Impact Terms
Impact Terms address that by creating dedicated windows of time in January and during the summer when students can immerse themselves in two-week intensives that are designed to provide deep, experiential learning opportunities beyond what is possible during the standard semester curriculum.
How It Works
Hamilton is building capacity so that every student who wants to complete an Impact Term can do so at least once during their time at Hamilton.
- Partner-based intensives: Students work directly on problems with regional and national partner organizations, often including immersive field experience.
- Travel-based intensives: Students and faculty travel to sites across the U.S. for focused, hands-on research or experiential learning.
- No additional costs: Housing, meals, and travel will be covered by the College.
If you are interested in one of the Impact Terms, please let us know by Monday, Oct. 5.
January 2027 Impact Terms
From Bristol Pool to Key Largo: Hamilton Students Train to Save Coral Reefs
Dates: January 3-16, 2027
Contact: Adam Van Wynsberghe and Mike McCormick
Coral reefs are an essential driver of marine biodiversity and a clear indicator of ocean-wide health. Unfortunately, coral populations have decreased dramatically worldwide in the last several decades stemming from a multitude of pressures. In this Impact Term, students will investigate these vital organisms and ecosystems, train in techniques (SCUBA) that enable direct interaction and study of coral reefs, and gain hands-on experiential learning by contributing to one of the world’s largest reef restoration efforts. (Non-credit-bearing.)
Collaborative Problem-Solving with AI
Dates: January 4-14, 2027
Contact: Darren Strash, Courtney Gibbons, and Melissa Marietta
Are you a disruptor, an innovator, a puzzle master? Bring your wits, your creativity, and your ambition to this impact term! Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI)’s capability is accelerating quickly; but how does this technology work and how can we leverage it to solve the world’s most challenging problems? In this Impact Term, we will get our hands dirty with problem solving in our AI age: we will spend one week of deliberate practice with problem-solving on campus, where we will work through strategies, discuss case studies, and establish AI as a collaborator; and we then move to New York City, where you will solve real problems in small groups with enthusiastic alumni partners and recharge your creativity with excursions that excite your curiosity and playfulness — qualities that make human problem solvers so effective. (Non-credit-bearing.)
Geological Field Studies in the Desert Southwest
Dates: January 2-14, 2027
Contact: Cat Beck and Nick Roberts
The College is excited to support an Impact Term in partnership with the Geosciences department. This Impact Term is currently filled for January 2027, but is expected to run again in future years. Please contact Professor Beck to discuss future offerings of the Desert Southwest Impact Term.
This 10-day intensive field course provides students with an opportunity to apply their geological classroom training to the wonders, questions, and problems present in the start of Arizona. Emphasis will be placed on examining evidence of large-scale geologic processes and how humans interact with, are influenced by, and modify the natural environment. Students will leave the field course with a deep sense of how our societies and cultures are shaped by geologic processes across multiple time scales from tens to millions of years. The course will involve some days of moderate hiking in remote areas. Please note that participation in Impact Term requires a 100-level Geosc course and enrollment in the preceding fall seminar “Seminar of the Geology of the Desert SW.” (Credit-bearing with accompanying class.)
