All the Ways to Do Research @ Chatham
Though Chatham is a small liberal arts school, thanks to our living, learning campuses and top-notch faculty, we offer an impressive array of research opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students. Whether you’re hoping to increase your understanding of the scientific method or dive deep into Pittsburgh’s communities, there are a myriad ways to conduct research at ChathamU. Check them out below—
Research of the Moment
If you’re hoping to conduct timely research at Chatham, you can count on our professors to lead the way. For example, radical world changes—i.e. pandemics—call for radical research pivots. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Assistant Professor of Psychology, John Dimoff and three PsyD students, Angela Dao, Jodie Mitchell, and Alexandra Olson collaborated on research concerning the terror management health model and how it can be adapted to better account for psychological reactance to pandemics. Their work led to publication in the journal, Social and Personality Psychology Compass. You can read more about it here.
Lab Research
Take a seat at the bench with experienced scientists and researchers with our a wide range of lab research opportunities. Professor of Biology, Dr. Pierette Appasamy works with students in her lab to understand the development and evolution of the adaptive immune response, which is essential for protections against viruses and bacteria. At the Eden Hall Campus, the aquaculture lab is home to a freshwater aquaponics system where students study rainbow trout and the environmental variables that impact them. Learn more about lab research here.
Hands-on Field Research
There is just no way around it—Eden Hall Campus is a real life research wonderland that invites students to use its land for unique and hands-on field research. In the Agroecology Demonstration Garden, students get to choose the fruits, vegetables, edible flowers, and herbs that they want to learn how to cultivate and then do exactly that. In the Orchard, students rehabilitate and maintain the health and fruitful harvests of 22 large trees. In the apiary, students tend to a number of hives whose bees help to promote pollination, enhance food production, and provide honey. But that’s just the beginning. Students collaborate with their faculty on everything from studying invasive forest species to heirloom cacao preservation to urban pollutants and their impact on aquatic environments. Read more about EHC research opportunities here.
Research with your Faculty
Chatham faculty members work on a wide variety of scholarship, including everything from examining Toni Morrison’s body of work with Professor Anissa Wardi to studying the psychology interpretations of emojis with Professor Monica Riordan. Both graduate and undergraduate students are invited to collaborate with faculty on their research, be that through internships, student employment, capstone projects, or other routes. When you work one on one with your professors, you gain relevant research skills, the chance to be a co-author on academic papers, and your very own mentor in the field.
Community-based Research
Chatham students are immersed in the Pittsburgh community from day one, thanks to a long tradition of community service projects that kick off during orientation. But throughout your time at Chatham, you’ll also find ample ways to conduct community-based research throughout Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods. Many of Chatham’s research opportunities, as well as individual research opportunities pursued by students, rely on collaboration with the Pittsburgh community. Thanks to grant funding from Bank of America, Assistant Professor, Dr. Iris Grossman is leading a team of students and faculty to work on a multi-year community-based sustainability project in Homewood with Homewood Children’s Village and Operation Better Block. Learn more about community-based research here.
Research with our Centers
Chatham is home to a number of centers that conduct their own research: The Center for Regional Agriculture, Food, and Transformation (CRAFT), the Pennsylvania Center for Women and Politics (PCWP), the Center for Women’s Entrepreneurship (CWE), and the Women’s Institute. CRAFT conducts a wide range of unique, hands-on research projects, including working in the Food Innovation Lab, gathering regional food systems data, and offering community-based workshops, while the PCWP works to conduct timely analysis of emerging issues regarding women and Pennsylvania politics. If you’re curious about a specific center, click the links above to learn more.
Interested in research specific to one of Chatham’s undergraduate or graduate programs? We encourage you to explore the chatham.edu website to learn more.
