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Summer Research Fellows

The Levitt Research Fellows Program is open to Hamilton students who wish to spend the summer researching a public affairs question of their choosing. Students from any academic concentration are welcome to apply. The Levitt Council gives preference to rising juniors and seniors.

Kaygon Finakin '19
Kaygon Finakin ’19, a 2017 summer research fellow, talks with Associate Professor of Africana Studies Nigel Westmaas about her project “The Role of International Institutions in the Continued Oppression, Exploitation, and Underdevelopment of Various Caribbean Countries.”

Summer Research Fellows collaborate closely with a faculty adviser, work on a full-time basis for up to ten weeks, report on their research sometime during the summer, create a large-format poster and participate in a poster presentation session in the fall and submit a paper or equivalent final product by August 16th.  

There are two deadlines which will be announced in early January: a pre-application deadline and a regular application deadline. As part of the pre-application process, students will need to submit the topic for their summer research and provide the Levitt Center with the name of the faculty member who has agreed to act as the advisor. Once the Levitt Center has received the pre-application, we will contact advisors to provide them with information on what the Levitt Council is looking for in students’ research proposals and applications. Students are strongly encouraged to work closely with their advisor to ensure their proposals are well thought out, manageable and focused. The Levitt Center will not accept any regular applications from students who do not meet the pre-application deadline.

Students selected for the program will receive a $525/week summer stipend. Faculty advisors receive a $150/week for advising 1-3 fellows and an additional $50/week for 4 or more fellows. 

Past Research Fellow Projects

Kaitlyn Bieber ’23
The Subarctic Ethic: Understanding the Impact of Dramatic Landscapes on Climate Visions and Values in Southeast Alaska
Advisor: Aaron Strong, assistant professor of environmental studies
Learn more

Olivia Chandler ’23
Realizing Radical Hope in Rural Places: How Tidelines Institute in Alaska Connects Place, Advocacy, and Alternative Environmental Education
Advisor: Aaron Strong, assistant professor of environmental studies
Learn more

Emlyn Harris ’23
Surrealism in Altered Mental States: Migraine Auras, Vertigo, and Disassociation
Advisor: Anna Huff, assistant professor of digital arts

Yinjia Hou ’24
The Rising Awareness of Feminism Represented in Chinese Contemporary Music
Advisor: Zhuoyi Wang, associate professor of East Asian languages and literatures

Olivia James ’23
Understanding Language Inequality in Financial Literacy
Advisor: Rebecca Dyer, visiting assistant professor of psychology

Katharine Jenkinson ’23, Abigail Moone ’23
Homegrown: A Narrative Exploration of Community and Environment
Advisor: Tina Hall, the Christian A. Johnson Excellence in Teaching Professor of Literature and Creative Writing

Jason Le ’23
The Asian American Experience Through Documentary Cinema
Advisor: Kyoko Omori, associate professor of Japanese

John Myles ’24
Predator–prey Relationships and the Influence of Humans on Shorebird Nest Survival
Advisor: Andrea Townsend, associate professor of biology
Learn more

Violet Newhouse ’23
Youth Political Action in Upstate New York: Why Traditional Institutions are No Longer Enough
Advisor: Stephen Ellingson, professor of sociology

Lillian Norton-Brainerd ’23
Mapping the Construct of “Foreign” Food in Grocery Stores
Advisor: Stina Soderling, the Elihu Root Peace Fund Postdoctoral Fellow and Visiting Assistant Professor of Women's and Gender Studies

Anna O'Shea ’24
Women Behind Bars: The Potential of Educational Liberation in the Carceral State
Advisor: Vivyan Adair, professor of women's and gender studies

Madeline Schink ’23
Medical Women and Reproductive Medicine in Colonial India
Advisor: Lisa Trivedi, chair and professor of history

Lena Schneck ’23
Studying Barriers to Rehabilitation in Prisons: Healthcare in Incarceration Facilities
Advisor: Doran Larson, Edward North Chair of Greek and Greek Literature and Professor of Literature and Creative Writing
Learn more

Brian Seiter ’24
Intersecting the Foucauldian Frame: Analyzing Foucault’s Histories and Genealogies through Postcolonial and Decolonial Approaches to History
Advisor: Lisa Trivedi, chair and professor of history

