Category: SRS Round 2 (January 2026)

CLOSED: Leadership and Sustainability Performance: Evidence from CEO Turnover (Megan Hess)

On campus: this project is scheduled to begin on 6/08/2026 and run for 8 weeks, finishing on 7/31/2026.

Project Description

This research project will leverage data about leader retirements and dismissals to explore the effect that leadership changes have on sustainability performance indicators including ESG scores and sustainability goals. In addition to the negative effect of turnover on social performance shown in my preliminary analysis, I want to use qualitative methods like a textual analysis of the letters from the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in sustainability reports before and after the CEO change to unpack how leadership impacts sustainability.

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Prerequisites

Pre-requisites are ACCT 100 and an interest in corporate sustainability, ESG reporting, and leadership

Special Comments

Project Information (subject to change)

Estimated Start Date: 6/08/2026

Estimated End Date: 7/31/2026

Estimated Project Duration: 8 weeks

Maximum Number of Students Sought: 3

Research Location: On campus

Travel Required? No (If “yes”: )

Contact Information: Megan Hess (email: hessm@wlu.edu)

CLOSED: Digital Approaches to W&L History (Mackenzie Brooks)

On campus: this project is scheduled to begin on 6/08/2026 and run for 6 weeks, finishing on 7/17/2026.

Project Description

Leyburn Library seeks students interested in institutional history research opportunities for the summer of 2026. Working collaboratively, the Library and W&L students have been building research portals and digital exhibits on major themes in the history of W&L, including slavery, co-education, and early Scots-Irish founders. This work involves digging into archival material in Special Collections and Archives, processing it to make it available digitally, and interpreting the material for a public audience. Students will gain experience in library and archival research skills, specifically transcription, digitization, metadata, digital exhibit creation, digital scholarship, and public history. Students interested in careers in libraries/information science, cultural heritage, public history, museums, education, or creative fields are encouraged to apply.

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Prerequisites

Coursework in history, DCI, or archival research experience are valuable. Preferred: ability to read 19th century handwriting.

Special Comments

Project Information (subject to change)

Estimated Start Date: 6/08/2026

Estimated End Date: 7/17/2026

Estimated Project Duration: 6 weeks

Maximum Number of Students Sought: 2

Research Location: On campus

Travel Required? No (If “yes”: )

Contact Information: Mackenzie Brooks (email: brooksm@wlu.edu)

CLOSED: Dancers Talking Dance (Jenny Davies)

Remote: this project is scheduled to begin on 6/22/2026 and run for 6 weeks, finishing on 7/31/2026.

Project Description

Students will learn the primary ways of conveying technical feedback for dance including verbal, visual, and kinesthetic processes and gain insight into understanding individual artistic vision, perspective and approach to making choreography. A specific critical feedback method will be taught and employed to create a common language when speaking about dance. Using these tools, students will review submissions for dance guest artists for 2026-27 and respond verbally and in writing to each. Reflection sessions will be conducted with each student after all dances have received feedback. Students will speak about how they ranked specific proposals, why they chose particular dances, and provide responses to the works reviewed.

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Prerequisites

Participation in DANC110 and/or DANC220

Special Comments

Project Information (subject to change)

Estimated Start Date: 6/22/2026

Estimated End Date: 7/31/2026

Estimated Project Duration: 6 weeks

Maximum Number of Students Sought: 2

Research Location: Remote

Travel Required? No (If “yes”: )

Contact Information: Jenny Davies (email: Daviesj@wlu.edu)

CLOSED: Assessing Drinking Water Suitability and Challenges of Springs and Private Wells in Virginia (MADHUMITA CHAKRABORTY)

On campus: this project is scheduled to begin on 6/15/2026 and run for 6 weeks, finishing on 7/24/2026.

Project Description

Did you know that over 1.7 million Virginians rely on private wells for their drinking water, while many others turn to roadside springs? These unregulated water sources are a lifeline for many households, yet their safety and quality remain a pressing concern. Here’s where you come in! Join an exciting research project that dives into the heart of spring and private well water quality in Rockbridge County and the surrounding areas. Together, we’ll explore critical questions: (a) What contaminants are lurking in our springs and wells? (b) How many people are at risk from these contaminants? (c) Who is most at risk from exposure to these contaminants? Are certain communities more vulnerable than others? (d) Do the contaminant profiles in spring water differ from those in well water? In other words, are spring water users exposed to a different set of contaminants than well water users? By participating, you’ll gain hands-on experience in water sampling, analyzing contamination patterns, and GIS-based spatial data analysis while making a real-world impact. This project isn’t just about water testing—it’s about connecting science to society. Your efforts will contribute to identifying inequities in water access and guiding potential interventions to ensure safe drinking water for all. Interested? Let’s tackle these essential questions together and make a difference!

