2025 UHP Discover Projects

Faculty: Dr. Gary Weissman

Project Description: 

This project involves researching evidence of how the discourses of science fiction and the Holocaust came together in the United States around 1950, at a time when science fiction (sf) was first becoming mainstream and the Nazi genocide of the European Jews was not yet called “the Holocaust.” Your research will involve doing online searches of journal articles and scouring internet archives containing hundreds of sf pulp magazines and sf radio shows that would otherwise be lost to history. Collections such as the Luminist Science Fiction Periodical Archives and the Pulp Magazines Project preserve many hundreds of issues of cheaply printed popular magazines devoted to science fiction dating from the 1930s to the early 1960s. These pulp magazines were the primary venue for sf at a time when very little sf appeared in book form.

While internet archives preserve a great number of these pulp magazines, their content has not been catalogued in any systematic way. I seek a researcher to comb through this vast archive of sf magazines in search of any stories that contain subject matter relating to World War II, Nazism, genocide, Jewishness, racism, or fascism. The researcher will also comb through popular and scholarly articles from the immediate postwar period that refer to the concentration camps or the Jewish catastrophe in Europe. Your work may also involve accessing and scanning print publications at Klau Library on the campus of Hebrew Union College on Clifton Avenue by UC.

Because this work involves a great deal of reading through online archives, it will necessitate hours of sitting at a computer and may grow tedious. This project is a good fit for the student who has a passion for science fiction, loves to read, and is interested in conducting research. It requires attention to detail, time-management and organizational skills, and intellectual curiosity. It is also possible for the researcher to develop their own research project, culminating in drafting and revising an essay that may be submitted to an online journal, related to materials discovered in the course of carrying out this research.

Project Hours: 40

Anticipated Format: Hybrid

Faculty: Dr. Anna DeJarnette

Project Description:

This project is an opportunity for any student interested in education or social sciences research, especially research on human motivation and learning. The undergraduate researcher will work on a project funded by the National Science Foundation entitled, "Biology Meets Engineering: Expanding Transdisciplinary STEM Education." Collaborators in the School of Education and the Department of Biological Sciences are documenting how transdisciplinary learning opportunities impact high school students' career interest, motivation, and self-efficacy in STEM disciplines.

In partnership with area high schools, we have conducted surveys of students' career interest and self-efficacy in STEM through their participation in an integrated biology-engineering curriculum. We have also interviewed and observed teachers to document adaptations of the curriculum in classroom settings. In Summer 2025, we will host a 3-week summer program for high school students, which will include data collection through surveys and focus groups with students. The outcome of this mentored research should include a co-authored conference proposal and/or manuscript reflecting analysis of a data set related to the project. The undergraduate researcher will be engaged in analysis of existing data, collection of data through student focus groups in Summer 2025, and a review of research literature in STEM education.

The researcher will work closely with the PI of the project and will participate in weekly meetings. In June 2025, the student researcher will be expected to be present on campus for the majority of a 3-week summer program and will help facilitate the overarching program and the data collection, under the guidance of the PI. The rest of the summer will be hybrid. The project will involve reading theoretical and empirical education research in addition to data collection and analysis. The undergraduate researcher should be comfortable with some degree of independent work.

Project Hours: 30

Anticipated Format: Hybrid

Faculty: Professor Nzingha Dalila

Project Description:

This project aims to conduct a systematic literature review comparing the effectiveness of three types of community programs in mitigating the effects of trauma-related stress associated with identity-based adversity. Using the University of Cincinnati Libraries’ systematic literature review training module, the study will explore how these programs influence mental health and well-being. Specifically, the review will examine the impact of:

1.      Strengthening personal and cultural identity,

2.      Enhancing connection with the natural world, and

3.      Increasing motivation for civic engagement and social change.

The analysis will identify key program components that contribute to improved mental health outcomes, as well as those that show limited effectiveness. Findings will inform the design of a future research study in collaboration with a community disproportionately affected by these stressors.

This project will be conducted primarily in a virtual format. Students will complete a systematic literature review module to guide their inquiry. References and annotated bibliographies will be compiled on a shared drive, allowing for collaboration among our team. Regular meetings with the primary investigator will provide opportunities to discuss findings, refine research questions, and explore the implications of literature. Interested students must demonstrate the ability to critically analyze and synthesize literature, interpret statistical analyses, and develop conceptual frameworks to inform future community-based interventions.

Project Hours: 30

Anticipated Format: Virtual/Remote 

Faculty: Professor Steven Ellis 

Project Description:

Our Classics Department here at UC runs two archaeological excavations in Italy: one at the famed city of Pompeii, the other at Tharros on the island of Sardinia.  The student researcher would work directly with the Director of these projects, Steven Ellis, on various projects in Cincinnati to support the excavations while they are ongoing.  This means that data and information will be sent from the live excavations each day to Cincinnati; the student researcher would work on this data and return it to the team to help support the excavations. This would include working on 3D images of the excavations (photogrammetry), organizing, and editing the photographs of the finds and of the trenches, and some work with the website and social media.  In all a great opportunity to work behind-the-scenes of an archaeological excavation.

