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Anna Paikert ’13 first conceived of the idea to use creative writing as a therapy to help developmentally disabled children while studying childhood developmental disabilities in Copenhagen at the Danish Institute for Study Abroad. Her involvement in a long-term project involving the study of creative writing and its use in educating special needs children led to her Emerson Foundation Summer Research Project.

With the support of an Emerson Foundation Grant, Adi Fracchia ’14 worked with John McEnroe, the John and Anne Fischer Professor of Fine Arts, on a two-month study of the architecture of Gournia in Crete.

Mysticism, or the study of individuals who seek to access a higher-than-sensory reality, is a relatively abstract topic of study, but Sean Fujimori ’14 is hoping to bring the teachings and ancient traditions of the mystics into modern society. Fujimori is pursuing his study on mysticism with an Emerson Foundation Summer Research Grant under the guidance of John Stewart Kennedy Professor of Philosophy Richard Werner.

Students sometimes say that life at Hamilton exists in a “bubble” somewhat removed from real-world events off the Hill, but this does not hold true for Danielle Lashley ’13. She chose to spend her summer gaining valuable career experience right here on campus, by pursuing modern studio art work supported by an Emerson Foundation grant. Lashley, an art concentrator, is working with Associate Professor of Art Rebecca Murtaugh to get a taste of what life as a full- time studio artist might be like.

Danielle Brockmann ’13 is no novice when it comes to creating theatrical performances. Although she has not yet graduated from Hamilton, she has already founded her own production company, The House of Brockmann, and has written, produced and performed three plays. Brockmann’s fourth work, A Leurs Yeux, will be a result of the hours upon hours of work she has been able to complete thanks to her receipt of an Emerson Summer Research Grant.

Mathew Ha’s ’14 grasp of the North Korean political structure is impressive, especially considering the reclusive nature of the 65-year-old single party state. Ha took inspiration in designing his Emerson Grant summer research project on the 2012 North Korean leadership transition from Hamilton alumnus Jae Yong Kim ’10, whose 2009 Emerson research project studied the role of NGOs in North Korea.

Max Schnidman ’14 received an Emerson Grant this summer to research virtual marketplaces. Schnidman first became interested in the idea of online markets when he came across the concept in a New York Times article about the video game Diablo III  last August.  According to the Times article, Diablo III would incorporate a virtual “auction house” where players could conduct exchanges between real dollars and in-game currency known as gold. Diablo III’s auction house is the first-ever sanctioned online marketplace where players can engage in real currency exchanges, and Schnidman believes that this development has potential implications for economic and social policy.

Gabe Mollica ’14 first discovered Stephen Sondheim’s music during a weeklong Westminster Choir summer camp at Rider University and was struck by the complication and sophistication of the composer’s work. Mollica will continue to study Sondheim’s work with the help of an Emerson summer research grant. 

Twenty Hamilton students have been named recipients of the 2012 Emerson Summer Grants. The students receive a stipend and spend the summer working collaboratively with a Hamilton faculty member, researching an area of interest.

Hamilton was well-represented as 12 students presented the results of their research at the New York 6 Undergraduate Research Conference this month at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs.