'A culture of excellence’

More than 100 students found the freedom—and space—to explore and collaborate on more than 20 projects as part of this summer’s Mountaintop 2014 experience.
 
Teams investigated ways to reduce indoor air pollution plaguing parts of the developing world, developed a soil-less food production system and developed technologies to create Smart Spaces. Others worked on documentaries, built an interactive play space and pursued entrepreneurial ventures.

“I like the culture of excellence that this provides,” said Alex Derish ’15, who was part of the Lehigh Aquaponics team that built an educational system for raising tilapia and growing basil. “If you give a Lehigh student a problem, they’re going to find a way to solve it. If you give 100 Lehigh students a problem, they’re going to find a really interesting way to solve it.”

As a measure of the impact on students, several teams will continue their work beyond Mountaintop.
 
In recent interviews with Lehigh visual storyteller Stephanie Veto, students involved in Mountaintop 2014 talked about what they learned this summer– not only in their research but also in solving problems, failing and succeeding and collaborating with fellow students.
 
You can read more about the projects on the Mountaintop blog.

Related Stories

food pantry being stocked

Lehigh Opens Two New Food Pantries for Students in Need

The food pantries are located in Johnson Hall on the Asa Packer Campus and Iacocca Hall on the Mountaintop Campus.

flags behind a fence

Study: Threat of Deportation Leads to Psychological Distress Among Both Latino Citizens and Noncitizens

Amy Johnson and research collaborators find it’s not just undocumented immigrants who feel at risk.

Nicole Johnson research

New Research Highlights Link Between School Shootings and Violence Against Women

Research led by Nicole Johnson, associate professor of counseling psychology, finds that 70% of school shooters have perpetrated violence against women and can influence prevention strategies.