Columbian College Research Hero

At Columbian College, scholars and scientists join student researchers to challenge assumptions and

Advance the forefronts of knowledge.

 

 

Research

 

Discovery and innovation are a Columbian College tradition—from our century-long research partnership with the Smithsonian Institution to our state-of-the-art Science and Engineering Hall. Whether our scholars are observing celestial bodies light years from Earth or examining the roots of diseases like tuberculosis and malaria, Columbian College faculty and students are uncovering age-old mysteries and finding solutions to 21st-century challenges.

 

28 research centers & institutes

 

$16.6 million in total research expenditures in FY17

 

495+ Tenure-Track, Full-Time Faculty Members

 

50 faculty books published (annual average)

 

 

Impact

CCAS Faculty research

Faculty Research

Columbian College faculty are prolific authors, awarding-winning scholars and noted innovators and artists. They are recipients of prestigious awards like Guggenheims, Pulitzers and NEH fellowships, and are published in top media outlets and leading academic journals.

CCAS Student Research

Student Research

From labs and classrooms on campus to field sites around the globe, Columbian College students work side-by-side with world-renowned researchers and scholars on a journey of cultural and scientific discovery.

GW CCAS top research centers and institutes

Centers & Institutes

Columbian College is home to top research centers and institutes that explore an array of issues and ideas such as the origins of humankind, the inner workings of the brain and the growth of solar energy.

Faculty Books

  • Before Mestizaje: The Frontiers of Race and Caste in Colonial Mexico

    Before Mestizaje: The Frontiers of Race and Caste in Colonial Mexico

  • Some Say the Lark by Jennifer Chang

    Some Say the Lark

  • Religious Zionism, Jewish Law, and the Morality of War by Robert Eisen cover

    Religious Zionism, Jewish Law, and the Morality of War

  • City of Dreams: The 400-Year Epic History of Immigrant New York

    City of Dreams: The 400-Year Epic History of Immigrant New York

  • The Mathematics of Politics, Second Edition 2nd Edition

    The Mathematics of Politics, Second Edition 2nd Edition

  • Ippolita Maria Sforza: Duchess and Hostage in Renaissance Naples: Letters and Orations

    Ippolita Maria Sforza: Duchess and Hostage in Renaissance Naples: Letters and Orations

  • Cover of "Earth (Object Lessons)" by Jeffrey Jerome Cohen and Linda T. Elkins-Tanton

    Earth (Object Lessons)

  • Three Stones Make a Wall: The Story of Archaeology by Eric Cline

    Three Stones Make a Wall: The Story of Archaeology

 

View All Faculty Books

 

Research Updates

A painting of a sea turtle by Assistant Professor of Chemistry Erik Rodriguez made entirely from bacteria-expressing fluorescent

Living Art: When a Chemistry Lab Doubles as an Art Studio

April 11, 2018

Chemistry’s Erik Rodriguez uses fluorescent proteins to unlock cellular secrets. But he’s also found another use for the multi-colored microbes: paint for creating his own protein portraits from living material.

Dean Vinson with Professor Tyler Anbinder

The Immigrant Saga: Past and Present with Tyler Anbinder, Professor of History

March 14, 2018
Professor of History Tyler Anbinder, the acclaimed author of City of Dreams: The 400-year Epic History of Immigrant New York, discusses the immigrant saga—a universal story that spans generations, regardless of race, religion or nationality.

 

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  • Into the Arctic Promo
    GW students went on a mission into the Siberian tundra

    Into the Arctic

    A team of GW students and scientists ventured into the Siberian tundra on a mission to see first hand how climate change has ravaged a polar environment and changed people’s lives.

  • The Proton Puzzle
    Evangeline Downie

    The Proton Puzzle

    A riddle at the heart of the atom is confounding scientists and suggesting a new model of physics. Evangeline Downie and an international research team are searching for a subatomic solution.

  • Greenhouse Grows Research Promise
    Greenhouse

    Greenhouse Grows Research Promise

    Research projects are in bloom at the new Wilbur V. Harlan Greenhouse atop Science and Engineering Hall. Named in recognition of alumnus Bill Harlan’s philanthropy to support future generations of biologists, the high-tech, open-air space is home to nearly 100 different plant species.

 

Research Conversations

Columbian College Dean Ben Vinson periodically sits down with faculty to discuss their research and how they are addressing today’s most pressing challenges.

Dean Vinson with Joann Weiner

Economics in the Real World

Joann Weiner shares her thoughts on tax policy, global markets, the ride-share economy and inspiring her students to think like economists.

Dean Vinson with John Sides

The Art of the Election

How did the pundits get their election predictions so wrong? Political Science's John Sides discusses Donald Trump's victory.

View More Research Conversations