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Through an innovative partnership between Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools and the Early Childhood Music School (ECMS), �鶹�ƽ�� undergraduates gain invaluable teaching experience and mentorship.

Art and neuroscience major Caroline Cha ‘26 secured the 2026 Barr Prize in Public Speaking April 3 with a pithy, compelling distillation of her honors thesis exploring how creativity works in the brain.

WMSURE returned to the Virginia Institute of Marine Science April 29 for “The Whimsy,” its annual end-of-year celebration of scholarly achievement, research excellence, and the vibrant, close-knit community that has become the program’s hallmark.

For a group of �鶹�ƽ�� students, their research led them to southern Kenya to explore one of today’s most pressing conservation challenges: balancing local livelihoods with the conservation of wildlife and ecosystems amid environmental change.

�鶹�ƽ�� Scholars Undergraduate Research Experience (WMSURE) faculty and students will travel to Barbados this June to continue work on the Linguistic Atlas of the Caribbean – a collaborative project between W&M and the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill.

Katelyn Workman has always loved the outdoors. But try as she might, the junior art major says she hasn’t quite figured out how to convey the experience on canvas.

Six �鶹�ƽ�� undergraduates braved icy roads Jan. 29 to represent the university at the second annual Network for Undergraduate Research in Virginia (NURVa) showcase at the State Capitol in Richmond.

Bridging gaps between human and natural histories, �鶹�ƽ�� geology majors are proving that undergraduate research “rocks” — literally.

This January, students in Professor Marcus Holmes’s seminar, Building Trust Through Diplomacy, took their classroom well beyond �鶹�ƽ��’s Washington Center, engaging directly with the people and institutions that shape contemporary international affairs. With programming in both Washington, D.C. and New York City, the course emphasized experiential learning and face-to-face engagement as central components of diplomatic practice. Read on to find out more about their visit.

Curiosity often leads to the most unfamiliar places, but for Aditi Mishra ’26, research into maternal health last summer took her back to the country of her birth, Nepal.

Artificial Intelligence, new media platforms, and evolving reading habits may be rapidly reshaping the field of journalism but, according to �鶹�ƽ��’s inaugural Journalist-in-Residence Grace Raynor, one thing remains constant: “If you can write, you can do anything.”

As an undergraduate, Dr. Michelle Munyikwa ‘11 spent hours in Washington Hall, studying anthropology, connecting with professors, and dreaming up solutions to solve the world’s problems. As this year’s Anthropology Homecoming Guest Lecturer, she returned to share lessons from her work researching and realizing those solutions.

In summer 2025, ten �鶹�ƽ�� students with a passion for museums received Woody Internships in Museum Studies to pursue ten-week positions with local and regional institutions, as well as several farther afield -- in Charleston, Cincinnati, Richmond, and Washington, DC.

By bridging classroom learning with community storytelling, the Charles Center’s Journalism & Democracy Fellowship internship program is helping �鶹�ƽ�� students hone their reporting and writing skills while making an impact on local journalism and the community.

With support from the Charles Center, City Research Scholars interned with local organizations over a ten-week period in which they blazed a trail through the past, capturing local histories and discovering family legacies.

The Charles Center is hosting a free exhibition celebrating the work of last summer’s multi-talented Catron Scholars in the Sadler Center Hart Gallery from Nov. 10 through Dec. 5, with a special reception to be held 5-7 p.m. on Nov. 13.

For Sadie Wallander, a sophomore James Monroe Scholar from Arlington, Virginia, a Charles Center summer research grant offered a chance to explore Cold War diplomacy and reflect on her role as a global citizen today.

During a two-day residency at �鶹�ƽ��, freelance investigative journalist and photographer Nina Dietz shared her approach to redefining how stories at the intersection of human and environmental health are reported and written.

The Charles Center's third annual Undergraduate Research Opportunities Fair drew a record crowd to Sadler’s Chesapeake Room Oct. 15, with more than 270 students exploring the expansive array of multidisciplinary research opportunities available on campus.

Students were given the unique opportunity to move their way through Noli Timere's colorful mesh-like sculpture in an immersive masterclass held in the Glenn Close Theatre Oct. 2. The session was the latest in a series sponsored by the Charles Center in conjunction with W&M's Office of the Arts.

