Together, we're creating a world informed & inspired by research | | |
Director's Message
It's about the Journey
For nearly four decades, we've supported undergraduates at every turn of their research journey -- from brainstorming ideas and connecting with faculty mentors to conducting summer research and presenting at campus symposia.
Now, more than ever, our students seek to communicate their research to a broader audience beyond William & Mary.
Through our expanded Research-in-Motion grants and journalism offerings, we're equipping students with the tools to share their research with nonspecialists.
We've also launched new undergraduate research dissemination grants to support student publications, scholarly articles, artistic exhibitions and productions, including websites, podcasts, or events, which connect research findings with communities that have the most to benefit from new knowledge.
Please consider a gift today in support of undergraduate research at every stage!
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Fall research symposium
draws record crowd of 1,200+
More than 1,200 students, staff, faculty, and community members attended the Fall Undergraduate Research Symposium Sept. 19 in Swem Library. More than 200 students representing nearly every major at the university presented their research.
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Holladay named inaugural Sharp Writer-in-Residence
Dr. Hilary Holladay, an accomplished poet, novelist, biographer, and journalist, is the Charles Center’s inaugural Sharp Writer-in-Residence, teaching Writing & Reporting the News (WRIT 401) in the English department this fall.
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Masterclass demonstrates music's power to inspire children
“Ode to Joy” echoed through the Music Arts Building Sept. 26 as Anthony Williams, director of Williamsburg’s Early Childhood Music School, led attendees in song during his masterclass, “Rhythm & Roots: The Power of Early Childhood Music Education.”
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Ibes leads Sharpe Scholars outdoors, into communities
Among the many community-focused learning opportunities for Sharpe Scholars is ENSP 100, “Big Ideas in Environmental Science: Mapping Community Nature Rx,” led by Dorothy Ibes, teaching professor in William & Mary’s Environment & Sustainability Program.
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Vox journalist shares lessons from the field
Benji Jones, senior environmental correspondent for Vox and Pulitzer Center grantee, visited W&M Sept. 7-8 to help kick off the 15th annual Sharp Journalism Seminar. While on campus, he met with 1693 Scholars and gave a public talk, sharing lessons learned from years of international solutions-oriented reporting.
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Legendary Ilê Aiyê inspires in immersive arts masterclass
On the evening of Sept. 3 in Glenn Close Theatre, bright percussive beats poured from the stage as the legendary Afro-Brazilian street band Ilê Aiyê held the first of several Charles Center-sponsored Arts Masterclasses hosted by William & Mary’s Office of the Arts this academic year.
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Sharpe internships strengthen community partnerships
Sharpe Action Research Internships support students working with community organizations to conduct research that tackles issues that matter. The program is the latest to emerge from Sharpe, William & Mary’s living-learning community for community-based research and engagement.
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Internship showcase highlights impactful summer experiences
Over 150 undergraduate students who spent the summer pursuing their passions through impactful internships and research shared their experiences at the third annual Fall Internship & Applied Learning Showcase Aug. 29 in Sadler Center. The event was hosted by the Office of Career Development & Professional Engagement.
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WMSURE's Barko-Alva honored with 2025 President's Award
As a recipient of the 2025 President’s Award for Service to the Community, Katherine Barko-Alva, associate professor in the School of Education and co-director of WMSURE, takes her approach to bilingual education directly to the area’s K-12 schools, to community centers, and to faith-based organizations.
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W&M excels as national leader
in career readiness
From volunteering at free medical clinics to developing artificial intelligence tools for smarter parking, nearly 100 William & Mary students combined hands-on learning with coursework this summer as part of a pilot program focused on deepening undergraduate applied learning experiences.
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How to Get Involved
with Research
3:30-4:30pm
October 6
Sadler, York
Learn more about starting undergraduate research, finding a faculty mentor, and getting funding.
You'll be ready to take your first steps into the world of research!
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Undergraduate Research Opportunities Fair
11am-2pm
October 15
Sadler, Chesapeake
Faculty and student representatives will share examples of research in their respective departments/programs and guide students toward pathways to get started with research of their own.
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Conversation with
Journalist Nina Dietz
4-5pm
October 27
Blow Hall 201
Join us for a conversation with investigative journalist, photographer, and Pulitzer Center grantee Nina Dietz about storytelling and planetary health, both human and environmental, and their intersection.
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Charles Center Staff Spotlight:
Research Ambassadors!
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I'm Clara Rinker '26, and I'm double majoring in Hispanic Studies and Computational and Applied Mathematics & Statistics on the Mathematical Biology track.
I'm from Birmingham, Alabama, and spent the last year studying and living abroad in Spain. On campus I'm involved with research in both the Hispanic Studies and Mathematical Biology departments, play the guitar in the Appalachian Music Ensemble, and tutor in the TutorZone.
For fun I like to go for walks in Colonial Williamsburg (mostly to look for dogs that would accept being pet by a college student) and make an average of 3 Spotify playlists a day.
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I'm Micah Dill '26, and I am a senior majoring in Conservation and Philosophy. I am from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and came to W&M as a transfer student because I was looking for a school with a sense of community and opportunities for undergraduate research.
One of my favorite experiences at W&M has been participating in conservation research that was supported by the Charles Center.
My research involved collecting oral histories from fishing communities along the Rappahannock River to gain knowledge about the economic and cultural value of river herring. In my free time, I enjoy playing on the university's club soccer team.
| | | Meet the rest of the Charles Center team here! | | |
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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Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away;
Lengthen night and shorten day;
Every leaf speaks bliss to me
Fluttering from the autumn tree.
I shall smile when wreaths of snow
Blossom where the rose should grow;
I shall sing when night’s decay
Ushers in a drearier day.
--Emily Brontë
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