Excessive coffee consumption has long-term health risks. Courtesy | Facebook College students should not jeopardize their mental state, sleep, and long-term health by drinking coffee. “Caffeine is the most consumed psychoactive drug in the world,” Dr. Sergei Ferre of the National Institute on Drug Abuse wrote in an article on caffeine research. “It shows all the pharmacological properties of classical...
Science and Tech
Opinion: Coffee is good for you
Coffee has many health benefits. | Wikimedia Commons Whether it’s the earthy smell wafting from your mother’s coffee pot in the morning, or the comfort of your own warm cup of fresh brew, most people have a personal tie to coffee. Love it or hate it, people across the globe rely on coffee to kick start their mornings with a...
Professors weigh in on AI in the military
Advances in technology change the way wars are fought. Courtesy | Facebook As artificial intelligence improves and expands its application to warfare, Hillsdale College faculty say the technology will not replace humans as strategic decision-makers. The use of artificial intelligence in air combat drones is already in its experimental stages in the American military. The U.S. Air Force’s XQ-58A Valkyrie...
Stargazing in Hillsdale
Hillsdale professors encourage students to stargaze more. | Wikimedia Commons Multiple meteor showers will be lighting up Hillsdale skies this fall, according to Timothy Dolch, associate professor of physics. Dolch said in an email that upcoming astronomical events include the Geminids on Dec.13-14, and the Leonids on Nov. 17-18, one of the best of the fall meteor showers. These can...
Mother-daughter duo produces one-minute stargazing podcast
Lauren Smyth worked with her mom to launch a podcast called Astro Minute. Courtesy | Radio Free Hillsdale Junior Lauren Smyth, released a new Radio Free Hillsdale podcast called “Astro Minute” that teaches listeners to recognize constellations, nebulae, and galaxies in the night sky with the naked eye in only 60 seconds. The podcast is a collaboration between Smyth and...
Student TAs serve as mentors in lab
Aruna Harihara working in lab. Courtesy | Linnea Shiveley For students majoring in the physical sciences, hands-on experience comes not only from laboratory classes, but opportunities to work as teaching assistants. Senior biochemistry major Aruna Harihara has been a TA for biochemistry lab, physics lab, and physics recitation. Currently, she works as a TA for Professor of Chemistry Christopher Hamilton’s...
Leaves expected to reach peak fall colors later than usual
El Niño is affecting Michigan’s weather, causing leave to change colors later. Sophia Mandt | Collegian Southern Michigan’s fall leaves are predicted to change colors later than usual this fall. Last year, Hillsdale had almost full leaf drop by November 1, according to Jason Blake, director of the City of Hillsdale’s Department of Public Services. “I believe the color change...
Expansion of solar energy in Michigan faces opposition
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has met with local opposition on solar energy. Courtesy | Twitter As Gov. Gretchen Whitmer endorses a “100% clean energy” standard for Michigan, calling it “ambitious and achievable,” local officials and policy experts are raising concerns about solar energy. Local opposition, painful tradeoffs, and reliability concerns threaten to derail the transition to sources like wind and solar,...
Physics students help build telescope in New Mexico
Nathan Sibert, Paige Lettow, Liam Swick, Riley Hamilton, and Evan Anthopolous construct an LWA antenna. Courtesy | Facebook Students from the college’s physics department traveled to New Mexico earlier this month to help build a new station of the Long Wavelength Array, a telescope that collects radio wave data from celestial bodies. In collaboration with physics students from the University...