some tropical glaciers have already disappeared and many more are projected to disappear within the next 20 years. This has significant implications on developing Andean economies, including less water for agriculture, household use, and hydroelectric energy production. Many locations in the Andes have dry and wet seasons. During dry seasons, inhabitants rely on snow and ice melt for their water needs. This source is currently increasing as glaciers melt and provide additional water supplies. As developing economies grow in population and develop, they become more reliant on these water sources. As glaciers continue to shrink, these economies will eventually run out of water supply. This will disrupt the economies of tropical regions, as they rely on this melt water. Thus, measuring freshwater reserves in tropical snow and ice is important to help these communities plan for the future. Nevado Coropuna in southern Peru (15° 33’ S, 72° 38’ W;

6,425 m) hosts the largest mass of ice in the tropics on any volcano, about 45 km2, roughly three times the size of Carlisle. 100,000 people rely on Coropuna for their daily water needs. Previous studies have found that Coropuna is shrinking at a rate of 1.4 km2/yr-1. The rapid pace means that the ice will disappear within the next 35 years. Our new data, calculated from a 30-year satellite record, suggests that Coropuna is shrinking at an average of 0.41 km2/yr-1. This is good news for Peruvians who rely on glacial melt water for agriculture, industry, and domestic use. At this rate, glaciers will exist on Coropuna until approximately 2140. However, this does not mean that we can continue polluting the atmosphere as we have been over the last two centuries and still retain tropical glaciers. We now have an opportunity to preserve these unique landforms for generations to come. If we act now and take substantial strides towards climate mitigation, there is still hope that ice in the tropics will persist for the foreseeable future and this vital water supply will continue to serve tens of thousands of Andean residents. (Photo courtesy of Will Kochtitzky ’16)

Research

TRIM proteins & development of a high throughput system to screen for protein degradation By: Nidhi Charan ’17 I had the amazing opportunity to pursue an internship at the Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute (AFCRI) at the University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center in Xiaolu Yang’s Cancer Biology lab. Individuals who were fiercely intelligent and determined to gain further understanding into the different mechanics of cancer surrounded me during my time at AFCRI. Dickinson’s Internship Notation Program partially funded my summer experience, as well as those of other interns. Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, occurs when unwanted cells activate an intracellular program to commit suicide. Unregulated apoptosis has been linked to neurodegenerative diseases, immunodeficiency, and cancer. At Yang Lab, there is a focus to understanding the molecular basis of apoptosis in a way that may create therapeutic options for those suffering with the diseases mentioned. I studied under Wil Prall, the lab manager who had previously done experiments with caspases and their regulatory proteins, such as the tripatriate motif (TRIM) family of proteins. Others have shown that expression of some TRIMs induces apoptosis via caspase activation in cancer cells, and Prall pursued this aspect of TRIM function. (Kim et al., 2013). Our experiments showed that TRIM proteins actually degrade or even prevent amyloid, or protein aggregates, which cause certain neurodegenerative diseases, cancers, and immunodeficiency diseases. While at Yang Lab, I also worked with Wil and other researchers to develop a high throughput system to screen for protein degradation. We did transient transfection of cells with NLS-LUCDM and LUCSM, replaced media every 6 hours, and

incubated the cells overnight. On the second day, we added DMEM with 5% FBS, but no vitamins or phenol red because they fluoresce under a microscope and actually create a loud background. Cycloheximide (CHX) and Mg132 were added to the media to prevent further protein synthesis or act as a recovery agent, respectively (arrangement of treatments is shown in Figure 1-1). GFP/EGFP fluorescence was measured every hour over nine hours using a predetermined optimized gain with a plate reader. The results went along with what we expected to see-- the intensity of CHX-treated cells decreased over time, Flag-NLS-LucDM-GFP cells had the highest intensity, and CHX + Mg132 treatment intensity was in between the other two. This was true for both nuclear and cytoplasmic treatments of cells. Although further experiments are necessary to determine if this screen could be reliably used, it would be much more efficient and facilitate others’ research. TRIM proteins are being considered across many fields for their abilities as selective anticancer drugs (Danovi, 2011), kidney repair and protection drugs for renal failure (Crunkhorn, 2015), and muscular dystrophy membrane repair (Alloush & Weisleder, 2013). Eventually, a time will come when a diagnosis of cancer or Alzheimer’s is not as terrifying as it is now. It has always been touching and inspiring to see how so many scientists across the nation, and world, can care enough about the human condition to dedicate their lives to discovering a cure to ease a fellow human’s suffering. For more information, visit page 48.

Photo courtesy of Nidhi Charan ’17

Research

Complex Dynamical Systems By: Lorelei Koss Professor of Mathematics My research over the past few years has focused on the area of complex dynamical systems. The general field of dynamical systems is the study of how systems change over time. It has many applications to physics, chemistry, biology, economics, and computer science, such as, for example, describing planetary motion or population change. The questions I investigate involve the study of chaotic behavior in abstract mathematical systems. While the study of complex dynamical systems began in the early 20th century, there was a period of approximately 40 years where little progress was made because the systems were very difficult to understand. The development of computer graphics in the early 1970s allowed researchers to visualize these functions and contributed to a surge of interest and progress in the field. A function is a rule that maps inputs (for example, a collection of numbers) to outputs (another collection of numbers). For example, the squaring function Q(x)= x2 takes a number as an input and outputs the square of that number: if you input the number 2 into the function Q then the number 4 is output. A parametrized family of functions is a collection of functions that are all related. For example, we can change our squaring function Q(x) into a parametrized family by investigating all functions of the form Qc (x)=x2+c , where c is a number called the parameter. The functions Q2=x2+2, Qπ=x2+π, and Qi=x2+i are all functions that belong to this parametrized family. The primary focus of the field of parametrized dynamics is to study how changing the number c in a parametrized family will change the dynamical properties of the function. My research focuses on studying the dynamics of a certain class of functions called elliptic functions. Historically, elliptic functions were generated from the formula used to calculate the circumference of an ellipse, but they currently

have applications in physics and cryptography. The most basic parametrized family of elliptic functions dates from mid-19th century and is called the family of Weierstrass elliptic functions. Mathematicians use the special symbol to denote Weierstrass elliptic functions.

Although it is difficult to tell from the figure, if you are at a point on the Julia set, you cannot move anywhere in Figure 2 without touching the Fatou set. However, having a computer draw these pictures does not justify the claim about the connectivity of the sets shown

Figure 1: Julia set is connected.

Figure 2: Julia set is infinitely disconnected.

For this family, the symbol Λ denotes the parameter, just as c denoted the parameter in the family Qc. Investigations of the family focus on understanding how changing the parameter Λ changes the dynamics of the function . One property of complex dynamical systems is that they split the plane into two sets: the Julia set, on which the function acts chaotically, and the Fatou set, on which the function behaves predictably. Much of my recent work focuses on investigating properties of Julia and Fatou sets of Weierstrass elliptic functions. For example, is the Julia set connected? In other words, can you walk from any point on the Julia set to any other point without leaving the Julia set? Figure 1 shows one Weierstrass elliptic function where the Julia set, shown in black, is connected. Figure 2 shows an example where the Julia set is split into infinitely many disconnected pieces.

in the figures. Instead, computer-generated pictures give us ideas about possible theorems that may or may not be true. We use the program to help us create hypotheses, which we must then use mathematics to prove. We have an active group of faculty and students conducting research in mathematics at Dickinson, and I expect that to continue in the future. As professors, research is an important and rewarding part of our professional lives which can inform our teaching in both electives as well as classes required for the major. For students, research in mathematics allows a more in-depth investigation into a subject compared to what can be accomplished in a regular class. In both cases, we contribute to the collective body of knowledge in mathematics, which is fun and exciting.

