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ll students at Hamilton complete a senior project, a capstone experience in which they integrate, extend, critique, and apply knowledge gained during their four years on College Hill. The topics vary as much as the students who pursue them — and so do the lessons learned. See the list of senior projects for 2026.

“Contrasting public and healthcare worker perspectives on the denial of medical care to trans people in the United States: It’s (mostly) about gender,” co-authored by Chair and Associate Professor of Sociology Matthew Grace, was recently published in the Elsevier journal Social Science & Medicine.

The Loyalty Trap: Conflicting Loyalties of Civil Servants Under Increasing Autocracy, by Associate Professor of Sociology Jaime Kucinskas, was recently named this year’s winner of the Academy of Management Public and Nonprofit Best Book Award.

For Jun Reiss ’26, his experience at Hamilton and his goals for life beyond can be described by three words: service, community, and belonging. The sociology major from Brooklyn, N.Y., was the recipient of Hamilton’s prestigious James Soper Merrill Prize for his personification of the College’s ideals.

“Unbundled religious and spiritual innovation,” a post by Associate Professor of Sociology Jaime Kucinskas, was recently featured on The Immanent Frame website, published by the Social Science Research Council.

Chef, chocolatier, and Hamilton alumnus Stephen Durfee ’85 urged the Class of 2026 to be present and patient enough to find what they love during the College’s Commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 24, in the Margaret Bundy Scott Field House, where 510 bachelor of arts degrees were awarded.

At Hamilton’s annual Class & Charter Day convocation on May 12, 146 students received well-deserved academic prizes and scholarships, and faculty teaching award recipients were recognized. Associate Professor of Chemistry Max Majireck served as keynote speaker.

Two faculty members and a recent graduate shared their expertise at the Eastern Sociological Society (ESS) Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. The theme of this year’s meeting was “Transformation & Repair: Worldmaking in Contexts of Struggle and Constraint."

Congratulations to 10 Hamilton faculty members who were approved for tenure at the March meeting of the Board of Trustees. They include Nadya Bair (art history), Charlotte Botha (music), Clark Bowman (mathematics and statistics), Anna Huff (digital arts), Amy Koenig (classics), Heather Kropp (environmental studies), Jack Martinez Arias (Hispanic studies), Arathi Menon (art history), Mahala Stewart (sociology), and Michael Welsh (chemistry).

Four Hamilton seniors are finalists for the 2026-27 Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, a national fellowship for purposeful, independent exploration outside the U.S.