Education (Colleges & Universities)
Here's a look at documents from public, private and community colleges in the U.S.
Featured Stories
VCU History Alum Honored for Museum Curation and More
RICHMOND, Virginia, April 11 -- Virginia Commonwealth University issued the following news:
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VCU history alum honored for museum curation and more
From tenures at Wilton House, DAR Museum and North Carolina's Old Salem - and from scholarship on Black artisans - William Strollo wins the History Graduate Alumni Achievement Award.
By Konrad Solberg
William Strollo was a long way from archives and artifacts when the email arrived. As he and his family waited in line for a ride at the Universal Studios theme park in Orlando, he received notification from Virginia Commonwealth University's
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RICHMOND, Virginia, April 11 -- Virginia Commonwealth University issued the following news:
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VCU history alum honored for museum curation and more
From tenures at Wilton House, DAR Museum and North Carolina's Old Salem - and from scholarship on Black artisans - William Strollo wins the History Graduate Alumni Achievement Award.
By Konrad Solberg
William Strollo was a long way from archives and artifacts when the email arrived. As he and his family waited in line for a ride at the Universal Studios theme park in Orlando, he received notification from Virginia Commonwealth University'sDepartment of History that his contributions to historic museum curation hadn't gone unnoticed.
"I had to read it twice to make sure I wasn't making something up," Strollo laughed. "I'm not used to getting emails from history professors saying something specific to me. It's been very affirming."
Strollo, who earned his bachelor's (2008) and master's (2015) degrees in history from the VCU College of Humanities and Sciences, is the recipient this year of the sixth annual History Graduate Alumni Achievement Award. His career has spanned from the streets of historic Williamsburg to the halls of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the VCU honor is a full-circle moment for a journey that began with a childhood fascination with the past.
Growing up in Williamsburg, Strollo was surrounded by living history. The experience shaped his passions, and he came to VCU planning to pursue history education. But while he worked as an interpreter for Colonial Williamsburg during his undergraduate years, he landed a life-changing internship at the Wilton House Museum in Richmond's West End.
What started as a part-time job grew into a nine-year tenure at the 18th-century home, where he eventually became Wilton's director of education while completing his master's degree. That hands-on experience shifted his focus to the museum track.
"The internship is what hooked me," Strollo said. "The folks there were so supportive, and it gave me a real feel for the museum career."
Strollo's journey then reached a larger stage, as he served as the first curator of exhibitions at the Daughters of the American Revolution Museum in Washington, where he managed more than 4,000 objects. After eight years there, he transitioned last year to his current role as curator of Old Salem and Historic Building Interiors, part of Old Salem Museums & Gardens in North Carolina.
But Strollo's work extends beyond museum archives. His recent project, "Fighting for Freedom: Black Craftspeople and the Pursuit of Independence," was featured at MoMA and was accompanied by a printed volume published last year by the University of North Carolina Press. These works have garnered national acclaim for highlighting the often-overlooked contributions and skill of Black artisans.
"We take historic narratives and connect them to the present -- how people use objects for resistance, or how people portrayed themselves in historic photos," Strollo said of his work. "Sticking to the facts and the research we were trained to do at VCU is what helps us make connections and keep the past relevant."
In that spirit, Strollo has posted next to his desk in Winston-Salem a quote that Bill Martin, the longtime director of The Valentine, had heard from a predecessor and shared with Strollo: "A finished museum is a dead museum."
"Bill was inspiring," Strollo said of Martin, who died this past December after being struck by a car. "His mentality around engaging the public is something I've always kept with me."
In returning to Richmond for the award presentation on April 9, Strollo also planned to take his family to some of his old local haunts, including Proper Pie Co. and Joe's Inn. The visit intensifies his commitment to building on everything he learned in VCU's Department of History.
"I'm just very honored the department thought so highly of me," Strollo said. "I hope to keep making them proud."
