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A summer Levitt Center project involving 11 students, three professors, and several other members of the Hamilton community began in what was perhaps an unexpected way.

This summer, Hamilton’s labs were busy with research across nearly all scientific disciplines — not least among them psychology. Over the past few weeks, Grace Kupka ’22, Elisa Matson ’23, Jennifer Klix ’24, and Sophie Maniscalco ’23 worked with Professor of Psychology Jennifer Borton on two projects, both related to the concept of defensive self-esteem

It’s reasonable to assume that an internship at a company called Embark Veterinary might appeal mostly to would-be veterinarians. But for Jason Healy ’22, the position has provided him the opportunity to dive headfirst into the financial and logistical aspects of running a business.

The mantra “study what you love” encourages students to venture into previously unfamiliar fields. Bria Dox ’22, for example, took advantage of Hamilton’s academic diversity to discover her passions for mineralogy and volcanology. This summer, she dove deeper into these fields through a geoscience research project, analyzing the mineral chemistry of rocks from Oregon’s Sand Mountain volcanic field.

Inspired by his own family's immigrant history and a Russian history course he took with Professor Shoshana Keller, John Keirouz ’22, spent a summer researching Russian religious communities and how their experiences affected the way they related to the U.S. and the way they tried to organize and run their churches.

Emma Mae Regan ’22 is exploring the world of public policy through an internship at the Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm Global Policy Group (GPG). Founded by Ian Graig ’79, GPG provides domestic and international corporations across a range of business sectors with assistance regarding U.S. politics.

Just one year after attending a presentation on the history of climate change, Luke Zaelke ’22 found himself on a camping trip in the northern California mountains with three California State University professors — one of them a Hamilton alum who'd delivered that presentation.

The roots of modern social issues can be traced to any given corner of world history, provided one knows how to follow them. White supremacist and patriarchal ideas, for example, might underpin the dynamics of 17th-century English court ceremonies — at least that’s what Hannah Petersen ’22 is considering in her Emerson grant research project on the presentation of “otherness” in Stuart period antimasques.

Not far from campus, in a state park outside of Syracuse, lie two lakes — Round Lake and Green Lake — both known for their stunning green-blue tint. As meromictic lakes, they provide rich research opportunities for Hamilton students.

One might not expect Caleb Phelan ’22, as a chemistry major, to spend a lot of time conducting academic research while camping in the mountains. But that’s exactly what he’s been doing this summer since part of his project is to measure and analyze the levels of two major pollutants in Adirondack water.