Research

Psychopathology Research Beyond the “Ivory Tower” By: Suman Ambwani Associate Professor of Psychology The purpose of the Clinical Assessment and Research (CARE) Lab is to examine emotion, social perception, personality, and interpersonal factors across the range of normal and abnormal human functioning. We are particularly interested in developing and testing strategies to enhance the accuracy of psychological assessment: how can we best measure complex phenomena such as mood, perceptions of social interactions, interpersonal difficulties, personality characteristics, and eating behaviors? For instance, we have experimented with the use of intensive repeated measurement (which involves loaning participants iPods programmed with surveys) as a way to capture “real-time” experiences in participants’ natural environments. We have also explored the use of multiple informants (such as family members) to help us gather more accurate data on individual and interpersonal functioning. One important avenue for our research involves examining the relationship between anorexia nervosa (AN) and interpersonal functioning. Despite ongoing efforts to develop and evaluate a broad range of treatment approaches for AN, the fatality rate for AN remains the highest of all psychiatric illnesses (10-20%; Arcelus, Mitchell, Wales, & Nielsen, 2011). Previous studies in the CARE Lab have explored the nature and trajectory of interpersonal problems among individuals with eating disorders: do they experience a homogenous set of interpersonal problems or are these difficulties heterogeneous and non-etiologically linked? Are these interpersonal problems due to inaccurate perceptions of social cues or perhaps difficulties with emotion regulation? The effects of AN are circular: the brain needs fuel, and therefore the secondary consequences of disordered eating on psychosocial functioning can interfere with treatment. We hope that a better understanding of interpersonal factors will help caregivers and treatment providers and therefore translate into more effective mental health interventions for individuals with AN.

A related avenue of research (in collaboration with Professor Janet Treasure and her team at the Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London) involves a three-year, multisite, randomized clinical trial testing a six-week guided self-help adjunct to treatment for AN. Previous studies suggest that self-help tools (when supplemented with professional guidance) can enhance motivation and confidence to change among individuals with eating disorders, but the research focusing on AN is scarce. In our trial, the “guidance” is provided by trained peer mentors (including individuals who have recovered from AN) and the “self-help” tools include an online intervention manual and video podcasts, or, “vodcasts” programmed onto participants’ smartphones. The “vodcasts” are brief, unscripted videos in which individuals describe their insights and personal stories about recovery from AN. I had the opportunity to conduct several of these interviews (and pilot test them with inpatients and outpatients with eating disorders) during my sabbatical year in London. We are also using intensive repeated assessment strategies over the course of the trial and hope that these will yield more accurate data on our participants’ psychosocial functioning. In terms of new research directions, we are very excited to have just started data collection for an experiment investigating social interaction patterns among college women. Through this work, we hope to better understand how college women perceive, interpret, and respond to common social interactions, and how these experiences are shaped by mood and personality characteristics. Thanks to the work of my excellent research assistants (Megan Baumgardner, Lea Simms ’16, and Cai Guo ’16), we received an external research grant to fund this project and are able to pay participants $10 for about thirty minutes of their time. So to all of you Dickinson women (students 18 years and older) who would like to contribute to science, here is your opportunity to do so! Please email

Photos courtesy of Kathryn Davison ’16

Lea at simmsl@dickinson.edu for more information. In the CARE Lab, we conceptualize research as an endeavor that moves beyond academia to create tangible changes in people’s lives. For instance, based on empirical evidence supporting peer-led prevention programs for eating disorders, we spearheaded the initial effort to bring the “Fat Talk Free Week” campaign (now “Love Your Body Week”) to Dickinson in 2009; this week-long campaign is now a thriving annual campus event! Love Your Body Week offers an exciting opportunity for several student-led organizations and departments to collaboratively engage in conversations about health, wellness, and the Dickinson community. We believe that these efforts (which translate science into practice) are the essence of clinical research and we hope that our work can continue to have a positive impact on people’s lives. For more information, visit page 48.

Research

Exploring what’s under the surface of the world’s lakes and streams By: Kristin E. Strock, Assistant Professor of Environmental Sciences Although 70% of Earth is covered by water, less than 1% is available as fresh water for human use. This makes our lakes, streams, and rivers rare and valuable resources. My research aims to understand how aquatic ecosystems are being affected by large-scale environmental change, such as changes in climate, atmospheric pollution, and land use. I use modern aquatic ecology and fossil records contained in lake sediments to explore issues that are critical to effectively managing freshwater resources. In the past two years, I’ve made some critical discoveries about lakes in the northeastern United States. First, the rate at which lakes are recovering from acid rain has accelerated in the past decade. This is good news! This suggests that air pollution policy put in place in the 1990’s has led to improvement in acid-relevant water chemistry. Unfortunately, my work also suggests that there are noticeable effects of climate change on water chemistry. Most notably, that heavy rain can increase the delivery of dissolved organic matter to lakes. This is often referred to as “brownification” because of the brown stain imparted to lakes. This process is similar to steeping a cup of tea – the longer you let the tea-leaves sit in the water, the darker your tea becomes. We’re concerned about the large-scale browning of inland waters being observed in the Northern Hemisphere because it can increase the growth of bacteria, complicate drinking water treatment, and modify the light environment for aquatic organisms. Students involved in my research are currently exploring climate-related questions in the lakes of southwest Greenland, Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior, and our own glacial lakes and manmade reservoirs of Pennsylvania. We’re exploring a range of exciting research questions, such as: how do the chemical changes resulting from extreme rain events alter biolog36

Photo courtesy of Kristin E. Strock

Diatoms, a type of algae, used to understanding long-term changes in lake ecology (right).

Research

ical and ecological interactions in lakes; how have algal communities changed in response to climate change over the past century; and, can we experimentally isolate the mechanisms by which climate alters plankton communities? Our work hopes to address questions of interest to broad stakeholder and community groups. Our ongoing research project in Pennsylvania reservoirs includes collaboration with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. This project focuses on understanding how climate change will impact lake characteristics most valued by those recreating on the lake: oxygen for fisheries and water clarity for boating and swimming. This work hopes to inform lake management and protect these resources for generations to come. Environmental Science is an interdisciplinary field that thrives on new and innovative collaborations across disciplines. A unifying question that I’m exploring across a range of projects is: can we develop a unified theory that explains the heterogeneous patterns of lake response to climate observed across the landscape? I’m collaborating with researchers at institutions across the United States to address this question in a range of aquatic environments. At Dickinson, collaborations with faculty in Earth Science and Biology have taken my research in new and exciting directions. These future directions include a metagenomics approach to understand how climate change affects microbial communities in the lakes of southwest Greenland with Professor Wohlbach and exploring long-term climatic change in Peru using fossils contained in lake sediments with Professor Edwards. I’m always on the look out for collaborations across disciplines that will take my research in new and exciting directions!

Top photo: Preparing to sample a lake in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. Bottom photo: Dickinson Environmental Science student, Tiffany Chin ‘16, working on research projects in the United States and Greenland.

Research

Can Community Health Volunteers Influence Contraceptive Use and Fertility Outcomes? Evidence from a Randomized-Controlled Trial in Uganda

By: Shamma Adeeb Alam Assistant Professor of International Studies International development organizations are increasingly trying to find economically sustainable ways to meet the increasing demand for contraceptives among women and decrease fertility rates in developing countries. Can community health volunteers (CHVs) be the solution? We explore this question in our project. Development organizations and international policymakers are increasingly using trained CHVs to improve the health of people in Sub-Saharan Africa. Typically, CHVs operate in rural areas with inadequate or no access to basic health services. The role of CHVs is to visit different households in their village and provide them with important health information, encourage birth spacing, and sell health products, such as medicine and contraceptives. CHVs earn their income through the sale of these health products. As the development organizations do not pay any salary to these health workers (they only provide training to the CHVs), it may be one of the most economically sustainable ways to satisfy health needs, including reproductive health needs, which would consequently improve the overall health of a rural area. That is why it is very important to learn about the influence of these CHVs on people with no access to health services in poor areas of developing countries. Despite the potentially important role played by CHVs, there has not been adequate prior research that examines the exact influence of these CHVs in fertility or reproductive health literature. We examine this relationship using unique experimental data from Uganda. BRAC, a development organization, provided a month-long training session to new CHVs during which they received information on the importance of precautionary health measures (e.g. sanitation, nutrition, insecticide-treated bed nets), knowledge about the transmission of different diseases, information on contraceptives that are available in the area and how they can improve reproductive health. Because of this training, the CHVs 38

are able to provide health information in their local areas. Following the completion of the training, BRAC conducted a randomized controlled trial in which they introduced CHVs to areas in Uganda that have never been exposed to CHVs. BRAC collected data on health awareness, health outcomes, contraceptive usage, and fertility for all households before and after CHVs were introduced to the area. The survey

was conducted in two rounds: the first round in 2010 (before the introduction of CHVs) and the second round in 2012 (following the introduction of CHVs). 3,799 households were interviewed in this survey. As CHVs provide information on the importance of birth spacing and provide contraceptives for sale, CHVs may have an impact on contraceptive usage in households. This effect is especially likely if individuals, especially women, do not have easy access to contraceptives. Furthermore, if CHVs increase individuals’ access to contraceptives, CHVs may also affect the likelihood of childbirth. For our analysis, we divide women’s contraceptive use into three types: 1) contraceptives with short-term effects, which include birth control pills and