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Original text here: https://news.vcu.edu/article/vcu-history-alum-honored-for-museum-curation-and-more
University of Texas Dallas: Neuroscientist To Lead Engineering-Driven Brain Health Research
RICHARDSON, Texas, April 11 -- The University of Texas Dallas campus issued the following news:
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Neuroscientist To Lead Engineering-Driven Brain Health Research
By: Alexander Macon
Dr. Matthew Walker is helping to transform sleep research from an observational field into one in which engineered solutions can measure and improve brain health.
In January, he joined The University of Texas at Dallas as a professor of neuroscience in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences and of bioengineering in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science.
As the inaugural director
... Show Full Article
RICHARDSON, Texas, April 11 -- The University of Texas Dallas campus issued the following news:
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Neuroscientist To Lead Engineering-Driven Brain Health Research
By: Alexander Macon
Dr. Matthew Walker is helping to transform sleep research from an observational field into one in which engineered solutions can measure and improve brain health.
In January, he joined The University of Texas at Dallas as a professor of neuroscience in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences and of bioengineering in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science.
As the inaugural directorof the Sleep Innovation Laboratories at the UT Dallas Center for BrainHealth, Walker explores sleep's impact on multiple aspects of human health, from memory to emotional well-being. Before joining UT Dallas, he was a professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of California, Berkeley, where he founded and led the Center for Human Sleep Science. Prior to that he was on the faculty of Harvard University.
"I came to Dallas to build the future of sleep science -- one that's interdisciplinary, tech-forward and focused on enhancing brain health, not just studying brain disease," Walker said. "I wanted to build a neurotechnology future for sleep. And to do that, you've got to have an engineering department of epic horsepower potential. Enter UT Dallas."
Dr. Stephanie G. Adams, Jonsson School dean and the Lars Magnus Ericsson Chair, said Walker is a rare find.
"Matt exemplifies that the grandest scientific advances arise from cross-discipline collaborations. He is an extraordinary talent whose innovations bridge several schools and who will augment work already occurring at UT Dallas," said Adams, a professor of systems engineering.
Walker and his team are developing tools, including software and hardware, to improve sleep quality as part of treating Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, depression, anxiety disorders, and cardiovascular diseases, as well as enhancing the performance of professional athletes.
"We know that sleep is a foundational element of brain health, fueling our ability to engage, perform and thrive," said Sandra Bond Chapman PhD'86, chief director of the Center for BrainHealth and the Dee Wyly Distinguished University Chair for BrainHealth. "With access to the world's largest brain health dataset -- gathered through our landmark longitudinal study The BrainHealth Project -- we look forward to novel discoveries from Dr. Walker related to the role of sleep, as well as interventions that will make a real difference in people's lives."
Walker's research has demonstrated that sleep impacts a variety of systems, from DNA expression to social dynamics, and that sleep loss can lead to social withdrawal, amplify anxiety and reduce vaccine effectiveness. Other studies have linked sleep disruption to beta-amyloid accumulation, which is associated with Alzheimer's. Walker's work, supported by the National Institutes of Health, addresses multiple dimensions of sleep, including rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and deep non-REM sleep, as well as total sleep amount and continuity.
"Eight hours versus eight hours is not the same," he said. "If you get eight hours with maybe just two long bouts of sleep throughout the night, that transacts more biological and psychological benefits than eight highly fragmented hours."
Walker's work spans fundamental neuroscience and practical device development, including a second-generation brain stimulation headband used by NBA players that synchronizes stimulation with individual brainwave patterns. His team explores auditory stimulation technology and is developing tools that involve electrical stimulation, temperature manipulation and kinesthetic motion to target various aspects of sleep. He is also interested in the use of wearable sensors capable of tracking biomarkers related to sleep.
"Dr. Walker is at the forefront of transforming neuroscience with engineering innovation toward developing paradigm-shifting solutions that can have profound impact on the quality of human life," said Dr. Shalini Prasad, professor and department head of bioengineering and the Cecil H. and Ida Green Professor in Systems Biology Science. She and her colleagues recently published a study on a wearable perspiration-based sensor that measures two key hormones, melatonin and cortisol, that regulate the body's sleep-wake cycle.
