Research

Summer Research Fellows

The Levitt Research Fellows Program is open to Hamilton students who wish to spend the summer researching a public affairs question of their choosing. Students from any academic concentration are welcome to apply. The Levitt Council gives preference to rising juniors and seniors.

Summer Research Fellows collaborate closely with a faculty adviser, work on a full-time basis for up to ten weeks, report on their research sometime during the summer, create a large-format poster and participate in a poster presentation session in the fall and submit a paper or equivalent final product by August 15th.  

There are two deadlines which will be announced in early January: a pre-application deadline and a regular application deadline. As part of the pre-application process, students will need to submit the topic for their summer research and provide the Levitt Center with the name of the faculty member who has agreed to act as the advisor. Once the Levitt Center has received the pre-application, we will contact advisors to provide them with information on what the Levitt Council is looking for in students’ research proposals and applications. Students are strongly encouraged to work closely with their advisor to ensure their proposals are well thought out, manageable and focused. The Levitt Center will not accept any regular applications from students who do not meet the pre-application deadline.

Students selected for the program will receive a $520/week summer stipend. Faculty advisors receive $150/week for advising up to three individual fellows, an additional $50/week for 4 or more fellows, with a cap of $200/week total. 

2024 Research Fellows

Omar Barghout ’25
What is Mental Health?
Advisor: David Walden, director of the counseling center, staff psychologist & lecturer in psychology

Norma Callejas ’26
Ethnomusicological Research Methods and Interactions of “Nature” and “Nurture” in Mexican and Salvadoran Music and Dance
Advisor: Alex Bádue, assistant professor of music

Madeline Cloutier ’27
Issues of Patronage and Sustenance at the Mahavihara Nalanda
Advisor: Abhishek Amar, associate professor of Asian studies

Rafael (Rafa) Coutinho Padua ’26
Communicating Inflation: An Analysis of How Presidential Communication Affected Inflation Expectations in Brazil
Advisor: Cody Couture, assistant professor of economics

Shraddha Datta ’25
Using Technology for Good: A Qualitative Study on the Role of Hamilton College in Reproducing Technology-based Ideology
Advisor: Chaise LaDousa, Chair, the Christian A. Johnson Excellence in Teaching Professor of Anthropology; director of education studies

Madison Harland ’26
Are Men the Problem? A Foray Into Queer Economics
Advisor: Eliane Barker, assistant professor of economics

Eval-Eniman (Eniman) Imoke ’26
Nigeria After Colonialism: Social and Economic Development
Advisor: Heather Merrill, professor of Africana studies, director of Italian studies

Alya MacDonald ’25
Heirloom
Advisor: Robert Knight, associate professor of art, director of digital arts

Amaris Martins ’26
The Power of Perception:?? The Role of City Branding Initiatives in Utica, NY
Advisor: Mahala Stewart, assistant professor of sociology

Ting Mei ’26
Political Dynamics and Infrastructure Sustainability: A Comparative Analysis of Qatar's Success and CPEC Challenges within the BRI
Advisor: Alan Cafruny, Henry Platt Bristol Professor of International Relations, acting chair German studies

Jonathan Nemetz ’25
Called to Serve: Finding Religious Community in Volunteer Corps
Advisor: Stephen Ellingson, professor of sociology

Clare Robinson ’25
Exploring Rural Stakeholders' Perceptions and Actions Towards Climate Change: A Comparative Study between Upstate New York and Canterbury, New Zealand
Advisor: Aaron Strong, associate director, assistant professor of environmental studies

Julia Smith ’25
'I Want to Document It': Curation of Anorexia Nervosa (AN) Recovery Identities on Social Media
Advisor: Mahala Stewart, assistant professor of sociology

Mina Stevens ’26
Virtual Materiality: Reshaping Perspectives on Object Agency through Video Games
Advisors: Laura Ann Samuelson, visiting assistant professor in dance and movement studies; Anna Huff, assistant professor of digital arts 

Mikaella (Mika) Tortusa ’25
Elihu Root’s Legacy Reconsidered
Advisor: Celeste Day Moore, associate professor of history

Aubrey Wallen ’26
The Faustian Legend: and Applications to Contemporary Art and Politics
Advisor: Laura Bryson Tedford, lecturer in German studies

Kyle Wood ’25
Understanding the Impact of Removing Single-Family Zoning on Housing Affordability, Neighborhood Demographics, and Urban Development in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Advisor: Evelyn Skoy, assistant professor of economics

Summer Research Groups

The Levitt Research Group Grants support groups of students that complete summer research projects under the supervision of at least one faculty advisor. The grants are intended to encourage faculty and student publications. Student and faculty members from all divisions in the college are encouraged to apply.

Fieldwork or original analysis of existing data is generally required, with preference given to teams doing research in the local community. Projects that will be useful for policy makers and other researchers are also encouraged. Students in research groups and their faculty advisors meet face-to-face regularly to coordinate and communicate research efforts.

Each student works on a full-time basis for the duration of the project as determined by the faculty mentor, submits a 25-page paper (or equivalent final product) by August 15th and presents their research in the fall or spring.

Deadline for applications is mid-February. Stipends: $520/week for the student and $250-$400/week per faculty member, depending on the number of students supervised:  $250 for the first two students, an additional $100 for a third student and an additional $50 for a fourth student, up to a maximum stipend of $400/week.

2024 Research Groups

Calvin Doherty ’25, Ailis Hayden ’26, Lily Watts ’26
Rural Responses to Climate Change in Upstate New York: Renewables, Agriculture, and the (Im)possible
Advisor: Aaron Strong, associate director, assistant professor of environmental studies

Garrin Brandl ’27, Morgan Hodorowski ’26, Sarafina Madden ’26, Jack O'Brien ’26,
Drug Discovery through Historical Pharmacopeias: Applications for Artificial Intelligence in Large Pharmaceutical Datasets
Advisor: Mackenzie Cooley, assistant professor of history, director of Latin American studies

Tia Cole ’25, Ainsley Novack ’25, Rachel Parajuli ’25
The Global Spread of Police Militarization
Advisor: Erica De Bruin, associate professor of government

John Carbone ’25, Maria Chipres ’25, Jaiden Knowles ’26
Charting the Community Film Movements and Festivals in the Hispanic World
Advisor: Marcelo Carosi, visiting assistant professor of Hispanic studies