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Prerequisites

N/A

Special Comments

For success in the project, you should have: (a) Enthusiasm for engaging in extensive fieldwork: While prior experience in research or lab settings is not required, you must be eager to actively participate in water sampling and laboratory analysis, learning and developing these skills throughout the project. (b) Willingness to travel off campus: You should be ready to travel to other laboratories for water quality analysis. (c) Curiosity and passion: A genuine interest in water quality issues and a drive to make a meaningful impact.

Project Information (subject to change)

Estimated Start Date: 6/15/2026

Estimated End Date: 7/24/2026

Estimated Project Duration: 6 weeks

Maximum Number of Students Sought: 2

Research Location: On campus

Travel Required? Yes (If “yes”: We will travel on most days during the first five weeks to different parts of the Rockbridge community. Some trips may also include visiting a local water-testing lab.)

Contact Information: MADHUMITA CHAKRABORTY (email: mchakraborty@wlu.edu)

CLOSED: The Political Thought of a Hindu Epic: Vālmīki’s Rāmāyaṇa (Stu Gray)

On campus: this project is scheduled to begin on 6/08/2026 and run for 6 weeks, finishing on 7/17/2026.

Project Description

This project will undertake a comprehensive examination of a Classical Hindu epic, the Rāmāyaṇa, as a historically significant work of both Indian and global political thought. Researchers will perform the following tasks: read and analyze a translated version (in English, from Sanskrit) of the epic, mapping out the most important political themes and ideas in the text; locate, examine, and summarize peer-reviewed scholarship related to the text; meet weekly with the professor to discuss researchers’ analysis and findings. The purpose of this research is to lay the groundwork for a future book/monograph.

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Prerequisites

The researcher must have taken Politics 111: Introduction to Political Philosophy and have additional course experience in political philosophy (or related coursework in disciplines such as Philosophy, Classics, and/or Religion). The researcher should also possess strong critical reading skills.

Special Comments

Project Information (subject to change)

Estimated Start Date: 6/08/2026

Estimated End Date: 7/17/2026

Estimated Project Duration: 6 weeks

Maximum Number of Students Sought: 2

Research Location: On campus

Travel Required? No (If “yes”: )

Contact Information: Stu Gray (email: grays@wlu.edu)

CLOSED: The Effects of Estrogen and Obesity on Rat Activity Patterns (Sarah Blythe)

On campus: this project is scheduled to begin on 6/01/2026 and run for 10 weeks, finishing on 8/7/2026.

Project Description

The Blythe lab is seeking 2–3 motivated undergraduate students to participate in an 8–10 week summer research (on campus) experience investigating how changes in estrogen, such as those occurring during menopause),influence behavior using a rat obesity model. Students will receive hands-on training in animal care, behavioral testing, and small rodent surgical techniques. Training will also include creating ethograms and analyzing behavioral data. Depending on project progress and student interest, opportunities may also include tissue sectioning, immunocytochemistry, and histological imaging and analysis. This experience is ideal for students interested in neuroscience, behavior, endocrinology, or biomedical research.

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Prerequisites

Students selected for this position are required to enroll in Dr. Blythe’s Spring 2026 course РBehavioral Neuroendocrinology.

Special Comments

Yes, Behavioral Neuroendocrinology (Spring 2026).

Project Information (subject to change)

Estimated Start Date: 6/01/2026

Estimated End Date: 8/7/2026

Estimated Project Duration: 10 weeks

Maximum Number of Students Sought: 3

Research Location: On campus

Travel Required? No (If “yes”: )

Contact Information: Sarah Blythe (email: blythes@wlu.edu)

CLOSED: Electric Propulsion and Convective Fluid Mechanics (Joel Kuehner)

On campus: this project is scheduled to begin on 6/08/2026 and run for 8 weeks, finishing on 7/31/2026.

Project Description

Electric propulsion is often applied in satellite navigation and space exploration and involves the acceleration of ions using electric fields. Students will have the opportunity to continue the design, fabrication, and characterization of an existing ion thruster. Students will learn about an ion thruster, design physical components, make measurements, and investigate the thrust developed. Students will also engage with a convective fluid mechanics experiment in which the buoyant plume above a heated cylinder will be investigated. Students will learn how to apply particle image velocimetry, a laser-based velocity measurement technique, to observe the starting transients in the buoyant plume. The goal is to identify flow characteristics that eventually lead to a previously discovered periodic swaying motion.