Walker said the combination of world-class neuroscience programs and cutting-edge biomedical engineering capabilities made UT Dallas an ideal place to continue his work to advance sleep research and promote brain health science to broader audiences, while tapping into the University's entrepreneurial attitude and engineering expertise.
"UT Dallas has one of the most exceptional neuroscience departments in the country. The University also has an incredible psychology department," Walker said. "Beyond my work in those disciplines, I also have a number of startups, several of which involve high-end neurotechnology. At UT Dallas, I now have an extraordinary set of engineering, and specifically biomedical engineering, colleagues who are excited about cross-disciplinary work."
Walker said the next two decades of sleep science will see the development of technologies that could change brain function and enable continuous, adaptive support for brain health across the human lifespan.
"That future is no longer science fiction," Walker said. "I think it's very much science fact now. At UT Dallas and the Center for BrainHealth, I found the perfect ecosystem to make that future real."
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Original text here: https://news.utdallas.edu/faculty-staff/matthew-walker-2026/
University of Memphis: Timber Talks Symposium Broadens Understanding of Mass Timber
MEMPHIS, Tennessee, April 11 -- The University of Memphis issued the following news:
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Timber Talks Symposium Broadens Understanding of Mass Timber
Wood is having a moment. To broaden the understanding of mass timber's benefits, the University of Memphis Institute for Agricultural and Conservation Research and Education (ACRE) and the Division of Research and Innovation, in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture hosted Timber Talks April 6-7.
The two-day conference was attended by university faculty, researchers and agriculture leaders from across Tennessee and the U.S.
... Show Full Article
MEMPHIS, Tennessee, April 11 -- The University of Memphis issued the following news:
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Timber Talks Symposium Broadens Understanding of Mass Timber
Wood is having a moment. To broaden the understanding of mass timber's benefits, the University of Memphis Institute for Agricultural and Conservation Research and Education (ACRE) and the Division of Research and Innovation, in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture hosted Timber Talks April 6-7.
The two-day conference was attended by university faculty, researchers and agriculture leaders from across Tennessee and the U.S.and addressed the status of Tennessee's forestry and lumber industry, one of the largest drivers of the state's economy.
"We hosted this convening symposium to educate a wide range of people on the benefits of building with an innovative new material system called mass timber," said Katie Hunt, AIA, assistant professor in the Department of Architecture. Opening the symposium with a quote she heard from architect Kengo Kuma: "Wood is warm, intimate and connects people. It is the definition of a place based material. Wood is community."
Tennessee Commissioner of Agriculture Andy Holt delivered the general address. "Forest products and wood fiber have long played an important role in our culture and throughout history," Holt said. "Many of history's great achievements would not have been possible without wood fiber."
The symposium was the formal kickoff of the Tennessee Timberworks Collaborative -- a Memphis led, regional research collective with a shared vision: to study mass timber from forest to building (and beyond), from silviculture and supply chains to design, engineering, construction, policy and community impact.
"While this effort is rooted here in Memphis and in Tennessee, we are intentionally outward looking," Hunt said. "We hope to collaborate deeply with other states and regions also studying the timber industry, because the opportunities and challenges of mass timber do not stop at state lines."
Memphis is known as the "hardwood capital of the world," and participants had the opportunity to tour the National Hardwood Lumber Association to further lean about hardwood supply chain, production and distribution as well as the new Memphis Art Museum, an active construction site to see how wood is being utilized in its architectural design.
Throughout the sessions, myths were dispelled regarding misconceptions about wood and the forestry industry, including that the timber industry is bad for the environment and that wood is inferior to concrete or steel. "In fact, it is imperative for our forests' ecological health and critical to sustainable economies that we have markets for timber," said Hunt. "In addition, wood structures are actually safer than the others under fire because the burning process naturally creates a protective char layer that limits structural failure of the wood. According to the building codes, mass timber performs so well in fire that it is technically considered non-combustible."
