SOFIA Application
Summer Opportunities for Intellectual Activities
Our Summer Opportunities for Intellectual Activities (SOFIA) program gives new students a chance to get on campus early and start building their new community. It brings together those new students with returning students who serve as mentors and faculty to conduct in-depth research and inquiry into a wide range of subjects from the sciences to the arts.
SOFIA Program Highlights
- Arrive three weeks early
- Stipend, housing and meals provided during the three weeks of SOFIA
- Work with your group during the weekdays and participate in social activities on nights and weekends, starting with the welcome picnic on the evening of move in
- Present your work to the campus community on the day of the matriculation ceremony
Applying for the SOFIA Program
Accepted seniors with a 3.6 GPA are invited to apply for SOFIA.
Username: your Monmouth College ID #
Password: your last name (with the first letter of your last name capitalized)
Acceptance into the program will be on a rolling basis. Apply early as the selection process is competitive and projects fill up quickly. You will be contacted by the Admission Office if you are selected for a project. Be sure to review the project options below before submitting your application so you can preference the projects you’re most excited about.
2023 SOFIA Application available Spring 2023
2022 SOFIA Projects
Faculty Lead: Art Professor Janis Wunderlich
Building Community Through Art: A Community Mural Project
Join a team of student artist activists as we assist in painting a large-scale mural promoting diversity in the local community. We will also design and create an on-campus mural.
Faculty Lead: Art professor Ashwani Kumar (Physics)
Exploring the Metaverse: virtual worlds and the future of the reality
Metaverse is our new digital world, a virtual-reality space in which users can interact with a computer-generated environment and other users. True virtual reality creates the illusion of being in a difference space. It can be used for training, treatment, and communication. In fact, on campus we use VR for the study of human anatomy. In this project you will learn to create digital assets, in a virtual-world of your own or in an avatar to explore the existing worlds. An ideal student for this project will be a creative student with some exposure to digital arts (photo/video editing), knowledge of any computer programing (e.g., Python, C#, JAVA, HTML, Kotlin) language is a bonus.
Faculty: James Godde (Biology)
Lichen Biodiversity as a Measure of the Effects of Climate Change
While it is clear that climate change is having a diverse effect on biodiversity, this fact is not always immediately apparent in the Midwest, where agricultural monoculture predominates. Lichens, a symbiotic relationship between a fungus and an alga, are particularly susceptible to changes in climate and decreases in air quality. During the first week of SOFIA, we will travel to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan, so named because of the vast diversity of lichens on the rocks that make up the shores of Lake Superior, to take a survey of this diversity. Although baseline studies were carried out in the 20th century, no one has reinvestigated lichen diversity to see if it has decreased during the last few decades. We will use traditional morphological identification techniques in the field, but also bring back samples for molecular analysis in the laboratory during the final two weeks of SOFIA.
Faculty: Janet Ugolino (Biology & Neuroscience)
The Genetics of Smell
Anosmia, or loss of smell, is estimated to effect 3-20% of people in the United States. Although it is well established that physical trauma, infections, and allergies can cause smell loss, less is known about the genetic basis of this condition. In the laboratory, understanding how genes contribute to the development of sensory disorders and other conditions is often accomplished using model organisms. During this SOFIA project, we will use the model organism C. elegans, a microscopic roundworm, to investigate genes potentially associated with anosmia. Students will accomplish this by examining the behavioral response of mutant worms to specific odorants. During this project, student will gain experience using a dissecting microscope as well as working with an organism commonly used in biology/neuroscience research. Students interested in neuroscience or biology are encouraged to apply.
