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Audacity, Agency, Authenticity.

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Applied Learning & Research

Ford Hall Lab

Smith’s wide array of innovative programs and centers, cross-disciplinary initiatives, and internship and service opportunities are designed to enrich the academic experience to help students further explore their passions in real-world pursuits.

Explore Applied Learning

Center for the Environment, Ecological Design and Sustainability
Jandon Center for Community Engagement
Jill Ker Conway Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Four students in discussion group
Wurtele Center for
Leadership
Boutelle-Day Poetry Center
Student in white sweater writing in a notebook
Kahn Liberal Arts Institute
Narratives Project
Design Thinking Initiative
Praxis Program

Why Pursue Science Research at Smith?

Undergraduate research extends learning beyond the classroom, providing students with exciting opportunities to investigate pressing questions in science.

LEARN MORE ABOUT RESEARCH AT SMITH

Student in laser lab

News from the Grécourt Gate

The Grécourt Gate showcases the ideas, the people behind the ideas and the original contributions Smith is making to larger intellectual dialogues through the culture of research and the liberal arts at the college, where a vibrant community of scholars and students exhibit a love of discovery. Here are some recent features.

Finding New Evidence of Early Animal Life

May 3, 2022

Professor Sara Pruss and Lexie Leeser ’21 have made a discovery that could change prevailing wisdom about early animal life on Earth. In a paper just published in Science Advances, they present fossil evidence that suggests colonial animals known as bryozoans appeared approximately 30 million years earlier than previously reported.

Guiding Light

March 28, 2022

Psychology professor Mary Harrington explains how light influences our circadian rhythms.

‘Power and Vulnerability’: 2022 Amplify Awards

March 25, 2022

This year’s Amplify Competition revealed the “power and vulnerability” of students using their voices in public writing, speaking and art. The contest is the culmination of a yearlong Wurtele Center for Leadership program of workshops, events and coaching.

Of Syphilis and Kings

February 9, 2022

Syphilis existed in medieval Europe, and it caused the death of England’s King Edward IV. That’s the surprising argument of Smith College scholar Marylynn Salmon, just published in The Medieval Globe, a history journal.

People News, January 2022

January 31, 2022

Sustainability awards, book honors and nonprofit leadership appointments are among the recent accomplishments of Smith students, faculty, staff and alums. Read about them in the latest People News column.

Keep Exploring

Smith Scholars

The Smith Scholars Program provides a framework for talented students to spend one or two years working on projects of their own devising.

STRIDE Program

Smith offers some of its finest incoming students a scholarship that includes a paid research position with a Smith professor.

Celebrating Collaborations

With faculty guidance, students present the results of their research, independent study projects and other creative work.