From labs on campus to organizations overseas, Swarthmore students spent the summer immersing themselves in hands-on research and internships that stretched their learning far beyond the classroom. More than 300 students pursued projects across disciplines and locations — collaborating with faculty, alumni, and outside experts, or in some cases, working independently — all united by a spirit of exploration and discovery.

Providing support for these opportunities were the three academic divisions, Career Services, the Center for Innovation and Leadership (CIL), the Division of Student Affairs, the Lang Center for Civic & Social Responsibility, the Libraries, Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowships, the Provost’s Office, the Swarthmore Summer Scholars Mentors program, and more.

Below, 15 students from across the disciplines share highlights of their summer experiences.

Lane Barron ’26, a biology major from Hilton Head, S.C.

Focus: The spatial and temporal distribution of crab larvae in the Puget Sound, working through the Oceanography Department at the University of Washington and supported by the Enders Research Memorial Award of Swarthmore Academic Division Funding.

“A highlight was spending five days at sea aboard the R/V Rachel Carson. Alongside other scientists, I collected zooplankton and water samples from stations throughout the Puget Sound. I gained hands-on experience in sample collection techniques including vertical and oblique net tows. This was truly an unforgettable experience — conducting science surrounded by panoramic views of mountain ranges and the occasional visits from sea lions and porpoises. 

"This summer has allowed me to grow as a scientist and to learn about a new realm of biology — oceanography. I have made many meaningful connections, learned a new skill set in marine invertebrate taxonomy, and made memories that will last a lifetime exploring the Pacific Northwest.” 

Pallavi Datta ’27, an economics and math major from Niskayuna, N.Y. 

Focus: Using behavioral insights to encourage household water conservation efforts in Monterrey, Mexico under the guidance of Associate Professor of Economics Syon Bhanot, supported by the James H. Scheuer Summer Internship in Environmental Studies.

“My research focused on analyzing data from an experiment across 10,000 households in Monterrey, Mexico to assess if several interventions, such as distributing water-saving kits, effectively reduce water use. Monterrey has been affected by severe droughts in recent years, so even small reductions in household water use can be significant when aggregated. I have been writing policy memos to summarize our findings for policymakers and the utility company, and through the process, I’ve learned so much about how to write for an audience where the first priority is communicating key takeaways as clearly and concisely as possible.

"A highlight of the summer was having the opportunity to attend the Economic Science Association-Africa conference in Nairobi, Kenya with Professor Bhanot. It was so exciting to have a window to the many ways behavioral economics is applied to fields such as sustainability and development, and ultimately, translated to real-world policy changes."

Hope Dworkin ’26, an Honors art history major from New York City.

Focus: The social and material history of scaffolding in New York City — supported by the Phillip A. Bruno Fine Arts Endowment Art History Opportunity.

"I spent much of the summer visiting archives across New York, including the Municipal Archives, the Riverside Church Archives, and the Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Columbia University, in order to start building a narrative about the history of scaffolding in the city.  I have also made use of online archives of photographs from the past 100 years to track aesthetic and material changes in this unique form of architecture.

"There are not many primary or secondary sources about the history of construction or scaffolding, leading me to experience both the frustrations and joys of research. I am so thankful for this opportunity to devote myself completely to this work, and I am excited to get back to campus to start writing my thesis."

Owen Hoffman ’26, a computer science and engineering major from Hingham, Mass.

Focus: Building a web-based research system using Large Language Model agents to simulate scam conversations, on a project led by Assistant Professor of Computer Science Sukrit Venkatagiri and supported by the Swarthmore College Summer Research Fellowship.

“This summer was an amazing experience. Our team built a JavaScript-based system, which simulates real-world scam conversations; the purpose of the system is to help people better detect digital deceptions. It tests the type of active learning that is the most effective way to teach people about online scams. We built multiple AI agents to simulate these conversations so that study participants could see what real-life scam conversations and associated red flags might look like.

"Sajid Kamal ’25, Kangze Peng ’27, and Zehua You ’26, and I had a position paper accepted, and then presented our preliminary research at an ACM CUI workshop at the University of Waterloo. The experience exposed me to broader academic possibilities that solidified my goal of wanting to go to graduate school.”

Jean Michel Irankunda ’28, of Kigali, Rwanda.

Focus: Designing and building a solar-powered aeroponics system for growing microgreens. 

“The system uses a misting mechanism to deliver nutrients directly to the roots without soil. I focused on making it modular and efficient, and built from accessible materials so it could be easily replicated.

"What I’ll remember most is how often simplicity solved complex problems. Every time things got too complicated, my advisor told me to apply KISS — keep it simple, stupid. That mindset pushed the project forward more than anything else.”

Celia Kanellakos ’28, prospective linguistics major from Chatham, N.J.

