Mount Holyoke College students’ summer research projects

Mount Holyoke College students from various science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields gathered on July 24 in the Marion Craig Potter ’49 Atrium of Kendade Hall to present their summer research projects.

The wide-ranging work they had done included restoring biology samples, investigating the binding activity of proteins and analyzing how asthma can impact fetal development. The students and faculty who participated in the symposium represented multiple disciplines at the College, including biochemistry, biology, psychology and neuroscience.

Students, staff and faculty at the event made their way around the atrium to look at posters the student researchers had created. The student researchers stayed by their posters to explain their work.

“It has been so nice to see what other students are doing this summer,” Yihao Zhang ’27, who is from Guangzhou, China, said. “I’m happy to see everyone’s work and results.”

Madeline Wright ’27 felt a sense of accomplishment during the symposium. “It really gave me an appreciation of everything we have done here,” said Wright, from Penngrove, California. “I loved getting to look at other students and say, ‘Your work is so amazing, and you’re so talented.’”

The student researchers were grateful for the opportunity to talk about projects they had worked on for many weeks. “One of my highlights of the day was having people get as excited about my research as I am,” Wright said.

Another student researcher, Yiling Shi ’27, who is from Shanghai, China, was equally enthusiastic about having a forum for sharing her work with others. “I loved getting to have people come and listen to my talk,” Shi said.

Sharing information about their projects helped the students become accustomed to speaking in public and summarizing their research for people with different knowledge bases. “It was great practicing [in] how to explain my research so I can get other people to understand it,” Wright said.

“It really helped me to improve my presentation skills and practice answering questions about my research,” Shi said. “I also appreciated getting feedback from the faculty who listened to my talk.”

Giving student researchers the opportunity to strengthen their communication skills was one of the symposium’s main goals, according to Mount Holyoke Professor of Psychology and Education Jared Schwartzer.

“The value of science hinges on our ability to communicate with others,” Schwartzer said. “This symposium is a crucial step in helping students translate their technical expertise into language that resonates beyond the lab. In a time when public trust in science is eroding, these skills are more important than ever.”

Schwartzer is proud of the work his colleagues and the students put into making the symposium possible.

“The summer research symposium reflects Mount Holyoke’s legacy of expanding opportunity,” Schwartzer said. “Our students aren’t just learning science. They’re leading it. This event highlights their ability to communicate discovery and celebrates the powerful collaboration between students and faculty.”