CISS Undergraduate Interns Showcase Cutting-Edge Social Science Research
By Lilian Belisle (CAS’ 24) and Siena Giljum (COM ‘22)
You may have seen an Instagram post from the Center for Innovation in Social Science (CISS), or know an undergraduate intern working with the Center, but what is the CISS? Launched in September 2021, the Center for Innovation in Social Science (CISS) was established by BU’s College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) Dean Stan Sclaroff to advance a vibrant social science community, facilitating collaborative research, teaching, and professional development at Boston University. Under its director Deborah Carr and administrator Diana Hughes, the Center aims to build an inclusive community for social scientists from throughout the BU campus.
A centerpiece of Center initiatives is the Social Sciences Undergraduate Internships in Social Justice and Sustainability program, which provides students paid research experience working with a BU faculty member studying a cutting-edge social issue. The inaugural cohort of CISS interns will present their research findings at a research showcase on April 14th, 2022 from 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm on Zoom. All members of the BU community along with family and friends are invited to attend. This year’s interns and faculty mentors are:
- Nikki Huang (CAS ‘23) and Will Regan (CAS ‘23), with Professor Jonathan Mijs (CAS/Sociology)
- Carly Mast (CAS’22), with Professor Jessica Simes (CAS/Sociology)
- Shraddha Pingali (CAS ‘22), with Professor Ian Sue Wing (CAS/Earth & Environment).
- Kate Sandage (CAS ‘23), with Professor Wesley Wildman (STH/Theology and CDS)
The CISS internship program is new, yet it is modeled after an internship program piloted successfully by CAS last year. The 2020-21 cohort of interns are proof that hands-on research experience is critical to students’ professional and personal development. All are now flourishing in their newest endeavors. For example, Helen Bekele (CAS ‘21; pictured left), interned with political science professor Dr. Spencer Piston on the project “Criminal Justice Reform – Changes to the Carceral State in Light of the Pandemic and Black Lives Matter Protests.” They presented their research findings at the 2021 Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, giving Bekele a glimpse into the profession of political science scholarship.
The internship led Rownyn Curry (CAS ‘21; pictured left) and Emily Parkington (CAS ‘21) to pursue graduate school. Rownyn worked with history professor Dr. Eugenio Menegon on the project “Religious Toleration in China and Korea, Past and Present. The Case of Christianity,” while Emily assisted Brenda Phillips (Psychological & Brain Sciences senior lecturer) on the project “The Role of Nature in Facilitating Resilience and Well-Being in Women of Color.” Emily’s student collaborator Kathleen Novak (CAS ‘21) gained the skills and experience she needed to pursue research at Harvard Medical School.
The research internship programs exemplify the Center’s goal of sparking research collaboration and training. According to Associate Dean of the Faculty for the Social Sciences in CAS Nazli Kibria, who played a pivotal role in the Center’s formation, “Both faculty and students benefit. For faculty, it is a chance to involve a student in their own research and show them how to contribute. For students, the benefits include developing mentoring relationships with faculty and gaining research skills that will benefit them in virtually any career they choose to pursue.”
Students and faculty eager to collaborate on research can apply for the 2022-23 internship program. Contact Center Director Professor Deborah Carr or Center Administrator Diana Hughes (ciss@bu.edu) to learn more.
The best way to learn about the program is to attend the April 14 presentations. We provide a preview here of the 2021-22 interns and their work.
Nikki Huang (pictured left) is majoring in Sociology and minoring in Innovation and Entrepreneurship within Questrom, and Will Regan (pictured right) is majoring in Computer Science with a minor in Sociology. Their backgrounds make them the perfect team to work on a research project focused on “Correcting Discrimination.” Nikki recognizes that research is typically characterized as a solitary project, so she appreciates the social aspect their work entails. Under the mentorship of Sociology professor Dr. Jonathan Mijs, Nikki and Will are working to identify the racially discriminatory perspectives that people in the US and Netherlands may have, with an ultimate goal of developing practices to mitigate these views. Nikki and Will agree that the “apprentice-model” internship has been a powerful learning experience. Nikki plans to apply her sharpened writing skills to graduate school opportunities, and Will looks forward to providing a more holistic approach in future data science-related involvements.
Shradda Pingali is pursuing a BA/MS in Environmental Analysis and Policy/Energy and Environment, with a minor in Political Science. Her ambitious academic program is the perfect preparation for her research project with Professor Ian Sue Wing, on “Climate Change Mitigation-Adaptation Strategies.” This project uses Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) data to do climate policy analyses. Her research stands to have an important impact on global policy, as she finds that against the backdrop of climate change, “energy demand will increase in the future, so energy prices will increase.” She is excited about the internship program because “social science helps connect environmental changes to human impacts.”
Inspired by her major in History and minor in Sociology, Carly Mast, has worked on the project “Studies of Structural Racism in Community Health and Criminal Justice” under Professor Jessica Simes. Carly had taken two classes with Professor Simes, and when she was approached to collaborate on the research project — complete with funding — she jumped at the opportunity. The pair have been hard at work on two main project components both centered on examining structural racism in the criminal justice system. Carly has completed an extensive literature review of over 50 peer-reviewed articles on policing, prisons, and inequality, and is learning about actionable solutions to over-policing and mass incarceration. The project also involved Carly researching bail reform in places like New Jersey, her home state, and its impact on community health.
Sociology major Kate Sandage is investigating “Strategies Against Rural Suicide Prevention (STARS).” Kate was drawn to the CISS internship program as a way of complementing her independent honors thesis research and an opportunity to foster connection with BU faculty and staff on a deeper level. Collaborating with mentor Dr. Wesley Wildman, Professor of Philosophy, Theology, and Ethics, Kate’s project has discovered that many suicide prevention programs across the country have been unsuccessful solely because the right people didn’t know about them. Nearing the end of her involvement with CISS, Kate has a wealth of knowledge about research and professional networking – skills she’ll carry into graduate school and beyond.
Lily Belisle (CAS ’24) is the CISS communications intern. She is studying sociology with intended minors in women’s, gender, and sexuality studies and political science. Siena Gilgum (COM ’22) is a journalism major and CAS writing and editing intern.