Together, we're creating a world informed & inspired by research | | |
Director's Message
Research, inside out
A research idea is often born of inward-facing questions: What problems am I passionate about solving? What unique skills and perspectives do I have that could advance the field?
Even preliminary findings, though, lead us outward to a broader community of experts eager to assess our work with disciplinary scrutiny, rules of evidence, and deep understandings to make our research — and us — better.
Charles Center Research in Motion grants, funded in part by the Arts & Sciences Dean’s office, help William & Mary undergraduates pivot from the inward enterprise of idea generation to disseminating research results to a broader community, for the greater good.
What could be more important at this moment than supporting our emerging experts in their pursuit of hands-on experiences that inform the world while preparing them for lives and livelihoods of purpose?
| | Charles Center Community News | | | |
Catron scholars explore, expand artistic interests
Catron summer grants support students in inspiring educational experiences of their choosing related to creative or performing arts.
This year’s recipients are engaging in screen printing, dance, film, photography, painting, and digital art.
Learn more
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1693 Scholars: Researching the world to make it better
While many 1693 Scholars scatter to pursue summer opportunities elsewhere, several are delving deeply into research projects alongside faculty mentors.
Such undergraduate summer research experiences can be transformative — for students and the world.
Learn more
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Henry '25 pursues journalism
with Sizemore Fellowship
Senior Emma Henry garnered one of William & Mary’s largest awards before graduating last month — a $40,000 H. Mason Sizemore, Jr. Journalism Fellowship for graduate studies at Northwestern University’s renowned Medill School of Journalism in the fall.
Read more
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Woody interns expand museum studies partnerships
Driven by a passion for museums and a taste for adventure, this year’s cohort of ten Woody interns is exploring the field alongside specialists at the Phillips Collection in Washington, DC, South Carolina's Charleston Museum, and other institutions in Virginia, Delaware, Ohio.
Read more
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Unforgettable lessons
from Cherokee country
The Charles Center supported Assistant Professor of Anthropology Buck Woodard's study away trip, which offered students a unique opportunity to apply principles and methods explored in the classroom to guided ethnographic inquiry of the Cherokee Indian Reservation.
Read more
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Cunningham '25 captures Barr Prize in public speaking
Five finalists competed for the 2025 Barr Prize in Public Speaking by presenting a 5-minute distillation of their honors research to a general audience in Sadler Center's Commonwealth Auditorium April 3. Stakes were high, with prizes ranging from $1,000 to $250.
Read more
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100+ Students share honors research in spring symposium
For many of the 100+ senior honors students who presented their thesis projects at the Charles Center’s Spring Honors Research Symposium April 3-4 in Sadler Center, the moment capped a transformative research journey that focused — perhaps even defined — their William & Mary experience.
Read more
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Grants spark curiosity, material culture connections
Three Ph.D. candidates in history — Emily Wells, Jennifer Merriman, and Qiong Wu — received Boswell-Caracci Material Culture Study Fund grants to reach beyond campus and their primary fields to connect with leading experts in the world of material culture studies.
Read more
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Writers-in-residence launch
new journalism courses
The Charles Center is collaborating with campus partners to bring three writers-in-residence to campus in 2025-26 to teach a variety of journalism courses that will further inspire students to hone their writing skills, learn the craft from expert practitioners, and build portfolios of work that could help launch their careers.
Read more
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Carline '26 selected
for Goldwater Scholarship
Before Kate Carline '26 stepped onto campus, she had never picked up a pipette. By the end of her junior year, on top of earning the Goldwater Scholarship and being a Murray 1693 Scholar, she had already authored and published her own research – twice.
Read more
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Summer research grant leads
to publication
WMSURE scholar Chidi Akunwafor '25 traveled to rural South Africa on a Charles Center Summer Research Grant as part of a four-member research team whose findings were recently published in Global Public Health: An International Journal for Research, Policy and Practice.
Read more
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Need more perspective
on the world?
Check out articles from this year's Sharp Journalism Seminar, a collaboration between the Pulitzer Center and the Charles Center, supported by W&M alums Anne and Barry Sharp.
Read more
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Internship & Applied Learning Showcase
August 27, 2025
In partnership with the Office of Career Development & Professional Engagement, 100+ students will come together to reflect upon their summer internship experiences.
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Fall Undergraduate Research Symposium
September 19, 2025
The symposium, to be held in Swem Library, will feature the research of 250+ undergraduate students in a variety of presentation formats, reflecting majors across Arts & Sciences disciplines.
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Catron Scholars
Exhibition
mid-November 2025
The work of this year's seven Catron Scholars will be on display, representing an array of interests within the arts, including screen printing, dance, film, photography, painting, and digital art.
| | Charles Center Staff Spotlight | |
Maxwell Tippl-Cloe
Maxwell is the program coordinator for the Sharpe Community Scholars living-learning community and Charles Center research internships.
Since 2021, Maxwell has been planning community engaged workshops, guiding living-learning programming, and working with student fellows toward the goal of encouraging students to explore community-based research.
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In many ways, Maxwell never really left William & Mary. As an undergraduate, Maxwell studied English and American Studies – working with the Charles Center as a Monroe Scholar and honors student. They continued their studies as a master’s student in American Studies, where they served as a graduate assistant for Sharpe. Their undergraduate and master’s research focused on the intersections of art, archives, and oral history amongst LGBTQ+ networks in the Appalachian Mountains.
In the fall, Maxwell is starting a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration at W&M’s School of Education, where they will investigate the resonances between living-learning communities, critical pedagogy, and student identity development.
Maxwell lives in Richmond with their spouse (married last November!) and their black cat. In their free time, Maxwell enjoys biking, playing old-time fiddle (a passion found as an undergraduate at W&M), collecting and reading first edition books, and participating in their local Quaker community.
Meet the rest of the Charles Center team here!
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Giving to the Charles Center Fund ensures your gift will support the areas of greatest need and student impact. In all we do, we seek to put our values in action: inclusivity & accessibility, collaboration & connection, and inquiry & innovation.
Thank you for your generosity.
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