From Shakespeare to Sci-Fi
While exploring the connections between “Station Eleven” and William Shakespeare, professor of English Holly Pickett and her crew of summer research students examined the foundational value of the humanities to society.
summer research
Snapshots of Summer
W&L students share their experiences getting to know the larger Lexington and Rockbridge community during the summer months.
Summer School
Elka Prechel ’26 was inspired by a Spring Term Abroad to explore her passion for teaching in France and Italy this summer.
Unearthing Answers
By enlisting guidance from the W&L science community, Emma Marvelli ’27 combined a Spring Term abroad class with summer research to better understand Virginia meta-basalts and their potential for combating climate change.
Reconstructing the Past
Summer Research Scholars are spending their summer helping to bring one of the world's oldest cities to life through modern technology.
In Case You Missed It
Summer Research Record
The Summer Research Scholars program at W&L is welcoming a record number of undergraduate students and supervising faculty and staff from a variety of academic disciplines.
Science Advisory Board Funds New Student Opportunities Endowment
The STEM-focused endowment will support internships, research opportunities, academic conference costs and other student experiences.
Meet a W&L Scholar: AJ Mabaka ’22
AJ Mabaka '22 plans to attend a graduate program in marine science and conservation policy.
Becoming a Global Citizen
Studying philosophy and Arabic, traveling to Morocco and Beirut, and working with Professor Anthony Edwards to translate a Beiruti book have helped Tanner Hall '21 understand and appreciate other cultures.
Good Chemistry
George Barker '20 used both of his majors, computer science and chemistry, to help build a website that makes a challenging subject more approachable for students.
Current Affairs
This summer, geology and environmental science major Chantal Iosso ’20 is studying the effects of the Jordan's Point Dam removal on the Maury River.
Getting Their Start in Art
For Darcy Olmstead '21 and Lindsey Hewitt '21, analyzing art in the Netherlands and the U.S. with Professor Erich Uffelman has been an educational 'dream come true.'
A Goal in Mind
Working with ICU patients at Vanderbilt University Medical Center through the Allen Grant has reaffirmed neuroscience major Laney Smith's desire to become a surgeon.
In Their Own Words
MaKayla Lorick '19 is collecting oral histories from African-American alumni, faculty and staff as part of a project that aims to include those missing perspectives in Washington and Lee University's history of desegregation and integration.
At the Forefront of Economics
Margaret Kallus ’19 will be the second W&L alumna to join a team of economists at the Harvard University research institute, Opportunity Insights.
Informed by Child’s Play
This summer, Davis Straske '19 is researching children's play in psychology professor Megan Fulcher's Gender Development Lab.
Summertime Stints
Washington and Lee students utilize their summers through research, volunteer work and internship opportunities, both on campus and across the globe.
‘My Passion for Psychology’
One psychology class led Kelsey Jervis '18 to a long-term research project, a degree, and a spot on the Institutional Review Board.
Oh, the Places They Went!
Whether doing research on campus or traveling across the world for internships and projects, W&L students made the most of summer 2017. In the new year, we invite you to take a look back at everything they accomplished.
No Such Thing as a Typical Day
As a geology summer research assistant in Crete, Greece, no two days were the same for Chantal Iosso '20.
Visiting George at Home
Anna Milewski '18 has spent time in fields, labs, carpenter shops and seminar rooms - and it was all part of one internship at the home of George Washington.
Tracking Corporate Social Responsibility
Soon Ho Kwon '17 and Claire Meyers '18 spent the summer looking at how Corporate Social Responsibility plays a role in the bottom line.
Adding Up the Research
Anukriti Shrestha '19 has found an intersection of mathematics, computer science and research — all in the heart of Lexington.
Chasing History’s Mysteries
This summer, Allison Jue '20 dove into the books to learn more about the relationship between Queen Elizabeth I and the second Earl of Essex.
A Special Summer in Special Collections
Chandler Wickers '18 has spent her summer as a researcher in Special Collections, where she has been exposed to fascinating materials and learned how professors and students can take greater advantage of the collection.
The Railway in German Literature
Ben Schaeffer '18 is working with German professor Paul Youngman on a project involving references to the railway in German literature.
‘These Spaces They Imagined’
Joelle Simeu '20 is working this summer on "The Politics and Poetics of Space in the Works of Martin Luther King Jr. and Leopold Senghor," a project with Professor Mohamed Kamara.
Rocking Research in Lexington and Greece
Josh Fox '19 has spent his summer conducting geology research on campus and in Crete, Greece, with Professor Jeff Rahl.
Ten Students Awarded Endeavor Foundation Grants
Several student teams are chosen each year to pursue summer research outside the United States in locations such as Hanoi, Vietnam.
Win-Win Giving with the IRA Charitable Rollover
Dr. Robert (Bob) L. Holt '67 adeptly leveraged the IRA Charitable Rollover provision to establish an endowment on the occasion of his Class of 1967 50th Reunion that also honors two admired W&L mentors, the late Chemistry Professor Keith Shillington and History Professor and friend Ted DeLaney.
W&L Researchers See Coral Decline
Geology professor Lisa Greer, who has been taking students to Belize since 2011 to monitor the health of coral reefs, said their research indicates that the latest El Niño, on top of global climate change, may be harming the Belize Barrier Reef.
Student Researchers Travel the World to Preserve Iconic Paintings
A team of students traveled between France, Norway and Denmark this summer to determine why certain pigments in iconic paintings are fading, and to determine how to stop the process.
W&L Research Team Explores Link Between Memory, Stories and Learning
Psychology professor Dan Johnson's research uses "nano-narratives" as a way to remember abstract concepts.
W&L Senior Researches Effect of Taxes and Social Spending on Poverty
A Washington and Lee University senior has completed a comprehensive study of whether or not tax expenditures that reduce revenues for social and economic purposes are helping those citizens who live in poverty.
W&L Team Uses Latest Technology to Study the Optic Nerve Regeneration
Washington and Lee biology professor Fiona Watson and two undergraduate researchers are developing a gene profile to determine how the optic nerve is regenerated in frogs. fish and cold-blooded invertebrates,
W&L's R.E. Scholars Design Software for Surveillance Drones
Washington and Lee computer science professor Simon Levy and three Robert E. Lee Summer Research students are developing software to control small drones.
Studying the Praying Mantis with Nets and Isotopes
The praying mantis is an arthropod and a predator, a skinny tough guy (or gal) with jointed feet and an exoskeleton. It’s willing to attack larger prey, from mice to snakes to hummingbirds. There’s even been a report of a praying mantis eating a turtle. Thrilling YouTube videos of the creatures aside, we know little […]
Rats, Reefs and Religion: Faculty and Students Enjoy Summer Research
Attending a Brown Bag Lunch at Washington and Lee's Howe Hall in the summer is akin to earning a mini college degree. During these sessions, held weekly in June and July, Washington and Lee undergraduates share highlights from their summer research projects. The quick-moving presentations zip between disciplines, offering an up-to-the-minute glimpse into experiments and […]
