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Hamilton College students, alumni and business experts joined forces Oct. 25-27 for the fourth annual Pitch Competition. The weekend-long event is always highly anticipated among the College’s young business professionals and features an entrepreneurship workshop, networking opportunities and business-mentoring services all offered by seasoned entrepreneurs and investors.

During the spring semester of her junior year, Emma Laperruque ’14 went to a place few students go: the basement kitchens of the Soper Commons Dining Hall. She was down there to complete a photography project of her own design focused on how students and the dining hall staff respectively view the space.

Theatre major Wynn Van Dusen ’15 recently had a unique opportunity that many seasoned veterans work for years to obtain. Van Dusen’s play “Slow” was was one of 10 accepted at the Red Shirt Rooftop Reading series, a New York City play festival that took place Sept. 20-22.

After an extensive and competitive application process, Rachel Sobel ’15 has been selected to be a student representative of the American Chemical Society at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The annual convention will take place from Nov. 11-22 in Warsaw, Poland, and will address proposals for a comprehensive international agreement to reduce carbon gas emissions.

Few Americans have the chance to really get to know their representatives in Congress. Thomas Funk ’15, who completed his second internship this summer with Congresswoman Cheri Bustos, is an exception. He worked at her congressional office in Washington D.C. and received funding from the Joseph F. Anderson ’44 internship fund to live in the capital city.

The North and South Rivers Watershed Association (NSRWA) is a non-profit grassroots organization attempting to protect the water and other natural resources in Southeastern Massachusetts.  Founded in 1970, the group manages environmental restoration projects and now has over 1,500 members.  Emily Pitman ’15 interned at this organization this summer and reengaged her connection with the environment, while conducting scientific and legislative research.

Economists explain that a fundamental problem in our world is that resources are finite, and this is especially true for developing countries that lack the most basic resources necessary for survival.  According to the World Bank, more than 80 percent of poor Tanzanians live in rural areas and have limited access to arable land, water, food and tools.  In his project funded by the Arthur Levitt Public Affairs Center, Eren Shultz '15 researched development in Tanzania to understand the current and future roles of cooperative organizations.

The Gaokao, also known as the National College Entrance Exam, is a Chinese academic examination that students must complete to apply to undergraduate schools.  Chinese schools prepare children for the grueling exam that determines if the children will pursue an education at highly competitive universities or end their formal education and enter the workforce.  In her project funded by the Arthur Levitt Public Affairs Center, Mandy Wong ’15 researched Chinese student perspectives on obtaining a higher education after passing the Gaokao.

Utica has the fourth highest concentration of refugees of all cities in the United States. Many of these immigrants struggle to adjust to American culture and language. Through a Kirkland Summer Associate project, Maggie Haag ’15 is trying new ways to use technology to teach refugees English and help them to understand American culture.

Young, educated women such as those who attend Hamilton College are the target demographic of many egg donor programs. This summer, Hillary Norris ’15 is asking why. Through her Kirkland Summer Associate project, “What Are We Worth?” she is analyzing the criteria that fertility centers and prospective parents use to select egg donors. Her topic leads to complex questions about discrimination and what our society values.