Sadie Wallis ’24
Food Insecurity and Farming: Possibilities and Limitations of Local Food
Advisor: Stephen Ellingson, professor of sociology

James Winner ’23
Non-Abrahamic Religious Minorities in Iraq and their Place in Society
Advisor: Usman Hamid, Assistant Professor of Asian Studies

Huarui Zhang ’23
Living a Moral Life Amidst Uncertainty and Danger: A Discourse Analysis of Self-love in American Society
Advisor: Chenyu Wang, visiting assistant professor of anthropology

Alan Zhao ’23
Analyzing Rental Protection Policy and Its Effectiveness: A Case Study of Tenants in New York City During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Advisor: Stephen Wu, Irma M. and Robert D. Morris Professor of Economics
Learn more

Helen Ziobrowski ’24
Identifying Shortcomings of Disability Law Regarding Structural Accessibility in Postsecondary Education
Advisor: Chenyu Wang, visiting assistant professor of anthropology

Finlay Adamson ’22
Historical Analysis of American Immigration Detention Through a Focus on Neoliberal Economic Reforms and the Rise of National Security
Advisor: Priya Chandrasekaran, visiting assistant professor of environmental studies

Olivia Chandler ’23
Motivation to Embrace or Escape? A Comparative Look at Two Post-Capitalist Communities.
Advisor: Priya Chandrasekaran, visiting assistant professor of environmental studies

Andrew Court ’22
Providing Improved Livelihoods for Muskoka’s Residents and Visitors in the Time of Two Global Crises
Advisor: Aaron Strong, assistant professor of environmental studies

Emily Fienco ’23
Recreating and Adapting the Traditional 2000’s Girls/Boys’ Manual for A New Generation
Advisor: Max Majireck, associate professor of chemistry

Maya Figliuolo ’22
Recreating and Adapting the Traditional 2000’s Girls/Boys’ Manual for A New Generation
Advisor: Max Majireck, associate professor of chemistry

Emory Goodwin ’23
Development or Decline: Understanding Community Barriers to Solar Expansion in Upstate New York
Advisor: Aaron Strong, assistant professor of environmental studies

Tonwa Hauff ’23
Exploring the Usage of Ancient Mediterranean Imagery by the Alt-Right
Advisor: Anne Feltovich, associate professor of classics

Eric Kopp ’22
Unpacking the Imposed: The Colonial Binary, Hijras, Queers, and India
Advisor: Lisa Trivedi, professor of history

Nina Lissarrague ’22
The Effect of the Pandemic on Vermont's Bi-partisan Anti-vaccination Movement
Advisor: Julie Starr, assistant professor of anthropology

Katelyn Perruc ’23
U.S.-Colombian Foreign Policy Depiction Through the Popular Media
Advisor: Heather Sullivan, assistant professor of government

Nicole Ramirez ’23
US-Colombian Foreign Policy Depiction through the Popular Media
Advisor: Heather Sullivan, assistant professor of government

Sean Storr ’22
Environmental Equity and the Cosmetics Industry: An Intersectional Perspective
Advisor: Vivyan Adair, professor of women’s and gender studies
Learn more

Henry Curcio ’21
Ancient Wisdom: Friendship in the Good and Happy Life
Advisor: Justin Clark, assistant professor of philosophy

Peter Case ’21
Framing the Fight: How Chile's History of Framing Social Movements Affected the Fall 2019 Protests
Advisor: Heather Sullivan, assistant professor of government

Ashley Garcia ’22
The Implications of Skin Tone Stratification in Latinx Perspectives of Race
Advisor: Matthew Grace, assistant professor of sociology
Learn more

Kayla Glemaud ’21
Environmental Justice and Poverty in Camden, NJ
Advisor: Peter Cannavó, professor of government

Sara Jadbabaie ’21
Spirituality and Ideology: Examining the Intersection of Movement, Spirituality, and Environmental Attitudes on El Camino De Santiago
Advisor: Aaron Strong, assistant professor of environmental studies

