Pomona College
AC-9: Academic Research

Andrabi, Tahir Economics Auerbach, Lisa Art Beck, Colin Sociology Becker, David Biology Bernhard, Betty Theatre Brown, Eleanor Economics Buriel, Raymond Psychology/Chicano Studies Cartagena-Calderon, Jose Romance Languages Chandler, Gabe Mathematics Chavez-Silverman, Suzanne Romance Languages Cheng, Eileen Asian Languages Chin, Angelina History Chinn, Christopher Classics Crane, Edward Chemistry Crighton, Elizabeth Politics Cutter, Bowman Economics Davis, Ann Philosophy Eisenstadt, Oona Religious Studies Englebert, Pierre Politics Feldblum, Miriam Politics Foster, Lorn Politics Friedlander, Jennifer Art Gaines, Robert Geology Gladney, Dru Anthropology Gorse, George Art Goto, Sharon Asian American Studies Gravendyk Burial, Hillary English Green, Michael Philosophy Grigsby, Jill Sociology Grosfils, Eric Geology Hall, Jonathan Media Studies Hanzawa, Frances Biology Hazlett, Richard Geology Hoopes, Laura Biology Howe, Kathleen Art Hurley, Eric Psychology/Africana Studies Irish, Jerry Religious Studies Jackson, Phyllis Art Jolley, Meg Dance Jurewitz, John Economics Karnovsky, Nina Biology Kassam, Zayn Religious Studies Khazeni, Arash History Kim, Anna Environmental Analysis Kuehlwein, Michael Economics Kwok, Alfred Physics Lackey, Jade Star Geology Lemelle, Sidney History Levin, Rachel Biology Likens, James Economics Lozano, Fernando Economics Lu, Joyce Theatre Mahdavi, Pardis Anthropology Marks, Stephen Economics Martinez, Daniel Biology Mayes, April History Menefee-Libey, David Politics Miller, Char Environmental Analysis Miyake, Lynne Asian Languages Montenegro, Nivia Romance Languages Moore, Jonathan Biology Moore, Thomas Physics Ng, Zhiru Biology Ochoa, Gilda Sociology/Chicana/o-Latina/o Studies Olson, Sara Biology O'Malley, Michael Art Oxtoby, David Chemistry Paster, Mary Linguistics and Cognitive Science Perini, Laura Philosophy Pohl, Francis Art Portillo, Rose Theatre Rapaport, Jill Sociology Reinen, Linda Geology Rindisbacher, Hans German Runions, Erin Religious Studies Seery, John Politics Shay, Anthony Theatre and Dance Smith, Darryl Religious Studies Steinberger, Michael Economics Summers Sandoval, Tomas History/Chicana/o-Latina/o Studies Tanenbaum, David Physics Taylor, Charles Chemistry Thai, Hung Asian American Studies Thomas, Valorie English/Africana Studies Thompson, Suzanne Psychology Tinker Salas, Miguel History/Chicana/o-Latina/o Studies Tompkins, Kyla English Whitaker, Dwight Physics Williams, Heather Politics Wolf, Kenneth History Worthington, Richard Politics Wright, Jonathan Biology Yamashita, Samuel History

The Sustainability Integration Office searched all Faculty Profiles for information about sustainability-related research, which is defined as focusing on analytical, empirical, theoretical, and creative frameworks within which exist past, current, and future environmental issues. This research establishes relationships between diverse environmental, economic, and social factors.

Rick Worthington, Department of Politics, with Rose Egelhoff ’14 and Steven Sander ’13, helped plan, implement and research World Wide Views on Biodiversity, a day of citizen deliberations in 25 countries around the world on September 15, 2012 involving 3000 people who discussed policy issues for the October 2012 UN Convention on Biodiversity meetings. Worthington and colleagues from other sites around the world presented the results showing citizen views on ways to preserve biodiversity at the biodiversity convention, where authorities requested that this form of citizen input continue at its biennial meetings and be integrated with its decision-making processes. A report on the project was presented at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in December 2012. Heather Williams, Department of Politics, co-founded the Suma Quta Watershed Defense Project in the Lake Titicaca basin with her counterpart Javier Bojorquez, of Puno, Peru. This project, meaning "Beautiful Lake" in the Aymara language, focuses on improving aquatic ecosystems and public health by monitoring water quality and working with communities on strategies for purifying water and eliminating point sources of pollution. Williams has taken three students to the Altiplano to conduct feasibility studies on monitoring methods, evaluate effectiveness of monitor training by the network, and evaluate point sources of pollution, work that has morphed into the local project that current Environmental Analysis major seniors are conducting on the Santa Ana River for the basin's waterkeepers. David Tanenbaum, Department of Physics, with Scott Berkeley '09, Jenna deBoisblanc '11, Leo Rosetti '12, Gretta Mae Ferguson '13, Robert McElwaine, '14, and Emily Yang '14, has since 2008 been working in Tanenbaum's research lab exploring fabrication and characterization of low-cost, high-stability polymer solar cells. Much of this work is in collaboration with Professor Fredrik Krebs from Denmark. Tanenbaum spent academic year 2010-2011 with Krebs while on sabbatical leave from Pomona. Also, since 2009, Tanenbaum, with Ben Pollard '11, Matthew Hasling '12, and Eric Puma '14, has been exploring fabrication of graphene sheets via chemical vapor deposition, which could be used as transparent electrodes in low cost solar cells based on a long standing collaboration with Professor Paul McEuen from Cornell University. Char Miller, the W.M. Keck Professor of Environmental Analysis, has published the books: • Seeking the Greatest Good: The Conservation Legacy of Gifford Pinchot (Univ. of Pittsburgh Press, 2013), • Death valley National Park: A History (with Hal K. Rothman, Univ. of Nevada Reno Press, 2013); • On the Edge: Water, Immigration, and Politics in the Southwest); and • Public Lands, Public Debates: A Century of Controversy (Oregon University Press, 2012). He also co-edited Between Ruin and Restoration: An Environmental History of Israel (Univ. of Pittsburgh Press, 2013). His blog for KCET.org, Golden Green, is being recognized with the American Society for Environmental History "Outreach Project Award" in March 2014. Charles Taylor, associate professor of chemistry, part of a research team awarded a 2013 $599,858 grant from the National Science Foundation’s Partnerships for Innovation program for the project “Raman Spectroscopic Platform for Analysis of Volatile Organic Compound Biomarkers.” The project aims to establish the key technical innovations for a compact, cost-effective, and user-friendly Raman-based platform to analyze organic compounds in the gas phase or in aqueous solution at the point-of-care or point-of-use for medical, industrial, emergency response and defense related applications.