female condoms; 2) contraceptives with medium-term effect, i.e. injectable contraceptives that are effective for about three months; and 3) contraceptives with longer-term effect, which include implants and intrauterine device. These longer-term contraceptives are typically effective for at least three years. Our estimations show that there is a significant increase in contraceptive use for treatment households following CHV intervention. The CHV intervention significantly increases only women’s use of contraceptives and does not affect men’s use of contraceptives. We find that the introduction of CHVs lead to a significant increase in short-term contraceptive use, such as birth control pills and female condoms. In contrast, the CHVs have no impact on medium-term and longer-term contraceptive use of women. Lastly, and most importantly, we find that CHVs significantly decrease the likelihood of childbirth in the treatment areas through the use of increased short-term contraceptives among women. It is important to note that all the estimations control for other factors, such as age of the individual, education of household head, number of household members, district fixed-effects, and wealth/living standard variables, such as ownership of land, building material of wall, floor, and roof of the home, main source of lighting, ownership of television and radio, and type of toilet facility used in the home. The overall results suggest that CHVs play an important role in Uganda by increasing the use of women’s contraceptive and decreasing the likelihood of childbirth. These results suggest that CHVs can be an economically sustainable solution to increasing women’s access to contraceptive, which can consequently decrease fertility. Therefore, policymakers should consider investing in training of CHVs as it can lead to greater access to family planning methods for women in rural areas in developing countries.

Research

Generating Bug-Free Software By: Timothy Wahls Associate Professor of Computer Science

“In my research, I work with

mathematical

models of software systems and tools for proving that those models satisfy correctness, safety and security conditions.”

A 2002 National Institute of Standards and Technology study estimated that software errors cost the U.S. economy $59.6 billion annually, and the situation may well be worse today. Software errors have contributed to plane crashes (including several in which all passengers and crew were lost), emergency shutdowns of nuclear reactors, and severe injuries and deaths from malfunctions in the control systems of medical equipment. As software becomes more prevalent in our daily lives and more systems operate without human supervision, we become even more vulnerable to the risks associated with buggy software. Extensive testing is one way to reduce these risks, and it is not unusual for a software development organization to devote more time and resources to testing a software system than to developing that software in the first place. Testing does reveal many bugs, which can then be corrected before they do any harm. Unfortunately, as Edsger Dijkstra states: “Program testing can be used to show the presence of bugs, but never to show their absence!” In cases where software errors threaten human lives, it is much better to formally prove that software is correct as it is being developed rather than using testing to find bugs afterwards. In my research, I work with mathematical models of software systems and tools for proving that those models satisfy correctness, safety, and security conditions. In one recent project, I developed a model for checking drug interactions and contraindications (situations in which a drug could be harmful to a patient), and proved that the model would not allow a patient to be prescribed any drug that interacted with a drug they were already taking or that was contraindicated for them. Of course, a mathematical model is not

a runnable program, and a human programmer could introduce errors when implementing a model. So, my students and I have developed a tool called EventB2SQL for automatically generating executable code from these models, and I have constructed a proof of the correctness of the generated code. Using EventB2SQL saves the time that would otherwise be needed to implement a model, and prevents human errors in the implementation. During this project, I extended the EventB2SQL tool to generate native code for Android apps, including the database backend and part of the user interface. This allowed me to generate most of the app with EventB2SQL, with only some simple user interface and navigation code left to write by hand. The figure shows the screen for removing a drug from a patient’s list of medications. To my knowledge, this is one of the first mobile applications to be generated from a formally verified model. For this academic year, I will be working with senior computer science majors Caroline Nguyen and Graham Williams on enhanced code generation for Android apps, and on generating code for verified Web applications. Computer science faculty members Grant Braught and John MacCormick will work with students on better software support for teaching computer science, encryption techniques, improving machine learning algorithms and enhanced image capture from cell phone video clips. Some of these projects grew out of past work with students, while others represent new and exciting research directions that should provide a foundation for continued research in the years ahead. The future of computer science research at Dickinson looks bright indeed, with excellent opportunities for students to contribute to this work. 39

The McMathPierce Telescope By: Robert J. Boyle, Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy

Technology

While my son Michael was working on his Ph. D. in molecular biology, he described the field as “moving small quantities of fluid from one place to another.” In astronomy and astrophysics, we sometimes feel that our field can be analogously described as moving small bits of data from one place to another on a computer screen. However, one thing that makes observational astronomy different from related laboratory sciences is that we astronomers often have to go to exotic mountaintop observatories to obtain our data. As most of my students know, my travels to major observatories wind up interrupting my semesters and influencing my wardrobe. For example, the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility is located on the Big Island of Hawaii, so I have accumulated some excellent Hawaiian shirts. But, my observing “runs” have given me the chance to work with some truly remarkable instruments. One of these is the McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope, operated by the National Solar Observatory and located on Kitt Peak National Observatory, 55 miles southwest of Tucson, Arizona. The telescope is atop Kitt Peak, a 7,000-foot tall mountain in the heart of the Tohono O’odham Nation. It is the largest solar telescope in the world. The telescope receives light from astronomical objects by a zigzag path that starts at the top of a 100-foot tall tower where three large flat mirrors form three heliostats that send light form the sky down the slanted structure of the telescope. The telescope design has several advantages. The overall structure of the building is sufficiently stiff that the strongest winds experienced on the mountain will not move the image of an object more than 0.3 seconds of arc, or 1/6000 of the sun’s diameter. Chilled water and antifreeze are circulated by a network of pipes throughout the skin to the telescope tube, keeping the temperature constant. This avoids air turbulence within the tube and results in very steady images. About twice each year, my colleagues and I have used the McMath-Pierce Main to observe our solar system

with a remarkable infrared spectrometer named Celeste. Developed by my colleague Donald Jennings from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, Celeste is a high-resolution echelle grating spectrometer. At her heart is a large gold-coated diffraction grating. Scribed with over 70 parallel groves on each millimeter of its surface and tipped at a large angle to the incoming

fresh cryogen. We have used Celeste on the McMath-Pierce to observe the spectral signatures of hydrocarbons in the atmospheres of Jupiter, Saturn, and Saturn’s moon, Titan. We have also observed an infrared spectral feature due to magnesium in the spectrum of the sun. The shape and polarization of light in this feature has allowed us to study the strength and orientation of

longer worked. The telescope is scheduled to be replaced by the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST). Though it will have twice the primary mirror diameter of the McMath-Pierce, DKIST does not have a design optimized for infrared observations and is not scheduled to be completed until 2019. Why not keep the McMath-Pierce active and in good repair till then? This follows a

As shown in the diagram, light from the #1 Mirror travels almost 450 feet down the cooled tube of the McMath-Pierce to the primary focusing #2 Mirror. Located deep underground in the tunnel that forms the lower part of the telescope tube, the #2 Mirror has a diameter of 1.6 meters (63 inches) and a focal length of 87 meters (285 feet) and sends light at a slight angle back up to another flat #3 Mirror, 1.52 meters (60 inches) in diameter. It is this #3 Mirror that directs the light to the desired laboratory, in our case the rotating table in the main observing room. The picture, assembled by my colleague Pedro Sada of the University of Monterrey, Mexico, shows three excerpts from our observations at three times: 2:01 UT, 5:40 UT, and 7:18 UT (UT or Universal Time or Coordinated Universal time UTC is essentially the same as Greenwich Mean Time, GMT). In each frame, frequency increases to the right. The top of each frame is the east edge of the planet and the bottom is the west edge. In the 2:01 UT frame, the acetylene features are barely visible, while later in the sequence they grow increasingly brighter with the brightest, hottest part of the storm being carried increasingly westward.

light it breaks up the infrared light into a very high-resolution spectrum or rainbow. The focus of the spectrometer’s optics and the exact tilt of the grating can be adjusted by vacuum feedthroughs while Celeste is in operation. Since the liquid helium and liquid nitrogen used to cool Celeste are constantly boiling off into the atmosphere, we monitor the temperature of the cryogen reservoirs, periodically adding

magnetic fields in active regions on the sun’s surface. In mid-December 2010, an unprecedented storm erupted on Saturn. Visible for many months, at one point it heated the upper atmosphere of the planet by up to 80K (145°F) above normal stratospheric temperatures. My colleague Bridgette Hesman of American University and NASA/Goddard, I and my other colleagues have been fortunate to have had observing runs on the McMath-Pierce Telescope and NASA’s IRTF during and in the aftermath of the Great Saturn Storm of 2010. The McMath Pierce telescope is a remarkable and flexible instrument for the study of the sun and the planets, particularly in the infrared, where most planetary molecules have their signatures. However, it is showing its age. When I was there last the focus read-out on the main telescope console no

regrettable pattern in federally-funded science of the last two decades: to justify the funding of a new instrument or facility the present instrument or facility must be argued as obsolete, so in fact it is made obsolete. This was not always the way things worked. From the last decade of the 19th century to the end of the 20th, a series of increasingly larger telescopes were constructed and laid the groundwork for our understanding of the universe. However, when the next larger telescope was built, instead of closing earlier instruments, they were turned to other purposes and often used just as heavily or even more heavily than before. There are always more astronomers, and more objects, than there is available telescope time, it seems. So I find the slow death of the McMath-Pierce telescope both a tragedy in and of itself, and as an example of our myopic approach to science funding.

