Collaborative Research

2009 Research Summary

Read the Scope news interview with Mark Hoffman, head of the collaborative research program.

In its 20th year, Skidmore’s Summer Faculty/Student Research Program had 51 students and 34 faculty members working collaboratively on 39 different projects in disciplines across the academic spectrum. The program provided students with a unique opportunity to work with faculty on original research in disciplines ranging from biology to management and business, including English, physics, dance, and economics.

The program offers students the chance to spend 10 weeks in the lab or the classroom immersed in research, to gain a hands-on appreciation for scholarly work. Outcomes of the summer collaboration vary—for some students, the summer provides a foundation upon which to build a senior or an honors thesis; for others, the research could lead to published results in a peer-reviewed academic journal. Skidmore alumni who have continued their education in graduate school have reported that experience as researchers has given them distinct advantages as scholars.

Support for the 2009 summer collaborative research program was provided by the Arthur Vining Davis and the Mellon foundations, Skidmore’s Office of Academic Advising, and the following: Felicia Axelrod ’62, Marlene Oberkotter Fowler ’61, Richard A. Mellon ’87, the estate of Margaret Williams Page ’43, Susan Petrlik ’82 and the Florence Petrlik Family Foundation, Sara Schupf ’62, and Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Woodcock P’96.