Focus: Language revitalization work as an intern for Kevin Connelly, a language revitalization consultant, through the Social Impact Summer Scholarship of the Lang Center.

“The main project was creating both a physical and digital archive of language resources and learning materials that [Connelly] has collected over the years. The establishment of this archive now allows for the information to be thoroughly preserved, easily searched, and used for further educational resource creation.

"I am grateful that I got to experience working hands-on with an amazing group of people on the very precious and challenging task of language revitalization work — something that learning linguistics in the classroom alone can never quite supply.”

Katie Kerman ’26, an Honors peace & conflict studies major from Durham, N.C.

Focus: Traveling to Berlin, supported by the J. Roland Pennock Summer Grant in Public Policy, to enrich my thesis.

“I am writing about the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party, and conducted ethnographic interviews and traveled to archives while in Germany. I had an amazing time and was so grateful to have had [Professor of Peace & Conflict Studies Sa’ed Atshan ’06] as a mentor and travel guide to help me understand the city better. 

"As a Jewish student studying philosemitic rhetoric and Islamophobia that has seeped into current German politics, it was enriching to be able to travel and understand the landscape of past and current German politics while being able to speak to knowledgeable academics, politicians, and journalists. 

Chung Sze Kwok ’27, a cognitive studies major and Honors educational studies and peace & conflict studies special major from the United Kingdom.

Focus: Assessing Hong Kong British National (Overseas) community assets and aspirations in non-metropolitan UK secondary schools, supported by the Summer of Learning component of the Lang Opportunity Scholarship (LOS) Program. 

“I’ve been running a qualitative research study on the secondary school experiences of [Hong Kong British National (Overseas)] students, their parents, and their teachers in my surrounding area. The exploratory nature of this work has taken me everywhere from individual homes, schools, and libraries to the UK Festival of Education, a huge gathering of educators from all across the country.

"I have learned so much from this process, and I look forward to translating all the insights that community members have shared with me to the design of my LOS project. My faculty advisor, [Henry C. and Charlotte Turner Professor Emerita of Educational Studies] Lisa Smulyan, has provided invaluable guidance and support. I am also grateful to the Lang Center for the trust they have placed in me to pursue this work."

"This summer has allowed me to grow as a scientist and to learn about a new realm of biology — oceanography," says Barron.

"What I’ll remember most is how often simplicity solved complex problems," says Irankunda. "Every time things got too complicated, my advisor told me to apply KISS — keep it simple, stupid. That mindset pushed the project forward more than anything else.”

"As a Jewish student studying philosemitic rhetoric and Islamophobia that has seeped into current German politics, it was enriching to be able to travel and understand the landscape of past and current German politics while being able to speak to knowledgeable academics, politicians, and journalists," says Kerman.

"Attending conferences, as well, has made my summer much more exciting and memorable," says Panta. "I flew to Nairobi to attend a behavioral science conference with Professor Bhanot, took a quick trip to Washington, D.C., to present my own research, and helped Associate Professor of Economics Maria Olivero host the Liberal Arts Macroeconomics Conference at Swarthmore.”

"This summer has allowed me to grow as a scientist and to learn about a new realm of biology — oceanography," says Barron.

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Maya Levine ’26, an Honors economics major from Wilmington, Del.

Focus: A legal internship at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Delaware, focused on supporting the legal team’s prison reform efforts, with support from the Julia and Frank Lyman Student Summer Research Fellowship.

“As an aspiring lawyer, this was an invaluable experience. What I will remember most was the zeal, care, and selflessness with which the legal team approached every issue that came before them. As a lifelong Delawarean, it was exciting to see members of the community come together — not only for litigation but also for legislative action — to solve problems in our state. 

"This internship gave me legal and advocacy skills that I’m sure will be useful in the future, as well as a sense of the enormous value organizations like ACLU-DE bring to their communities.”

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Do Young Ryu Lim ’27, of Seoul, Korea.

Focus: Digitization of historical artifacts with Visiting Associate Professor of English Amanda Licastro and the Libraries’ Special Collections, with financial support from Swarthmore Libraries.

“Together with Digital Scholarship interns Riya Rao ’26 and Eve Umutoni ’28, I digitized artifacts from the Peace Collection for archival and display purposes. We developed a workflow by which artifacts are digitized using photogrammetry or stereoscopic depth scanning and transferred to archival environments, such as Islandora or exhibit sites. Through our efforts, we hope to expand digital access to the Libraries' Special Collections.

"I enjoyed grappling with the challenges presented by the intersection between pedagogy and emerging technologies. As practitioners of emerging technology, we have a responsibility to disseminate our knowledge in an accessible and organized way. To this end, and to ensure our practices and workflows were sustainable, we documented the entire process of digitization on a docs/wiki-style site."

