Every summer, Colgate University hosts a small number of students to participate in summer research projects. These students spend their summer on campus experiencing the best of both worlds: Colgate in the summertime and collaborating closely with professors to deepen their academic knowledge.

Junior Barrett Regan spent his summer in Hamilton, N.Y. researching with Associate Professor of Chemistry Jason Keith. 

“We used Gaussian 16 software to model Diels-Alder reactions with different electron-withdrawing groups attached to the dienophile in an effort to understand how attaching electron withdrawing groups changes the energy of reactions,” Regan said. “We then expanded this to using a Palladium-Boron catalyst developed by a research group out of the University of Iowa.”

Aside from the opportunity to participate in research, Regan elected to stay on campus to experience a summer in Hamilton.

“I loved living in Hamilton, even if the weather could be unpredictable at times,” Regan said. “I would often go to Lake Moraine with friends, spend nights looking at the stars and drive around to new towns on the weekends.”

Associate Professor of Religion Megan Brankley Abbas also led a research group this summer, focused on declassifying United States documents from 1950-1960 in Indonesia. Juniors Ellen Weinstock and Natalie Yale participated in Abbas’ research group. Weinstein and Yale specifically focused on documents from 1956-1958 in the region of Sumatra in Indonesia, which was a period defined by rebellion against the central government of Indonesia. 

Yale explained that her primary task involved dissecting documents to study how the two nations interacted.

“Practically, [the research] consisted of reading over 2,000 pages of internal State Department communications sourced from the National Archives in College Park, Md., to reconstruct the complex relationship between the United States and Indonesian religious actors and political parties,” Yale said.

Weinstein described how she assisted Abbas in preparing for her next book.

“After reading the declassified documents from this time period, I organized [the events of the rebellion] chronologically in order for [Abbas] to effectively analyze this information further,” Weinstein said.

Weinstein first met Abbas in her first-year seminar at Colgate and wanted to find a way to continue working with her, which inspired her to find this summer research opportunity. Moreover, Weinstein felt that spending her summer in Hamilton would make up for the time she will spend away from Colgate while abroad this upcoming spring. 

Like Weinstein, Yale also decided to join Abbas’ research group in part because of a desire to collaborate with the professor, who is also her advisor. However, Yale’s intellectual curiosity also motivated her to dedicate her summer to this research experience.

“As a religion major, I was also deeply inspired to participate in the research process behind much of the scholarship I engage [with] in class — a process that traditionally remains hidden to undergraduate students,” Yale said.

In addition to gaining research experience, spending her summer in Hamilton allowed Weinstein the chance to explore the surrounding area. Instead of staying on campus, Weinstein had the opportunity to live in Hamilton for the summer and said that she enjoyed spending more time in town and taking advantage of things like the farmer’s market.

“Spending [the] summer in Hamilton was the best decision I have made. I felt like I finally got to know the area that we are located in,” Weinstein said. “My friend and I [explored] all the things we have wanted to [check out] for years. It was so wonderful to see Hamilton during beautiful weather and enjoy the local lakes, hiking, waterfalls and parks.”

Due to her positive experience with her research group, Weinstein thinks it is a worthwhile experience for anyone interested in spending your summer in Hamilton, especially if you know a friend who can join you.

“I would tell someone to do it if you want a low-key, educational, fun summer. I would also say that I found it really fun as well because I knew one of my friends would be staying with me and I would have someone to explore and live with,” Weinstein said. “I highly recommend being here for the summer and it’s wonderful to see Colgate during a time of year we never get to appreciate.”