Faculty: Daniel Kane (Business & Economics)
Student Price Index & Local Responses to Inflation
The prices of goods are rising. People are seeing the effects at the grocery store and at the gas pump. The way inflation is usually measured is through the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The CPI is intended to show how prices are changing for the average American. We are going to look at the processes used to calculate CPI, and use them to create a price index that is tailored specifically to the students of Monmouth College. This “Student Price Index” will help us learn how prices are affecting students at our college specifically. Using survey results from Spring of 2022, the students in this SOFIA project will learn how student consumption differs/relates to average consumption. We will also research local price changes from the past several years and interview local business owners to learn how they have dealt with the recent rise in prices. Students who have an interest in business, economics, and human behavior would likely enjoy this project. Some light math and statistics will be used throughout the project
Faculty: Brad Sturgeon (Chemistry)
A Biochemical Perspective of the Microbiome
The microbiome is a collective term used to refer to the microorganisms (bacteria, archaea, viruses, and fungi) that reside within an ecosystem. These microorganisms make up ~16% of the Earth’s total biomass, while human make up a mere 0.01%. All animals on Earth account for just 0.5% and plants are the largest form of biomass at ~83%. Microorganisms go unnoticed since they are not visible to the human eye. They live on our skin, in our bodies, in soil, in water, and well just about on every surface on Earth. Under a microscope these organisms can have unique physical appearances, but for the majority of bacteria and archaea, they all look nearly identical. Don’t let appearance fool you, most bacteria are harmless (you even include them in your diet ex. yogurt and cheese), but some bacteria are harmful (ex. C. diff and H. pylori). In order to identify bacteria we must look at their DNA. During this SOFIA project we will use bacteria to make a variety of food items (yogurt, sourdough bread, pickles, etc.), isolate DNA from foods, soil, and water samples, and use DNA sequencing to identify the genus and species of bacteria present. Students should have an interest in chemistry or biochemistry. Additionally, they should be interested in working in the lab and trying new things.
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Faculty: Robert Utterback (Computer Science)
Build Your Own Computer from Scratch
How do computers actually work? Students in this project will find out by building a computer by hand. We will build a simple 8-bit computer by physically wiring up switches, LEDs, and chips on a series of electronics “breadboards.” Students will gain hands-on experience in computer architecture, digital logic, and circuits. Students considering any STEM field, especially computer science or electrical engineering, will find this project of most interest. No experience necessary; we will learn as we go.
Faculty: Shahed Quadir (Engineering)
Counterfeit electronic components detection using a simple circuit
Counterfeit parts are penetrating the electronic supply chain significantly now. The electronic components are taken from the scrapped board and then cleaned, remarked, and sold in the open market. They are of great concern to US governments because the equipment failures or malfunctions can present situations that cause mission failures, health, and safety concerns, and could jeopardize national security. This SOFIA project will explore counterfeit electronic component detection based on physical inspection or simple electrical tests. We will also implement the setup in a protoboard for different resistor-capacitor pairs to detect counterfeit products. Students will learn to read research articles, simulate in MATLAB, and finally, how to implement the design in a Protoboard in this project. Students interested in science, physics, engineering, chemistry, or biology are encouraged to apply.
Regina Johnson ’01 (Director of Student Equity, Inclusion & Community) and Jeff Rankin (College Historian)
Champion for Change: The Origins of the Early Social Justice Movement at Monmouth College
From its founding, Monmouth College has been committed to providing not only a rich education, but also producing a quality and well-rounded student. Embedded within that education has been a promise of diversity of not just thought, but people. Unusual for its time, Monmouth was founded as a coeducational institution, which led to the founding of Pi Beta Phi (1867) and Kappa Kappa Gamma (1870)—two of the first two nationally recognized women’s fraternities. Prior to the founding of these two “alpha chapters,” a notable champion had already paved the way. Born a slave in Berrien County, Kentucky, Champion Miller purchased himself out of enslavement on December 5, 1848 (roughly 17 years prior to the end of the Civil War). Then, sometime during 1856, Champion Miller arrived in Monmouth in search of his brother, Richard Murphy, who had settled within the community alongside his master, Joseph Murphy. Through this SOFIA project, the life, impact and legacy of the first Black man to be educated by members of the Monmouth College community, will be examined. Research will be conducted using (but not limited to) primary and secondary sources, genealogy tracing, the Monmouth College archives, the Warren County Historical Society, and members of Faith Presbyterian Church. If you love an adventure, this project is sure to keep you engaged and asking for more!