Other statistics for the state of Tennessee include:
* More than half of Tennessee is forested land (14 million acres)
* More than 80% of those forests are privately owned, primarily by family and non-corporate landowners
* The forest products industry contributes $21 billion annually to the Tennessee economy
* An estimated 85,000 jobs statewide are from the forest products industry
* Tennessee is one of the top ten U.S. states for forestry's share of GDP (gross domestic product) and number three for hardwood-producing states
* Tennessee grows 1.6 times more wood annually than is harvested
* Less than 1% of standing wood volume is removed each year
"ACRE was proud to host the Timber Talks Conference at the University of Memphis and grateful to the Tennessee Department of Agriculture for supporting this event," said Dr. Jennifer Mandel, ACRE director and William B. "Billy" Dunavant Endowed Chair, Agritech and Sustainable Agriculture. "I am especially excited about Professor Hunt's official launch of the Tennessee Timberworks Collaborative. I believe this collaborative will further raise awareness of our vast forestry resources in the state which in turn will incentivize the Tennessee-based supply chain for timber, especially hardwoods. This work represents truly innovative research and education for our students and our state."
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Original text here: https://blogs.memphis.edu/newsroom/2026/04/10/timber-talks-symposium-broadens-understanding-of-mass-timber/
UNC Researchers Demonstrate Drug's Effectiveness in Drawing Out Dormant HIV From Immune Cells
CHAPEL HILL, North Carolina, April 11 (TNSjou) -- The University of North Carolina School of Medicine issued the following news:
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UNC Researchers Demonstrate Drug's Effectiveness in Drawing Out Dormant HIV from Immune Cells
The study shows that drug citarinostat can awaken hidden HIV, advancing efforts towards a potential cure for the complex virus.
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Human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV) is one of the most challenging viruses for doctors to treat.
Even with effective antiretroviral therapy, immune cells infected with HIV can hide and lie inactive in certain areas of the body called latent
... Show Full Article
CHAPEL HILL, North Carolina, April 11 (TNSjou) -- The University of North Carolina School of Medicine issued the following news:
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UNC Researchers Demonstrate Drug's Effectiveness in Drawing Out Dormant HIV from Immune Cells
The study shows that drug citarinostat can awaken hidden HIV, advancing efforts towards a potential cure for the complex virus.
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Human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV) is one of the most challenging viruses for doctors to treat.
Even with effective antiretroviral therapy, immune cells infected with HIV can hide and lie inactive in certain areas of the body called latentreservoirs. If treatment is discontinued, these reservoirs may become active again, causing patients to face renewed challenges with symptoms of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).
A new study led by Guochun Jiang, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the UNC School of Medicine and a member of the UNC HIV Cure Center, has found that a drug named citarinostat is effective at disrupting latent HIV reservoirs. The findings, which were published in Science Advances, bring researchers one step closer to achieving eradication of the virus.
"Disruption is the first step required for the so-called 'kick and kill' approach aimed at the eradication of latent HIV reservoirs," said Jiang. "Our study highlights a promising class of drugs that can agitate and force HIV-infected immune cells to come out of latency and be attacked by the immune system."
Antiretroviral therapy (ART), a treatment used for HIV, stops the virus from reproducing and reduces the overall amount of viral load in the body. But, despite its success throughout the rest of the body, ART is not effective against latent reservoirs.
To address this challenge, researchers have explored medications that can re-activate and coerce HIV-infected immune cells to crawl out of latent reservoirs in a controlled manner. This action makes these cells more vulnerable to HIV medications and eradication via the immune system.
Some drugs--particularly histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors--have been explored for this purpose. These drugs work by altering important genetic information termed epigenetics. While these drugs can influence the genetics of the HIV virus, they have shown limited success in fully reversing HIV latency.
In the new study, researchers found that the epigenetic drug citarinostat selectively stops histone decrotonylation (HDCR), a genetic process that allows HIV to successfully fly under the immune system's radar. Citarinostat's big role in histone decrotonylation was previously unknown to researchers.
