by Steffanie Lindgren ’10

A Mach 3.5 shock tunnel worked on by Bethel physics student researchers this summer.

A Mach 3.5 shock tunnel, a genetic defect in the human lung, landing systems for Mars, and interdepartmental collaboration were all part of student researchers’ summer experience at Bethel. Students representing the physics, psychology, biology, chemistry, English, and mathematics and computer science departments gave semi-formal presentations over pizza every Thursday.

The lunches were the brainchild of Bethel Professor of Psychology Adam Johnson: “I did summer research when I was an undergraduate, and it was in those summer research talks and lunches that I started to feel like a scientist.

“I was delighted to see how many good researchers there are at Bethel who collaborate with students,” said Johnson. “One of the highlights for me was seeing Nathan Gossett [Department of Mathematics and Computer Science] listen to a talk given by Keith Stein’s [Department of Physics] students and say, ‘I can help you.’”

Senior physics students Jack Houlton and Nathan Youngblood collaborated with Isaac Livingston of the computer science and mathematics department as a result of the research lunches. Houlton described the lunches: “This experience was pretty enriching. It just means much more when you are sharing your work with others and connecting different things. It was an incredibly supportive environment.”

Zach Varberg, a senior and third-generation Bethel student, said “I could see areas where my skill set—computer science—could be used to solve a problem other student researchers were facing. I looked forward to each and every week. It’s beneficial to get a broader view of things.”

Professor of Physics Keith Stein said, “The talks were a very good experience. [Students had to] present what they were doing clearly and in a way that a diverse audience could understand. It builds their confidence, because they saw that they were doing relevant and interesting projects.”

“At first, I thought it was a good opportunity for a free lunch,” said Youngblood. “Then I started meeting people from other departments, which was really valuable. “We talked about what to expect in grad school and the application process. It was nice to have someone with experience tell us the ins and outs of grad applications.”