Kevin Liddell, a senior physics major from South Bend, Indiana, Drew Hackman, a 2024 graduate and physics major from Bethesda, Maryland and Paul Reimer, professor of physics, observed water storage and conducted a clustering study of regions grouped by greater and lesser changes in water storage during a window of COVID-19 economic impact, identifying the common features of the ensuing clusters.
Summer Undergraduate
Maple Scholars
Research Program
Spend your Summer doing Research that Meters
Whether it’s exploring the relationship between math and music, testing the stress levels of drunk honeybees, or developing curriculum for a criminal justice course at the county jail, each year Goshen College students spend the summer doing intense study and research during the college’s eight-week Maple Scholars program.
During the program, each scholar is paired with a faculty member who serves as both colleague and supervisor. Creating a community of scholars, the students all live together and take turns presenting their research and answering questions during Friday colloquiums. At the end is a celebration day when the results of each project are presented to the public.
Previous Maple Scholars
a natural experiment on groundwater withdrawals
Spanish literature
Adriana Martinez Diaz De Leon, a 2022 graduate and psychology major from Goshen and Cristóbal Garza González are selecting several creative works by US Latinx and Latin American writers to develop a six-lesson unit to be taught in Hispanic and Latinx culture and literature courses. Through this project, they are hoping to find connections between current Latinx literary expressions and the experiences of students at Goshen College.
Mosquito Genetics/Queen Bee Genomics
Zeynep (Sude) Aytekin, a computer science major from Turkey, worked with David Housman, professor of mathematics, to develop a mathematical model of a scenario, define fairness properties or rules of engagement, suggest solution concepts, determine solutions for their specific situation and provide appropriate interpretations.
Roommates and Room Matchings
Josiah Miller, a sophomore math and secondary education double major from Cedar Springs, Michigan, studied game theory with David Housman, professor of mathematics and chair of the department, studying algorithms to solve the “roommate problem,” a classic game theory problem where the goal is to find stable matching for an even-sized set.
Goshen spotlight documentaries
Silas Immanuel, a senior film production major from India and Isabel Massud, a senior film production major from Brazil, are working with Kyle Hufford, associate professor of communication, to create a short-form documentary covering the local story of Cora Dale, a successful teacher and musician who spent most of her adult life in a mental institution.
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Goshen Alumni [YEAR}
Current Role
Common Questions About Maple Scholars
Maple Scholars is a funded summer program, and scholars live together on campus for the eight weeks. Goshen College supports undergraduate research through the Maple Scholars, Witmer and Miller endowments. Stipend and housing details are set year to year, so ask the program director for the figures for the coming summer.
Any question a faculty member will supervise. Maple Scholars have explored the relationship between mathematics and music, tested stress levels in drunk honeybees, and developed curriculum for a criminal justice course taught at the county jail. The program is not limited to laboratory science, or to the sciences at all.
Yes. Graduate and professional programs look for evidence that you can define a question, work at it without daily supervision, and defend what you found. Eight weeks with a faculty mentor produces exactly that, along with a recommendation letter from someone who watched you work closely instead of grading your exams.
Not necessarily. Some scholars arrive with a question of their own, and others join a line of work a professor already has running. Both are normal. What matters is that you and your mentor agree on what the summer is for before the eight weeks start.
Your faculty mentor serves as both colleague and supervisor, which means the project is yours to run and theirs to push on. The Friday colloquiums add a second layer of accountability, because each week you explain your reasoning to the whole cohort of scholars and answer their questions.
Start with a conversation
Andy Ammons directs Maple Scholars and is a professor of biology at Goshen College. Current students with a question they cannot stop thinking about, and prospective students who want to know whether their field takes part, should email him.