With this new role in mind, the research team introduced the drug to human white blood cells collected from study participants at UNC-Chapel Hill, as well as microglial cells derived from brain tissue through "The Last Gift" study at the University of California San Diego.
They found that the drug effectively increases histone crotonylation, disrupts latent HIV in immune cells, and induces HIV transcription to successfully agitate and force the HIV-infected immune cells to re-awaken.
"This work not only advances HIV cure research but also identifies histone decrotonylation as a druggable and previously underappreciated target," said Jiang. "The development of selective HDCR inhibitors opens new possibilities for reprogramming gene expression in cancer, neurological disorders, acute kidney injury, and other diseases where dysregulated chromatin states drive pathology," said Jiang.
The UNC HIV Cure Center, BCBP, R. L. Juliano Structural Bioinformatics Core, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, Vaccine & Gene Therapy Institute/Oregon National Primate Research Center, University of California-Davis, and the "Last Gift Program" at University of California - San Diego all contributed to the study.
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Original text here: https://news.unchealthcare.org/2026/04/unc-researchers-demonstrate-drugs-effectiveness-in-drawing-out-dormant-hiv-from-immune-cells/
SUNY Potsdam English Professor Dr. Sharmain Van Blommestein Accepted to Prestigious Rare Book School
POTSDAM, New York, April 11 -- The State University of New York Potsdam campus issued the following news:
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SUNY Potsdam English Professor Dr. Sharmain van Blommestein Accepted to Prestigious Rare Book School
SUNY Potsdam Professor of English, Dr. Sharmain van Blommestein, has been accepted to attend an upcoming session, "Material Foundations of Map History, 1450-1900," at the Rare Book School, an internationally recognized program based at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.
The course focuses on the cultural history and materiality of maps from 1450 to 1900, examining maps
... Show Full Article
POTSDAM, New York, April 11 -- The State University of New York Potsdam campus issued the following news:
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SUNY Potsdam English Professor Dr. Sharmain van Blommestein Accepted to Prestigious Rare Book School
SUNY Potsdam Professor of English, Dr. Sharmain van Blommestein, has been accepted to attend an upcoming session, "Material Foundations of Map History, 1450-1900," at the Rare Book School, an internationally recognized program based at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.
The course focuses on the cultural history and materiality of maps from 1450 to 1900, examining mapsas historical artifacts rather than as products of mapmaking, and will support van Blommestein's commitment to applied, hands on humanities teaching.
Rare Book School courses are highly competitive and typically limited to 12 participants. Dr. van Blommestein will take part in the course "Material Foundations of Map History, 1450-1900," being held in June.
"This Rare Book School course directly strengthens my teaching in a new course I designed for the Potsdam Humanities Institute, HUMN 302: Monsters on the Edge, which I will teach in Fall 2026," Dr. van Blommestein said. "Students work with medieval/early modern and Enlightenment era maps as part of our study of worldmaking, representation, and the cultural history of monstrous, engaging these materials through close, applied analysis in digital environments. While my current preparation is sufficient to teach the material, this training will deepen my expertise and expand the range of primary sources and interpretive frameworks I can bring into the classroom."
The new HUMN 302 course is developed as part of the Potsdam Humanities Institute's microcredential program, Humanities for Thoughtful Leadership. It also aligns with SUNY's High-Impact Practice initiative, particularly material culture analysis, archival literacy and applied learning. The course will allow van Blommestein to broaden the experiential components available to students, and enhance the Potsdam Humanities Institute's commitment to interdisciplinary, hands-on humanities work.
As Dr. van Blommestein mentioned, participation in the Rare Book School course will enhance her already well established practice of incorporating applied learning into humanities instruction. She has previously led hands on workshops on papermaking, writing with quills and fountain pens, letterlocking, and applying wax seals as part of the College's LoKo Arts Festival; with local high school students through the history department's social studies field trip programs; and, most importantly, through the applied learning component of her Linguistics, LNGS 309 course, Cultural History of English: Writing Technologies, which culminates in a display of student work at the Crumb Library.