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Aashish Panta ’26, an economics major from Kathmandu, Nepal.

Focus: Using behavioral economics to improve welfare as a research assistant for Associate Professor of Economics Syon Bhanot, supported by the Academic Division Funding Starfield Research Grant

“I am wrapping up data analysis and manuscript for a field experiment involving about 80,000 bank customers in Zambia, aiming to change their financial behavior through text messaging. I am also doing something much more local — designing a study to understand how Swarthmore students choose between meal plan choices and help them optimize their choices. Coding (especially when it doesn't run) in front of a dual monitor all day is frustrating at times, but it has been an incredibly rewarding experience; I’m witnessing tremendous growth in technical skills of analyzing large datasets as well as in the soft skills of communicating scientific processes and results. 

"Attending conferences, as well, has made my summer much more exciting and memorable. I flew to Nairobi to attend a behavioral science conference with Professor Bhanot, took a quick trip to Washington, D.C., to present my own research, and helped Associate Professor of Economics Maria Olivero host the Liberal Arts Macroeconomics Conference at Swarthmore.”

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Hannah Poon '27, a physics major from Houston, Texas. 

Focus: Characterization of a planarian escape behavior from predation, through the John Jenkins Summer Opportunity Fund

“I worked with Associate Professor of Biology Eva-Maria Collins to quantitatively study the characteristics and biological significance of a novel escape mechanism that freshwater planarians use when faced with predatory attacks. I was able to visualize physical parameters at work in a biological system, combining my interests as an aspiring biophysicist. 

"By far the most exciting part was co-authoring and collaborating with other team members on a scientific manuscript to summarize our findings, for which I completed data analysis and experiments, collaborated on the writing, and generated figures to accommodate the logical flow of the manuscript narrative. Getting involved in the writing process sharpened my awareness of converting technical data into a logical narrative for scientific communication — valuable skills that I will hold onto as a researcher.”

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Gabby Rodriguez ’27, a biology and English major from Oakland City, Ind.

Focus: Studying an unidentified immune cell in Ciona robusta (sea squirts) in the lab of Associate Professor of Biology Bradley Davidson ’91, supported by a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant.

“I sought to identify which blood cells develop into these odd multinucleated giant cells and to ascertain whether certain unidentified cells found in a study conducted by a former postdoc are present in adult sea squirts in response to a particular chemical signal. The animals we work with may seem like simple creatures, but they are excellent tools for studying the innate immune system. Gaining knowledge about this system in this model organism can help us better understand our own innate immune system as well as some diseases that occur when it malfunctions. 

"Not only does this research experience give me a great opportunity to improve my proficiency in different lab skills, but it makes it clear to me that I will undoubtedly continue to pursue research in the future. I discovered that, in spite of the challenges I faced, I was enjoying the work I was doing. Investigating something new and solving a mystery is a satisfying feeling that I hope to keep experiencing in the future!”

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Alina Vykliuk ’26, a computer science and mathematics major from Chernivtsi, Ukraine.

Focus: Developing a paradigm-generating online dictionary for endangered languages powered by Apertium, guided by Associate Professor of Linguistics Jonathan Washington and supported through Academic Division Funding.

“I contributed to a linguistic tool designed to support endangered languages, including Urum — a Turkic language spoken by ethnic Greeks in southeastern Ukraine. The project centered on developing a dictionary with a built-in paradigm generator, enabling users to view a searched word’s complete set of grammatical forms. It also incorporated features to suggest semantically similar words and analyze inflected input to identify the base lemma. 

"Working with Professor Washington, I integrated these features into Apertium HTML Tools, a localized web interface for Apertium, the open-source platform for rule-based machine translation. Beyond full-stack development, I remotely collaborated with Urum language activists to demo the product, refine goals, and improve Urum language technology. As an international Ukrainian student, the work felt especially meaningful in preserving my country’s minority cultural heritage.”

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Hannah Zhang ’27, a statistics and computer science major from Devon, Pa.

Focus: The relationship of PFAS chemicals in artificial turf and cancer in baseball players.

“My project started with the news that six Philadelphia Phillies players have died of a rare type of brain cancer — a Philadelphia Inquirer article claimed that baseball players had three times the rate of brain cancer as compared with U.S. adult males. Additionally, many reports have claimed that it was the turf that caused this heightened rate of cancer in baseball players due to the PFAS chemicals (also known as “forever chemicals”) in the turf. 

“I attempted to discover whether there is a relationship between artificial turf and cancer in baseball players. [My co-researchers and I] accounted for variables such as heat, and we compared results between baseball players instead of with the general population, who are different from baseball players in terms of demographic and lifestyle. Throughout my research, I learned a lot about statistical methods and models, coding, and even baseball!”