by Wellesley Summer Research Program is an annual opportunity for students to fully immerse themselves in a scientific research project. They can dive deeper into a topic that already fascinates them, or take the time to explore something that wouldn’t normally fit into their regular academic schedule. Either way, judging by the presentations at the poster session on July 28, it appears that the 106 students, conducting research with 49 Wellesley faculty and staff, had an enriching and fulfilling summer.
Students presented their research projects from a wide range of topics, including the hard sciences (physics, chemistry, astronomy, biochemistry, neuroscience), the social sciences (anthropology, psychology, sociology, women’s and gender studies), the natural world (environmental studies, biology, geosciences) and virtual reality (computer science). There were also students who did an internship at three of Wellesley’s specialized institutes: the Paulson Place Ecology Initiative, Wellesley Centers for Womenand the Botanical Gardens.
Malika Top ’24 presents at the poster session on July 28.
Photo provided by Amber Celletti
Maeve Galvin ’25, Kayli Hattley ’22, and Kathryn Zaia ’25 were three students who spent the summer at the Botanic Gardens. Hattley, who majored in biological sciences and worked at the Botanic Gardens for the four years before graduating last spring, said she loved how the group bonded by spending “hours outside sweating together.” Initially, Hattley was drawn to work at the Botanic Gardens because she thought she “wasn’t smart enough for science”, but nature and botany seemed like a way into it. “She wanted to spend an entire summer dedicated to horticulture,” said Hattley. Zaia and Galvin are rising sophomores, so they haven’t officially declared their majors, but they both also worked at the Botanic Gardens their freshman year and wanted to spend more time there over the summer. “I wanted a chance to really immerse myself,” Galvin said. They are future psychology students, but already know that they want to work outdoors, finding ways that nature can support people’s mental health. Zaia, a prospective biology or environmental studies major, was excited to have the opportunity to “change the landscape and make it more welcoming to the Wellesley community.”
Maeve Galvin ’25, Kayli Hattley ’22 and Kathryn Zaia ’25 spent their summers interning at the Botanic Gardens.
Photo provided by Amber Celletti
Meanwhile, Jen Enriquez ’24 was drawn to the summer research program because she knew nothing about the process of doing scientific research and wanted to try it out. Enriquez majors in computer science, but is interested in the ways biology intersects with technology. He worked with a team that explored two different projects: discovering ways a virtual reality classroom can be used to teach subjects like marine science, and developing an app that will help citizen scientists take better pictures of corals when they dive. Enriquez hopes his work this summer is just the beginning and plans to continue developing and building the app this fall.
Marcela Silvera Tafur ’25 presents at the poster session on July 28.
Photo provided by Amber Celletti
Political science student Jade “Aliyana” Young ’24 was excited to explore a new department through the summer research program. Young, who has been conducting her own research in the political science department studying why black women resist welfare, applied to work on a project with Smitha Radhakrishnan, the Luella LaMer Professor of Women’s Studies and a professor of sociology, about why welfare funds don’t reach those people. who needs it “It’s harder to qualify for welfare funds in some states than it is to get accepted to MIT or Yale,” Young noted, as she explained her research. Young and Radhakrishnan studied how Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funds don’t reach those who need them most, and how states have actually been sitting on the welfare bottoms throughout the pandemic. While Young will return to his job in the political science department in the fall, she said the things he learned through the sociology project will help inform and shape his research. “It all comes down to anti-black and gendered assumptions about people who need welfare,” Young said.
Jade “Aliyana” Young ’24 (far right with folded hands) explains her findings at the July 28 poster session.
Photo provided by Amber Celletti
After two years of the summer research program that took place on Zoom, based on the celebratory atmosphere of the poster session, students and faculty seemed excited to be able to work together in person again.
See a full list of 2022 Summer Research Program Projects.