Dr. Hilary Holladay, an accomplished poet, novelist, biographer, and journalist, is the Charles Center’s inaugural Sharp Writer-in-Residence, teaching Writing & Reporting the News (WRIT 401) in the English department this fall.

Students, staff, and faculty involved in the �鶹�ƽ�� Research Undergraduate Research Experience (WMSURE) began the program’s busiest year yet with its inaugural Retreat in Richmond — a collective moment of reflection, bonding, and visioning Aug. 23-24.

“Ode to Joy” echoed through �鶹�ƽ��’s Music Arts Building Sept. 26 as Anthony Williams, director of Williamsburg’s Early Childhood Music School, led 25 attendees in song during his masterclass, “Rhythm & Roots: The Power of Early Childhood Music Education.”

In partnership with the Office of Career Development & Professional Engagement, the Charles Center piloted a one-credit, asynchronous internship reflection course this summer connecting undergraduates with inspiring faculty dedicated to enriching student learning.

Now celebrating its 25th anniversary, the first-year living-learning Sharpe Community Scholars program continues to serve as a national model for undergraduate collaborative research and community engagement across a variety of methods and fields.

The Charles Center offers two types of dissemination grants to support students of all disciplines in expanding the visibility of their work--an Undergraduate Research Publication Grant and a Creative Research Dissemination Grant.

Whether our most pressing environmental problems are solved – or not – may come down to the coveted click, to whether journalists can capture the attention of readers and make their stories stick.

Sharpe Action Research Internships support students working with community organizations to conduct research that tackles issues that matter. The program is the latest to emerge from Sharpe, �鶹�ƽ��’s living-learning community for community-based research and engagement.

Bright percussive beats poured from the Glenn Close Theatre stage Sept. 3 as the legendary Afro-Brazilian street band Ilê Aiyê held the first of several Charles Center-sponsored Arts Masterclasses hosted by �鶹�ƽ��’s Office of the Arts this academic year.

Over 150 undergraduate students who spent the summer pursuing their passions through impactful internships and research shared their experiences at the third annual Fall Internship & Applied Learning Showcase Aug. 29 in the Sadler Center.

Thanks to the combined power of irrepressible curiosity, passionate faculty mentorship, and Charles Center Research in Motion grants, W&M undergraduates are connecting with students and scholars from across the country.

As part of its mission to support undergraduate research across disciplines, the Charles Center is supporting seven undergraduates in their artistic pursuits over the summer through the Louis E. Catron Scholarship for Artistic Development.

If there is one takeaway from WMSURE’s end of year celebration, it is that nothing quite compares to the program’s powerful sense of community and belonging.

Driven by a passion for museums and a taste for adventure, this year’s group of ten Woody interns embarks on journeys to explore the field alongside specialists in Virginia, Delaware, Ohio, South Carolina, and Washington, DC.

The Charles Center is collaborating with campus partners to bring three writers-in-residence to campus in 2025-26 to teach a variety of hands-on journalism courses for undergraduates.

Less than a year into his tenure at W&M, Assistant Professor of Anthropology Buck Woodard is expanding the reach of the university’s anthropology program by immersing his students in Cherokee history and culture.

As �鶹�ƽ�� launches its Year of the Environment, Ethan Stewart ’25 is breaking boundaries through research in environmental research.

Three Ph.D. candidates in history—Emily Wells, Jennifer Merriman, and Qiong Wu—received Boswell-Caracci Material Culture Study Fund grants this year to reach beyond campus and their primary fields to connect with leading experts in the world of material culture studies.

Undergraduate summer research experiences can be life changing. A seven-to-ten-week experience frequently blossoms into something larger — a senior thesis, a pathway to graduate studies, or even a lifelong pursuit.

Senior Emma Henry garnered one of �鶹�ƽ��’s largest awards before graduating last month — a $40,000 H. Mason Sizemore, Jr. Journalism Fellowship for graduate studies at Northwestern University’s renowned Medill School of Journalism in the fall.

