Student Research and Scholarship
More than 60 students collaborate with faculty on a variety of research projects each summer as part of Muhlenberg's vibrant research community. Topics can be student- or faculty-driven, and span the natural and social sciences, the humanities and the arts.
Examples of recent student research include:
- Can virtual reality help heal trauma and PTSD? Alison Bashford '20, Desiree Bsales '20, Jessica-Ann Golbitz '19 and Rebecca Shear '21 researched whether virtual-reality games can change or weaken an existing memory with Gretchen Gotthard, associate professor of psychology and neuroscience.
- Ben Lieberman '19 and Jim Russell, assistant professor of mathematics and computer science, collaborated on an algorithm to help determine whether partisan gerrymandering is "too partisan."
- How an event is remembered depends on who’s remembering it. "Nobody thought to interview the women," says Michaela Feinberg '19, who is studying an underresearched facet of Central African history.
- Brooke Torjman '19 conducted field research on the shell preferences of hermit crabs with Biology Professor Erika Iyengar on Washington state's San Juan Island.
Students are typically on campus for eight to 10 weeks of full-time research and receive a stipend, housing and college credit.
Our undergraduate researchers join in a weekly summer seminar series in which students discuss their work. Students present their work to the entire campus community at an annual poster session. Student research may result in publication in academic journals and students may travel off-campus to present their scholarly work at regional, national and international conferences, with travel funds provided by the College.
Many students take the opportunity to continue their summer research during the academic year by registering for independent study credit or a research assistantship under the guidance of a faculty member. These programs provide hands-on experience with a faculty mentor to complement their classroom education with practical work experience.
Research funding comes from a variety of sources, including national grants and foundation support, Summer Research Grants from the dean of academic life, Research Collaboration grants from the Provost’s office and generous support from alumni and friends of the College.