Into the Woods: Ripon College's Andrew Kaldunski '12 conducting ecological research at Harvard Forest

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Ripon College's Andrew Kaldunski '12 (Edgar, Wis.) gathers data from a hydrological sensor at Harvard Forest.

RIPON, WI (07/05/2011)(readMedia)-- Andrew Kaldunski, a Ripon College senior computer science major from Edgar, Wis., is conducting research into effective data processing for a real-time hydrological sensor network at the Harvard Forest in Petersham, Mass.

The 11-week Harvard Forest summer research (a National Science Foundation-funded Research Experience for Undergraduates) program has been running for nearly 20 years. This year was one of their most competitive to date, with just 30 students chosen from a pool of more than 500 applicants.

Working with a faculty mentor, each student completes an independent project during the course of the program. At the end of the summer, students will present their work at an annual research symposium. Students are also encouraged to work with their mentors over the coming academic year to publish their results in scientific papers, honors theses, conference abstracts, and other forums. Many alumni choose to continue their research during graduate school and beyond, and Andrew is no exception.

"I am going to pursue continuing my education, preferably at Harvard, UMass - Amherst, or the University of Wisconsin to get an MS and possibly Ph.D. in Computer Science," said Andrew.

To learn more about the program, visit the student blog at harvardforestreu.blogspot.com or the official Harvard Forest REU page at harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/education/reu/reu.html.

About Ripon College

Ripon College, founded in 1851, prepares students of diverse interests for lives of productive, socially responsible citizenship. Ripon's liberal arts curriculum and residential campus create an intimate learning community in which students experience a richly personalized education. Ripon has consistently been recognized as a "best value" and "Best 373 College" by The Princeton Review, a "Best Buy in College Education" by Barron's, a "Best Liberal-Arts College" by Washington Monthly, a "Top 25 Schools for Do-Gooders" by Newsweek, among the top-tier and best-value colleges by U.S. News and World Report, and among the top 200 private colleges in the nation overall and for value by Forbes Magazine. For more information about Ripon College, visit www.ripon.edu.