Immersive Connectedness What is it and why should you care?

By: Kevin Huggins, Associate Fellow in Computer Science

Imagine a world where your car texts you an alert regarding a malfunction and provides a calendar invite from a service center. The part number is then validated as in stock and a trend analysis is conducted to determine if this malfunction is within normal service parameters. Upon your arrival home, the lights are set and the oven is preheated. After dinner in your recliner, health sensors compile your vital signs and, noting your voluminous dinner, programs the treadmill for a longer workout to account for the extra calories. Recently, the domain of science fiction, convergence of the Internet of things (IofT), big data, and embedded programming has initialized subtle, but potentially cataclysmic changes in our society. This convergence can be encapsulated with the term “immersive connectedness.” The technologies associated with immersive connectedness have garnered increased attention and warrant definition for the sake of clarity. The IofT is a network of computing devices that “communicate and sense or interact with their internal states or the external environment” [1]. Big data refers to extremely large collections of data and the processing executed on them that “enable[s] enhanced insight, decision making, and process automation” [2]. Embedded systems are computing systems with a “dedicated function within a larger mechanical or electrical system, often with real-time computing constraints” [3]. As immersive connectedness pervades society, significant, paradoxical changes will occur that are both inconspicuous and significantly impactful on a global scale. By design, the network will fade into the background [4]. The concept of connecting or disconnecting from the network will become obsolete—we will always be connect-

ed. Additionally, people and devices—by some estimates 50 billion by 2020 [5]—will produce enormous amounts of data. This global amalgamation of data will lead to next-generation, context-aware applications and devices. Every aspect of our lives will be impacted. Constant, predictive, and low-cost medical monitoring will become the norm. Autonomous cars will reduce traffic jams and dramatically improve road safety. Smart factories will produce products assisted by an enhanced awareness of customer demand. With benefits come challenges. First, privacy will become a fantasy. Your actions will be increasingly detectable, leaving your thoughts as the last frontier of imperceptibility. Additionally, the impact of cyber-attacks will threaten the systems on which we rely. As the number of attack vectors increase, so will the enticements. Today’s data breaches will morph into tomorrow’s remote carjackings and virtual home invasions. As Dickinsonians, stay informed of the coming changes…and embrace them. Leverage your education to influence tomorrow. For computer science majors, we will need researchers in privacy and security. Experts in the physical sciences should lead the development of biologically inspired, more resilient networks. The realms of philosophy, legal, and social science are key to determining the impact that this emerging technology should have on future generations. As you internalize Dickinson’s core tenets of decisiveness, usefulness, curiosity and risk-taking [6]; boldly shape this future with wisdom, for the good of society. For more information, visit visit page 48.

Technology

PRINTING WILL NEVER DIE!

By: Kurt Smith Digital Printing Technician

Print is dead. So they say, but I disagree. I believe that print media has been and will continue to be one of humanity’s greatest innovations. The printing industry has always maintained specialized knowledge that continues to evolve today. Movable type can be traced back to 14th century China, but it wasn’t until the invention of Gutenberg’s printing press in the mid 15th century that the duplication of the written word became the backbone of human civilization. Today the basic principles of printing remain. However, with the advent of computers, the industry has achieved a heightened level of sophistication. The Dickinson Print Center uses its own brand of unique technology to produce the high-quality posters, prints, and photographs seen around campus. All projects begin with the all-important design process. The center uses the latest Apple computers and Adobe Creative Cloud design software, as well as a few other expert software packages. Once the design is complete, the order cycles through printing, bindery, and mailing, if applicable. Most of the machinery in the Print Center has some level of computer control; however, it is only in the hands of a capable technician that those pieces of equipment run like, well—a well-oiled machine. Of all of the finely-tuned machines housed there, the crown jewel is the Xerox iGen4 digital press, one of the most advanced digital printing machines available today. The Dickinson Print Center is lucky to have this modern marvel that can print 100 full-color, letter-size pages in a minute, has an in-line spectrometer to maintain consistent color, and has the capacity to print up to 14 x 20 inches. While most digital color printing equipment today uses a raster pattern to create the color image, the iGen uniquely creates a precise halftone (a series of dots that simulates a continuous tone image). If you look at any color photo in a magazine with magnification, you will see that it is composed of a rosette pattern that allows for sharper images and more accurate color. The iGen mimics this process within its internal mechanics with a vertical, photo-receptive belt on which all four dry ink colors are laid. The belt itself passes by electronic charge stations that electrify the belt to a positive 650 volt charge followed by a laser hit that reverses the polarity of the charge only where the laser hits, which indicates where the ink (or toner) is to be applied. Then the belt passes by the developer housing, which creates a small cloud of the toner just above the belt. The toner particles are mixed with a microscopic magnetized metal bead called carrier. The carrier, along with the toner particle, is attracted to the belt where the laser has hit and repelled by the other areas of the belt. The machine then lays all the toner on the paper in a single pass and the printed image is created. The iGen is even equipped with an acoustic transfer assist devise that uses sound waves to ensure the toner is evenly placed on the paper. Once the toner is on the paper, the printed sheet passes through a fuser that uses pressure and heat to permanently fuse the image. Finally, the sheet proceeds through a series of decurling rollers that remove any curl or bend from the paper as it cools. As you can see, the iGen is a very advanced technological device that makes today’s printing seem effortless. However, a lot is happening below the surface. The Print Center is at the forefront of the ever-changing technology that ensures that printing will remain an integral part of our daily lives. (Photos courtesy of Kurt Smith)

Technology

a g n i x i F Broken Heart By: Esai Flores ’19

It has long been known that surgery is a frightening and invasive process, especially procedures that involve important internal organs, specifically the heart. Many people, mainly children, have experienced congenital cardiac defects, such as aortic valve stenosis, and have undergone unnerving invasive surgery to fix the complications. Thanks to the researchers from Boston Children’s Hospital, the Wyss Institute, the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University, and the Karp Lab at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, there are more reassuring solutions to fix a broken heart. These individuals jointly designed a catheter that fixes holes in the heart without the need for open-heart surgery. This is done by inserting the catheter into the patient and guiding it to the damaged area. This has significantly reduced the complications involved with heart defect repair because the patch allows

the heart to create its own closure and dissolves when no longer needed. A technician passes the catheter through the hole in the heart and opens two positioning balloons: one on the front end of the catheter and one behind it. The catheter itself uses a special biodegradable adhesive and patch that assist with the closing of the hole. The patch is then deployed and the UV light from the catheter is turned on. The light reflects off the balloon and initiates the patch’s adhesive coating. The balloons are then deflated and the catheter is removed. Over time, heart tissue grows over the patch and the patch dissolves. It is a quick process that takes a matter of five minutes while eliminating all the panic associated with surgery. Hopefully, this new technology can pave the way for different types of cardiac procedures in the near future. For more information, visit visit page 48.

