About the Institute

By performing multidisciplinary, hands-on scientific research, 6–10 undergraduate and high school students each year develop their critical thinking, logical reasoning, scientific writing and presentation skills. Supervised by Williams College Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) Lab and RFK Science Research Institute staff, students prepare teeth and other fossils from archaeological, paleontological, and other geological sites for ESR dating. Except for operations directly involving radiation, all students perform all aspects of research from selecting and preparing fossil samples for dating, to running the ESR spectrometer and calculating ages. Mentored by experienced scientists, students prepare detailed reports to publish in scientific journals and to present their findings at professional conferences, science fairs, and science classes in their home schools.