- Leventer on Team Examining Susceptibility of East Antarctic Glaciers to MeltingLeventer on Team Examining Susceptibility of East Antarctic Glaciers to Melting tmfonda@colgate.edu A new study featuring Professor of Earth and Environmental Geosciences Amy Leventer has revealed the presence of canyons off Antarctica that serve as pathways for relatively warm ocean waters to move toward the continent. These waters, which circulate in from the nearby Southern Ocean, are now known to melt Antarctica’s largest glaciers from beneath their surface. Using sonar technology, Leventer and the team based out of Italy’s National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics mapped a network of canyons off of East Antarctica. By examining the sediments deposited in these pathways, the researchers provided evidence for longer-term flow of these warm waters toward two of East Antarctica’s largest glaciers: the Totten and the Ninnis. “Currently, the Totten Glacier is known to be losing ice mass, though this information is relatively recent given the remote nature of this part of Antarctica, making access by sea or by air very difficult,” says Leventer. Over the past decade or so, expeditions to this region have uncovered findings that point to the susceptibility of the East Antarctic ice sheet to melting — a region termed the “Sleeping Giant.” As glaciers melt, this water is returned to the ocean, threatening coastlines due to the rise of global sea levels. Although their study focuses on East Antarctica, these canyons are found all around the margin of the continent. “Understanding the longer-term history of warm-water flow through canyons toward the Antarctic continent will provide a crucial perspective on the loss of glacial ice today,” says Leventer. Natural Sciences and Mathematics Faculty News Research News and Updates Faculty & Staff sustainability Department of Earth & Environmental Geosciences Leventer and field team cruising by an Antarctic glacier, c.2017.
- Checking in With Colgate’s Golden FellowsChecking in With Colgate’s Golden Fellows tmfonda@colgate.edu Clementina Aboagye ’25 Clementina Aboagye ’25 (Ghana, West Africa) has a career interest in international law. This summer, after a semester abroad in Geneva, she flew to Charlottesville, Va., to participate in the UVA School of Law’s Roadmap Scholars program. It is Aboagye’s second summer in the program, and she is looking forward to workshopping law school courses and experiencing the 1L curriculum prior to her graduate studies. When she’s done at UVA, she will round out her summer by serving as an intern at the Legal Department of Dominion Energy in Richmond. The Golden Fellows program has provided funding for her travels abroad and various unpaid internships. “The Golden Fellows program has been a life-changing opportunity,” Aboagye says. “It has allowed students like myself to become a part of a community of hard-working and ambitious people who care so much about the Colgate community.” Benjamin Godbout ’24 After graduating from Colgate a semester early, Benjamin Godbout ’24 (Sterling, Mass.) joined a lab at UMass Chan Medical School to study how various stress conditions affect cell division. Godbout used Golden Fellowship funding to attend accepted students day at the University of Rochester, where he’s now enrolled in medical school. “The Golden Fellowship played an instrumental role in my success at Colgate and career trajectory,” says Godbout, who majored in molecular biology and worked as a research assistant in Associate Professor Priscilla Van Wynsberghe’s lab during his time at Colgate. “Following conversations with other Golden Fellows, I felt more prepared and confident when applying to medical school,” he says. Josh Israel ’25 Josh Israel ’25 (Madison, Conn.) is a molecular biology major who also serves as a captain of the Colgate University Men’s Tennis Team. This summer, he is volunteering close to home, aiding doctors and nurses in providing palliative care at Connecticut Hospice. In his community, Israel also works as a private tennis coach, completing applications for medical school in his free time. “The Golden Fellows program has had a transformative impact on my journey to medical school,” says Israel. “MCAT materials and applications are extremely expensive, and the funding GF has provided ensured I could purchase the best materials and apply broadly.” Gwen Eichfeld ’25 A member of the women’s ice hockey team and recipient of the Goldwater Scholarship, Gwen Eichfeld ’25 (McLean, Va.) is on the pre-med track, majoring in neuroscience. Last November, the Golden Fellowship funded Eichfeld’s attendance at the Society for Neuroscience Conference in Washington, D.C., where she learned about scientific presentation and attended a graduate school career fair. This summer, Eichfeld is part of Harvard’s Amgen Scholars Program, studying the genetic underpinnings of autism alongside a team of physicians and scientists. “The most rewarding part of the Golden Fellowship has been working with my peers and mentors to bring opportunities and inspiration to other students,” says Eichfeld, who leveraged the Golden Fellows network to connect with the Masonic Medical Research Institute in Utica, N.Y. Last fall, in partnership with Career Services, Eichfeld hosted an information session for fellow Colgate students about summer opportunities at the institute. Anki Suri ’25 Anki Suri ’25 (Princeton, N.J.) has immersed herself in Colgate’s artistic scene. As founder and editor in chief of 13 Degrees Magazine — an arts-themed platform for students to express their identities — Suri has amassed a local network of expressive readers and writers. Her double-major in peace and conflict studies and film and media studies has developed her career interest in entertainment law, which she will explore this summer as an intern with NBCUniversal’s Standards and Practices team. “Since joining the Golden Fellows program this past January, I have gained invaluable support from a fantastic cohort of highly motivated students, kind faculty members, and wise alumni,” says Suri. “Though I have only been a part of this cohort for a semester, I have already witnessed the beauty of our tight-knit community and how willing each and every member is to genuinely help each other across class years.” Learn more about the John A. Golden ’66 FellowshipCareer Development Outcomes Student Profiles News and Updates Student
