Exploration and discovery are at the heart of the Franklin & Marshall experience. Through collaborative student-faculty research, creative production, and inquiry, our community pursues new ideas and deepens understanding across every field of study. These partnerships,  hallmarks of an F&M liberal arts education,  embody the spirit of curiosity and innovation that defines our college experience. 

The Fall Student Research Fair celebrates the result of that spirit. It showcases the work of students and faculty who have spent their past summer and academic year investigating big questions, creating new knowledge, and advancing the frontiers of their disciplines.

Student-faculty research  has long been a part of F&M’s identity. Since the early 1980s, when a generous gift from the Hackman family established the Hackman Summer Research Scholars program, our community has benefited from enduring philanthropic support for student research in all divisions of the college. That legacy continues to grow through additional endowed funds including the Eyler Biochemistry fund, the David Schuyler Urban Studies Fellowship, the Bolton Humanities & Social Sciences Student Exploration fund, and the Harring-Wittenbraker Student-Faculty and Shilling Family Student-Faculty research funds. 

During the summer of 2025, 91 Summer Scholar students collaborated on 52 research projects across the sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities, made possible by institutional and donor support. During each academic year, students also receive support from the Leser, Nissley, Lutrey endowments, and research sponsored by other internal and external faculty grants, including a substantial number of awards from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.

Many of those students are sharing their work here today, offering a glimpse into the questions they have explored and the transformative impact of these experiences on their academic and personal growth. 

The work presented today challenges traditional boundaries of what constitutes a classroom and our definition of "teacher" and "student." Together these projects exemplify the creativity, collaboration, and intellectual vibrancy that thrive at t Franklin & Marshall. We invite families, students, faculty, alumni, and members of our broader  community to join us in celebrating this remarkable expression of shared discovery. 

Sunita Kramer

Provost and Dean of the Faculty