Alyssa Smale

ACS Chemistry Major

Development of a Spectroscopic Method for the Forensic Analysis of Fingernail Polishes —Summer Scholarly Research

Smale's project was in collaboration with Dr. Brooke Kammrath of the Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences at the University of New Haven and Dr. Donald Dahlberg of the Chemistry Department at Lebanon Valley College. This internship had two goals. The first was to develop a fast and economical method to identify the brand and color of fingernail polishes and gels by infrared spectroscopy. The second goal was to explore first hand the field of forensic science and trace analysis, which is Smale’s intended profession. 

Read about Smale's research in this feature article.

Erin Angelini ’16 & Anna Quinn ’17

Health Science and Spanish

Spanish and Global Studies

Medical Systems and Health in Cuba—Summer Scholarly Research

Angelini and Quinn visited Cuba during the of summer 2016 to gain a unique perspective on a developing country’s medical system. While in Cuba, they attended a conference that focused on health professions, Congreso Internacional Enfermedades y Rehabitacion de Profesionales de Las Artes. This experience enabled the students to advance their research on public health in Central America.

 

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Quinn Orris ’17

English, Psychology, and Philosophy

Teaching Lakota Language and Culture—Summer Scholarly Research

Orris spent three weeks in June 2016 at the Lakota Summer Institute in Fort Yates, N.D., taking coursework on Lakota language training and teaching. This experience built on skills he acquired at the Lakota Summer Institute in 2014 and 2015. It enabled him to bring Lakota language learning opportunities to the local community. The experience assisted his efforts to recover a language once spoken by his great-great grandmother but now “lost” in his family. Orris aimed to restore that loss, for not only his family, but also the future Lakota nation.

Timothy Lupia ’16

Dylan Tobias ’16

“Opera Viva”

A pair of star music voice majors had a truly unique global experience during the summer of 2015 after being accepted to study at the prestigious international institute “Opera Viva” in Verona, Italy. There, during separate sessions, Lupia and Tobias studied Italian opera, the Italian language, how to prepare concert repertoire in a master class, and worked on the Alexander Technique. 

Lupia and Tobias were also able to attend opera productions at L’Arena di Verona, a 1st century Roman amphitheater, which was internationally recognized for the large-scale opera performances given there. It is one of the only remaining natural amphitheaters in the world. 

Performance is a major component of “Opera Viva.” The program enabled Lupia and Tobias to highlight their voices through private pedagogy lessons and opera coaching, leading to their performance in three public recitals featuring solo concert repertoire, opera arias, and opera scenes. Lupia gave a senior performance recital that implemented the repertoire and vocal skills learned at “Opera Viva” during the 2015–2016 academic year. At “Opera Viva,” Tobias focused on Italian opera literature, technique, and performance. 

 

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Quinn Orris ’17

“Lakota Summer Institute”

Significant parts of Orris’ studies at Lebanon Valley College have consisted of investigating the idea of American Indian identity and combatting the effects of generational loss (i.e. the diminishing knowledge of American Indian history and ethnic connections to familial antecedents). This grant enabled Orris to participate in the Lakota Summer Institute (LSI) in Fort Yates, N.D., for the second consecutive summer. In 2014, he participated in the LSI and fostered a second language acquisition experience that contributed to his interests and goals as a scholar.

At the 2014 LSI, Orris was introduced to the concept of language revitalization, which is represented by the effort to reconnect with the original language of American Indian Sioux Tribes and to rebuild the living, Lakota-speaking population. At LSI, he learned that there are currently no people under the age of 30 who can speak Lakota fluently. Orris intends to use his summer 2015 LSI training to intervene in this problem. 

He recorded his summer experiences, including the pronunciation and sentence formation of the Lakota language so that he could continue to improve his language skills. Orris also recorded the various traditional, cultural immersion experiences offered at the Institute, so that he could become more culturally fluent and help pass these skills on to future generations.