Senior Chidi Akunwafor traveled to rural South Africa in summer 2023 on a Charles Center Summer Research Grant as part of a four-member research team whose findings were recently published in Global Public Health: An International Journal for Research, Policy and Practice.

New York Times video producer Claire Hogan ’22 returned to campus to moderate this year’s Sharp Journalism Seminar showcase held in Blow Hall’s Grimsley Board Room March 27.

Conveying complex research in a way that is accessible to a general audience is a challenge for even the most accomplished researchers. For Barr Fellows in Public Speaking, it is an unrivaled strength.

For many of the 100+ seniors honors students who presented at the Charles Center’s Spring Honors Research Symposium, their research journeys profoundly shaped their �鶹�ƽ�� experience.

The National Residence Hall Honorary recognized �鶹�ƽ��’s Sharpe Community Scholars program for its leadership in modeling living-learning best practices.

Former NBC News senior vice president Betsy Korona ’03 returned to campus March 24 to reveal truths gleaned from her two decades at the center of national news-making.

Award-winning Virginian-Pilot staff photographer Stephen M. Katz discussed his empathetic approach to photojournalism with students attending the final Charles Center/Virginia Media journalism masterclass March 24.

A daunting task to finish one thesis, seniors Liam Staker, Adam Jutt, Maryclaire O’Brien, and Sarah Sakly have undertaken the seemingly impossible task of completing two theses each during the 2024-25 academic year.

The Woody Internship in Early Childhood Music Education provides a unique opportunity for �鶹�ƽ�� students to gain hands-on experience in music education while making a difference in the community.

Six �鶹�ƽ�� students joined researchers from across Virginia for the inaugural Undergraduate Research Showcase at the Capitol Feb. 6 in Richmond’s General Assembly Building.

Faith Page ‘26 spent last summer developing a groundbreaking new tour at Surry’s Smith Fort, a historic site located across the James River from Jamestown that Preservation Virginia operates as a museum.  

While many seek rest and relaxation over academic breaks, Sharp Journalism Seminar students get to work, traveling the globe in search of a scoop.

Recently co-published in the Journal of Black Psychology, Raven Pierce ’23, M.Ed. ‘26, and Associate Professor of School Psychology Janise Parker are making waves for their study on the empowerment of women of color within higher education.

Jazz legends Steve Wilson and George Cables mentored students, faculty, and community members in a Charles Center-sponsored masterclass in the W&M Music Arts Center Concert Hall Jan. 25.

In a grueling 38-hour-long competition hosted by &hacks X, more than 250 �鶹�ƽ�� hackers representing nearly every discipline competed in the annual Hackathon Oct. 4-6 in Swem Library.

Weaving through the vibrant displays of the Ruth E. Carter exhibit on Afrofuturist costume design at Jamestown Settlement Nov. 13, students in the W&M Scholars Undergraduate Research Experience (WMSURE) marveled at the harmonious combination of scholarship and storytelling told through fabrics and colors.

Denise Watson, features editor of The Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press, led a Nov. 15 journalism masterclass on artificial intelligence (AI) and media misinformation, the third session in a series of six workshops offered by the Charles Center this academic year.

In writing her English honors thesis, Shawna Alston ‘25 calls upon many muses, including renowned scholars and artists — from Lucille Clifton to Toni Morrison — as well as faculty and students in the �鶹�ƽ�� Scholars Undergraduate Research Experience (WMSURE) community who provide invaluable support and inspiration each day.

More than 65 faculty, staff, students, and family members attended an evening program Nov. 14 in which this year's Catron Scholars shared stories, discoveries, and creations from summer experiences dedicated to exploring their artistic interests.

Students attending the second Charles Center journalism masterclass were faced with the gravest of hypotheticals: how does one cover a newsroom shooting ethically, responsibly, and respectfully, while working under a tight deadline, in competition with other news outlets?

The 1693 Scholars Program celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, honoring two decades of dedicated faculty mentoring, research support, and vibrant hands-on programming.

Since 2015 Dr. Carol Clayman Woody '71 and Robert Woody have supported �鶹�ƽ�� students’ passion for public history, art history, and museums through the Charles Center's Woody Internship in Museum Studies.