McKela Kanu ’22 and Emnet Sisay ’22
Reclaiming Land, Health, and Bodies: A Decolonization Approach to the Impacts of Food Sovereignty and Primary Health Care on Central NY Indigenous Reservations
Advisor: Priya Chandrasekaran, visiting assistant professor of environmental studies
Learn more

Eric Kopp ’22
The Very Foundation of Our Liberation: A Historical Perspective on LGBTQ+ Rights in the United Kingdom and Our Future after Brexit
Advisor: Kevin Grant, Edgar B. Graves Professor of History

Camille Laude ’21
The Replication of Pilgrimage: Camino Cebu
Advisor: Seth Schermerhorn, associate professor of american studies

Ngoc (Emily) Le ’22
Where I Came From: Unveiling the Changes in Vietnamese Culture, Then and Now
Advisor: Robert Knight, associate professor of art

Dorothy Poucher ’21
Bodiliness and Gender in Depictions of Sex
Advisor: Marianne Janack, John Stewart Kennedy Professor of Philosophy

Anyi Rescalvo ’22
¿Porque no está en español?': Voices of Latinx Mothers Within the Special Education System in the South Bronx
Advisor: Chenyu Wang, visiting assistant professor of anthropology

Carter Steckbeck ’22
Why Women Don’t Code: Media Exposure and Occupational Choice in US Labor Markets
Advisor: Emily Conover, professor of economics

Peter Case ’21
Framing the Fight: How Chile's History of Framing Social Movements Affected the Fall 2019 Protests
Advisor: Heather Sullivan, assistant professor of government

Henry Curcio ’21
Ancient Wisdom: Friendship in the Good and Happy Life
Advisor: Justin Clark, assistant professor of philosophy

Kayla Glemaud ’21
Environmental Justice and Poverty in Camden, NJ
Advisor: Peter Cannavó, professor of government

Ashley Garcia ’22
The Implications of Skin Tone Stratification in Latinx Perspectives of Race
Advisor: Matthew Grace, assistant professor of sociology

Sara Jadbabaie ’21
Spirituality and Ideology: Examining the Intersection of Movement, Spirituality, and Environmental Attitudes on El Camino De Santiago
Advisor: Aaron Strong, assistant professor of environmental studies

McKela Kanu ’22
Reclaiming Land, Health, and Bodies: A Decolonization Approach to the Impacts of Food Sovereignty and Primary Health Care on Central NY Indigenous Reservations
Advisor: Priya Chandrasekaran, visiting assistant professor of environmental studies

Eric Kopp ’22
The Very Foundation of Our Liberation: A Historical Perspective on LGBTQ+ Rights in the United Kingdom and Our Future after Brexit
Advisor: Kevin Grant, Edgar B. Graves Professor of History

Camille Laude ’21
The Replication of Pilgrimage: Camino Cebu
Advisor: Seth Schermerhorn, associate professor of American studies

Ngoc (Emily) Le ’22
Where I Came From: Unveiling the Changes in Vietnamese Culture, Then and Now
Advisor: Robert Knight, associate professor of art

Dorothy Poucher ’21
Bodiliness and Gender in Depictions of Sex
Advisor: Marianne Janack, John Stewart Kennedy Professor of Philosophy

Anyi Rescalvo ’22
¿Porque no está en español?': Voices of Latinx Mothers Within the Special Education System in the South Bronx
Advisor: Chenyu Wang, visiting assistant professor of anthropology

Emnet Sisay ’22
Reclaiming Land, Health, and Bodies: A Decolonization Approach to the Impacts of Food Sovereignty and Primary Health Care on Central NY Indigenous Reservations)
Advisor: Priya Chandrasekaran, visiting assistant professor of environmental studies

Carter Steckbeck ’22
Why Women Don’t Code: Media Exposure and Occupational Choice in US Labor Markets
Advisor: Emily Conover, professor of economics

Alex Cook ’20 with Bates and Benjamin Professor of Classical and Religious Studies Heidi Ravven: “Combating Deception in Genocide” Learn more David Gagnidze '20 with Lecturer in Religious Studies Meredith Moss, PhD: “An Ethnography of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois)” Learn more

Joel Harper ’21 with Assistant Professor of Government Alexsia Chan: “Orwellian or Ordinary?: Situating India’s UID and China’s SCS within Global Neoliberal Trends through Comparative Analysis” Learn more

