"I spent a summer in the Chemistry Department,” recalls Tom Copeland ’70. “There were three of us, and that was the whole Hamilton summer research program.”
Copeland credits his summer research on the Hill, and the mentorship of Professor Donald Denney, with his acceptance into the Ph.D. program at Brown University. It was there, while completing his degree in physical chemistry, that he met his wife, Diane, who was doing graduate research in chemistry and biochemistry.
Tom and Diane Copeland went on to build careers in academia and industry, with professorships at Earlham and Middlebury colleges. Acknowledging the significance of higher education in their lives, the Copelands initially made the decision to leave their estate to various educational institutions. As they further developed their plans, however, they realized they could make the most impact if they directed the assets to one place. “Out of all the institutions that were important to us, we realized we had the most attachment to Hamilton,” Tom says.
Through their estate plan, the Copelands established two endowed funds supporting the sciences at Hamilton: The Thomas and Diane Copeland Scholarship and The Thomas and Diane Copeland Research Fund.
The latter provides resources for students pursuing summer research programs, independent study, and senior projects in chemistry, chemical physics, biochemistry/molecular biology, and biology. This investment reflects the Copelands’ mutual gratitude for Professor Denny, as well as their commitment to summer research as a critical component of the educational experience.
From Tom’s perspective, “Hamilton’s summer research program is huge compared to other schools.” In fact, building the summer research program was one of the objectives of the Board of Trustees during the development of the Taylor Science Center, which envisioned a facility used year-round by students. Since Tom’s days as a student, the summer research program has grown from three to nearly 100 students in the science departments (with even larger numbers conducting research in other disciplines across campus).
Both Copelands identify undergraduate research as influential to their academic careers, even helping Diane decide to switch her focus from pre-med to biochemistry research. Now, with the Copelands’ generous support, the program will influence and inspire future scientists at Hamilton.
