Ally Fletcher ’25 checks on the fish that are part of her research during this year’s Summer Science Institute at UMW. A long line of Mary Washington alumni have benefitted from experience gained through the 10-week program, now in its 25th year. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

For a quarter of a century, UMW’s Summer Science Institute (SSI) has been a defining student experience. It’s in-the-lab, in-the-field, in-the-code, in-the-dataset kind of work. Students are fully funded during the 10-week program, earning a stipend, living on campus and staying on top of their research.

“The thing that stands out the most is that research is a learning process. The answer to your questions is not always exact, and sometimes it comes with a lot of trial and error, but that is how you learn,” said Ally Fletcher, a senior from Severna Park, Maryland, majoring in biomedical sciences with a neuroscience minor.

Fletcher studies the effects of environmental pollutants on neurotransmitters in the brain, specifically in fish. During the academic year, she focused on zebrafish – the subject of her senior capstone – and during the summer, it’s Japanese medaka fish. Both are model organisms for her project, which she works on with research partner Ashlyn Peszko ’26 during the Summer Science Institute under the guidance of Professor of Biology Dianne Baker.

Fletcher and research partner Peszko will join other SSI participants who will share their research at the Summer Science Institute Symposium on Wednesday, July 24, a full-day event with presentations between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. in the Hurley Convergence Center.

For many students and faculty, the program has been a primary part of their experience on campus. Read more.

Fredericksburg Academy sophomore Enoch Huffman partnered up with Towson High School junior Liam Hill to investigate the energy in biopolymers in carbohydrates and proteins by setting food on fire. The session, ‘Polymers, Plastics and Me,’ was one of several providing hands-on learning opportunities to high-schoolers during UMW’s Summer Enrichment Program. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

From mixing paint pigments to mixing music, high school students in UMW’s Summer Enrichment Program signed up for a week of college-level learning paired with outdoor activities in the Fredericksburg area. By day three in the week-long program, they had visited Ferry Farm and Kenmore, picked up litter along the Rappahannock River and tied flies for fishing, but it’s the in-classroom experience that kept them fired up.

In a chemistry lab, Fredericksburg Academy sophomore Enoch Huffman partnered up with Towson High School junior Liam Hill to investigate the energy in biopolymers in carbohydrates and proteins by setting food on fire. Under the instruction of Associate Professor of Chemistry Leanna Giancarlo, teams of students lit popcorn or cheese puffs on fire to measure the increasing temperature of a container of water positioned carefully above it. The effect was illuminating and an extension of chemistry classes Huffman and Hill experienced in their high schools, but even more hands-on, and it followed lessons on making slime and extracting DNA.

Students in the Science of Paint session gathered in an art studio instead of the lab, but also considered the chemistry of their process, learning how paint is made from a variety of techniques and perspectives. Co-taught by Assistant Professor of Chemistry Sarah Smith and Assistant Professor of Theatre Bridgette Dennett, the session combined the chemical composition of paint with color theory – providing all the ingredients for a masterpiece. Read more.

A group poses during the unveiling of two of five markers on the University of Mary Washington campus that are part of the Fredericksburg Civil Rights Trail. Pictured from left to right are: John White, Eunice Haigler, Frank White, Fredericksburg Mayor Kerry Devine, UMW Professor of Geography Steve Hanna, City of Fredericksburg Tourism Stadium and Sales Manager Victoria Matthews, UMW James Farmer Multicultural Center Assistant Director Chris Williams, UMW Professor of Historic Preservation Christine Henry, UMW President Troy Paino, Sherman White and Kaye Savage, Mary Washington’s first Black residential student. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

Five markers unveiled this week at the University of Mary Washington tell the story of a college campus – and the perseverance of its community members – following the civil rights movement of the 1950s and ’60s. The signs represent a portion of the second part of the  Fredericksburg Civil Rights Trail, “Freedom, a Work in Progress,” which launched last year during Black History Month and includes 16 stops throughout the city.

“There is nothing more important than to touch and see and connect and walk in the steps that others have forged,” Fredericksburg Mayor Kerry Devine ’84, said of the impact the signs are meant to make on future UMW students on their way to class and on all who observe them.

Nearly 100 people gathered – first seated inside UMW’s air-conditioned Dodd Auditorium, then making their way into the 90-plus-degree day – for the reveal of two of the markers outside Combs Hall. The signs reveal stories of activism, desegregation and camaraderie in the face of discrimination, including some of the first Black residential students who formed a friendship and dubbed themselves the “Big Five” in homage to the civil rights movement’s “Big Four” changemakers.

The five new panels span campus, beginning with the first two at Combs and progressing to two more on the rim of Ball Circle, one of which leads to the Cedric Rucker University Center, home of student activities and the James Farmer Multicultural Center (JFMC). The final Mary Washington sign marks Monroe Hall, which housed the second-floor office of Farmer, the late civil rights icon and Freedom Rides leader who taught history at Mary Washington for more than a decade. Read more.

Ruth Ann Foiles Brunet ’62 and granddaughter Abby Tank ’24 at UMW’s Commencement in May. They attended Mary Washington more than six decades apart, but Abby’s beloved ‘Meena’ was a constant presence on campus during her four years at UMW. Photo courtesy of Abby Tank and Ruth Ann Foiles Brunet.

When Abby Tank ’24 graduated from the University of Mary Washington, her grandmother had one of the best seats in the house.

