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Hamilton College’s Levitt Center is ground zero for research opportunities on campus. Aimed at encouraging students to combine their academic ambition with practical, hands-on, research, the Levitt Research Fellows Program is a great opportunity for students to dive deeper into their interests. Students are awarded a research grant and collaborate closely with a faculty advisor for up to 10 weeks, then prepare a presentation and submit a paper in the fall.

As part of the Levitt Center’s Community Impact Summer Fellowship Program, a cohort of Hamilton students have been collaborating with local organizations focused on social and public policy across Oneida County. We chatted with a few of these students who spent the summer combining their academic pursuits with practical and hands-on skills.

An article titled “Likeness across Nature: The Anatomical Eye of Hieronymus Fabricius of Aquapendente (1533–1619),” by Associate Professor of History Mackenzie Cooley, appears in a special issue of the peer-reviewed journal Nuncius.

People say eyes are a window to the soul — but what about the jawline? That’s a question Associate Professor of Psychology Keelah Williams tackled, along with five Hamilton student researchers, this summer.

“This project really taught us that to answer the big questions, sometimes you have to ask a bunch of little questions,” said Sara Cont ’27, who, with Maya Kannan ’25 and Madeleine Petro ’25 embarked on a trailblazing physics project this summer under the guidance of Assistant Professor of Physics Viva Horowitz.

Three students spent part of their summer conducting research on local water quality with Assistant Professor of Geosciences Emily Baker. Holly Mirales ’26 tells what the students did and learned.

The Hamilton College Summer Program in Philosophy (HCSPiP) began in 2018 and has been a huge success ever since — including in an article featured by the American Philosophical Association. This year’s program welcomed students from as nearby as Hamilton and as far afield as Indonesia and Colombia. We sat down with Professor of Philosophy Russell Marcus, HCSPiP’s organizer, and two Hamilton students to learn about the program and what went on this summer.

Austin Cipriano ’25, Shey Sanges ’26, and Marcela Rondon ’27 spent their summer leaving a tangible mark on both the present and future of Hamilton’s campus. Under the leadership of Director of Environmental Protection Safety and Sustainability Brian Hansen, a group of students helps Hamilton strive for a more sustainable campus, culture, and curriculum. This summer’s group tackled three projects critical to the College’s goal of carbon neutrality by 2030.

Many people assume that being pre-med means sacrificing hobbies and travel opportunities. Not so for Carolyn Levin ’26, a biochemistry and art double major, who is nurturing her pre-med goals by tapping into her enthusiasm for ceramics. With the help of an Emerson grant and the Global Study Office, she has traversed continents, languages, and ceramics studios to explore her passion.

The Village of Clinton recently was certified as a Climate Smart Community through the New York State Department of Environmental Conversation (DEC) Climate Smart Communities Program, and Hamilton students and faculty played an integral role in helping Clinton achieve this distinction.