Summer Research
At PC, motivated students are propelled to new academic heights through our immersive summer research program. This unique opportunity pushes students academically, allowing them to gain invaluable skills and hands-on, real-world experience.
Research continues during the summer months as we create a community of scholars and innovators. Students collaborate with faculty members during the summer months and present their findings during the Summer Research Symposium in the fall. The eight-week academic pursuit transforms summer break into a powerful launchpad for academic and professional success.
PC Fellowship
Collaborative student-faculty research is at the heart of the PC Summer Fellowship program. This scholarly endeavor allows motivated students to gain research experience with direct faculty mentoring. PC Fellows experience the process of research as a creative intellectual activity in a living-learning environment.
Students conduct research for at least 25 hours a week during the eight-week program. PC Fellows immerse themselves in research by living on campus and participating in weekly lunch seminars with faculty mentors and fellow student researchers. PC Fellows present their research at the end-of-summer PC Research Symposium as well as at the Honors Day Symposium the following spring.
SCICU Research Grant
The student-faculty research program, funded by the South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities, Inc. (SCICU), offers students and faculty the chance to collaborate together in scholarly research. By reducing financial barriers, SCICU grant help students focus on their studies while achieving their educational goals, making a research experience more accessible and affordable. Through inquiry and research, students hone their critical thinking and communication skills preparing students for life beyond their undergraduate experience.
NIH INBRE
The National Institutes of Health funds the South Carolina IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (SC INBRE) to advance biomedical research and promote undergraduate research training in South Carolina. Each year, approximately eight to ten PC students are selected to participate in the program. Once selected, students conduct biomedical research and have opportunities to present their research on and off campus.
NASA Space Consortium
As a member of the NASA South Carolina Space Grant Consortium, Presbyterian College receives grant funding for student and faculty research. Each year, PC students have the opportunity to participate in research during the summer and throughout the year in ongoing NASA-sponsored projects.
Patrick
Buchanan ’25
Patrick Buchanan became interested in Brazilian history while in history professor Dr. Jaclyn Sumner’s seminars. While Sumner focuses on Mexico, Buchanan found lectures on Brazil to be the most fascinating.
Buchanan began his research in the PC Summer Fellowship Program, focusing on the history of Brazil and race relations. The Summer Fellowship research led Buchanan to develop his Capstone research project on escaped slave communities and nation-building in Imperial (nineteenth century) Brazil. Now, Buchanan is conducting research at the University of Chicago. He hopes to complete research to implement into his Honors research in the fall.