“I missed out on my high school graduation four years ago, so having her there made it even more special,” Tank said. As a member of the 1908 Society, Ruth Ann Foiles Brunet ’62 processed onto Ball Circle and watched the ceremony with other alumni who graduated 50 years ago or more. Seeing her granddaughter earn a bachelor’s degree in international affairs and Spanish, she said, was “absolutely one of the highlights of my life.”

Brunet attended Mary Washington over six decades ago, before transferring to another institution. She was a constant presence on campus throughout Tank’s four years of college, cheering on her granddaughter in UMW women’s volleyball games, including the team’s conference championship win, and attending departmental events for families. She even bonded with her granddaughter’s friends and roommates.

“They were all so excited to hug her and take photos with her at Commencement,” said Tank, who was surprised to learn of her grandmother’s ties to the University when she first visited campus for a high school volleyball camp. When Tank applied to Mary Washington, her mother told her that her grandmother had studied dietetics there in the late 1950s. Read more.

Recent UMW graduate Jaylyn Long ’24 poses in Orlando after accepting the Undergraduate Rising Star Award she received from NASPA last month. The award recognizes Long’s contributions during her time at Mary Washington to the field of student engagement in higher education.

Jaylyn Long ’24 thought she’d made it to her most magical Mary Washington moment this past May – graduation! But Dean of Students Melissa Jones had a secret to share. As she straightened the soon-to-be grad’s regalia on that sunny Saturday morning, she asked a question: “Have you checked your email?”

“I was thinking, ‘no, of course not, I’m graduating,’ ” said Long, last year’s SGA president and Class of 2024 vice president, who spent her college career digging deeper and deeper into student affairs. Now, as she peered at her phone, just before crossing the stage at Commencement, she saw a message that brought her to tears. She’d won the Undergraduate Rising Star Award from NASPA, the national organization for the field of student affairs in higher education. Better yet, the people behind it were the Mary Washington administrators she most admired.

“This award is a reflection of the mentorship that these three phenomenal women have poured into me as a student leader,” Long said of Jones, Vice President for Student Affairs Juliette Landphair and Associate Provost for Equity and Inclusion Shavonne Shorter, who each penned a nomination letter to NASPA on Long’s behalf. “I felt like all the work I had done over my four years at Mary Wash was truly complete.”

She picked up the prize in person last month at the NASPA Region III Summer Symposium in Orlando. It gave her, she said, access to pros in the field, networking opportunities and inspiration. She’ll head to Boston College this fall to pursue a master’s degree in higher education administration. Read more.

Joan Darby ’74 browses books during the alumni author meet-and-greet at 2024’s Reunion Weekend. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

Earlier this summer, alumni authors assembled their latest publications during 2024’s Reunion Weekend at the University of Mary Washington. More than 40 books were displayed during the event, covering poetry, short stories, novels, essays, biographies, travelogues, self-help books, children’s stories and more.

Pick up these pages by classmates with a few summer reading recommendations below. Copies can also be found in Simpson Library or through online vendors. Kick back and read on …

The Virginia Governor’s Office announced Friday the appointment of three new members of the University of Mary Washington Board of Visitors.

Each board member will serve a four-year term. They succeed Charles Reed ’11, Robert Strassheim ’96, and Princess Moss ’83 on the UMW Board of Visitors. Read more.

Two Washington Scholars and four Alvey Scholars will be among the thousand incoming Eagles at the University of Mary Washington this fall 2024. These students have earned full-ride scholarships, which are renewable for four years of undergraduate studies with GPA and residential requirements. In addition, they are admitted to the Honors Program and have access to funding for experiential learning opportunities such as study abroad and undergraduate research.

The Washington Scholarship is available for Virginia residents, with priority given to those who apply for admission to UMW by Nov. 15. UMW’s Alvey Scholars program recognizes out-of-state students, again with priority for applying by Nov. 15. Several Alvey Scholarships focus on STEM majors, with generous support from Irene Piscopo Rodgers ’59, who funded 12 Alvey Scholarships during her lifetime and through a transformational estate gift, leaving $30 million to the University of Mary Washington to fund scholars in science, technology, engineering and math through scholarships and undergraduate research. Applicants are automatically considered for UMW scholarship opportunities, including these top awards, which are equal to full tuition, fees, room and board.

This year’s scholars demonstrate a deep commitment to research through their academic excellence, as well as leadership experience as captains of athletics teams or community organizations, all while balancing their high school studies with service projects.

Meet the 2024 Washington and Alvey Scholars at UMW … Read more.

The University of Mary Washington athletic department finished in fifth place overall in the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) College Division All-Sports survey announced on Monday.

The Eagles won 191 games for the year, while dropping just 125, and tying three, good for a .622 winning percentage. The men ranked third in the state with a 91-44-2 mark (.671), while the women placed ninth, at 100-81-1 (.552).

VaSID names 44 all-state teams in 23 sports each year, as well as an Academic All-State squad and an all-sports champion in both the University and College Divisions. Membership in VaSID is open to all media relations professionals working at a university or conference in the state of Virginia.

Read more.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin today announced that Virginia is ranked “America’s Top State for Business” by CNBC. The annual ranking measures all 50 states on 128 different metrics in 10 key categories of competitiveness to determine which states are delivering most effectively on the things that mean the most to business.

“When a business chooses to invest and grow in Virginia, we’re promising best-in-class talent, infrastructure, power solutions and business-friendly environment. Our administration has facilitated waves of economic investment and business expansions to reinvigorate growth and opportunity across Virginia. Read more.