For Monroe Scholars Max Kaminski ‘26 and Sabine Mead Mexia ‘26, research is more than an intellectual enterprise – it is driven by their passion for illuminating Indigenous narratives that continue to be underrepresented.

Dedicated to supporting student research across an expansive range of disciplines, the Charles Center is hosting a gallery exhibition celebrating the artistic development of last summer’s Catron scholars in the Sadler Center’s Hart Gallery from Nov. 11 to 22.

Sophia Heilen ’26 is uncovering evidence of a new kind of unnatural shapeshifting quietly occurring around us: many of the state’s coastal forests are being killed in a transition to saltwater marshes due to recent sea level rise.

During the 2024-25 academic year, the Charles Center is sponsoring a new Arts Masterclass series in partnership with Arts at �鶹�ƽ�� dedicated to creating opportunities for artistic exploration and discovery across disciplines, from music to dance and everything in between.

Hundreds of students, alumni, faculty, and staff attended the Oct. 19 celebration of the renovation and reopening of Monroe Hall.

Since 1924 more than 12,000 �鶹�ƽ�� students have called Monroe Hall home, making memories, forging friendships, and in more than a few cases, finding future life partners in the iconic dorm adjacent to the university’s Historic Campus.

Encompassing all major disciplines and spanning over 36 departments, �鶹�ƽ��’s honors program saw a record number of applicants this year, with 198 students seeking the opportunity to design their own research and write an honors thesis.

Aspiring �鶹�ƽ�� journalists now have an additional avenue to hone their craft – a new summer internship program with mentorship from award-winning reporters and editors from the Daily Press, Virginian-Pilot, and other outlets belonging to Norfolk-based Virginia Media, Inc.

Each summer �鶹�ƽ�� students from different backgrounds with diverse academic interests come together in a vibrant community centered on a shared passion for research.

Though �鶹�ƽ�� undergraduates often pursue summer internships with specific goals in mind, perhaps the greatest benefits of gaining hands-on experience in a potential career field are the zigs, zags, and unexpected life lessons that inevitably arise.

Through the Charles Center's Woody Internship in Museum Studies, ten �鶹�ƽ�� undergraduates spent last summer exploring potential careers in the field alongside mentors at nine host museums.

With more than 1200 students, faculty, staff, and community members participating in the Charles Center's annual Fall Undergraduate Research Symposium Sept 20 in Swem Library, �鶹�ƽ��'s thriving undergraduate research community was on full display.

Learning flourishes at the intersections of class, community, and research – where knowledge and discovery mutually thrive in collaborating relationships. This is the philosophy behind the Sharpe Community Scholars Program, according to its director, Dr. Monica Griffin, who has been involved with the program since 2004.

First-year Stamps 1693 Scholar Aliyana Koch-Manzur ’28 served as New Hampshire’s youngest delegate to the Democratic National Convention from Aug. 19 to 22 in Chicago.

Stephanie Hanes, climate reporter for the Christian Science Monitor, and medical journalist Caleb Hellerman of the Global Health Reporting Center kicked off the 14th Sharp Journalism Seminar challenging students to be inspired by their curiosity.

More than 200 �鶹�ƽ�� undergraduates will reveal their research results Friday, Sept. 20 in Swem Library’s Read and Relax room at the Charles Center’s annual Fall Undergraduate Research Symposium.

Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press features editor Denise Watson has joined the growing list of professional journalists invited to campus this year by the Charles Center to help educate the next generation of storytellers and reporters at the university.

For the more than 270 undergraduates who received 2024 Charles Center summer research grants, May through August is a period of profound discovery, personal mentorship, and meaningful connection.

Charles Center summer 2024 interns are trailblazers, not only for being the largest cohort to date, but also for pioneering a new program – Sharpe Action Research Internships.

Dr. Dennis Taylor, Professor of Marine Science and faculty in the Sharpe Community Scholars Program, retires this summer after more than twenty years of teaching and mentoring students in community-based research.

This summer, ten undergraduates will scatter across the globe to develop their research and artistic acumen thanks to the Louis E. Catron Grant for Artistic Development, a Charles Center fund honoring Dr. Catron, a beloved professor of theatre at W&M from 1966 to 2002.

