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Campus slows down markedly during the summer months, with only about 10 percent of the student body remaining, conducting research with faculty or working at jobs in various offices. Three Hamilton students, Christine Roback ’12, Helen Higgins ’13, and Bobby Finan ’13, are working tirelessly alongside Director of Outdoor Leadership Andrew Jillings and Director of Outreach and Orientation Amy James in preparation for the August arrival of more than 200 first-year students participating in Hamilton’s pre-orientation programs.

Recent turmoil and political upheaval in the Middle East have dominated the global news lately, with documentations of unrest in more than a dozen already unsteady nations. Ryan Karerat ’12, an Emerson grant recipient, is spending the summer with Henry Platt Bristol Professor of International Affairs Alan Cafruny researching the current state of U.S. foreign affairs in the Middle East.

Summer construction is officially under way on the Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art, a 30,000-square-foot museum and teaching facility to be located at the corner of College Hill and Griffin Roads.

Bret Lineberry ’11 found success in the post-graduate job search largely thanks to a valuable connection with a Hamilton alumnus. A May graduate with a degree in economics and world politics,  she’ll soon begin working in finance for General Electric in Atlanta.

Utica’s refugee population has often provided unique opportunities for Hamilton students interested in urban community research and outreach. This summer, Elly Field '13, Ryn Steck '12, Dave Schwartz '13 and Amy Dow '12 will be working with Visiting Assistant Professor of Sociology George Hobor on a research project examining local alternative economic development strategies (LEADS) in Utica.

Scott Blosser ’12, a 2011 Levitt Fellow, is spending the summer with Professor of History Douglas Ambrose, researching “Federalism and the Problem of State Debt: The Debate Over and Lessons of the Federal Assumption of State Debt.”

Recent Hamilton graduate Noah Bishop ’11 will soon begin a job in the offices of the Royal Bank of Scotland in Stamford, Conn. Bishop, who graduated with a degree in philosophy and economics, will be working in financial analysis.

Ashlyn Razzo ’11 loves working with children. A recent Hamilton graduate, Razzo knew that she wanted to spend her future working with underprivileged youth, giving back to the kind of community in which she grew up. Razzo will be serving as a 2011 corps member in Miami for Teach For America (TFA), the non-profit organization dedicated to ending educational inequality in the United States.

Joe Harmon ’12 is fascinated with the culture of boxing—and he's certainly not alone; there is a mystique to the sport that has allured Americans for more than a century, and boxing has given birth to some of the biggest stars in the sporting world. An Emerson grant recipient, Harmon will spend the summer studying “Filmic Interpretations of Boxing” with Visiting Professor of Film History Scott MacDonald.

One of the summer’s most labor-intensive student projects on the Hill is the maintenance of the Hamilton College Community Farm (HCCF) garden. Student workers are constantly brainstorming about ways to streamline the farming process, which begins in February with germination within the greenhouse and doesn’t end until the final crops are harvested in the fall. The most recent advance for the community farm was made by former farm manager Sarah Gamble ’13 and co-founder Andrew Pape ’11, who developed a comprehensive farm almanac through which they hope to pass on their knowledge and experience to future farmers.