Richard (Gus) Huiskamp ’21 with Lecturer in Government Joel Winkelman, PhD: “Populism in the Behavioralist Imagination: V.O. Key Jr. on Ins, Outs, and the Electorate” For his summer research project, Gus Huiskamp applied the theories of behavioralist political scientist V.O. Key Jr. to the populist Louisiana politician Huey Long, in part to shed light on modern populist movements and reactions to them. Long’s rise to power and the reaction against it can be analyzed through Key’s conception of “Ins” and “Outs:” Long represented the interests of Northern Louisiana’s poor and marginalized Black and Catholic constituencies (the “Outs”) by promoting education and infrastructure investments. The “Ins,” rich white landowners and capitalists, responded to this erosion of their power by accusing Long of corruption, “crudeness,” and “procedural aberrations” directly and through local newspapers. Key viewed Long’s populist organizing as a disruptive force to what he viewed as the ideal system, where two clearly delineated parties vie for power by appealing to voters’ rational interests and use established processes to put their agenda into practice. Long’s “procedural aberrations,” circumventing the political establishment, benefited his supporters but eroded long-entrenched political norms. Key’s focus on this erosion of norms (which were established to keep his constituents from benefiting from or participating in the state government) mirrors anxieties about populism today: fears of extremist politics are subsumed by a non-ideological fear of populist movements threatening democratic institutions and the current political order.

Tessa Lavan ’20 with Associate Professor of Religious Studies Quincy Newell: “Exploring Caregiving on Pilgrimage: The Intersection of Gender, Healing, and Religion at Sacred Sites in Lourdes, France” Learn more

Jerry Tang ’21 with Professor of Economics Erol Balkan: “A Tale of Two Cities: Urban Transformation and Social Change in Shanghai” Zeyan (Jerry) Tang spent his summer exploring and documenting the living conditions of people living in urban Shanghai in color photographs of their living spaces from shanty-towns to high-end skyscrapers, capturing the current moment in the city’s evolution. The rapid urbanization of Shanghai has led to gentrification, unequal educational opportunities, pollution, and traffic congestion. Combining his photographs with the city’s history of urban development and demographic data, as well as what he learned visiting eight other Chinese cities, Tang hopes to document global urbanization in developing countries and the socio-economic issues rapid urbanization raises in his ongoing research. For Tang, whose family moved to Shanghai when he was four years old, this project is of special personal significance for showing how his adopted home city has changed before and during his lifetime.

Connor Thomson ’20 with Professor of Sociology Steve Ellingson: “An Analysis of Urban Development, Urban Poverty, and Economic Development in Utica, New York” This research project investigated both the history of urban renewal and current development projects in Utica, NY. Despite decades of population loss, industrial capital flight, arson, and widespread poverty, Utica has endured partly thanks to the city government’s adaptive urban renewal strategies. Today, the city government is partnering with companies and firms to implement large-scale development projects like the Marcy Nanocenter and Downtown Hospital, which hope to attract highly skilled professionals to revitalize the heart of the city, while economic development agencies supplement these projects by providing resources to small businesses and local entrepreneurs. Though prioritizing this type of investment will ultimately help the city’s redevelopment, these projects are failing to assist the city’s most impoverished residents. Developers tend to funnel most of their county, state, and federal funding into developing the city’s urban core, while economic development agencies struggle with reaching out and making funding available to low-income neighborhoods. All in all, Utica’s urban renewal efforts have had some positive effects, but these benefits are not equitably distributed among the city’s residents.

Summer Research Groups

The Levitt Research Group Grants support groups of students that complete summer research projects under the supervision of at least one faculty advisor. The grants are intended to encourage faculty and student publications. Student and faculty members from all divisions in the college are encouraged to apply.

Fieldwork or original analysis of existing data is generally required, with preference given to teams doing research in the local community. Projects that will be useful for policy makers and other researchers are also encouraged. Students in research groups and their faculty advisors meet face-to-face regularly to coordinate and communicate research efforts. They also participate in a weekly gathering with other research groups.

Each student works on a full-time basis for at least ten weeks, submits a 25-page paper (or equivalent final product) and presents their research in the fall or spring.