As scientists all over the world grapple with the impact of global climate change, biology and environmental science major Olivia Cunningham ’25 and neuroscience major Megan Fleeharty ‘24 are throwing their lab coats in the ring to identify potential solutions to the most pressing environmental concern of our time.

More than 30 undergraduate presenters took part in the 4th annual, day-long �鶹�ƽ�� Undergraduate Research Experience (WMSURE) Research Conference in Sadler April 12.

Five Honors students competed for the inaugural Barr Prize in public speaking in the Charles Center's "Thesis in Three" event held as a part of the Graduate & Honors Research Symposium March 22 in Sadler.

Students in �鶹�ƽ��’s incubator for investigative reporting — the Sharp Journalism Seminar — shared insights from their research and writing journeys March 26 in the Grimsley Board Room (Blow 201).

More than 20 �鶹�ƽ�� students have received Research in Motion travel grants since the Charles Center launched the program last fall to expand the impact and reach of undergraduate research.

More than 155 graduate and undergraduate Honors students from �鶹�ƽ�� and several regional universities presented their groundbreaking research at the second annual Graduate & Honors Research Symposium in Sadler Center March 20-22.

More than 80 undergraduates have applied for Charles Center Honors Fellowships for summer ’24, marking surging interest in a program that provides up to $4,000 to rising seniors to conduct ten full-time weeks of research.

Seven undergraduate artists presented their work Feb. 22 in a sweeping Andrews Gallery exhibition that bridged disciplines and spanned media.

Nearly 40 students, faculty, and community members attended “The Climate Generation: Born into crisis, building solutions,” a public talk by journalists Stephanie Hanes and Sara Miller Llana, who shared insights gathered from a year’s worth of reporting in eight countries.

Former W&M Student Assembly President and newly hired WMSURE Program Coordinator Anthony “AJ” Joseph ’21 is paying it forward, helping to grow the program that gave him so much during his time at �鶹�ƽ��.

A passion for community-centered research among incoming �鶹�ƽ�� students helped triple this year’s enrollment in the Sharpe Community Scholars program, an innovative undergraduate living-learning community centered on engagement, social justice, and collaborative research.

Caroline Leibowitz ’24 and Isabel Pereira-Lopez ’24 wish to understand the unexplainable, to travel down the roads that make the rest of us shudder with fright. They are currently working on separate research projects focused on the historical past and present of witchcraft.

Thanks to the generosity of adjunct professor of business law James Boswell ’86 and husband Chris Caracci, students with a passion for material culture have an unprecedented opportunity to connect with distinguished practitioners and other emerging scholars through two of the nation’s leading decorative arts institutions.

Dire predictions about the future of American journalism are common these days, but not so much at �鶹�ƽ��, as student interest in the field flourishes amid a renaissance of Charles Center programs aimed to foster and inspire the next generation of reporters.

The Charles Center's City Research Scholars Internship offers undergraduate students hands-on research opportunities with local nonprofits and the City of Williamsburg.

200+ students revealed their summer research results at the 2023 Fall Undergraduate Research Symposium on Friday, Sept. 22.

The research of 200+ �鶹�ƽ�� undergraduates, representing the work of 45 different majors in the arts & humanities, social sciences, and STEM-related disciplines, will be on display this Friday, Sept. 22 at the 2023 Fall Undergraduate Research Symposium in Swem Library’s Read and Relax room.

Thanks to the vision and generosity of Dr. Carol Woody '71 and Robert Woody, �鶹�ƽ�� has been preparing undergraduates for careers in museums since the path-breaking Charles Center summer internship program launched in 2015.

�鶹�ƽ��'s longstanding Graduate Research Symposium returned to Sadler Center this year with a new collaborative twist, showcasing undergraduate Honors projects alongside the work of graduate students.

Caroline Donovan '23 spent the summer unearthing Colonial Williamsburg's hidden history.

Through a summer research grant, Jack Boyd '23 identified 75 potential sites for inclusion in a new African American Heritage Trail in Williamsburg.

New Charles Center Research Ambassadors are on a mission: to make research more accessible and to help more students get involved.

Raven Pierce '23 displays her research on the power of spirituality and expressive arts to help Black Women navigate oppressive experiences.

