This summer, 19 Colgate University Upstate Institute Field School Fellows partnered with community organizations in and around Hamilton and the Adirondacks to pursue research projects that directly addressed a need or issue identified by the community partner organization.
Field school fellowships are paid, full-time research projects — fellows work 35 hours per week for up to 10 weeks, and the program attracts applications from students of all class years and disciplines, as well as from community organizations interested in hosting students each summer.
Eleven students participated in local field school projects in 2025, including Climate Smart Communities Certification with the village and town of Hamilton; researching oral history at the Oneida Community Mansion House; a feasibility study for a shared-use commercial kitchen for Madison County; and helping the Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees identify and reduce employment transportation barriers. Another eight students spent their summer in the Adirondacks, working with community partners including the Saranac Lake School District, the Adirondack Diversity Initiative, and AdkAction.
“The field school gives our students the chance to dive into meaningful local research projects that address everything from preserving oral histories to analyzing small business challenges to tackling housing and poverty concerns,” said Upstate Institute Director Julie Dudrick. “Our community partners appreciate the opportunity to work closely with a student, collecting useful data and developing creative tools and new strategies to advance their work, while our students build skills and confidence in connecting classroom learning to real-world needs.”
In addition to their research projects, field school fellows also participated in weekly seminars on topics such as how to help tell the story of their organization, the role of New York State in American history, and how to use local data sources in the University Libraries for their projects. Students also took several field trips, including a visit to the Friends of Rogers Environmental Education Center in Sherburne, N.Y., for a service activity.
Upstate Institute Field School Fellows shared the results of their local summer research projects with the community at a poster session the morning of July 25 in Ho Atrium. Fellows working with organizations in the Adirondacks participated in a separate poster session to present their research findings.