From translation theory to cell phone displays

BY LIZA BANHALMI
Contributing Writer

It may have been easy for some to leave the University’s campus immediately after spring semester, but others just could not bear to get away. While some people spent their summers vacationing or just relaxing at home a handful of students stayed on campus doing research.

“It was easy to stay here during the summer because I love the campus and it’s very difficult to leave for so long over the summer,” Cara Jellison ’08 said.

As an accounting and chemistry major, Jellison did research in order to get more involved in the chemistry department. In the fall of 2005 her organic chemistry professor told Jellison about his research opportunities and asked her to stay to do research during the summer.

The title of the project was “Sequential Radical and Anionic Polymerization Leading to Two Different Polymer Chains Grown From a Single Carbon: Synthesis of Fluorenyl Macromonomers,” which Jellison simplified.

“I tried to grow two different polymer arms off a fluorene unit and eventually a polyfluorene unit,” Jellison said.

Polyfluorene is a substance commonly used for display purposes in things like cell phones. She did analysis using techniques such as a nuclear magnetic resonance, or using a “big magnet,” and gel permeation chromatography, which tells the molecular mass of a polymer.

Besides doing research, Jellison also gave campus and science faculty tours through the admissions department. In her free time she ran and cycled.

Eric Tillman, assistant professor of chemistry, and a few other students are continuing the project. They hope a publication will come out of it soon.

Nick Kupensky ’07 did research in a fairly uncommon area: English. He looked at “The Lives of the English Poets,” “A Dictionary of the English Language” and various essays, all written by Samuel Johnson, a writer from the 18th century.

Kupensky said he “looked at the writings as acts of translation” and in the perspective of translation theory. Translation, in this sense, can also be thought of as interpretation. Kupensky looked at Johnson’s writing and its translational nature and was concerned with understanding – how one person understands another and what gets in the way.

This concerned not only a misunderstanding between two people but also what gets in the way of understanding writing. He looked at the language of Johnson and how people tried to understand it but did not, and related this all to translation theory.

Kupensky met once a week with his research advisor, Professor of English Greg Clingham. Clingham is one of the world authorities on Samuel Johnson and has published works on translation and translation theory.

Despite only meeting with his advisor once a week, Kupensky was still hard at work developing translation theory using Johnson’s work.

“I’m bringing things together that haven’t been brought together,” Kupensky said.

As a product of his research over the summer, Kupensky wrote an essay on his work, “speaking in the vernacular of a person in translation theory.” Originally, Kupensky wanted to publish his work but thought it would be more useful if he integrated it into other research. He hopes to turn his work into a book on translation theory in graduate school.

Both Jellison and Kupensky are advocates of summer research at the University.

“I would definitely recommend underclassmen to take advantages of all of the research opportunities,” Jellison said. “A lot of the projects available allow students to do things at the undergraduate level that a lot of other schools do not allow, like have a student’s name on a publication as an author. Through research, you can learn a lot more about the field of study; plus, it can potentially look great on a resume if you do a good job.”

“Research is one of the most rejuvenating things someone can do at Bucknell,” Kupensky said. “You decide everything; you determine all the rules. You can set academics to the rhythms of your everyday life. You don’t have to trudge on other people’s schedules.”

It is easy for anyone to get involved in research. Just talk to a professor, or if you have an idea yourself, map it out, present it to the appropriate professor, and you are on your way.