Dr. van Blommestein earned her Ph.D. from the University of Florida and is a professor of English at SUNY Potsdam, where she also serves as associate chair of the Arts and Humanities Division (Art, English, History) and as the campus Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) Coordinator. Her teaching and scholarship span medieval and early modern studies, women's and gender studies, and literary theory, and she regularly teaches British and American literature through interdisciplinary, theory driven courses.
Dr. van Blommestein is actively engaged in COIL partnerships with institutions in Montenegro, Spain, Turkiye and Romania, designing intercultural learning activities that invite students to examine individual and collective identities across global contexts. Her research examines the cultural and political dimensions of semiotic bodies, memory, and markings, bridging medieval/early modern and contemporary frameworks to explore ideologies of the gendered body and the concept of the reading the body. In addition to her disciplinary teaching, she teaches courses grounded in Instructional and Universal Design and has held several leadership roles at SUNY Potsdam, including as director of women's and gender studies, director of the Office of Student Research, and chair of the Department of English.
Rare Book School provides innovative and outstanding educational opportunities to study the history, care, and use of written, printed, and digital materials. Through the hands-on, intensive examination and analysis of textual artifacts in seminar-style classes taught by an international faculty of distinguished scholars and professionals, Rare Book School fosters the knowledge and expertise essential to the responsible stewardship of the historical archive in all its richness and pluriformity. Promoting a spirit of learning and intellectual generosity, Rare Book School builds and enriches relationships among booksellers, collectors, conservators, educators, librarians, and other individuals from around the globe to create a community equipped to advance historically informed understandings of our cultural heritage.
SUNY Potsdam's Department of English challenges its students with courses that develop their abilities to interpret a variety of written, oral, and multimedia forms in which humans communicate with one another, as well as to express themselves effectively in those forms. For more information, visit www.potsdam.edu/academics/AAS/Engl.
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About SUNY Potsdam:
Founded in 1816, The State University of New York at Potsdam is one of America's first 50 colleges--and the oldest institution within SUNY. Now in its third century, SUNY Potsdam is distinguished by a legacy of pioneering programs and educational excellence. The College currently enrolls approximately 2,500 undergraduate and graduate students. Home to the world-renowned Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam is known for its challenging liberal arts and sciences core, distinction in teacher training and culture of creativity. To learn more, visit www.potsdam.edu.
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Original text here: https://www.potsdam.edu/news/Sharmain-van-Blommestein
Riverside Community College District Calls for Full Funding of Pell Grants Amid Rising Student Need
RIVERSIDE, California, April 11 -- The Riverside Community College District issued the following news:
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Riverside Community College District Calls for Full Funding of Pell Grants Amid Rising Student Need
A historic number of members of the U.S. House of Representatives have voiced their support for fully funding the Pell Grant program, which provides essential financial assistance to millions of college students. Currently, roughly one-third of all undergraduate students in the United States depend on Pell Grants to afford higher education, making this support more important than ever.
The
... Show Full Article
RIVERSIDE, California, April 11 -- The Riverside Community College District issued the following news:
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Riverside Community College District Calls for Full Funding of Pell Grants Amid Rising Student Need
A historic number of members of the U.S. House of Representatives have voiced their support for fully funding the Pell Grant program, which provides essential financial assistance to millions of college students. Currently, roughly one-third of all undergraduate students in the United States depend on Pell Grants to afford higher education, making this support more important than ever.
Thedemand for Pell Grants has grown significantly in recent years, particularly following the enactment of the FAFSA Simplification Act of 2020. By making it easier for students to complete the FAFSA application and access financial aid, the law has resulted in more students seeking Pell Grant assistance. This surge, however, has created a projected budget shortfall. To maintain the current maximum award of $7,395, Congress must allocate billions in additional funding.
Riverside Community College District (RCCD) strongly supports increased funding for the Pell Grant program and commends the House of Representatives for their leadership. At the same time, the District emphasizes that Congress must avoid repeating past measures that have negatively impacted community college students. Previous shortfalls led to cuts that excluded students without a high school diploma, ended Year-Round and Summer Pell Grants, and reduced lifetime eligibility from 16 semesters to 12. These actions disproportionately affected students with the greatest financial need and should not be repeated.
