Internship with the Environmental League of Massachusetts

Lucy Koester, a double major in environmental studies and sociolgy, and part of the Holleran Center (PICA), interned with the The Environmental League of Massachusetts (ELM) where she also made a connection with their Development Director, Ben Bailey \u2795. One of the main projects she helped with was studying the awareness of and enthusiasm for offshore wind in Holyoke, MA (which was designated as an environmental justice community). Having been exposed to intersectional perspectives at Conn, Lucy became aware that staff at ELM might not have the same awareness, which could be critical as they attempted to assess and communicate with the public. Through this lens, in addition to building skills in communication, graphics, creating bios, and community outreach, she successfully employed critical thinking, advocacy, and diplomacy to encourage staff and other fellows to consider DEI perspectives in the context of environmental policy and outreach. Being able to communicate what language I thought we should use and why was a really important skill I learned, because it humanized the experiences of community members and showed the ELM team how DEI can be further incorporated into their work. Additonally, she was able to attend State House events and become involved with projects within the New England for Offshore Wind Coalition, which partners with different environmental groups fighting for clean energy in New England

Pre-lab Videos for CHM 223

Short lecture/demo videos meant to prepare students to begin lab work as soon as class starts. All videos CC-BY-NC-SAhttps://digitalcommons.conncoll.edu/oer/1005/thumbnail.jp

Progress Towards Efficient Means of Synthesizing Natural Product Frondosin D

Frondosin D is a natural product generated by the marine sea sponge Dysidea frondosa that has a litany of documented medicinal effects, including acting as a potent anti-inflammatory, anti-HIV, and tumor suppressant agent. So far, the Ovaska lab methodology has successfully utilized a tandem 5-exo dig cyclization to form the core seven membered ring in three, A-C, of the five isoforms in the frondosin family. In addition to leveraging the reliability of this approach, two major ring construction sequences, A-D-B-C and D-C-B-A, have been explored as viable pathways in synthesis efforts of frondosin D. This present study investigated variations of the D-C-B-A approach, wherein modifications to both key tertiary alcohol and tricyclic ketone intermediates were performed in order to facilitate the installation of the A ring system to the remainder of the molecular scaffold. One of these attempts appeared to be successful in affording the tetracyclic skeleton of frondosin D. It is expected that the Ovaska lab will build off the progress associated with development of the structural core, in addition to exploring the advantages of other ring construction techniques, in order to chart an efficient route towards the total synthesis of natural product frondosin D

Enduring Memories from the Covid Pandemic

The Covid pandemic brought with it a cascade of effects that drastically altered each of our lives. The liminality and uncertainty of this crucial period for students during this time are certain to have long-lasting implications on psychology and personality. The purpose of this study was to examine the enduring memories of students and identify trends among these memories. The research design was correlational, using online questionnaires and multiple correlations. Participants were 97 college students aged 18-24, who provided two of their most significant memories from the Pandemic, followed by responding to questionnaires including prompts that assessed affective qualities of the memories, the Centrality of Events Scale, a Self-Defining Memory Prompt, some questions that assessed lifestyle alterations during the pandemic, and the Covid Transitional Impact Scale. Results showed significant relationships among memory importance, positive affect, and negative affect. Memories rated as more positive were overall rated as more important, and memories that were rated more negatively were generally rated as less important. There was also a significant correlation between event centrality and the self-defining nature of the pandemic memories. These data suggest the resilience of students in this age group in that they seemed to employ redemptive strategies to draw positive meaning from negative events. Also, the most frequent category of pandemic memory for these students was related to relationships, highlighting the importance of alterations to normal social rhythms during the pandemic. Future research should look at longitudinal data to assess the persistent effects of living through the pandemic. Memories should be explored in greater detail to be able to code for recurring patterns and trends

Calderón’s El médico de su honra: A Cubist Reading

El médico de su honra de Calderón de la Barca es una obra fracturada que, en la famosa locución de Stanley Fish, siempre ha permanecido “recalcitrant to interpretation.” Mientras que Gutierre puede ser el protagonista torturado de un drama de honor que enfrenta su amor por su esposa contra las demandas de su honor, El médico no es la obra de Gutierre. El médico es la obra del rey. Este monarca, sin embargo, es en si un personaje fracturado, una figura dramática e histórica conocida como “Pedro el Cruel” y como “Pedro el Justiciero.” Pero el rey que vemos paseándose por el palacio, un rey que entabla combate con los rufianes de la calle, encarcela a los malhechores y logra controlar a la nobleza andaluza, está muy lejos del rey que vemos en el mundo de la obra dramática, un rey impotente que es consciente de estar proyectando el poder que puede que no tenga. Dado que la obra dramática como texto y el mundo de la obra dramática ofrecen dos perspectivas diferentes de la monarquía que no pueden reconciliarse ni racionalizarse en un todo coherente, quizá sea hora de someter a El médico a una lectura cubista, una que llevará estos dos marcos de referencia distintos y a menudo contradictorios al primer plano y les permitirá existir independientemente uno del otro en el mismo plano interpretativo. Tal vez sea hora de pensar en El médico ni como poesía ni como drama sino como lo que el crítico cubista Guillaume Apollinaire ha llamado un “art of conception” que apela no al ojo sino al intelecto, an “art of conception” que hace que una comprensión de la autoridad real sea tan fracturada como la propia obra. Calderón de la Barca’s El médico de su honra is a fractured play that, in Stanley Fish’s famous locution, has always remained “recalcitrant to interpretation.” While Gutierre may be the tortured protagonist of a wife-murder play that pits his love for his wife against the demands of his honor, El médico is not Gutierre’s play. El médico is the king’s play. This monarch, however, is himself a fractured character, a dramatic and an historical figure known both as “Peter the Cruel” and as “Peter the Just.” But the king we see strutting through the palace, a king who tilts with street ruffians, imprisons miscreants, and brings the Andalusian nobility to heel, is a far cry from the king we see in the world of the play, an impotent king who is aware that he is projecting power he may not have. Given that the play as text and the world of the play offer two different perspectives of monarchy that can neither be reconciled nor rationalized into a coherent whole, perhaps it is time to subject El médico to a Cubist reading, one that will bring these two distinct and often contradictory frames of reference to the foreground and allow them to exist independently of each other on the same interpretive plane. Perhaps it is time to think of El médico neither as poetry nor as drama but as what the Cubist critic Guillaume Apollinaire has called an “art of conception” that appeals not to the eye but to the intellect, an “art of conception” that renders an understanding of royal authority as fractured as the play itself

Wealthspire Internship 2024 - Wealth Management Intern

This summer, I completed an 8-week Wealth Management internship at Wealthspire, where I enhanced my technical and interpersonal skills through a capstone project and hands-on client work