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Summer Scholars

How would you like to spend your summer on the Roanoke campus working on an independent research project—and get paid for it? Summer scholars are paid $3,000, receive summer housing (valued at $1,400), and a summer course credit.

Roanoke's Summer Scholar Program is designed for serious students who want to use their summers wisely and work one-on-one with faculty. Every year, students compete for selection to receive one of the summer scholarships. Faculty from across the college review student research proposals and decide these prestigious awards.

For Summer Scholars, the experience continues into the fall, as every student presents their project during Family Weekend. A good salary. A mind-expanding summer. A chance to strut your stuff. It all adds up.


Current Summer Scholars Projects (2026)

  • Sophia Allen: Target in Motion: Molecular Dynamics in Search of an Essential Enzyme Inhibitor for the Ebola Life Cycle. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Timothy Johann, Chemistry
  • Gan-Enkh Gankhuyag: Probabilistic Systems and Human Agency. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Ned Wisnefske, Religious Studies
  • Jamie Harmon: Psychological and Physiological Effects of Utilizing Weighted Vests While Exercising in Recreational Athletes. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Matthew Rearick, Health and Exercise Science
  • Makenna Keith: Development of a Method for the Assessment of Population Shifts in Macroinvertebrate Communities due to Pollution. Faculty Mentor: Dr. J. Brooks Crozier, Biology
  • Moazzam Maan: Ducks and Robbers. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Michael Weselcouch, Mathematics
  • Brianna Martinez: The Role and Importance of Forgiveness in Situations of Family Estrangement. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Alysse Baker, Communications
  • Ashley Mountcastle: Parental Factors as Buffers Against Impacts of Adolescent Peer Victimization. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Danielle Findley-Van Nostrand, Psychology
  • Alexandria Naumann: Developing a New Synthetic Method for Silver Gallium Sulfide Nanocrystals. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Steven Hughes, Chemistry
  • Maggie Raker: Horse Girls: Directorial and Dramaturgical Development Through Actualized Production Processes. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Nelson Barre, Theatre
  • Irissa Russell: Application of Novel Diboron Species for Borylations. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Daniel Nasrallah, Chemistry
  • Antonio Saadeh: Balancing Fairness and Accuracy in Data-Driven Machine Learning Decision Systems for Student Success Prediction. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Adam Childers, Mathematics
  • Shelby Scott: Biomonitoring of Riparian Bryophytes to Determine Water Quality. Faculty Mentor: Dr. DB Poli, Biology
  • Morgan Waski: The Various Educations of 19th Century American Girls. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Mary Henold, History

Roanoke students also frequently present their research work at regional and national professional conferences.  Most summer scholars present their work at such conferences in addition to the on-campus Showcase of Experiential Learning.

For more information contact the Director of Undergraduate Research (research@roanoke.edu)