During last year's budget reconciliation process, Congress also considered eliminating Pell Grant eligibility for students taking fewer than eight credits per semester. This change would have impacted nearly 400,000 part-time community college students, many of whom balance work, family, and school exactly the students the Pell Grant program was designed to help.
As Congress prepares the fiscal year 2027 budget, lawmakers will determine the maximum Pell Grant award and whether the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill receives sufficient funding. These decisions will be critical to ensuring Pell Grants continue without compromising other essential health, education, and workforce programs.
RCCD urges Congress to act decisively to protect and expand Pell Grant funding, ensuring that students who rely on this vital financial support can continue pursuing their educational and career goals.
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Original text here: https://rccd.edu/news/RCCD_Calls_for_Full_Funding_of_Pell_Grants_Amid_Rising_Student_Need.html
Case Western Reserve: Stage for Social Science - Students Organize Campus-wide Research Showcase
CLEVELAND, Ohio, April 11 -- Case Western Reserve University issued the following news:
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A new stage for social science: Students organize campus-wide research showcase
Story by: Nina Pettry
It started with a casual conversation over lunch--a group of Case Western Reserve anthropology PhD students reflecting on the work happening around them and a shared realization that much of it went unseen.
"We were just chatting about how there aren't that many opportunities for us to showcase our research unless we go to an external conference," said Jenna Hays, a third-year PhD student in medical
... Show Full Article
CLEVELAND, Ohio, April 11 -- Case Western Reserve University issued the following news:
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A new stage for social science: Students organize campus-wide research showcase
Story by: Nina Pettry
It started with a casual conversation over lunch--a group of Case Western Reserve anthropology PhD students reflecting on the work happening around them and a shared realization that much of it went unseen.
"We were just chatting about how there aren't that many opportunities for us to showcase our research unless we go to an external conference," said Jenna Hays, a third-year PhD student in medicalanthropology. "So we decided to make our own opportunity."
Thanks to the efforts of Hays and fellow organizers Anuoluwapo Ajibade, Sarah Namirembe and Aria Wanek--and with support from professor and anthropology department chair Janet McGrath, PhD--that idea has since grown into Social Science Research Day: a new student-run event that will bring together undergraduate and graduate researchers from the social sciences on April 10.
"It's been a super collaborative effort," said Wanek, a second-year PhD student in medical anthropology. "We started with a general outline and then just kept building--getting buy-in from other departments, figuring out logistics and shaping what we wanted the day to look like."
The result is a dynamic program featuring both undergraduate poster presentations and graduate student oral presentations, representing disciplines of anthropology, psychology, sociology and more. In total, nearly 20 presentations will be showcased, reflecting a wide range of topics and methodologies.
For the organizers, the event is about more than just sharing research--it's about elevating the role of the social sciences within a research-intensive university.
"I think typically when people think of research, they think medical and quantitative," Hays said. "But qualitative and mixed-methods research is research, too. Having this platform shows that the social sciences are here and that they're supported."
That sentiment was echoed by Ajibade, who noted both the quality and real-world relevance of the work being done. "The social science community at CWRU produces a wide range of thoughtful and impactful research," he said. "We thought it would be nice to have a space where students can present their work and also build skills that help them share that research beyond the university."
Second-year medical anthropology PhD student Sarah Namirembe said the event also serves as a reminder of the broader potential of the field. "It's about reminding social scientists that we can do more," she said. "We're not just studying and writing about people's lives--we can create change and make a real impact."
With strong participation and support in its inaugural year, the organizers hope Social Science Research Day will become an annual tradition--one that continues to grow and highlight the value of social science research at Case Western Reserve University.
The entire campus community is invited to attend Social Science Research Day on Friday, April 10, from 12:45 to 5:30 p.m. in the Biomedical Research Building, room 105.
We spoke with three of Friday's presenters to give you a preview of the event. Learn more about the day in CampusGroups.