The Brain-Inspired Future of Computing By: Christopher Fritz ’17

What does the future of computing look like? How will engineers develop faster, more complex systems to meet an ever-explosive demand for computation in today’s technological world? One way to predict the progress of computing is through Moore’s Law, which states that the number of transistors per square inch on an integrated circuit doubles every year, thereby increasing computational ability. This law has held since the 1965 invention of the integrated circuit. Recently, however, scientists and engineers are pushing Moore’s Law to the physical limits of nanotechnology. Eventually, it will not be possible to pack more transistors into the same area. Many believe that the solution to preserve Moore’s Law lies in quantum computing, which utilizes the quantum superposition of matter to perform computations. While quantum computing is promising, it is riddled with instabilities and issues. What other solutions are there? Computer companies such as IBM are turning to the human brain for an answer, using the physical structure of the human

brain as an inspiration for engineering integrated circuits. IBM’s syNAPSE project is a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency-sponsored research program whose goal is to build a “cognitive computer” that processes data in a way that mimics the brains of mammals. These ‘brain chips’ could be used in a multitude of applications including efficient processing of sensory data and pattern recognition, a task computationally exhaustive for traditional computers. Furthermore, this architecture is incredibly power efficient. SyNAPSE’s latest iteration contains 5.4 billion transistors, equating to 1 million artificial neurons. It consumes a mere 70mW during operation, a figure many orders of magnitude smaller than traditional computer architecture. So when we wonder where the future of computing lies, we can be almost certain that it will include—at least partially—these fascinating neurologically-inspired designs. For more information, visit visit page 48.

Technology

Science Matters at the Library One of the biggest emerging trends in the availability of science literature is the open access movement and the new types of scholarly communication made possible by the Internet. Online repositories abound, including Cornell’s arXiv.org, which initially focused on physics but is increasingly used to share preprints (drafts that have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal) in many scientific disciplines. Another type of resource enabled by the Internet is the StackExchange community, which provides a place for scholars--ranging from students to Fields medalists and Nobel laureates--to discuss problems in their disciplines. This raises questions concerning how and when to use this material in your own research. We expect open access sources to grow in importance in the coming years, but while you can trust peer-reviewed literature from a 46

library database, which has already been vetted, Internet sources require more careful evaluation. To help you conduct your own research in the scientific literature, the liaison librarians have created online “Research Guides,” which provide links to hand-picked databases, open access sources, and more. The library subscribes to hundreds of databases and thousands of peer-reviewed journals, as well as specialized resources like JoVE, the Journal of Visualized Experiments, which provides video tutorials of research methods and lab experiments. If we don’t subscribe to the journal you need, our ILLiad interlibrary loan service will deliver articles to you by email, usually within 24 hours of your request. The RefWorks online reference management tool helps you organize your research and format your bibliographies. We’re even branching out into

open access with Dickinson Scholar, the College’s institutional repository for student and faculty publications. People worldwide have downloaded research produced here at Dickinson nearly 15,000 times. Access to scientific information is becoming more readily available than ever, but evaluation skills will always be relevant, whether you’re using traditional or more modern forms of scholarly communication. The librarians at the College library are always happy to help you evaluate sources, as well as point you to sources you might not have considered. Happy researching! -Nick Lonergan Science Liaison Librarian Jess Howard Environmental Science/Studies Liaison Librarian Theresa Arndt Health Studies Liaison Librarian (Photo courtesy of Carl Socolow)

Opinion

Personality Disorder: Mental Illness or Moral Illness? By: James Sias, Assistant Professor of Philosophy

For basically the whole history of Western civilization, the standard view among both philosophers and non-philosophers alike has been that a person’s moral character consists of some combination of virtues and vices, which are themselves just morally significant personality traits—things like honesty or dishonesty, selflessness or selfishness, and so forth. And we commonly say that a person has a bad moral character if he has sufficiently many vices, or vices to a sufficiently great degree (e.g., maybe his only vices are selfishness and dishonesty, but he is really, really selfish and dishonest). Furthermore, when it comes time to hold people responsible for their bad behavior, we often calibrate a person’s blameworthiness according to whether the behavior fits what we know about her character. If she lied to me, but she is generally a very honest person, then this particular action was “out of character” for her. And so, maybe I ought not blame her too harshly on this occasion. On the other hand, think about how weird it sounds to say, “Sure, he lied, but cut him a little slack. After all, he’s such a dishonest person.” No; in general, when bad behavior is (perceived as) a manifestation of a person’s moral character, we regard that as confirmation that he fully deserves to be blamed. So much for the ethics lesson. Now I want to raise a puzzle about psychological categories. Among the many disorders enumerated in the DSM are the so-called “personality disorders.” Personality disorders consist of impairments in personal and interpersonal functioning due to the

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presence of certain pathological personality traits. Psychologists often divide these disorders into three clusters: Cluster A (the “mad” disorders), Cluster B (the “bad” disorders), and Cluster C (the “sad” disorders). Cluster B includes antisocial personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, histrionic personality disorder, and narcissistic personality disorder. If you read the descriptions of any of these disorders, though, it sounds just like a list of vices. (Is there a difference between a vice and a “pathological personality trait”?) For instance, people who receive diagnoses of antisocial personality disorder—a category that includes, but is not limited to, psychopaths—are typically self-centered, manipulative, hot-tempered, unreliable, and they lack appropriate concern for the feelings of others. So here is my basic question: What is the difference between having one of these disorders and having a bad moral character? Anecdotal evidence suggests that people do assume there is a difference. No one doubts that violent psychopathic criminals behave badly, but some think that it is nonetheless inappropriate to blame psychopaths for their bad behavior—while it presumably is not inappropriate to blame a dishonest person for lying. After all, psychopaths are not bad, they are sick. But again, if psychopathy and other personality disorders are essentially just combinations of vices, isn’t the “sickness” just a bad moral character? And if so, why think that these “disorders” belong in the DSM? An ethics textbook, sure. But a manual of diagnostic criteria for psychological disorders?

HEAL

Opinion

Mathematically Diverging From Stereotypes By: Hayat Rasul ’18

Please, take a moment. Think about your first-ever math class. Who was your teacher? As the years went on, and math became less about numbers and more about letters of the alphabet, were your teachers different? The average mathematician seems to be described as follows: middle-aged white male with strange sense of humor and the fashion sense of a school uniform catalogue. Now think about the genius mathematicians and physicists, or scientists in general, that you learned about in school-- Albert Einstein, Alan Turing, Isaac Newton-- they are all men with a natural talent for computational science and are portrayed as being “strange,” or “mentally ill.” What does “strange” even mean? Even more so, where are the women? Where is the LGBTQQIA+ community? In Professor Schaefer’s First-Year Seminar, “Mathematical Identities: Diverging from the Stereotype,” we explore the lives of mathematicians (yes, their actual lives) besides their preconceived image of being strange human beings. So far, we have explored mathematicians ranging from artist and mathematician Maryam Mirzakhani to the infamous Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski. Specifically, we have picked apart the gender roles and the mental status of mathematicians in order to evaluate whether physical characteristics define an individual and whether they add or detract value to their mathematical work. In order to fully evaluate a

mathematician’s status in society, our class unravels the idea that mathematicians and academics can be anyone from any background. Personally, this class has already given me the courage to not only accept my love for the sciences even more, but it pushes me to advocate for the underrepresented in STEM in order to ensure its future success. Interestingly, we have discovered that the largest dilemma in the STEM field is the lack of acceptance of the “strange.” I find it difficult to differentiate being “strange” from being able to fully immerse oneself in a passion that revolves around creativity and a multitude of different answers. If scientists were able to accept anyone simply for their abilities and hard work, it would be much easier to progress scientifically as the creative ideas of these “strange” or “different” individuals may be needed to contribute to remarkable discoveries. Although the potential for dilemnas exists if the STEM field is immersed entirely in the ideas of those who are not accepted by societal norms, it is more beneficial to the field and it is about time that scientists allow for conceptual advancements based on ideas rather than a person’s identity or how they are characterised by society.