- Colgate Researchers Ask: Is Caviar a Diamond?Colgate Researchers Ask: Is Caviar a Diamond? tmfonda@colgate.edu Sophie Karbstein ’26 and Professor of Russian and Eurasian Studies Jessica Graybill are sharing a unique faculty-led research experience this summer: they’re surveying the cultural and environmental dimensions of Russian caviar. Known for producing the most expensive caviar on the market, Russia’s fish egg industry is at the center of the eight-week research experience, derived from Graybill’s scholarly interests. “I’m a geographer by training,” Graybill explains, “and my interests lie in how environments and cultures interact.” Graybill will mentor Karbstein — a former student who took her FSEM on Silk Roads — as they conduct a literature review and partnered analysis. “One of the reasons I was interested in this project was because I had worked with Professor Graybill before,” says Karbstein, who also participated in Graybill’s extended study to Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan. “Research-wise, I’m interested in the countries around the Caspian Sea, where there’s a lot of sturgeon that make caviar.” Karbstein spends her days reading books on the history of caviar, taking detailed notes and organizing them into environmental, cultural, and commodity-related categories. Her work will contribute to Graybill’s forthcoming book, which will combine these points into a cohesive narrative. So far, the duo has uncovered much about the cultural construction of luxury. “Although Russian caviar is perceived as the best, caviar from farms in other regions can be just as good, if not better, based on its flavor and texture,” says Karbstein, who describes good caviar as having a “firm and not mushy” texture as well as a salty, rich flavor profile. “Resources are always cultural as well as environmental,” adds Graybill, “so they aren’t inherently valuable until humans make them so.” According to Graybill, caviar extraction has been happening for centuries — it started with proto-Russians and other populations. But during the Soviet era, the resource became a luxury commodity, endangering the sturgeon that provide the roe, or eggs. “The sturgeon populations around the Caspian Sea that had become endangered are now protected,” says Graybill. “This restricts production and makes true Russian caviar an even greater luxury good." With this in mind, Karbstein and Graybill remain curious about the connection between fish eggs and high prices. “Is caviar a diamond?” asks Graybill, who wonders how best to synthesize the social-construction and ethics of the caviar market throughout history. “Caviar’s journey from resource to luxury is a testament to human ingenuity and its impact on natural environments,” she says. University Studies Research News and Updates Faculty & Staff Student Russian and Eurasian Studies Program Sturgeon, a source of Russian caviar (sfe-co2)
- Colgate University Sets New Giving RecordColgate University Sets New Giving Record Contributing Writer Colgate University has set a new philanthropic record as alumni, parents, and friends of the University gave $10.2 million for the Colgate Fund. Read more.Alumni Third Century News and Updates Alumni
- NSF Grant to Bring New Computing Infrastructure to CampusNSF Grant to Bring New Computing Infrastructure to Campus afunk The National Science Foundation has granted Colgate University $500,000 to upgrade its high-performance computing cluster, accelerating research and undergraduate education in Colgate’s STEM departments and beyond. Read more.News and Updates Faculty & Staff
- Colgate Athletics Year in ReviewColgate Athletics 2023-24 Year in Review
- Three Raiders Named All-America ScholarsHAMILTON – Three members of the Colgate golf team were named All-America Scholars by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) on Thursday. This year's Raider honorees on the prestigious list included Justin Fedele, Robbie Herzig, and Kevin Hollomon.
- Pennington’s Head Coaching PipelineHAMILTON – Head men's and women's tennis coach Bobby Pennington has a stellar reputation for mentoring some of the finest student-athletes in the Patriot League. But in Pennington's 18 seasons at the helm in Hamilton Colgate has also been a hotbed for up-and-coming coaches, ushering eight former assistants into head coaching positions.
- Five Raiders Named Preseason All-LeagueBETHLEHEM, Pa. — Treyvhon Saunders, Bardhyl Gashi, Chance Niesner, Christian Sweeney, and Shelby Pruett will represent the Raiders on the 2024 Preseason All-Patriot League squad, the conference announced Wednesday morning. Colgate was also selected to finish fourth by league coaches and sports information directors and was one of only three teams to receive a first-place vote.
- Dakosty Hires Two Quality Control CoachesHAMILTON — Fred '50 and Marilyn Dunlap Head Football Coach Stan Dakosty announced the hiring of Brady Thompson and Brandon Williams as the defensive and offensive quality control coaches, respectively, for the upcoming 2024 season.
- Colgate University @colgateuniv Aug 3, 2023A team of three astrophysicists — Katherine Freese at the University of Texas at Austin, in collaboration with Colgate Assistant Professor Cosmin Ilie and Jillian Paulin ’23, have found some of the strongest evidence for dark stars to date.https://t.co/5Ugm9LgjtL
- Colgate University @colgateuniv Aug 2, 2023The Longyear Museum of Anthropology hosted “Imagining Indigeneity in a Global Future,” curated and designed by Justice Wysinger ’23 last spring.https://t.co/9w6lonwCYP https://t.co/e9eED4sTad
- Colgate University @colgateuniv Aug 1, 2023Colgate University has added vocational and trade schools to its benefit for employees’ children.The University offers financial support for employee children who attend an accredited college or university and now, trade or vocational schools.https://t.co/hKMIsC3Hz5 https://t.co/l4ZrCoOMzt
- Colgate University @colgateuniv Jul 31, 2023Professor DeWitt Godfrey's piece, Belken, has been chosen as one of the 2023 CODAawards Top 100. Public voting for the People's Choice Award is happening now. https://t.co/SSKOogA8o2 https://t.co/Vu3LMG0pLq
- Colgate University @colgateuniv Jul 30, 2023The Colgate men's and women's soccer programs will host the annual "Kick with the Raiders" event Wednesday, Aug. 9, at 5:30 p.m. Participants will be able to meet team members and take part in drills and games.https://t.co/iD6JHjWJbn https://t.co/7SaLVrhmie
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