What do sex and Bratz dolls, robots and Velcro, and mud and the Triassic period have in common? All three topics were among the student presentations featured at the 2009 Colby Undergraduate Summer Research Retreat (CUSRR), held in June in The Forks, Maine. Organized by Assistant Professor of Chemistry Kevin Rice ’96 and in its second year, the retreat highlights the research done by students and faculty at Colby each summer. “While it’s a pretty common thing at larger schools, I thought it would be a unique thing at a smaller school,” said Rice.

This year’s two-day retreat featured 57 student research presentations representing the breadth of Colby’s liberal arts curriculum. The “usual suspects”—biology and chemistry—were heavily represented, but the 115 Colby students, faculty, and staff in attendance also saw presentations ranging from the exploitative branding of Bratz dolls (American studies) to allowing people to visit the Colby Museum of Art remotely using robots (computer science). A complete list of topics is at www.colby.edu/CUSRR.

The program also connects students and faculty with alumni researchers. This year’s keynote speaker, Scott Murchie ’81, is a planetary geologist and leading Mars researcher who spoke about his work and the search for life on Mars. [See “Mars Up Close,” summer 2008 Colby.]

Research is the focus, but CUSRR is not all “Downstream targets of D-Pax2 in D. melanogaster” and no play. Day two included rafting led by Rob Peabody ’96 and Crab Apple Whitewater or a hike led by Associate Professor of Biology Russell Johnson. “Given the unique flavor of the summer research experience, it seemed appropriate to get everyone together,” said Rice.

A video of CUSRR 2009 is available at www.insidecolby.com/video. —D.T.E.