When the 13 colonies declared independence 250 years ago this summer, there were only nine colleges and universities in America, including William & Mary.
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Research & Scholarship
‘Revolution Untold’ widens the story of nation’s founding
Students dug through Williamsburg’s founding-era records, shaping findings into documentary-style scripts and putting the overlooked back into the light.
Research & Scholarship
W&M’s AidData leads global effort to solve agricultural challenges using geospatial analysis
A recent gathering of 120 international policymakers, researchers and nonprofit leaders in Rome celebrated "how far the field has come in just a few short years."
Research & Scholarship
What Jefferson really meant by the ‘Pursuit of Happiness’
Few phrases are more closely associated with the Declaration of Independence than Thomas Jefferson’s assertion that all people possess an unalienable right to “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
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Novel study defines ‘vertical marine heatwaves’ in Chesapeake Bay
A new study out of William & Mary’s Batten School & VIMS is redefining how we visualize and track marine heatwaves in estuarine systems.
Research & Scholarship
Chesapeake Bay blue crabs rebound; scientists urge continued caution
The annual Blue Crab Winter Dredge Survey shows improved juvenile recruitment, but adult female abundance remains low.
Research & Scholarship
Reves Center announces 2026 faculty fellows
The Reves Center for International Studies has announced the 2026 Reves and Drapers’ Faculty Fellowships.
Research & Scholarship
Scientists forecast milder Chesapeake Bay dead zone in 2026
Below-average nutrient runoff is predicted to result in better conditions for Chesapeake Bay life.
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Harnessing ‘microbiome matchmaking’ for coastal seagrass resilience
Geoffrey Zahn, an assistant professor of applied science at William & Mary, is pioneering new methods to ensure coastal defenses survive.
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Sea level rise is swallowing Mid-Atlantic farmland faster than expected, study finds
Ghost forests have become haunting symbols of sea level rise overtaking land along the Mid-Atlantic coast. But a new study points to even more dramatic land losses in the region’s coastal farmlands.
Excellence
Caligiuri and Cascone win spring 2026 Values in Action awards
The Values in Action awards recognize staff and faculty at William & Mary who exemplify the qualities the university holds in highest regard: belonging, curiosity, excellence, flourishing, integrity, respect and service.
University News
Robert M. Gates Initiative in American Statecraft launches at William & Mary
Inspired by the legacy of Chancellor Robert M. Gates ’65, L.H.D. ’98, the Robert M. Gates Global Policy Center and William & Mary are launching a signature center for foreign policy teaching and research.
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W&M election law directors receive MIT grant to improve voter registration systems
James Alcorn and Rebecca Green have been awarded a national research grant from the MIT Election Data + Science Lab to study voter registration and list maintenance systems across the United States.
Research & Scholarship
W&M faculty research leads to landmark Indigenous Language Symposium
Tribal members from across Virginia and the Eastern Seaboard gathered at the Muscarelle Museum of Art for William & Mary's first Indigenous Language Symposium.
Research & Scholarship
GRI announces significant investments in applied research at William & Mary
Awards will support research at the intersection of applied AI and education, as well as more than two dozen faculty doing a variety of applied research across campus.
Excellence
Four W&M students win prestigious Goldwater Scholarship
Only twice in more than 30 years has W&M previously had four applicants selected.
Research & Scholarship
New interactive tool visualizes Virginia’s oyster populations
Developed as part of an undergraduate project, the tool unveiled by William & Mary’s Batten School & VIMS brings to life almost 30 years of oyster survey data.
Research & Scholarship
A different approach to fighting antibiotic resistance
Jamming bacterial communications, instead of killing the microbes, might provide long-lasting treatment
Excellence
New Center of Excellence in Environmental Forecasting advances coastal resilience efforts
A new Center of Excellence in Environmental Forecasting (CEEF) has been established at William & Mary’s Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences & VIMS.
Research & Scholarship
Can plants count?
New research suggests they may be able to track the number of events they experience.
Research & Scholarship
W&M research teams wow General Assembly, spark dialogue
Six William & Mary undergraduates represented the university at the second annual Network for Undergraduate Research in Virginia (NURVa) showcase at the State Capitol in Richmond.
Research & Scholarship
‘United we stand’: Lemon Project prepares for 16th annual spring symposium
Award-winning novelist Daniel Black returns to William & Mary in March to once again serve as the keynote speaker for the Lemon Project Spring Symposium.
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‘Building Bridges:’ Graduate Research Symposium reaches across disciplines
Scholars gather to share knowledge, celebrate innovation.
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China’s $24B in port financing encircles the globe, reaching 90 countries
New AidData report and dataset provide the clearest picture yet of Beijing’s race for maritime dominance.
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William & Mary students study feline feces in South Africa
Lion poop may work as a non-invasive measure of inflammation and stress.
Research & Scholarship
Three W&M students to bring scientific expertise to policymaking in the commonwealth
Three graduate students have been selected as 2026 Commonwealth of Virginia Engineering and Science (COVES) Policy Fellows.
University News
William & Mary earns global status as an arboretum
William & Mary’s campus — long celebrated for its sweeping green space and its cathedral-like canopy — has earned formal recognition as a Level I arboretum.
Research & Scholarship
Geology majors rock their research in diverse landscapes
Supported by Charles Center summer research grants, students in the geology department are conducting theses on geologic phenomena spanning diverse settings and landscapes.
Research & Scholarship
Undergrads expand the chemical toolbox for cancer drugs
Novel chemistry could lead to more efficacious therapies at cheaper cost
Research & Scholarship
Appalachians shaped by the Ice Age
A William & Mary geologist is unscrambling the code of climate and erosion.
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