Southern Michigan is in one of two narrow latitudinal bands where any remnants of the Tiangong-1 spacecraft might land when they re-enter the atmosphere, although most of it is expected to burn up upon re-entry. The spacecraft is now projected to fall sometime between March 30 and April 8, according to the European Space Agency. The Tiangong-1, an...
Science and Tech
Instagram, robots, and the human mind
Hillsdale professors combined their technical knowledge and cultural aptitude to address the topic of the Lyceum Friday Forum on March 16, about technology and human identity. Asking a room full of parents and students if they’ve experienced such social media phenomenons as phantom vibration syndrome or fear of missing out, Associate Professor of Physics Paul Hosmer delivered the first of...
Hillsdale students present research at national science conference
In a chapel at Evangel University in Missouri, senior Randi Block stood in front of a crowd and spoke. Her voice echoed against the high ceilings and the bright lights illuminated her face as she presented with the help of a PowerPoint projected on a screen normally used for religious song lyrics. But she wasn’t making a religious testament — she...
Student tests potential treatments for neurological disorder
Senior Delaney Lehman spent a summer finding a compound that could be synthesized to cure Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a mutation that causes severe handicaps, in her internship with the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences. To clarify: This research had nothing to do with sharks, French monarchs, or dental problems. The incurable disease, which affects 2.8 million people worldwide, causes...
Students work to understand arthropod protein’s function
Senior Micah Heinz knew little about the oxygen-transporting protein hemocyanin before last summer, so naturally, he researched it through the Hillsdale College LAUREATES program. “It wasn’t something I was familiar with before, but I’ve been interested in it ever since,” Heinz said. Hemocyanin is found in the blood of arthropod species such as horseshoe crabs and functions similarly to hemoglobin...
Student builds molecular library of quinolines
Synthesizing a group of molecules and testing their biological applications can be difficult to accomplish in a six-week span, according to senior biochemistry major Katelyn Bercaw. To help future researchers, Bercaw spent part of her summer synthesizing several types of quinolines, a group of molecules known to have medicinal applications. The quinoline library she constructed with Assistant Professor of Chemistry...
Research suggests healthy humidity slows spread of flu
People rarely talk about low humidity as a contributing factor in the spread of influenza, but the low humidity levels in the U.S. this year may be one of the reasons for the tough flu season. Research over the past decade shows increased humidity can help prevent the spread of influenza. Assistant Professor of Biology Silas Johnson said he thinks...
Student research measures phosphate levels in local water
To measure very low levels of phosphate in water samples, sometimes researchers have to get creative. Senior biochemistry major Lauren Barlass spent her summer researching phosphate levels from locally obtained water samples, including the St. Joseph River and Baw Beese Lake. Most kits for testing phosphate rely on a visual scale, which is not sensitive enough to detect low...
Humanities help future health professionals
At her high school graduation, Maria Grinis told everyone that she wanted to study Spanish at Hillsdale College and go to medical school — and she’s doing just that. Grinis will graduate in May with a Spanish major and attend medical school. She is just one of many students who are discovering that medical school isn’t just for science majors....