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Zachary Slade Milko
Fourth-year PhD student, Department of Sociology
Can you briefly describe your research and what inspired you to explore this topic?
My research examines how artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic governance systems on TikTok produce stratified economic outcomes for content creators, with a particular focus on LGBTQ+ and racial minority creators. I am developing two original theoretical concepts, algorithmic and tactical legibility labor, to explain how platform classification systems encode culturally dominant assumptions about whose expressive labor is valuable and whose is risky or ungovernable. What inspired this work is both personal and intellectual. As someone who thinks seriously about race, gender and sexuality from a critical and intersectional perspective, I kept noticing that the existing literature could document that algorithmic systems disadvantage marginalized creators, but lacked a precise sociological mechanism explaining why and how. I wanted to build that theoretical infrastructure.
What do you hope others take away from your research or presentation?
I hope attendees leave with a clearer sense of how algorithmic systems are not neutral technical tools, but culturally and historically loaded infrastructures that reproduce existing inequalities in new forms. I also want people to walk away thinking about platform governance as a labor issue and a social justice issue, not just a technology issue. For scholars specifically, I hope the concepts of algorithmic and tactical legibility labor feel useful and generative beyond the TikTok context. Ultimately I hope this work contributes to broader conversations about what more just and equitable algorithmic systems could look like, and that people leave feeling not just critical of the status quo, but motivated to imagine and push for something better.
Why did you decide to present at Social Science Research Day?
This is early stage dissertation work and I am actively developing the conceptual framework, so presenting at the inaugural Social Science Research Day felt like a valuable opportunity to get feedback from scholars across disciplines before the project moves into full data collection. I also think the questions my research raises about AI, inequality and digital labor are ones that resonate well beyond sociology, and a cross-disciplinary social science audience is exactly the kind of intellectual community I want to be in conversation with at this stage.
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Eleanor Gillerlane Hinkes
Sixth-year PhD student, Department of Anthropology
Can you briefly describe your research and what inspired you to explore this topic?
My research is focused on disaster response, specifically examining the roles and operations of organizations. I was inspired by my volunteer work with a local organization working in disaster response, where I have seen firsthand how people are impacted by disasters and have been part of the response process.
What do you hope others take away from your research or presentation?
I hope people learn more about anthropology and qualitative research from my presentation, specifically how valuable anthropological methods can be applied across research settings. I hope people also learn more about the local disaster response process and organizational landscape in Ohio.
Why did you decide to present at Social Science Research Day?
I wanted to present at the symposium to support my peers who have created and organized the event, as well as share my work with the broader social science community at CWRU to help foster interdisciplinary learning and collaboration.
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Cristiana Miele
Fourth-year undergraduate psychology and Spanish student
Can you briefly describe your research and what inspired you to explore this topic?
I am a research assistant for Kate Freeman who is a sociology PhD student. Her dissertation examines differences in societal reactions to men having chronic conditions versus women. I'm interested in studying gender and sexuality, so I was really drawn to her project and am very excited to see her conclusions. I've helped her with data collection, and also authored a paper arguing that TikTok should be considered a valid tool for gathering sociological data which I will be presenting at Social Science Research Day.
What do you hope others take away from your research or presentation?
This was a really valuable experience for me because I'd like to get a graduate degree in psychology and become a therapist. It gave me research, writing and presenting experience, and it's a topic that could really improve my study of psychology. Sociological study can definitely offer me explanations and background on human experience that will help me understand my future clients more thoroughly. I really believe sociology and psychology are two sides of the same coin, so I'm thrilled to understand the field better, even though I'm not studying it in classes.
Why did you decide to present at Social Science Research Day?
I originally decided to participate to gain experience with presenting research, especially before I present my capstone at Intersections research symposium, but as the day approaches, I've become more excited to show off work that I'm proud to have accomplished. This paper on TikTok as a methodological research tool is the first article that I authored, and I think it's helped me grow as both a student and a researcher.
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Original text here: https://case.edu/news/new-stage-social-science-students-organize-campus-wide-research-showcase
