More than 30 students are pursuing unique research with Hampden-Sydney’s Undergraduate Research Program this summer in disciplines such as religion, economics, chemistry, government and foreign affairs, and physics. Students are also getting exciting opportunities to explore research as a professional field, learn from professionals in other disciplines about how they communicate their research to a general audience, and pair those conversations with practical skill development such as graduate school preparation, resume development, and elevator pitch arrangement.
“We started this series a couple of years ago as an optional add-on for summer research students,” explains Director of Undergraduate Research Mike Wolyniak. “It gets students thinking more deliberately about how they can turn this into a career, either research specifically or the skills they’re learning while performing research.”
Though the series is not new, the Program did expand their offerings this year and made it accessible to the wider College community, inviting faculty, staff, and May-term students as well as offering a Zoom link for each session for off-campus community members.
“We want to further maximize the opportunities that students have this summer,” Wolyniak continues. “The research is central, but we are trying to get them thinking about their next steps whether that’s tailoring their next semesters’ course loads, applying to graduate school, or pursuing a career.”