For More Information: Trim proteins & development of a high throughput system to screen for protein degradation, p. 33 Danovi, S. (2011). Anticancer drugs: Trimming the excess. Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, 10, 258-259. doi:10.1038/ nrd3425 Crunkhorn, S. (2015). Kidney injury: TRIM family protein protects the kidney. Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, 14, 312-312. doi:10.1038/nrd4629 Kim, P. Y., et al. (2013). TRIM16 overexpression induces apoptosis through activation of caspase-2 in cancer cells. Apoptosis, 18(5), 639–651. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10495-013-0813-y Alloush, J., & Weisleder, N. (2013). TRIM Proteins in Therapeutic Membrane Repair of Muscular Dystrophy. JAMA Neurology, 70(7), 928-31. doi:doi: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2013.469 Psychopathology Research: Beyond the “Ivory Tower”, p. 35 1. Arcelus, J., et al. (2011). Mortality rates in patients with anorexia nervosa and other eating disorders: a meta-analysis of 36 studies. Archives of General Psychiatry, 68(7), 724-731. 2. World News and Predictions (I don’t know who the author is) 3. Ohio State University. (2015, August 19). Brain-in-a-dish as mature as five-week-old fetus brain: Most complete human brain model to date is a ‘brain changer’. ScienceDaily. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/08/150819083334.htm 4. Lincoln Park Zoo. (2015, August 13). Critically endangered species successfully reproduced using frozen sperm from ferret dead for 20 years: Genetic diversity of the species significantly increased providing fresh hope for the future survival of this near-extinct species. ScienceDaily. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/08/150813130242.htm Immersive Connectedness: What is it and why should you care?, p. 42 1. The Internet of Things. (2012, July 31). Gartner IT Glossary. Retrieved from http://www.gartner.com/it-glossary/ internet-of-things/ 2. Big Data. (2012, July 31). Gartner IT Glossary. Retrieved from http://www.gartner.com/it-glossary/big-data 3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embedded_system 4. Embedded Technology Trends Forum January 2015. (2015, January 27). Chassis Plans. Retrieved from http://www. chassis-plans.com/embedded-technology-trends-forum-january-2015/ 5. About. (2015). Dickinson College. Retrieved from http://www.dickinson.edu/homepage/284/about_overview

Interactive Video Vignettes: Short On-Line Physics Activities, p. 44 Interactive Video Vignettes. (2015). Compadre. Retrieved from http://www.compadre.org/IVV/vignettes/projectileMotion.cfm The International Commission on Physics Education. (2014). Active learning – in a changing world of new technologies. Paper presented at ICPE-EPEC 2013: The International Conference on Physics Education, Prague, Charles University in Prague, MATFYZPRESS, Prague. Retrieved from http://www.iupap-icpe.org/publications/proceedings/ICPEEPEC_2013_proceedings.pdf Fixing a Broken Heart, p. 45 UV- light enabled catheter fixes holes in the heart without invasive surgery. (2015, October 5). Retrieved October 10, 2015, from https://www.seas.harvard.edu/news/2015/10/uv-light-enabled-catheter-fixes-holes-in-heart-without-invasive-surgery The Brain-Inspired Future of Computing, p.45 Brain Power: A brain-inspired chip to transform mobility and Internet of Things through sensory perception. (2015). IBM Research. Retrieved October 17, 2015 from http://research.ibm.com/cognitive-computing/neurosynaptic-chips. shtml#fbid=zIDkFv6hNq1 What We Say and How We Say It, p. 50 1. Pew Research Center. (2015). Public and Scientists’ Views on Science and Society. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/files/2015/01/PI_ScienceandSociety_Report_012915.pdf 2. Lombrozo, T., Thanukos, A., & Weisberg, M. (2008). Evo Edu Outreach, 1, 290-298. doi: 10.1007/s12052-008-0061-8. 3. Rabinovich, A., & Morton, T. A. (2012). Unquestioned answers or unanswered questions: Beliefs about science guide responses to uncertainty in climate change risk communication.” Risk Analysis, 32(6), 992-1002.

Opinion

Difficulties in Finding Cures By: Rachel Lockwood ’18

When I think of sickness and death, I think cancer. And when I think cancer, I picture something similar to what a black hole might look like: a massive cloud of terrible substances eating away at someone’s insides. If it were human, it would have a sly smirk across its face as it killed, knowing that we, the victims, its enemies, grasp very little about it. Granted, today we know exceptionally more about cancer than we did fifty years ago, or even five years ago. For instance, we now know that wearing sunscreen significantly lessens one’s chances of developing skin cancer. We know that in minutes after quitting smoking, one lessens the chance of being diagnosed with a plethora of possible cancers. Additionally, we have developed new therapies and methods for treating this disease. Chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, and hormone therapy are all common paths a cancer patient might follow when faced with this diagnosis. Even the use of marijuana to relieve a cancer patient of his/ her pain has been proven to be an effective treatment. Clearly, we have come a long way since the discovery of this disease. But perhaps the most frustrating concern that percolates throughout the research community and beyond is this question: where is the cure? Many believe that due to the devastating effects the disease can have (it is the number two cause of death in the United States), in addition to the amount of resources cancer research receives (including but not limited to, billions of dollars taxpayer money (which is projected to increase by 39% by 2020)), and countless organizations and foundations, we should have a cure.

I disagree. Don’t get me wrong, I understand that finding a cure is important. We may know considerably more about the sickness than previously, yet there is no immediate fix. But, technically speaking, how important is finding a cure? What happens if the cancer comes back, and this time spreads? What happens when doctors don’t catch it in time, and a patient is left with six months to live? The truth is, no one knows. And that is where the crux of the problem lies. We are not investing in the parts of cancer research that will be effective long term. Why not invest in making the cancer nonexistent in the first place? Why not invest in preventing t he cancer from the start? The number of cases of cancer is growing too fast for us to keep up. In the beginning of the century, one in twenty people were reported being diagnosed with cancer. Today, one in three people are reported as being diagnosed with the disease. Some may argue the increase in diagnoses are due to the increase in information we have nowmany cases of cancer went undetected or undiagnosed because we just didn’t know enough about it. And that may be true. However, I would argue that we know just as much about the causes of cancer as we do about the disease itself. Significantly fewer people smoke cigarettes now than in the beginning of the century, and sun protection and radiology protection are universally used. With the number of people practicing activities that are proven to decrease the chances of cancer, shouldn’t the number of cases decrease as well?

“But perhaps the most frustrating concern that percolates throughout the research community and beyond is this question: where is the cure?” 49

Opinion

The Value of Data By: Marina Morton ’18

It is not just science; it is biology, psychology, chemistry, sociology, physics, astronomy … It is important to recognize why we categorize the sciences and separate them in our institutions and communities. Organizing and compiling things comes naturally to us as human beings because these actions help us understand the world. By separating the disciplines of science, we also create silos, limiting communication between different disciplines. On a larger scale, we tend to separate science from other subjects such as business and art. Scientific data reaches global audiences, outlives generations, and influences decisions beyond the direct control of the scientific community. Scientists communicate observations, predictions, theories, and warnings, using data. Data proves worthy of scientists’ attention and respect due to its power to connect scientists, break silos, and advance science for the greater good of all humans. Detailed and organized recordkeeping ensures that all scientists can access and utilize data. To perform repetition of previous experiments and studies precisely, scientists must have clear and detailed data to set up experiments correctly. The systematic filing of data opens the information of one scientist up to an entire scientific community and, in some cases, to non-scientists too. Up-to-date records that systematically trace data trends over time provide scientists with strong evidence and context when proving

hypotheses. In the scientific community, the organization and compilation of data remains fundamental to not only solving problems but also to advancing as a species. Arguably the most important step of the scientific method, communication makes science matter to all of us. The presence of scientific silos makes sharing ideas across different branches of science particularly challenging. Comprehensible data opens pathways for communication by giving scientists something to show and tell to other scientists. For instance, a biologist, chemist, and psychologist may benefit from sharing data with each other to develop a new type of drug. By explaining relevant data from each scientific perspective, they fill gaps in each other’s expertise and build relationships that makes collaborating easier. Data-driven communication across all disciplines works similarly by providing visual representations to deepen an audience’s understanding of a specific perspective and area of concern. Learning past methods of collecting, recording, and storing data in a particular field proves extremely valuable for future scientists in the replication and perhaps improvement of past methods. Our ability to test speculation and discover the unknown depends on the reliability of our records and our ability to communicate effectively.

What We Say and How We Say It By: Andrew McGowan ’16

Imagine: two biology majors, Shanice and Bill, are talking with another student about climate change. The student asks them whether human activity is responsible for climate change and cites a 2015 Pew survey, which found that 50% of Americans said they accept the theory of anthropogenic climate change1. Both respond. Bill: Human activities are, without a doubt, responsible for climate change. Almost every scientist agrees with this. Shanice: The majority of data indicate that human activities significantly contribute to the changing climate, but we can never know for sure. Bill’s manner of speaking seems commonplace whenever science mixes with public opinion—many politicians, environmentalists, and science advocates talk like Bill on issues informed by science (climate change/GMOs/vaccines/cancer/etc.). He probably has a better initial chance of convincing the student than Shanice, whose response better demonstrates the process of science. Her response is more nuanced; his, more succinct. Which should we prefer? Some new evidence suggests that Shanice’s approach may be more effective at reconciling personal beliefs with scientific theories. In a recent study of first-year college students, researchers found a positive correlation between discussing the nature of scientific theories with the acceptation of evolution by natural selection2. Another study found that people who viewed science as tentative were more likely to adopt environmentally-conscious behavior when discussions on climate change included scientific uncertainty3. It would be disingenuous to conclude in each example that one event causes the other, but the results highlight the

importance of understanding the concepts underlying scientific explanation. This conceptual understanding requires that we ask ourselves, “why science?” It means that we take seriously the notion that all scientific claims depend on defeasible assumptions, even though the scientific approach is arguably the most reliable way to make sense of the natural world. It means that we try to clear up semantic misunderstandings when discussing “facts,” “truths,” “theories,” and “scientific knowledge” with other scientists and non-scientists. The student may resonate more with a response that includes what Shanice and Bill know (and do not know) and how they know it, why they trust verified scientific claims, or how they evaluate a theory’s explanatory power. What if this student approached you? Would your response be more like Bill’s or Shanice’s? Would you respond differently if you were advising congress on climate change or GMO policy? Regardless of the audience or the context, tempering one’s relentless desire for correctness may help foster a sort of “charitable ground” for rational discussion, something noticeably absent in talks about vaccines, climate change, GMOs, and evolution around campus and the country. I see how brevity and persuasive certainty can be appealing. We can observe the harmful effects of climate change and anti-vaccination behaviors and understandably want to stop them. However, when we assume that scientific evidence can provide conclusive proof of some claim, we run the risk of becoming science evangelists. And science is not in the business of Truth. For more information, visit visit page 48.

