Once mid-May hits, most students, faculty and administrators are ready to pack up and head home for the summer, but some stay.

This past summer, juniors Hanna Tudor and Maggie O’Neill-Dee had the opportunity to stay on campus and conduct research for the Political Science and Biology departments.

Tudor ‘20, a political science and art history double major from Fairfax, VA, first heard about the research opportunity on campus from some other students in the political science department.

“I was very interested in learning about Korean media, politics and corruption. After coming up with a focus on how the impeachment of president Park Geun Hye was affected by alternative media sources and internet activism, I reached out to my political science professor Wei Ting Yen. She was teaching a course on the Political Economy of East Asia, so I was able to gain some insight on my research during the class,” said Tudor ‘20.

Tudor ‘20 was on campus during the first part of the summer researching the historical context of media reform in South Korea from 1910 to the 2016 impeachment. The last four weeks of summer, Tudor ‘20 travelled to Korea where she interviewed citizens, aged 18-75, across South Korea to gain some understanding of what people believe the new role of media is in socio-political issues.

“Summer on campus was really great because you see a new side of Denison’s campus and meet a lot of people you would not normally interact with. I definitely recommend it to other students,” said Tudor ‘20.

O’Neill-Dee ‘20, a biology major from Ottawa, Canada, was inspired by her brother who had completed summer research at Denison a few years back and followed in his footsteps.

“He told me it was a great learning experience and is good preparation for post graduation opportunities,” said O’Neill-Dee ‘20.

O’Neill-Dee studied in the biology department, where she researched zooplankton, a small crustacean, and their presence in the Granville School Land Labs. She focused on one specific pond in Granville and looked at the changes of presence and abundance of zooplankton.

When reflecting on her summer at Denison, O’Neill-Dee ‘20 commented, “I really enjoyed my summer here! It was definitely quiet, but it’s nice to be able to explore the campus and Columbus without the pressures of school. But 10 weeks was definitely enough for me.”

If you’re interested in a summer on campus, the Lisska Center for Scholarly Engagement offers a variety of summer opportunities for students interested in research, academic courses, service projects and more. Whether it be research, service, overseas studying or summer courses, Denison may have a summer opportunity for you.

Fellowships are available that support summer courses, workshops, service projects, and research opportunities both in the U.S. and overseas. Fellowships include Davis Projects for Peace, DAAD-RISE, Fulbright U.K. Summer Institute, Humanity in Action and the Gilman Scholarship.

The Lisska Center also offers Denison’s flagship Summer Scholars Program, which gives students the opportunity to experiment with ideas and artistic expression, pursue an intellectual passion and/or focus intently on the resolution of a question over a sustained period of time. Through endowed funds, Denison is able to support approximately 120 students pursuing full-time independent research or collaborative work under the close supervision of a faculty member for up to 10 weeks.

Although the summer of ‘18 just came to a close, it is never too early to start looking into potential opportunities for next summer. For additional information, checkout the Lisska Center’s website or contact the center at 740-587-6573.