More Stories Tagged With Student Research

Two students in lab coats stand alongside a professor, all smiling, inside a Biology lab

Academics Biology Career Preparation Student Life

Student Research Continues to Advance Discovery in Immunology Lab

Kelly Hotaling '28 and Josiah Lester '27 worked with Professor of Biology Dr. Melanie Gubbels Bupp to understand how malnutrition impacts T cells.

Two students in lab coats stand alongside a professor, all smiling, inside a Biology lab
A student presents a PowerPoint during the 2026 SURF Symposium

Academics Biology Chemistry History Spanish Student Life

2026 SURF Fellowships Highlight Incisive Questions and Deeper Understanding

The 2026 SURF Symposium represented student research from a wide range of disciplines, including Chemistry, History, Political Science, Biology, and more.

A student presents a PowerPoint during the 2026 SURF Symposium
SURF students and their faculty mentors lined up in a group photo in front of Estes Dining Hall

Academics Biology Chemistry Economics, Business, and Accounting Faculty History Political Science Psychology Spanish Student Life

SURF Kicks Off Summer Undergraduate Research

For nine weeks this summer, 27 students will conduct original research under the guidance of faculty mentors.

SURF students and their faculty mentors lined up in a group photo in front of Estes Dining Hall

Academics Political Science Student Life Student Spotlight

Political Science Major Wins Best Undergraduate Paper Award for Research on Automatic Voter Registration

Jane Elkins ’26 has earned recognition for her research on voter participation, receiving the Pi Sigma Alpha Best Undergraduate Paper Award.

A biology student writes on a clipboard while observing marigolds at a farm.

Academics Biology Student Life Student Spotlight

Friends of Flowers: Measuring Companion Plants’ Impact on Pollinators at an Urban Farm

Wyatt Richardson '26 has spent his SURF summer studying the impact of wild flowers and other plants on pollinator populations at Shalom Farms in Richmond.

A biology student writes on a clipboard while observing marigolds at a farm.
A person presents a scientific poster to three others in a hallway

Academics Engineering Student Life

Research and Creativity on Display During Student Symposium

213 students formally presented their work, showcasing a broad range of scholarly and creative pursuits.

A person presents a scientific poster to three others in a hallway
RMC Professor Nick Ruppel and Jonas Fike ID trees around campus as part of a research project to officially classify the RMC Campus as an arboretum.

Academics Biology Environmental Studies Faculty

Randolph-Macon’s Campus Officially Accredited as Arboretum

The work of Jonas Fike '24 and biology professor Nick Ruppel has resulted in RMC's accreditation as a Level I Arboretum through ArbNet.

RMC Professor Nick Ruppel and Jonas Fike ID trees around campus as part of a research project to officially classify the RMC Campus as an arboretum.
A person holding a 3D printed ukulele sits in front of a 3D printer and a computer displaying an engineering-inspired ukulele design.

Academics Career Preparation Engineering

Student Research Explores 3D-Printed Instruments

Xander Birchfield ’25, an engineering major and avid pianist, is merging his passions by researching 3D-printed ukuleles.

A person holding a 3D printed ukulele sits in front of a 3D printer and a computer displaying an engineering-inspired ukulele design.
Two individuals wearing gloves work on an experiment in a laboratory. One operates equipment inside a fume hood, while the other observes. They wear safety glasses and casual attire. Various lab equipment is visible.

Academics Career Preparation Chemistry Faculty

In Thoburn’s SURF Lab, Undergrads are the Teachers

Through SURF- and NSF-funded research, RMC students explore supramolecular chemistry and mentor high school students in the process.

Two individuals wearing gloves work on an experiment in a laboratory. One operates equipment inside a fume hood, while the other observes. They wear safety glasses and casual attire. Various lab equipment is visible.

Alumni Stories Chemistry Faculty Student Life

Chemistry Students Present Research at American Chemical Society National Meeting

Eight Randolph-Macon chemistry students traveled to New Orleans to present research carried out during SURF this past summer.