This summer, Levitt research was as lively as ever with over 40 students participating. We chatted with a few from across disciplines.
Examining Community Film Movements in Hispanic Communities
Jaiden Knowles ’26, John Carbone ’25, and Maria Chipres Urueta ’25 each researched community film movements and festivals in the Hispanic world. “Community film movements started as a resistance movement in the ’60s and ’70s to protest exploitative representation of Hispanic communities in popular cinema,” said Knowles, who was researching the National Film Festival of Community Cinema in the Agua Blanca District of Columbia.
Similarly, Carbone looked at community film movements in Peru, and Urueta at movements in Argentina and Spain. Each student lauded Assistant Professor of Hispanic Studies Marcelo Carosi for his encouragement and supervision.
All three students are minoring in Hispanic studies, and the experience allowed them to not only deepen their knowledge of Hispanic culture but also to orient their other goals. Carbone, a biochemistry major, appreciated the opportunity to tap into writing and research: “Being able to do research again has been really fulfilling for me. I was surprised by how much I engaged with the material and became interested in what I was learning,” he said.
Similarly, Urueta valued how the experience broadened her scope. A creative writing major, she said, “I write a lot, but I’ve never done something as research-based as this. It’s been a challenge, but I’ve enjoyed it.”
The students feel that this experience has opened new doors. “I’m strongly considering double majoring in Hispanic studies and geosciences,” Knowles said. “There are a lot of environmental issues that involve countries in Latin America.”
Exploring the Breadth of Computer Science
Knowles, Carbone, and Urueta used their Levitt Research fellowship to broaden and deepen their passions, but other students find it helps consolidate and develop their interests. Shraddha Datta ’25 is an anthropology and computer science double major who combined those two areas of study this summer while researching the social impacts of an ever-growing computer science field. She worked with Christian A. Johnson Excellence in Teaching Professor of Anthropology Chaise LaDousa.
“I’m a very engaged member of the Computer Science Department,” Datta said, “and the department has grown so suddenly … which I think has impacted how we’re learning computer science.”
“This wouldn’t have happened without the open curriculum, which was honestly why I chose Hamilton.”
Datta interviewed members of Hamilton’s computer science community, including students, faculty, and alumni, to ask how others are interpreting the discipline’s growth. “Understanding the ideology surrounding the discipline is what really inspired my work,” she said. “Something that I didn’t expect was there’s a slight emphasis on whether you have passion for the subject: If people have genuine passion for computer science, then they’re optimistic about its impacts.”
What she also found is that her two majors played off each other. “The same reason why I love coding — the inquisitive nature of it — I found myself using in an anthropological way as I connected the dots in this research,” she said.
Datta says that this growth couldn’t have occurred without support from the College. “This wouldn’t have happened without the open curriculum, which was honestly why I chose Hamilton. I knew I had all these very specific niche interests … and now I’m doing them and it sounds cheesy, but it’s a dream come true.”
More Levitt Research Projects
29 other students and 15 faculty also conducted Levitt Center research over the summer on a broad range of topics. Some examples:
- Norma Callejas ’26 and Assistant Professor of Music Alex Badue studied ethical and informed responses to public issues of appropriation and cultural sensitivity within music and dance.
- Working with Assistant Professor of Economics Cody Couture, Rafael Coutinho Padua ’26 examined how government messaging influences economic perceptions, public trust, and policy effectiveness.
- Clare Robinson ’25 and Associate Professor of Environmental Studies Aaron Strong looked at the interplay between socio-political factors and environmental attitudes, and how it will inform decision-making for addressing the growing climate crisis.
