Each summer, students work side-by-side with faculty on research on a wide range of topics including pharmaceutical development, watershed management, the people and place of Geneva, NY, gravitational waves, neuronal systems, the dark side of development, migratory birds, planetary systems, plant genomics, invasive species, cognition, mindfulness, cancer, microbes, genetics and more.
Under the mentorship of faculty from across the institution, our students are learning to solve the world’s most pressing challenges. It is common for HWS research students to co-author papers and present at regional and national conferences alongside their faculty mentors, an advantage in the job market and graduate school admissions.
Mentorship Matters
As a research-intensive liberal arts and sciences institution, research and teaching are deeply intertwined in and out of the classroom. Mentorship is a defining feature of the student experience, from introductory courses through the completion of a major, to co-curricular explorations and post-graduation planning.
Gifts for Student Research
Thinking About the Future: Brad Spring '88 Gives Back to HWS Sciences
In recognition of the lasting impact of his education, Brad Spring ’88 establishes an endowed scholarship and summer science support for future generations of HWS students.
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“Life-Changing Impacts”: Gift Supports Opportunity and Experience
A new gift celebrates first-generation students and wide-ranging research opportunities, with support for an endowed scholarship and four endowed summer research funds.
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Tapper '64 Funds Scientific Research
Working closely with the HWS science faculty, fellow alums and supporters of the Colleges' programs in science, Dr. Edward Tapper '64 is making dreams and opportunities for student research in the sciences possible. The Edward J. Tapper M.D. '64 Science Research Fund will immediately support hands-on research opportunities for HWS students and will be funded in perpetuity through Tapper's estate.
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Nothing More Important
A $1 million gift from the Midgley Foundation establishes a permanent fund to support summer research projects focused on environmental conservation.
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PROCESS OF COLLABORATION
At HWS, undergraduate students have the opportunity to engage in collaborative research that tackles age-old problems and emerging issues while building analytical skills that are portable to any profession.
The Stories We Tell
Alongside Assistant Professor of Media and Society Jiangtao Harry Gu, research assistants Katelyn Oswalt ’24 and Brenda Plascencia ‘24 got to know the people and environment of the Finger Lakes — and what their stories reveal about living in collaboration with nature and one another.
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Combatting Cancer
Since 2014, Professor of Biology Patricia Mowery, Professor of Chemistry Erin Pelkey and their research students have been investigating new avenues for anticancer therapeutics. A sizeable grant from the National Institutes of Health will further their work to develop molecules with anticancer properties.
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A Crescendo in Exploration
Eliyah Roberts ’24 took her love of music, theatre and storytelling to new worlds with guidance from Associate Professor of Music Charity Lofthouse. The pair have collaborated on several research projects and presented their work at the Theorizing African American Music conference in Denver in November 2023. Roberts has also worked closely with her Honors project advisor, Associate Professor of Music Mark Olivieri.
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Repairing the Scaffolding
Professor of Geoscience Nan Crystal Arens, Levi Holguin ’25 and Natalie Sandoval ’25 published research calling for greater diversity in editorial staff and changes to review process to increase gender diversity in scientific journals.
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By the Numbers
Summer Research 2023
In a special edition of This Week in Photos, we highlight some of the research projects that students engaged in during summer 2023.
FURTHER TOGETHER
Support for the Summer Research program creates additional opportunities for faculty-student collaboration, deepening our relationship-rich academic experience and expanding our reputation for future-focused experiential learning. Students are challenged to increase their capacity for inquiry and solution-seeking while learning the impact of their actions on the world. As a research-intensive liberal arts and sciences institution, HWS attracts academically talented students by offering graduate-level experiences at the undergraduate level coupled with thoughtful and personalized mentorship.
Support Summer Research