Levitt Summer Research Fellows

The Levitt Research Fellows Program is open to Hamilton students who want to spend the summer researching a public–affairs question of their own choosing.

Summer Research Fellows collaborate closely with a faculty adviser, work on a full-time basis for 10 weeks, submit a 25–page paper, and share the research findings publicly through a lunch discussion, blog post, poster presentation or other comparable activity.

What They Discovered Through Summer Research
This summer, 149 Hamilton students received Hamilton funding to engage in research with faculty mentors. Communications/Marketing Office intern Claire Williams ’25 has followed up with a few of them to find out what they learned through their work.
Topic

Research and Discovery
Kuo ’23 Takes on Dual Summer Research Projects at Stanford
The United States is facing an unprecedented housing crisis, the effects of which are devastating to low-income renters. With rising rental costs, residents must choose between their homes and other aspects of their life. This reality speaks to the expanding definition of displacement, an important component of Shania Kuo’s ’23 summer research at Stanford.
Topic

Research and Discovery
Myles ’24 Tracks Threats to Alaska Shorebirds in Levitt Research Project
John Myles ’24 has now spent two summers in Utqiagvik, Alaska, a small city in northern Alaska with a dense and unique shorebird population. As part of a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service research team, he searched for shorebird nests, monitored chick hatches, and tagged adult birds.
Topic

Research and Discovery
Zhao ’23 Testing Theory About Rent Control Programs in Levitt Project
Many economists agree: like any form of price control, rent control programs are a bad idea. But Alan Zhao ’23 is not like most economists.
Topic

Research and Discovery
New World Nature Featured at International Conference
Hamilton students’ New World Nature database was recently featured at the centennial Lozano Long Conference, hosted by The University of Texas at Austin
Topic

History
Nichols ’21 to Pursue Teaching Fellowship
Riley Nichols ’21 will be taking a position as a progressive education fellow at Buxton School this fall. Here, Nichols describes her passion for education and how it was shaped by her time at Hamilton.
Topic

Connections and Careers
Class, the Environment, and Makeup
What can the cosmetics industry tell us about environmental equity? Sean Storr ’22 is looking to answer this question with his summer Levitt research project, “Environmental Equity and the Cosmetics Industry: An Intersectional Perspective.”
Topic

Levitt Center
‘Feeding Our Past, Nourishing Our Future’: A Student Podcast
For their summer research project Emnet Sisay ’22 and Mckela Kanu ’22 decided to create a podcast rather than a paper so their work would be more accessible. That’s how they discovered how hard it is to create a podcast, even with support. But it was worth it.
Topic

Levitt Center
Exploring Colorism in the Latinx Community
Ashley Garcia ’22 got the inspiration for her summer Levitt research project after reflecting on the lack of conversation surrounding issues of colorism within the Latinx community.
Topic

Levitt Center