Breaking new ground in research is at the center of BW's Summer Scholars program, a 10-week living-learning experience that enables students of any major to design and pursue their own research or creative project under the supervision of a faculty mentor.
This year, 10 students are combining in-person and virtual studies in topics spanning music, science and sustainability.
Abby
Bilson
'22"I intend to create a mini concept album inspired by the works of Baroque composer Francesca Caccini. The music I would write would set the stage for a contemporary musical titled 'Young, Dumb and Baroque' to be completed in the future. This musical and concept album on which it would be based would reimagine the stories and ingenuity of Baroque composition with modern flair, reflecting how Baroque inspires today."
Kyle
Burr
'23"William 'Bill' Moffit '50 was an innovator unparalleled in the marching arts in both his musical arrangements for marching band and visual arrangements on the football field, which are both still performed by hundreds of marching bands across the country. This research project intends to explore his life and works to better understand and perform his legacy here at his alma mater."
Margaret
George
'22"I will create teaching resources based on choral music traditions in the Middle East, with specific focus on Lebanon. I will use resources to help me understand the different modes and tonalities of the culture. Then, I will find authentic Lebanese choral pieces that are at an achievable learning level. I will create instructional resources for music educators, so they can incorporate this genre into their classrooms."
Jude
Valentine
Hagerman
'22"I propose a series of field studies to test the various environmental services provided by the rain gardens. The overarching goal of this research initiative is to find out how effective the campus rain gardens are through the testing of their capacity for water filtration, pollutant and sediment capture, nutrient sequestration and to see if implementing similar gardens in other parts of the campus is justifiable."
Danielle
Magistrelli
'22"Through participating in this research, the air quality map I am proposing to create may help predict areas that would be the most likely to have poor quality based upon risk factors. This will help to target limited resources available to communities to ensure the best situating of air quality sensors to ensure the most accurate depiction of local air quality."
Maddie
Mascia
'22"This study focuses on 'Les Jeux d'eau à La Villa d'Este' and the textural techniques that represent early practices of musical impressionism. It is my objective to acknowledge Liszt's works as being an early part of the musical impressionist era in order to create a better understanding of how particular textural techniques illustrate the aesthetics of impressionism and how they came into practice."
Regan
Olak
'23"The U.S. pediatric obesity rate has climbed steadily since the 1980s. The objective of my project is to determine the facilitators and barriers to healthy eating and active living during the summer months for Hispanic children living in the Cleveland neighborhoods of Old Brooklyn and Clark-Fulton using the 'Healthy Eating and Active Living Mapping Attributes using Participatory Photographic Surveys' protocol."
Alyssa
Palumbo
'22"The research questions I seek to study focus on the effects of bariatric surgery on women-centered health issues. During Summer Scholars, I will assess if female rats develop an enhanced proclivity to exercise following bariatric surgery. This work will allow me to gain authentic research experience that will enrich my understanding of women-specific health issues that are medically relevant."
Juan
Pablo
Taborda
'22"Consumption of non-nutritive sweeteners by children has increased, but little is known concerning long-term effects. We ultimately seek to answer if early-life non-nutritive sweeteners exposure alters brain activation by caloric sweeteners. My project begins to answer that using a rat model to determine if the taste of the sugar fructose can activate the reward areas of the brain similarly to how sucrose sugar taste does."
Ben
Webster
'22"I will study Gamelan-inspired works for one or two pianos. I hope to bring awareness to Gamelan as an impactful and overlooked influence on the West, as well as better understand the ways Western composers have been exposed to and influenced by non-Western cultures. Additionally, I hope to learn how the understanding and usage of these elements changed as Western knowledge of the intricacies of Gamelan music increased."