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Prerequisites

PHYS 112 or equivalent

Special Comments

Project Information (subject to change)

Estimated Start Date: 6/08/2026

Estimated End Date: 7/31/2026

Estimated Project Duration: 8 weeks

Maximum Number of Students Sought: 3

Research Location: On campus

Travel Required? No (If “yes”: )

Contact Information: Joel Kuehner (email: kuehnerj@wlu.edu)

CLOSED: Scientific Writing in Neuroscience (Sarah Blythe)

Hybrid: this project is scheduled to begin on 6/08/2026 and run for 6 weeks, finishing on 7/17/2026.

Project Description

The Blythe lab is seeking 1 upper-level student to participate in a 4-6 week scientific writing internship.  This position can be either on- or off-campus.  The ideal research assistant will enjoy reading, writing, and revising scientific articles. Data analysis and figure design will also be required. Interested candidates are encouraged to contact Dr Blythe for more details. 

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Prerequisites

Students should be rising juniors or rising seniors.

Special Comments

Project Information (subject to change)

Estimated Start Date: 6/08/2026

Estimated End Date: 7/17/2026

Estimated Project Duration: 6 weeks

Maximum Number of Students Sought: 1

Research Location: Hybrid

Travel Required? No (If “yes”: )

Contact Information: Sarah Blythe (email: blythes@wlu.edu)

CLOSED: Vegetation and soil organic matter responses to the removal of large grazers in Yellowstone Grasslands (Bill Hamilton)

Hybrid: this project is scheduled to begin on 6/08/2026 and run for 8 weeks, finishing on 7/31/2026.

Project Description

While much work has been done on the plant/herbivore interactions, much less in known about the direct and indirect interactions of grazers on the ability of soils to sequester carbon (C). C sequestration is an important ecological property of an intact ecosystem and also serves as an important process for the National Park Service because it can contribute to mediation of climate change. There is a tri-trophic interaction between plants, herbivores and soil microbes that regulates soil C. Microbes are responsible for the decomposition of organic matter with grasses and herbivores contributing to removals and inputs of C from the system. Using a combination of laboratory and field-based experiments we will analyze soil samples for microbial biomass and soil C, quantify net ecosystem productivity, and conduct laboratory soil incubations. This will be done in direct collaboration with the National Park Service Bison Ecology and Management team and interns from the Intertribal Buffalo Council. Our field and laboratory data will identify relationships and mechanisms about grassland carbon exchange that can be linked to broader scales within YNP and in other grassland ecosystems.

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Prerequisites

BIOL 200 level or ENV 201

Special Comments

no

Project Information (subject to change)

Estimated Start Date: 6/08/2026

Estimated End Date: 7/31/2026

Estimated Project Duration: 8 weeks

Maximum Number of Students Sought: 2

Research Location: Hybrid

Travel Required? Yes (If “yes”: Mid June to Yellowstone National Park)

Contact Information: Bill Hamilton (email: hamiltone@wlu.edu)

CLOSED: Using GIS to identify wildland firefighting tactics (Calvin Bryan)

Hybrid: this project is scheduled to begin on 6/08/2026 and run for 9 weeks, finishing on 8/7/2026.

Project Description

In this project, students will use GIS programs to investigate how aircraft have been employed in combating active wildfires. Data has been collected on the exact times and locations of aerial drops of fire retardant from firefighting aircraft over about five years. Students will use this data, along with spatial data on wildfire burn boundaries over the same time period, to help identify the objective of each retardant drop. This data will ultimately be used as a part of a project to estimate the effectiveness of aerial firefighting at actually altering wildfire outcomes.

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Prerequisites

At a minimum, students should be familiar with ArcGIS. It will also be useful if students have experience working in R, Python, and/or have an interest in AI and machine learning.

Special Comments

Students will need to have access to ArcGIS. They will be able to do some of this work from home if they can use it on their personal computer, but may have to work from a campus computer if not.

Project Information (subject to change)

Estimated Start Date: 6/08/2026

Estimated End Date: 8/7/2026

Estimated Project Duration: 9 weeks

Maximum Number of Students Sought: 2

Research Location: Hybrid

Travel Required? No (If “yes”: )

Contact Information: Calvin Bryan (email: cbryan@wlu.edu)