News

Hamilton faculty and students traveled the globe this summer, collaborating on research projects from the UK to Romania. See what some had to say about their research and travels.

Throughout history, art has repeatedly pushed for change by unsettling conventional perspectives on social issues. This summer, a team of Hamilton students hopes to accomplish something similar with their Levitt Center research project by portraying the lived experience of disability through theatre.

Research involving students and faculty over the last several months led to a comprehensive study being released on the scope of homelessness in the area and how the City of Utica could address it.

The Levitt (Center) Law & Justice Lab, a program designed for students interested in synthesizing perspectives on public policy issues, just concluded a semester focused on exploring policies affecting homelessness in Utica, N.Y. The experience was led by Professors Frank Anechiarico (government), Herman Lehman (biology), Philip Bean (history), and Gwendolyn Dordick (government).

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.

Who do people turn to for help? Many turn to family, close friends, or sometimes, they may even seek out state authorities. But what happens when these options are no longer available—when you have left behind your families and friends, and state authorities will sooner detain you than offer you help? This is the reality for thousands of migrants along the U.S.-Mexico border, and the driving question to Nick Cackett’s ’24 and Quinn Jones’ 23 summer research projects.

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.

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.

“The home” cannot be defined by one thing. As a place of significance to billions of people, it takes on different meanings in different contexts, transforming walls and floors into a dimensional concept that is ripe for philosophical study.

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.