How can we slow global warming, or prevent opioid overdoses? What can myelination in zebrafish teach us about nerve cells? Can AI generate a convincing poem? How did the universe fling itself open with the Big Bang?
At Kenyon, students collaborate with faculty experts on research opportunities that hold the potential to change the world. In year-long programs and intensive summer projects, student researchers get specific, go deep, and immerse themselves in big questions.
“The most fascinating thing about research is coming closer to understanding why some things are the way we are. But at Kenyon, we take this a step further, because we say, you have found this, how now do you best communicate it?”
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Science Communicator
Neuroscience major Anu Muppirala ’19 combined her experience studying zebrafish at Kenyon with her interest in science writing, and successfully applied for a coveted NSF Graduate Research Fellowship — a rare achievement for an undergrad. She’s now pursuing her doctorate at Harvard University.
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Birth of the Universe
The Clare Boothe Luce Undergraduate Research Program, focused on women in STEM, helped physics major Rachel Nguyen ’19 connect with Professor Tom Giblin to study the origins of the universe — resulting in publication in a top physics journal. She’s pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of Illinois.
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Insect Investigator
Biology major David Anderson ’19 started his pre-med track at Kenyon as a KEEP scholar. With Professor Chris Gillen, he researched how to eradicate mosquitoes that carry diseases like malaria, yellow fever and the Zika virus, putting him on a path to continued post-graduate medical research.
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Law and Laughter
A political science major, stand-up comedian (who once introduced comic Tig Notaro on campus) and president of Kenyon’s Student Council, Delaney Barker ’20 conducted Summer Legal Scholars research with Professor Ric Sheffield. She's now studying civil rights law at Harvard Law School.
Summer Research Opportunities
Research takes center stage during the summer months at Kenyon—more than 75 students take part in research projects covering the natural sciences, humanities, social sciences and fine arts.
Kenyon Summer Scholars team up with faculty mentors during the summer months to work on collaborative projects in the social sciences, fine arts, and humanities. The fellowship awards $4,000 per student plus on-campus housing. The Summer Scholars program is funded by Kenyon and a grant from the Beulah Kahler Foundation. More about the Summer Scholars Program.
Supported in part by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, this program brings students and faculty together to perform community-focused research. Students selected for these competitive awards receive a $4,000 stipend, summer housing and up to $500 in funds for research materials and supplies. More about the Community-Engaged Summer Scholars Program.
The CSAD Democracy Scholars Program provides opportunities for students to work in close collaboration with faculty members as full participants on a fundamental question, text or theme of American liberal democracy. The program is supported by the Class of 1978 Summer Research Fund and the Pamela K. Jensen Faculty Research Fund endowments for the Center for the Study of American Democracy. More about the CSAD Democracy Scholars Program.
The Thomas W. Smith Free Market Societies Scholars Program provides opportunities for students to work in close collaboration with faculty members as full participants to explore how markets and market-supporting institutions may shape social life and social outcomes, be used to address pressing social problems, or contribute to greater prosperity, democracy, or human liberty. The program is supported by a grant from the Thomas W. Smith Foundation to the Center for the Study of American Democracy. More about the T.W. Smith Free Market Societies Scholars Program.
More than 30 student-faculty pairs spend up to 10 weeks in the summer to delve into research projects in the natural sciences. Science scholars present their findings to the public at a research poster session during Family Weekend in October. More about the Summer Science Scholars Program.
The Kenyon Farm Fellow program provides opportunities for student-faculty research or scholarship in any discipline related to agriculture at the Kenyon Farm. The selected fellow will work in close collaboration with a faculty mentor together with the staff and volunteers of the Kenyon Farm. The fellowship awards $4,000 per student plus on-campus housing. The Farm Fellow program is funded by the Diane Elam ’80 Endowment for Kenyon Farm Fellows. More about the Farm Fellow Program.
The ENVS Sustainability Scholars program provides opportunities for environmental studies majors to pursue research with a faculty mentor related to climate change or sustainability. Selected scholars will work in close collaboration with their faculty mentor as well as staff from the Brown Family Environmental Center, Kokosing Nature Preserve, Philander Chase Conservancy or Kenyon Farm. The Sustainability Scholars program is supported by the Kenyon College Fund for Environmental Studies. More about the Sustainability Scholars Program.
The Cascade Science Scholars program is designed for first-year and second-year students in the natural sciences who have no previous research experience. Students work in close collaboration with faculty-student research teams in the natural sciences supported by the Summer Science program. Six to ten scholars are funded by the College. More about the Kenyon Cascade Scholars Program.
The Hoskins Frame Summer Science Writing Scholars program supports student writers who wish to communicate artfully and with precision about science, with the goal of deepening our understanding of the natural world and our place in it. Science Writing Scholars develop writing projects in diverse genres through close interactions with active research groups in Kenyon’s Summer Science Scholars program and with the Office of Communications. More about the Summer Science Writing Scholars Program.
The John W. Adams Summer Scholars Program in Socio-Legal Studies supports the design and execution of original law-related research. Students selected for this program receive stipends, summer housing allowances and funds for research materials and supplies. More about the Adams Summer Legal Scholars Program.
Six qualified undergraduate students are selected each year for this highly competitive 10-week summer research project at the James Cancer Center. Scholars participate in groundbreaking studies and methods to advance cancer research, such as exploring strategies for metastatic cancer treatment and optimizing clinical management decisions for patients with gallbladder cancer. More about Kenyon/OSU/Pelotonia Cancer Research Scholars Program.
The Ohio State University and the Five Colleges of Ohio co-sponsor 20 paid summer research internships in biochemistry, chemistry, mathematics, physics and statistics. The 10-week program partners interns from Kenyon, Wooster, Denison, Oberlin College and Ohio Wesleyan with Ohio State University faculty members to create and execute a research project, then present results in a public forum. More about the Ohio 5/OSU Research Scholars Program.
Striking Gold
Kenyon students win Goldwater Scholarships, continuing the College’s run of success with the premier award for undergraduate research.