College students may not enjoy taking tests, but according to a study three Hillsdale College students presented last weekend, test-taking may be what helps them learn. On Friday, seniors Mary Blendermann, Colby Clark, and Giannina Imperial presented their research in Vancouver, British Columbia, at the 58th Annual Meeting of the Psychonomic Society, the top international conference for cognitive psychology. Over...
Science and Tech
Hillsdale among last to use Kitt Peak telescope under the National Science Foundation
Students at Hillsdale College no longer have access to using the telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory, after the National Science Foundation’s astronomy division divested from the project this year. The physics department has taken two trips to the Tucson, Arizona, observatory this year, after the foundation approved proposals that Assistant Professor of Physics Tim Dolch submitted for research on...
Campus reacts to new iPhone X features
A bigger screen, a better camera, no home button, and a new facial recognition feature are exciting the Hillsdale College community about the new iPhone X, which went on sale on Nov. 3. Although few people on campus have upgraded to the iPhone X, many have heard about its design and new features. Junior Zane Miller, who bought the iPhone...
Bright-eyed, bushy-tailed research: Students track gray squirrel activity
While the squirrels scampering around campus are merely scenery for many students’ walks to class, two senior biology majors have made the squirrels their research subjects for their ongoing animal behavior research projects. Seniors Julia Hoyda and Luiza Wasilewski’s project tracks the nut preference and caching activity of eastern gray squirrels — one of the six squirrel species in Michigan,...
Research project measures lead in Flint water samples
Hillsdale alumnus Ethan Wiskur ’17 spent part of his summer working with Professor of Chemistry Mark Nussbaum, investigating a problem close to home: the lead levels in water from Flint, Michigan. “Being that I live near Flint, went to high school in Flint, and have many family and friends that live in the city, the water crisis has had a...
Antibody analysis for autoimmune diseases
In autoimmune diseases, the human body’s own defense system turns against itself, attacking healthy cells and their protein components. Junior Christine Ausherman spent her summer at the Van Andel Research Institute as part of their Frederik and Lena Meijer Summer Internship Program, where she worked on a new method to pinpoint which proteins are being attacked. Ausherman’s work focused on...
Lang aids in astronomical discovery
Although the solar eclipse in August received a great deal of national attention, few people were aware of an exceedingly larger astronomical event that occurred the same week. The event was the long-expected detection of a neutron star merger, announced by members of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory on Oct. 16. Assistant Professor of Physics and LIGO member Ryan Lang...
Temple speaks on ethical conservation over government regulation
The father of wildlife conservation, Aldo Leopold, quit his high-ranking job with the U.S. Forest Service after four years, following his belief that conservation should come from the private sector. He then became the first professor of wildlife management in the country at the University of Wisconsin. His career culminated with the publication of “A Sand County Almanac,” which laid...
Crafting a ‘gluten-free’ beer
More than 18 million Americans are gluten-sensitive, according to a study published in Digestion magazine. These Americans are forced to avoid foods containing the proteins found in grains such as breads and pastas. Senior biochemistry major Trey VanAken spent his summer researching a process which would remove gluten from the beer, so that those with celiac disease and other gluten...