Deadline for applications is mid-February. Stipends: $4,000 for the student and $1,500-$4000 for faculty members depending on the number of students supervised: $1,500 for the first student, $1,000 each for a second or third student, and $500 for a fourth student, up to a maximum stipend of $4,000.

Past Summer Research Groups

Zachary Brooks ’24, Misaki Funada ’23, William Geach ’23, Caitlin Gooding ’24, Shi-Anne Morgan ’25, Emily Weinstein ’24, and Nathanael Wild ’24
Education in the Time of COVID-19: Ethnographic Approaches to Policy
Advisors: Chenyu Wang, visiting assistant professor of anthropology; Chaise LaDousa, the Christian A. Johnson Excellence in Teaching Professor of Anthropology

Makayla Alston ’25, Lara Barreira ’25, Hannah Jablons ’25, Elizabeth Gale ’24, Nevaeh Gutierrez ’25
Producing a Black World: Citizenship, Race, and Media
Advisor: Celeste Day Moore, assistant professor of history

Nicholas Cackett ’24, Quinn Jones ’23
Authority in the Borderlands: Who do Migrants Turn to on the US-Mexico Border?
Advisor: Heather Sullivan, assistant professor of government
Learn more

Katelyn Perruc ’23, Nicole Ramirez ’23, Ariana Silva ’23
Digital Culture and Social Justice in Latin America
Advisor: Marcelo Carosi, visiting assistant professor of Hispanic studies

Naima Akter ’24, Isabelle Crownhart ’23, Carter Myers-Brown ’24, Isabella Roselli ’23
Bioprospecting, Materia Medica, and the Ecologies of Medicine
Advisor: Mackenzie Cooley, assistant professor of history

Liam Hudgings ’24, Jack Ritzenberg ’24, Teddy Slosberg ’24, Scout Winer ’24
Places and Things
Advisor: Marianne Janack, the John Stewart Kennedy Professor of Philosophy
Learn more

Sosina Abuhay ’23, Sarah John ’24, and Dylan Koproski ’23, and Zou Lingli ’22
Lead Toxicology: A Study at the Intersections of Community Health, Genetics, Reproduction, and Behavior
Advisor: Rhea Datta, assistant professor of biology

Carson Halabi ’22, , Madison Hurtgen ’22, and Lillian Norton-Brainerd ’23
Pathways to a Zero Carbon New York: Understanding Solar NIMBYism and Overcoming Barriers to Renewables Deployment
Advisor: Aaron Strong, assistant professor of environmental studies

Philip Chivily ’23, Liam Garcia-Quish ’23, Masoud Maheen ’24, Ravena Pernanand ’21, and Nandini Subramaniam ’22
Roti Project
Advisor: Mariam Durrani, assistant professor of anthropology

Zachary Brooks ’24, Josue Herrera Rivera ’24, and Luis Lopez ’24
Routine Resistance: Archaeological Analysis of Daily Life and Political Transformation at the Tilcajete Sites, Oaxaca, Mexico
Advisor: Lacey Carpenter, visiting assistant professor of anthropology

Steven Campos ’22, Kaela Dunne ’22, Caroline Freundel ’24, and Shania Kuo ’23
Schooling in COVID-Times: How Parents Navigate Schooling Through a Global Pandemic
Advisor: Mahala Stewart, assistant professor of sociology

Isabelle Crownhart ’23, William Burstein ’24, Emma Tomlins ’23
Senegal Liberations Project
Advisor: Rebecca Wall, visiting assistant professor of history

Mahi Ghia ’22, Michael Ghiorsi ’23, Alexis Jamaica ’22, Janna Perez ’23, Salwa Sidahmed ’23, and Huarui Zhang ’23
The Discourse of Diversity and Inclusion at Predominantly White Institutions: An Ethnographic Exploration
Advisors: Chaise LaDousa, Christian A. Johnson Excellence in Teaching Professor of Anthropology, and Chenyu Wang, visiting assistant professor of anthropology