For Chemistry majors Kaleea Korunka '25 and Kyle Lewis-Johnson '25, a summer research project on microplastics has taken on a life of its own.

Freeman Intern Fellowships offer unique summer research opportunities in East Asia to �鶹�ƽ�� undergraduates.

Pablo Solano (‘22) and Julia Gibson (‘22) have been exploring a new avenue to enlighten those in the anti-slavery community: a video game. The two seniors have undertaken more than a year of research to develop what they believe is an innovative outreach and teaching tool.

Sumié Yotsukura ‘22 and Brian Zhao ’23 recently celebrated the installation of the exhibit, “Pu Kao Chen: Thoughts of 1923 U.S. & W&M,” at Swem Library. The exhibit was the culmination of their research project to unearth the stories of the first Asian students to attend W&M.

In the summer of 2021, the Charles Center provided Collin Absher (‘24) with an opportunity for intellectual growth as well as a home at �鶹�ƽ�� for the summer. Absher was awarded a Charles Center summer research grant which he allocated toward his study of Chinese poetry from the Tang dynastic period in China.

In cancer treatment, the end goal is to cure or stop the spread of cancer. Four �鶹�ƽ�� students are calling this finish line into question, however, as they study the survivorship period in cancer patients through the Research Experience in All-around Cardiac Health program, otherwise known as REACH.

�鶹�ƽ�� senior Caroline Duckworth ’21 is among a group of 12 students from across the country to be selected for a 2021-2022 fellowship with the James C. Gaither Fellows Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP), a foreign policy think tank in Washington, D.C.

Eight �鶹�ƽ�� alumni and students have been selected to receive U.S. Student Program awards, which will fund their teaching and research in countries around the world during the 2021-2022 academic year.

This semester, Anna Mehlhorn ’22 and eight other �鶹�ƽ�� students worked individually or in pairs to create everything from infographics to music to textile art, demonstrating the diversity within “SciArt,” the fusion of science and art. Last week, to celebrate these student innovations, Mehlhorn facilitated an event where the project participants discussed their works and heard from three professionals in the field.

The Charles Center’s annual research symposium will be virtual this year in response to COVID-19, an adjustment which has opened opportunities for �鶹�ƽ�� undergraduate researchers to be at the forefront of academia’s shift towards succinct, online research communication.

Three �鶹�ƽ�� students have been named Goldwater Scholars, joining a select group of undergraduates studying the natural sciences, mathematics and engineering.

President James Monroe's Highland plantation in Charlottesville, Virginia is becoming a hub for both social and environmental justice. Eileen Dinn ‘23, Grace Breitenbeck ‘21, and Melissa Mukuna ’23 have the task of proposing some next steps for the property, keeping community at the front of their minds and taking careful consideration of the plantation’s history, biodiversity, and business needs.

Over the past four years, Amy Hilla ‘21 spent much of her time in Williamsburg on Scotland Street pursuing diverse research interests as a SOMOS student researcher and a research assistant for AidData. However, Hilla’s crowning research achievement fittingly came just months before she will graduate in May -- a published article in a prominent academic journal.

Two linguistics students, Celia Metzger ’21 and Aubrey Lay ’23, successfully adapted their research projects this summer in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Metzger and Lay, both 1693 Scholars, created innovative project designs that expanded upon their academic pursuits in the classroom – and provided them with a litany of diverse intellectual tasks in the process.

As COVID-19 spread across Virginia and the United States during the summer, geology student Terri Zach ‘21 took social distancing recommendations more seriously than most as she pursued an undergraduate research project in the isolated depths of rural Virginia, taking with her just a research adviser, a face mask, a notepad and an eagerness for discovery.

When COVID-19 upended the spring 2020 semester, all classes had to transition to online coursework in just a few weeks, and research collaborations between faculty and students were thrown into doubt. Fortunately, four students working with English Professor Melanie Dawson were able to translate their passions in class into a summer research opportunity by creating a ‘definitive edition’ of Edith Wharton’s novel The Mother’s Recompense.

Summer 2020 looked and felt different because of COVID-19 restrictions, but �鶹�ƽ�� students doing research projects using Honors Fellowships thrived amidst change.