Science & Research Spotlights

Chemistry Professor Jon Kull takes his class outside in the snow for a dramatic display of chemicals producing an exothermic light show. The thermite reaction of the ingredients produced heat, smoke, bright light, and molten iron, accompanied by exclamations of "oo" and "ah" from the student observers.

In this podcast, Trumbull talks about his 2011-12 sabbatical, during which he spent time conducting research in Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria; how his sabbatical influenced the way he taught one of his fall term 2012 classes, “History of North Africa;” and research for his book on the history of water in the Sahara, among other topics.

Dartmouth Anthropologist Nathaniel Dominy's recent studies of tree-climbing men in Uganda and the Philippines offer a fresh perspective on the habitats where Lucy and her ancient australopithecine relatives may have lived. Read more at http://bit.ly/U0wBWG

Bradley Duchaine is investigating a condition in which people are unable to recognize faces. In analyzing the process of facial recognition, he is seeking to understand the complexity of what is actually taking place in the brain when one person looks at another.

Theoretical physicist Stephon Alexander, the Ernest Everett Just 1907 Professor, discusses the Higgs boson particle discovered with the Large Hadron Collider near Geneva, Switzerland, and the implications of this pivotal finding, which was announced in July 2012.

Theoretical physicist Stephon Alexander, the Ernest Everett Just 1907 Professor, links the most recent revelations of particle physics with dark matter, the mysterious substance that constitutes most of the universe, and with dark energy, the force responsible for accelerating cosmic expansion.

U.S. census data shows racial diversity is increasing in major cities across the United States. But highly diverse neighborhoods are still rare, newly arrived immigrants continue to settle in concentrated residential patterns, and many African Americans remain concentrated in segregated neighborhoods, according to recent research by Professor of Geography Richard Wright. Wright and two colleagues—Steven R. Holloway of the University of Georgia and Mark Ellis of the University of Washington—examined neighborhood tract data from the 1990, 2000, and 2010 U.S. censuses and created "cartographic visualizations" of 53 large metropolitan areas and every state in the United States. Their maps showing the changes in neighborhood racial configuration in these cities can be viewed at: http://mixedmetro.us/ Wright also recently published a paper in The Professional Geographer, "The Racially Fragmented City? Neighborhood Racial Segregation and Diversity Jointly Considered," co-authored by Holloway and Ellis.

On May 23, 2012, George Thorman '11, a research assistant in the environmental studies program, transferred tilapia from their indoor tanks to outdoor tanks in a greenhouse at Dartmouth's Organic Farm. The fish are being used in sustainable aquaculture research being conducted by Prof. Anne Kapuscinski, chair of the Environmental Studies Program. Assisting Thorman were Molly Grear '11, Thayer '12, and Tasneem Khalid '12.

Dartmouth physicist-philosopher Marcelo Gleiser wonders if we can ever really know all there is to know. In this video, he probes the depths of the question.

If you thought that modern science has made humanity insignificant in the big scheme of things, think again. Dartmouth physicist-philosopher Marcelo Gleiser explains how after four centuries of cosmic insignificance, humanity can legitimately reclaim a central role in the cosmos.

Associate Professor of Anthropology Nathaniel Dominy is traveling down under for his research involving sharks and Aboriginal rattles, some of which are part of the collections of Dartmouth's Hood Museum of Art. Dominy recently joined a research team in western Australia that is investigating what attracts sharks. In this video, he explains the role that rattles made from shells, seed pods, or coconuts have in helping hunters of Southeast Asia catch sharks. Safe travels, Professor Dominy, and happy data hunting. We look forward to learning about the team's findings when you get back and, perhaps, to seeing some of your own shark video.

A substantial gift from the Class of 1978 made the construction of the approximately 174,500-square-foot building possible. Located at the northern end of campus, the state-of-the-art structure houses a variety of teaching and research spaces, all designed to facilitate the collaborative approach that characterizes science today. Laboratories utilize an open design, without walls between individual work areas. Researchers and students are free to walk about and engage in discussions. The building was not only built for science, but with science. The "green" building utilizes innovative design and imaginative execution, resulting in an annual energy cost savings of 30 to 35 percent when compared with buildings of standard construction. Minimal heat loss is achieved through novel insulating approaches and closely monitored air circulation, while storm water is recycled through the plumbing system.

Dartmouth Professor Kevin Peterson discusses how micro RNA helps paleontologists understand evolutionary pattern and processes.

Earth sciences Assistant Professor Bob Hawley discusses his research on polar ice caps in Greenland as well as his work with Dartmouth students in Hanover.

Devin Balkcom, associate professor of computer science, gives us a deeper understanding of how computers are impacting the "physical world" as it relates to the human body, efficient production, and theory.

Seth Dobson, assistant professor of anthroplogy at Dartmouth College, explains the facial expressions made by a male gelada monkey who has been challenged by a rival. A biological anthropologist, Dobson is curious about the evolution of human behavior. His studies of how primates communicate in the wild offer insights into what advantages the development of language brought to early humans.

Physics and astronomy professor Jim LaBelle discusses the science behind a classic physics experiment, Foucault's pendulum, while seated next to Dartmouth's pendulum in Fairchild Tower.

Dartmouth students in Professor Meredith Kelly's Earth Sciences course learn about Earth's Climate: Past, Present and Future. By taking deep core samples from beneath Occom Pond on the Dartmouth campus, the students find out about how the climate of northern New England has changed over the past 14,000 years.

Investigators from Dartmouth Medical School (DMS) have reported results of a clinical trial showing that a new vaccine against tuberculosis, Mycobacterium vaccae (MV), is effective in preventing tuberculosis in people with HIV infection. The DarDar Health Study, named for Dartmouth and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, found that MV immunization reduced the rate of definite tuberculosis by 39 percent among 2,000 HIV-infected patients in Tanzania.

Dartmouth Computer Scientist Hany Farid has new evidence regarding a photograph of accused John F. Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald.