Student-Faculty Research at Whitman Explores Unanswered Questions

This summer, more than 100 Whitman College students participated in student-faculty research collaborations on and off campus. About 70% of those projects received funding support through Whitman endowments, a tradition that has been growing and expanding for nearly 30 years, thanks to the continued support of generous donors.

While student-faculty collaborative research happens year-round at Whitman, the largest percentage takes place during the summer months, when students have more availability to delve deeply into the work. 

Students collaborate with faculty across all three academic divisions at Whitman—with projects that vary widely in subject, scope and design. Here are just a few of the projects students have contributed to this summer.

A page-turning project. Associate Professor of Hispanic Studies Aarón Aguilar-Ramírez (right) and Danny Steinberg ’26 (Hispanic Studies and BBMB) (left) conducted research on U.S. Central American speculative fiction for a chapter in Aguilar-Ramírez’s upcoming monograph. They plan to showcase their work on Rubén Reyes Jr.’s short story collection “There Is a Rio Grande in Heaven” (Mariner Books, 2024) in an academic conference later this year.

Breaking Ground in Biochemistry

In the natural sciences, Visiting Assistant Professor of Biochemistry Michelle Costantino and Davis United World College (UWC) Scholar Mas Ra’ed Aldardasawi ’28 are researching intrinsically disordered proteins—unstructured proteins that were mostly ignored by scientists until research in this area took off about 10 years ago. The research spans all three disciplines within the BBMB major: Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology.

“Most of this research is being done at R1 institutions,” says Costantino, referring to top-tier research universities. “Whitman has been really supportive of me bringing my research here.”

In contrast to many lab projects where students repeat experiments that are known to work, this research explores as-yet-unanswered questions.

“Working with disordered proteins challenged me to think differently,” says Aldardasawi. “Instead of following a step-by-step protocol guaranteed to work, I had the chance to build my own and propose ideas that had never been tested before. I’m deeply grateful for this opportunity and for being part of such exciting research early in my undergraduate journey.”

Learning by doing. Adrian Liborio Camacho ’27 (Physics and Computer Science) and William Maisonpierre ’26 (Physics) worked alongside Douglas Juers (left photo, right), the Carl E. Peterson Endowed Chair of Science and Professor of Physics, to understand how liquid behaves inside microscopic pores—research that helps scientists understand everything from biology to building materials. Camacho (left photo, center) used computer modeling to simulate how these liquids move through pore networks, while Maisonpierre (right photo) worked in the lab preparing solutions for the experiments.

Looking Behind the Laugh

In the social sciences, Assistant Professor of Psychology Erika Langley is researching humor and working on ways to capture those moments in a lab setting. She recruited four students as research assistants this summer: Davis UWC Scholar Isabel Eromosele ’27 (Psychology), Davis UWC Scholar Daniela Quirós Araya ’27 (Economics), Jane-Abigail Rogg-Wilde ’27 (Brain, Behavior and Cognition) and Madeleine Rokop ’28 (undecided). 

Their collaborative research explores ways people use humor to cope with experiencing discrimination, who is more likely to make a risky joke (i.e. “too soon”) in front of others, comparing self-deprecating humor with self-enhancing humor, and analyzing data about humor as a coping mechanism.

“Humor is very multifaceted and tough to capture in natural ways,” says Langley. “Getting student input about what is funny is really helpful.”

Diving to new depths. This summer, Associate Professor of Geology and Environmental Studies Lyman Persico (right photo, second from left) and his research team (right photo, from left)—Alex Hynes ’26 (Chemistry-Geology), Elly Rectenwald ’26 (Anthropology and Geology) and Maggie Robins ’26 (Geology-Environmental Studies)—partnered with the U.S. Park Service to collect data on how future flooding could impact Yellowstone National Park’s resources. Using decades of historical flood data and surveying the river channels with a precise RTK GPS, the team created detailed models that predict where erosion and flooding is most likely to occur—supporting hazard mitigation to protect one of America’s most iconic national parks. (Photos courtesy of Elly Rectenwald.) Check out more of their story. 

Examining Colonialism Through the Arts

In the humanities, Nicole Simek, the Cushing Eells Professor of Philosophy and Literature and Professor of Indigeneity, Race and Ethnicity Studies (IRES) and Gender Studies, recruited research help from IRES major Mason Hardbarger ’26. 

Simek is in the early stages of a new book project and is thinking about how artists and filmmakers respond to the “logic of elimination”—a phrase used by historian Patrick Wolfe to talk about a settler colonial mode of thinking where there is a desire to eliminate native populations and replace them with the settler society.

The research takes the form of reading texts, combing through databases and watching films, with a focus on Black and Palestinian bodies on the margins. 

“A lot of my friends in STEM are spending time in the Hall of Science,” says Hardbarger, “But I’m in the library!”

This summer’s research helped Simek revise a paper—previously presented at a conference—in preparation for submitting it for publication. 

“The collaboration has been very energizing,” says Simek. “Mason has been helpful as an interlocutor, bouncing ideas off each other.”

For their part, Hardbarger feels better prepared to tackle a senior thesis this upcoming year.

Catching the research bug. Visiting Assistant Professor of Microbiology Sabrina Mostoufi and Arushi Narinder ’26 (Biology) researched the breeding patterns of fruit flies, which carry a bacteria called Wolbachia that can prevent other insects, particularly mosquitoes, from carrying and transmitting deadly diseases.

Find Student-Faculty Research Opportunities

“Student-faculty research is a Whitman strength,” says Mary Raschko, Associate Dean for Faculty Development and Associate Professor of English. “It is also an area we are looking to enhance as part of strategic planning, to simultaneously support faculty as teacher-scholars and provide transformational learning opportunities for students.”

Students interested in research opportunities are encouraged to look out for information sessions within their major department and talk with their advisors about classes that will provide an important research foundation. To learn more about research awards, visit Research at Whitman.