Min Yu Huang ’24, Jason Le ’23, Allie LeeHoffman ’23, Crystal Lin ’22, Michelle Jiayi Liu ’23,  Rachel Lu ’22, Maya Nguyen-Haberneski ’23, Kothiya Nyaari ’23, Anna Sakamoto ’23, Haruna Shimizu ’21, Khuslen Tulga ’23, and Michelle Zheng ’24
What is it like to be Asian/American at Hamilton College? Phase II
Advisors: Kyoko Omori, associate professor of Japanese, Steve Yao, Edmund A. LeFevre Professor of English, and Pavitra Sundar, associate professor of literature
Learn more

Carter Steckbeck ’22
Analysis of Media Portrayal of Computer Use by Gender as part of the larger project “Why Women Don't Code: Media Exposure and Occupational Choice in US Labor Markets”
Advisor: Emily Conover, professor of economics

Elizabeth Arnold ’22, Aidan Leahey ’22, and Isabelle Roselli ’22
Archaeology as Advocacy: Celebrating Cultural Heritage and Promoting Sustainability in Transylvanian Mining Communities
Advisor: Colin Quinn, assistant professor of anthropology

Claire Campbell ’22, Juliana De Simone ’21, Carson Goos ’21, and Natalie Halpin ’21
Assessing the Impact of Racism, Classism, Sexism, Homophobia, Ageism and Able-ism on the Experience, Reporting and Remediation of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, in the Time of COVID-19, in Our Region
Advisor: Vivyan Adair, professor of women’s and gender studies

Rachel Pike ’21 and Abigail Roller ’21
Data and Tools for Assessing the Impacts of a Changing Spring Climate in Central and Northern New York
Advisor: Heather Kropp, assistant professor of environmental studies

Taron Kui ’22, Weihan Lin ’22, and Qian Ren ’22
FinTech, Financial Inclusion, and Income Inequality: Understanding the Distributional Effects of FinTech on Tackling Income Inequality With Cross Classes and Countries Examination
Advisor: Christophre Georges, Elias W. Leavenworth Professor of Economics

Nicole Eisenberg ’21, Diana Perez ’21, Ha Tran ’22, and Gregory Varney ’22
Militarized Policing and Political Stability
Advisors: Erica DeBruin, associate professor of government, and Sharon Rivera, professor of government

Elizabeth Atherton ’22, Philip Chivily ’23, and Emma Tomlins ’23
New World Nature Medicine and Empire in the Early Modern Atlantic World,
Advisor: Mackenzie Cooley, assistant professor of history

Carina Krusell ’22, Matthew McGoey ’21, Sajan Palanki ’21, and Majestic Terhune ’21
Politics and Policy of COVID
Advisors: Phil Klinkner, James S. Sherman Professor of Government, and Gbemende Johnson, associate professor of government

Ashley Garcia ’22, Jahmali Matthews ’22, Hope Medina ’21, and Hannah Peterson ’22
Schooling Under Covid-19: How Families Navigate School and Care During a Global Pandemic
Advisor: Mahala Stewart, assistant professor of sociology

Isabelle Crownhart ’23, Joseph Fraser ’21, Charlotte Guterman ’22, and Erica Ivins ’21
Senegal Liberations Project
Advisor: Rebecca Wall, visiting assistant professor of history

Sophia Coren ’21, Janna Perez ’23, and Cherry Zhang ’22
Students of Color and the Discourse of 'Diversity and Inclusion' at Predominately White Institutions
Advisor: Chenyu Wang, visiting assistant professor of anthropology

Clare Barbato ’22, Chris Inkiow ’22, and Rebecca Ridgway ’21
The Barriers to and Potential for Natural and Working Lands Carbon Sequestration to Facilitate Effective Climate Action in New York State
Advisor: Aaron Strong, assistant professor of environmental studies

Jo Dine ’22 and Alex Reboredo ’22
The Philosophical Endeavor of Community-Engaged Teaching
Advisor: Todd Franklin, professor of philosophy and Africana studies

Kahleel Bernard ’23, Shania Kuo ’23, Natalia Reboredo ’24, and Isabel Rutkey ’22
The Turn toward Racial Social Justice in Mindfulness and Yoga
Advisor: Jaime Kucinskas, associate professor of sociology

Cameron Blair ’21, Eliza Jones ’22, and Riley Nichols ’21
Virtual Philosophy: Deconstructing Power Dynamics and Building Community
Advisor: Marianne Janack, John Stewart Kennedy Professor of Philosophy