Faculty: Jeffrey Montes (Kinesiology)
Wearable technology research project
This SOFIA session will consist of a research project that will examine the consistency and accuracy of several wearable technology devices to count steps. A mixed pattern of movement while walking and jogging in a free motion setting will be performed. There will be portions that may involve moving forward and backwards, lateral side to side motion, and navigating around simple objects such as a cone. Additionally, as there are no current, standard protocols for the evaluation of wearable technology, we will look at the various methods used to physically measure different data categories (heart rate, steps, etc.) and what previous testing protocols have been utilized. Suggestions as to how to improve these protocols (if needed) will be discussed along with the potential to create new, improved ones altogether. Students interested in kinesiology, wellness, sports coaching, and computers would enjoy this project. They should be interested in reading science literature, promoting healthy lifestyles, collaborating on group based discussion, and participating in hands on research.
Faculty: Michael Sostarecz (Mathematics)
An Intersection of Mathematics, Photography, and Archaeology
Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) is an imaging technique used in archaeology. After taking multiple pictures of the same object under different lighting conditions, a program uses a combination of physics and data science to makes high-resolution predictions about the artifact’s surface. By adjusting the balance between light and shadow, hidden details on the artifact can be unveiled. Besides archaeology, this technique also gets used to non-invasively investigate fossils and forensic evidence.
Students participating within the project will learn how to take the pictures for the data set, be introduced to the physics of how the light bounces off a surface and use the programs that bring out the artifact’s hidden details. My ideal team would have incoming students interested in a STEM major (mathematics/computer science/physics/engineering) and the other incoming student interested in one of the application areas (art/history/classics/biology/forensic science).
Faculty: Chris Fasano (Physics)
Electric Skies: Studying the Storms with The Monmouth College Lightning Research Group
Atmospheric Electricity is the study of the many strange electrical phenomena that can and do occur in our atmosphere and the atmospheres of other planets. Lightning itself, generated in thunderstorms and volcanic eruptions is fantastically interesting and cloud-based lightning has even been observed on other planets. X-Rays, Gamma Rays, and even neutrons have been associated with lightning and other electrical effects in the earth’s atmosphere and provide an interesting way of studying storms, lightning, and the atmosphere. The Monmouth College Lightning Research Group is studying atmospheric emissions of X-Rays and Gamma Rays associated with lightning with an array of deployed detectors. In this SOFIA project we will continue to expand our study by building new detectors, analyzing existing data, and building a prototype “LMA” — a Lightning Mapping Array that will allow us to plot individual strikes using VHF radio signals and fast timing. We want a light, fast, inexpensive, and easily deployable array to be able to map lightning in the sky, connecting it with our current measurements. There are many, many interesting aspects to this project, including atmospheric science, nuclear and particle physics, data analysis, computational modeling, and electrical and radio engineering. In addition to working on campus, we may travel to our remote detectors as well. Our motto is: “We like bad weather” and we may also do some storm spotting if weather permits. Students may continue to work on these problems after SOFIA is over.
Faculty: Andre Audette (Political Science)
Experimenting With Politics
The scientific study of politics has seen an increasing use of experiments to examine social behaviors like how to get people to vote, how to persuade people, and how to get people to reveal controversial opinions. During this project, we will learn about political experiments and put learning into practice by conducting a nationwide survey experiment. Along the way, you’ll learn some basic statistical analysis and how to experiment on your family and friends. Students interested in politics, psychology, sociology, or working with data will enjoy this project the most. Exposure to statistics is helpful but not necessary; we’ll learn as we go.
Faculty: Sydney Greenwalt (Psychology)
Campus Pride: Assessing LGBTQ+ Campus Climate and Building Safe Spaces
LGBTQ+ students often face increased levels of psychological distress due to marginalization in addition to opportunities for community connectedness and involvement which can improve overall well-being (Roberts & Christens, 2020). In this SOFIA project, students will act as community psychologists engaging in social justice through collaborative research and action. Students have the opportunity to analyze data regarding LGBTQ+ student experiences on campus. We will meet with the local LGBT community organization to root ourselves in the broader community’s need and visit other college’s LGBT resources centers to understand the importance collective action. This project aims to create specific and measurable recommendations to increase inclusivity and support for sexual and gender diverse students on campus and aims to help open Monmouth College’s Rainbow Room – a safe space for LGBTQ+ students. Students interested in psychology, sexuality and gender studies, sociology, and social justice are encouraged to apply.