Sci & Entertainment

Ex Machina: the Speculation and the Reality of A.I. By: Sadie Signorella

’18

The world has been transfixed with the idea of artificial intelligence since it first became a concept. Countless movies work off of people’s fixation on the idea that life, for lack of a better term, could be breathed into a machine of metal. Movies such as I, Robot, The Matrix, and Transcendence, to name only a few, have explored this concept, but most recently director Alex Garland brings the science fiction world a movie with a slight twist, Ex Machina. The premise is relatively simple and somewhat expected as far as sci-fi movies are concerned. An extremely wealthy man, named Nathan and played by Oscar Isaac, brings an employee of his corporation to his mountain estate, where the employee, named Caleb, played by Domhnall Gleeson, learns that Nathan has created a robot. This robot, this being, with possible artificial intelligence is named Ava, played by Alicia Vikander. Seems relatively simple at this point, but things are anything but simple. This movie grabs a hold of your curiosity with its perpetual presentation of new questions, provoking the viewer to constantly wonder what exactly is happening. What is Ava? How conscious is she? Who is Nathan? What are his motives? And finally what exactly is going on at this isolated, secretive estate? Who should Caleb trust, and who is manipulating who? In past movies, artificial intelligence or A.I. robots seem to want to bring an end to human kind. They aim to take over the world, and humans must fight for survival by drawing on the virtues that these robots do not have because of their lack of the true essence of humanity. However, Ex Machina strays away from world domination and focuses into the complicated matter of emotions. We as humans barely understand our own emotions at

times, and yet they are a fundamental aspect of our humanity. Thus to really undertake creation of A.I., one would need to create this emotional aspect to truly mirror human life. Ex Machina uses its story to explore how this might happen and how different emotions can exist in a being without a tissue heart or brain, the structures most often thought of as the root of human feelings. Currently, A.I. is not at the level that Ex Machina depicts. However the tentacles of this complex technology have already been embedded into daily life. Think about Siri on the iPhone. Siri’s job is to listen to verbal commands, process them, and then follow the command that was given by using certain program processing. Siri is no walking technological humanoid like Ex Machina’s Ava. However, she emulates a core idea of A.I. interaction. Siri is able to interact with humans on the other side of the screen; she uses technological processing to react to a verbal cue from her environment. Siri is just one example of A.I. in the real world. However, as technology in general grows exponentially, A.I. may become more of a reality. As humans, we tend to think of ourselves as the only beings really capable of emotions and feelings. However, we need to have an idea of the morality and ethics behind a scientific creation that could also posses the capacity to feel emotion. Ex Machina brings to light these sorts of questions concerning A.I., and through an intriguing story, attempts to add another dimension to how exactly our world could be shaped in the advent of more complex A.I. technology. Ex Machina is a movie sure to kick-start the gears in your brain and to leave you with even more questions than you began with.

T H E

M A R T I A N

“T

he Martian,” based on a novel by Andy Weir, is about an astronaut who is unexpectedly abandoned by his partners and is faced with seemingly impossible odds in his quest to survive on Mars. Using his botanical, engineering, astronomical, and historical knowledge, he overcomes many challenges while awaiting rescue on the Red Planet. Matt Damon stars as Mark Watney, a member of the third crewed mission to Mars. On the 18th sol (Martian day) during a severe dust storm, his commander (played by Jessica Chastain) is forced to abort the mission. During the evacuation, Watney is struck by flying debris and knocked out. His partners reluctantly leave him for dead and return to Earth aboard the Hermes spacecraft. However, Watney is alive. He returns to the abandoned crew shelter, where he realizes that he has no way of communicating either with his partners on their spaceship or with NASA on Earth. He comes to terms with this surprisingly quickly, and assesses what he has and how he can survive as long as possible. He figures out how to make water, how to grow his own food (from fresh potatoes that were meant for Thanksgiving dinner), and how to provide some heat (through radioactive decay of a power source). He also makes mistakes, each of which almost costs him his life. Meanwhile, back on Earth, NASA believes that Watney has been killed. But when evidence of his survival is noticed by a satellite engineer, the NASA brass pulls out all the stops to figure out a way to rescue him. Damon seems to be perfectly cast as Watney. His sense of humor leavens his loneliness of (at first) not being able to communicate with anybody. The viewer sees how his scientific knowledge (he is a botanist and engineer) keeps him alive with food, water, air, and the means to figure out how to travel across the planet. His knowledge of history and astronomy allows him to figure out that he can find a decades-old robot that landed on Mars and use its radio to communicate with Earth. Once Watney and NASA figure out how to communicate with each other, the viewer can sense the relief and joy that both sides feel. The scenes on Earth are as interesting as the scenes on Mars. The NASA scientists and administrators (two of which are played by Chiwetel Ejiofor and Jeff Daniels) fight over the best way to rescue Watney. They make mistakes, but they eventually figure out how to send the Earth-bound astronauts back to Mars with supplies to get Watney home. The scenes aboard the Hermes are the shortest, compared to Mars- and Earth-based scenes. At first the astronauts are unaware that Watney is alive. When they

are finally told, they realize that they cannot do anything, until a surreptitious communication tells them that they could return with supplies to Mars. Understanding the challenges of spending much longer than planned in space, they force NASA’s hand and head back for the Red Planet. The movie is fairly faithful to Weir’s novel. Two plot points are removed from Watney’s final trip across Mars, but anybody who has not read the book would not notice their absence. The plot about the Chinese space agency offering a rocket to send supplies is not as detailed as in the book. I have a few scientific quibbles. For example, the dust storm that leads to Watney’s abandonment would, in reality not be a problem. Even with high wind speeds, the density of the Martian atmosphere is only about 1/60 of Earth’s; there just is not enough mass to do anything. There is no mention of Watney being affected by cosmic radiation from space (thick atmospheres and magnetic fields such as Earth’s protect us naturally; Mars’s thin atmosphere and very weak magnetic field would have exposed Watney every time he ventured outside the crew shelter). On the other hand, other scientific issues are handled well. For example, the travel time for radio messages to go from Earth to Mars (which could be as short as four minutes or as long as twenty minutes) is handled correctly. The gravity-assist loop around Earth to head back to Mars by Hermes is possible. The freezing cold atmosphere is accurate. The Martian is a thoroughly intricate and exciting story. As the comic XKCD said, it is a story for those who wished all of the movie Apollo 13 consisted of scenes like the one where engineers had to figure out how to “make this fit into the hole for this using nothing but” what was on the astronauts’ spacecraft. This movie celebrates intelligence, the importance of having a broad science education (if Watney was only a botanist or only an engineer, it is unlikely he would have lived very long), international cooperation, and the initiative to make things up on the fly. I recommend the movie.

