Research

At Georgetown College, research unites faculty, graduate students and undergraduate students in the search for new knowledge through academic methods of inquiry. As senior scholars, faculty express and pursue the most ambitious questions in their fields while inviting inviting students to participate in a process of inquiry, exploration, and discovery. Students join in this research in classrooms, laboratories, archives, and the field, all the while gaining valuable training and mentorship from their faculty advisors. At the College, both the new knowledge generated by research and the process of inquiry itself are central to the education and formation of students.


Research News

close up photo of a cicada

Creating Cicada Curiosity: Biology Professor Launches Children’s Resource on Upcoming 17-Year Emergence

April 12th, 2021

In May of this year, the United States’ east coast will experience a recurring phenomenon that takes place nowhere else in the world: the emergence of the 17 year cicada. Martha Weiss, a professor in the Department of Biology, and co-director of the Environmental Studies Program, has partnered with George Washington University biology professor John Lill, as well as environmental educator Diane Lill and post-doctoral associate Zoe Getman-Pickering, to create a comprehensive guide to cicadas for elementary and middle school students in the hopes of garnering appreciation for these complex critters.

black and white headshot of Irene Chun

Georgetown Senior Publishes Book on Intersection of Business, Law and Minority Politics

March 30th, 2021

Before graduating this spring, Irene Chun (C’21) will publish her first book Coloring Ivory that discusses minority politics, business and the law. Chun, who is an Interdisciplinary Studies major concentrating in Government and Women and Gender Studies, combined personal essays and case studies from her time as a student at Georgetown and from growing up as a multi-minority.

Research by Physics Professor Shows Copper Foam Could Be Highly Efficient, Durable Filter for Reusable Masks and Air Cleaners

March 25th, 2021

During the COVID-19 pandemic, people have grown accustomed to wearing face masks, but many coverings are fragile and not easily disinfected. In a recent Nano Letters article, Department of Physics professor Kai Liu and his group of researchers have transformed copper nanowires into metal foams that could be used in face masks and air filtration systems, which are more durable and have the potential to effectively filter out microbes.