Divyan Karuri ’23, Nyaari Kothiya ’23, Jason Le ’23, and Anna Sakamoto ’23
What Was It Like, What Is It Like, to be 'Asian' at Hamilton College?
Advisor: Kyoko Omori, associate professor of Japanese

Elizabeth (Liza) Greene ’22, Donna Le ’21, and Riley Nichols ’21
Anti-Poverty Work in Utica, NY: Anti-Bias Curriculums, Literacy, and the Experiences of Low-Income Children and Youth
Advisor: Meredith Madden, lecturer in sociology

Elizabeth Arnold ’22, Aidan Leahey ’22, and Isabella Roselli ’22
Archaeology as Advocacy: Celebrating Cultural Heritage and Promoting Sustainability in Transylvanian Mining Communities
Advisor: Colin Quinn, assistant professor of anthropology

Honor Allen ’21 and Kyra Richardson ’21
Keeping Track of History or Narrating a Life? Diaries, Documentaries, and the Autobiographical Urge
Advisor: Marianne Janack, John Stewart Kennedy Professor of Philosophy

Samuel Greenhouse ’21, Rui Qi (Rachel) Lee ’22, Cheng (Victor) Lou ’21, Ishan Mainali ’21, Nicole Rodriguez ’22, and Huarui (Cherry) Zhang ’22
Media and Society: Reactions to COVID-19
Advisors: Chaise LaDousa, Christian A. Johnson Excellence in Teaching Professor of Anthropology, and Chenyu Wang, visiting assistant professor of anthropology

Max Gersch ’23, Alexander Nemeth ’22, Ha (Jenny) Tran ’22, and Muhammad (Huzefah) Umer ’21
Survey of Russian Elites/ Civil War Peace Agreements
The Rise of Militarized Policing

Advisors: Sharon Rivera, professor of government, and Erica DeBruin, associate professor of government

Kaja Bielecka ’21, Jahmali Matthews ’22, and Hope Medina ’21
Unintentional Homeschoolers: Navigating At-Home Learning and Care During a Global Pandemic
Advisor: Mahala Stewart, assistant professor of sociology

Thomas Anderson '20, Antton De Arbeloa '22, Elizabeth Atherton '22, Kate Biedermann '22, and Kayla Self '21, led by Assistant Professor of History Mackenzie Cooley: “New World Nature: Diversity & Loss in the Early Modern Atlantic World” Learn more

Adriana Jonas '21 and Erin Rosen '21 led by Professor of Economics Paul Hagstrom and Assistant Professor of Economics Wei Zhan: “Toward a Better Understanding of Refugees’ Preferences” This research project uses surveys and economic coordination games to document refugees’ integration into American society and how it influences their perceptions of women in leadership roles. Refugees’ integration into a community can be measured in many ways: higher education attainment, work experience, possession of a driver’s license, and number of close friends who grew up in the US or are from one’s own cultural milieu. To prepare for the studies, Rosen and Jonas reviewed previous research on American citizens’ views on women in leadership positions, which reveals that they are generally viewed less positively and rewarded less for their work. They also examined a study on the cross-cultural integration of Mosuo (a matriarchal society in which girls take more risks) and Han (the patriarchal ethnic majority in China) schoolchildren and how their behavior toward girls assuming leadership roles changed over time, which showed that exposure to girls more inclined to risk-taking can change boys’ attitudes toward women leaders. Among the concerns the group has taken into consideration while designing the study are protecting the privacy of participants by ensuring confidentiality, making sure participants comprehend the material and are technologically literate, and eliminating variables in bias and prejudice by limiting the games to participants within one cultural group at a time. The games they developed measure levels of risk-taking and trust in participants differ when they are told that a man or woman is leading their group by advising their decisions. Looking ahead, the group is introducing pilot studies and Hamilton and Houghton Colleges, meeting with area refugee resource organizations, and broadening their scope beyond Utica to investigate whether preferences change based on where someone settles or their country of origin.

Ravena Pernanand '21, Rachel Pike '21, and Abigail Roller '21, led by Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Aaron Strong: “New Hartford Climate Research Assessment” Learn more

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