-Windsor Morgan Professor of Physics and Astronomy

Sci & Entertainment

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Image courtesy of http://images.4ever.eu

How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming Book Review By: Leah Curran ’18

The memoir, written by Mike Brown, opens in 1999, a few hours from the next millennium on a cloudy night. Mike Brown was laying in an observatory in southern California with a colleague from Caltech. They had been commiserating over the clouds in the sky, as clouds are an astronomer’s second worst enemy (the first is the moon). They talked about the recent commotion that began in 1992 with the discovery of a Kuiper Belt object (KBO; a body characteristically and locationally like Pluto). Brown thought there had to be a Planet X, a so-called 10th planet bigger than Pluto in the mess of ice balls out there, so he bet his non-believer friend that he would find this planet by New Year’s Eve 2004, exactly five years later. The book takes the reader on the journey of discovery

that Brown lived between this first night and summer of 2007, when most of the hubbub had settled. Over this period, he and his team discovered 16 trans-Neptunian objects, five of which (Quaoar (2002), Sedna (2003), Haumea (Dec 2004), Eris (Jan 2005), and Makemake (Mar 2005)) are detailed in the book. Discoveries made in the astronomical community are seen before they are announced. This span of a few months to a year leaves time for further observation, data compilation, and a formal paper. It also allowed for the famous astronomical scandal of 2005: a team in Spain “discovered” Haumea by looking at pictures Brown’s team had taken with a telescope in Chile. During this crisis, two major events happened to Brown. First, his first daughter was born early July 2005. Sec-

ond, Eris, a candidate in this search for a planet larger than Pluto, was discovered a few days into 2005. When the Pluto demotion and Eris promotion were on the table (physically, of the International Astronomical Union in Prague), Mike speculated there could be four possible outcomes. One, nine planets would remain to preserve the peace. Two, there would be eight planets because science deems it. Three, there would be two hundred planets because then everyone would be appeased (those Pluto-lovers and science aficionados). And four, there would be ten planets (Eris included) because there couldn’t be a dwarf planet larger than a planet. We all know the outcome. The methane ice ball only holds a special place in our hearts, not in our solar system. 53 49

Sci & Entertainment

Under the Microscope with Amy Witter

Professor Amy Witter is a chemistry professor at Dickinson College. She attended Wellesley College and earned her Ph.D. from the University of California at Davis. She has been teaching at Dickinson since 1999.

1. What is the basis of your current research at Dickinson?

yses, which will become his honors research.

For the past 10 years, I’ve been looking at chemicals in sediments that are pollutants. When I first did some analysis [at the Conodoguinet Creek], I found chemicals that are pretty common everywhere, but when I wrote an article and submitted it to a peer-reviewed journal, the reviewers disagreed with my conclusions. I attributed the pollutants to vehicle exhaust, but the reviewers said the concentration of pollutants was too high to only be a result of vehicle emissions. That led me to look at seal-coat, which is a black, shiny, viscous emulsion put on driveways. In the eastern part of the US, the most commonly used seal-coat contains chemicals called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) which are carcinogens that come from coal tar. Since then, I have been studying sealcoat as a source of PAHs in the creek.

4. How does your research intersect with the classes you teach?

2. What effect do chemicals from seal-coat have on local streams?

My area of expertise is analytical environmental chemistry. Each spring I teach a class called analytical chemistry, which involves measuring tiny amounts of chemicals, among other topics. Now, I am teaching a senior seminar on environmental chemistry and toxicology. We are talking about what makes chemicals toxic. In the 60s and 70s, chlorinated molecules were very toxic and resistant to being broken down. They were typically found in pesticides like DDT. Over time, chemicals used in manufacturing have changed. For instance, flame retardants that are used in furniture contain bromine atoms which are highly toxic, too. Fluorine atoms have been found in everyone’s blood and those come from carpeting and chemicals that repel water. Manufac-

turers change their processes to make new chemicals but the new chemicals are not necessarily safer. In the seminar, we also talk about predicting what will happen to chemicals in the environment: will they end up in the air or in the water or in fish, etc. 5. Describe the intention of your First-Year Seminars: “Water For a Thirsty World,” and “Politicizing Science: Who Controls What We Know?” The first time I taught “Water for a Thirsty World” was in 2003. I had moved here from California, where there is a very different mindset towards water. They don’t have enough of it and must ration the water supply, but on the east coast, water is a resource that people don’t value as highly. I taught the First-Year Seminar on those different perspectives. The “Politicizing Science” seminar was taught during a time when a lot of scientists were being censored in

I like hiking and camping all yearround. In my free time I am usually out in the woods hiking with my 2 golden retrievers. I also have an 11 year old daughter, so I do things with her on the weekends.

This December, I am going to Cambodia to review a school for field studies site, and I’ve always wanted to go to the far east. I’d like to go back to go to Thailand or Vietnam. Another trip on my bucket list is to go to New Zealand. I’ve been there once before, but I would love to go back because it is such a beautiful country with so much to do. 8. What advice do you have to offer to potential chemistry or science majors in order to succeed?

3. What role do students play in helping with your research?

6. Outside of teaching and doing research, what do you like to do in your free time?

7. What is on your bucket list?

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from the seal-coat are found in both the dissolved phase (soluble in water) and in the particulate phase (adsorbed to small particles). In recent years, new understanding of the role of polar (soluble) chemicals is emerging that they can be quite toxic. Other researchers in the field have confirmed that the runoff is highly toxic to aquatic organisms and causes genotoxicity and oxidative stress in zebrafish.

Students help a lot in doing both the field work and the analytical work. A student of mine who is in graduate school now at UPenn helped me collect sediment samples. We spent three days driving around Pennsylvania in the summer, collecting samples from various locations. I also had a student who is now a Fulbright Scholar in Germany who helped me analyze some of the sealcoat samples. I have a student now who is doing even more anal-

the media. Scientists were writing about climate change and they were being told that they couldn’t talk about it and that is wasn’t real. Students think that science is completely neutral, but there are a lot of politics involved, and there are instances where science has been disrupted by politics. For example, who decides where to allocate money for research grants? What happens if a scientist produces a finding that is unfavorable to someone who has provided the funding? The company may try to discredit the research. The next time I teach a First-Year Seminar, I’d like to teach about environmental pollution.

I think that you have to pursue the things that really interest you. In your career, you are going to spend a lot of time working. For any major, I think you really have to try to seek out the thing that you love to do. Success is hard work, and students think that the thing that they love should be easy for them, but that is not always true. Anything that is worthwhile takes hard work. -Madeleine Gardner ’18 Photo courtesy of Carl Socolow

Sci & Entertainment

Crossword created by Mairi Poisson ’16

Down 2. Australian shrub-tree 3. CH3COOH, ___ acid 4. ___-crawlies 5. a reaction of the cells to extreme high temperatures 7. disease-causing restriction of movement due to deterioration 9. the study of fish 12. intense exercise 13. like a snake’s movement 14. single stranded molecule found in our cells 15. largest enclosed inland sea 17. 2015 movie based on a

novel about a solitary astronaut on Mars, with “the” 18. a pesky arthropod found on ships 21. investigative 23. extensions of the brain that respond to physical stimuli 25. ‘___ of the commons’ 26. a type of bacteria that is blue-green 28. ___-footed ferret 32. uncontrollable division of abnormal cells 34. typically land-dwelling amphibians similar to frogs 36. ocular ___

Across 1.the largest river in the world 6. term for bodies of saltwater 8. technique to improve health using sounds and instruments 10. C7H6O3, ___ acid 11. an instrument used to inspect small objects 16. Isaac Asimov’s professional title 18. male deer 19. org. funding research of the disease in 36-across 20. more than the allotted haul in a fishing season 22. loss of memory

24. a physical practice that helps to center the mind 27. software that avoids errors 29. invasive bug: ___ longhorned beetle 30. the shape blood cells takeon due to a disease 31. shot received during flu season 33. the ninth planet, in the 90s 35. lemon or hammerhead 37. Mexican city and state 38. org. concerned with animals 39. snowy Answer Key on Page 47.

The Bolions are anything but beautiful, with their long, bulbous, caterpillar bodies and eight crooked legs, but the innocence of their flat faces has always touched something tender inside me. And the touch of their hands, soft as a peach and strangely warm, sends vibrations of joy through me that cannot be described. -Kayleigh Rhatigan ’19

The large box I am in is roughly fifteen steps by nineteen—I say roughly because there was a time when I was convinced it was eighteen by twenty-two, but that may just be evidence that I have grown larger. -Kiarra Osakue ’18

The crystal glistened beautifully in the late morning light, so I kept my eye on that as I fumbled with my lighter and lit the pill. I inhaled deeply. You always need something nice to look at, you know? You always need something nice to look at. -Samuel Portelance ’18

Rimes watched with satisfaction as Gring Steinwald, notorious killer of the 58th President, paced the gleaming, ticking floors of the Main Reading Room, where the largest permanent diorama of the solar system spun endlessly overhead. -Nadia Tivvis ’19

Full stories available online at http:// issuu.com/dickinsonsciencemagazine