Project Hours: 40

Anticipated Format: Hybrid

Faculty: Dr. Kristina Shin

Project Description:

Athleisure refers to casual clothing intended for both exercising and general use. It includes activewear, athletic wear, sport leisure, and loungewear. This casualization of fashion and the increasing demand for multifunctional apparel have driven sportswear brands and luxury fashion houses alike to expand their offerings in response to increased consumer interest in health, fitness, and versatility. The global athleisure market size was valued at USD 311.48 billion in 2023, and it is projected to grow to USD 716.05 billion by 2032 (Fortune Business Insight, 2024), while its cultural significance, including sustainability and ergonomic design, continues to grow in the modern fashion landscape (Lee, 2024).

Despite its industry dominance, athleisure remains underrepresented in academic curricula. Current research suggests a growing need for specialized coursework that integrates fashion design, textile technology, and consumer behavior (Lipson et al., 2020). Institutions such as FIT, Parsons, and Central Saint Martins offer activewear-focused programs; however, few provide a comprehensive athleisure-specific curriculum (Lee, 2024). There has been a lack of academic resources on the impact of performance textiles’ characteristics (e.g., stretchiness) on athleisure design, patternmaking, production technologies, and functionalities. Therefore, this project proposes to create resources for students and educators through market research, literature review, design and prototype creation, and the development of a practical guide (e.g., reference booklet).

In this project, a student researcher will conduct market research, a literature review, writing instruction, prototype creation/sewing, pattern digitization, and practical guide development. Utilizing software such as Adobe Illustrator and InDesign, the student researcher will engage in hands-on learning while refining their technical and analytical skills. It would be ideal if the student researcher possessed basic fashion skills in addition to Adobe skills. It is mainly in-person, but some tasks can be done in virtual mode. 

Project Hours: 40

Anticipated Format: Hybrid (mainly In-Person)

Faculty: Professor Tyler Swingle

Project Description:

This research aims to develop a clay-based brick that integrates both reclaimed masonry materials and agricultural byproducts. The aim is to enhance the performance of the construction material, reduce the volume of raw materials needed, and increase the efficiency of resulting buildings. This material development has the potential to rethink construction assembly methods and partnerships for regional construction, deconstruction and reconstruction. At a larger scale, this research would engage and enhance environmental stewardship across agricultural, architecture and construction industries as a potential closed loop building strategy.

Students will be hands-on and develop clay-based brick mixtures with reclaimed brick and agriculture waste additives. This means students will need to be in person and expect to work with their hands and material. After bricks are dried and fired, the pore size will be documented, and an appropriate additive size and mixture amount will be determined for further strength testing.

Project Hours: 30

Anticipated Format: In-Person

Faculty: Professor Stefan Fiol

Project Description:

Cincinnati Sounds: Exploring a Musical City’s Spaces, Places, and Sounds, is a project funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and scheduled for Summer 2025. Cincinnati Sounds is a two-week-long residency that will be attended by up to 40 registered research scholars coming from various parts of the country. During the two weeks, more than a dozen regional scholars and community activists will curate a wide range of research experiences revolving around experiential site-based learning at sonic landmarks in our city. The Honors student will join other project participants to explore how Cincinnati landmarks – some still vibrant and carefully preserved, others linger only in public memory – both shape and are shaped by music and sound, exploring themes of education, instruments and sacred places, urban planning, performance, and social justice. Daily explorations through presentations, discussions, site visits, methods of storytelling, and instruction on mapping sound allow participants to hone tools for research and teaching about the connections between music, sound, and landmarks that they can adapt to their own urban spaces.
 
The project co-directors, including Dr. Kristy Swift, Assistant Professor of Music Studies, and Dr. Stefan Fiol, Professor of Ethnomusicology, will oversee the research activities of the student. We are excited to mentor a student to develop their own research interests that would ideally relate to, and be supported by, at least some of the diverse research activities and offerings of Cincinnati Sounds.  The student would also have opportunity to work closely with a range of interdisciplinary scholars and community members over the ten-week period, and also with the 40 registered non-local participants who will be in residence in Cincinnati over the two weeks. More details of the Cincinnati Sounds program can be found at the following url: https://ccm.uc.edu/campaigns/2024/cincinnatisounds.html

Candidate should ideally have research interests related to sound/music, urban landscapes, storytelling, social justice and/or the public humanities. We expect that the student will bring their own research skills to bear on this program, including scholarly writing and notetaking, audio/visual documentation, logistics troubleshooting, and an ability to critically engage with published texts, maps, A-V materials, and other multi-modal resources. The participating student should be able to immerse themselves fully in learning about the various projects and presentations, and participating fully and in-person during the program. Additionally, they should be willing to support team research activities through media documentation, logistical support, and a variety of participatory research methods.   During pre-residency and post-residency periods, the participating student should expect weekly meetings with one or both of the program co-directors; during the two weeks of the residency (July 6–11, July 20–25), the student should be fully available in-person. During other weeks there may be flexibility in terms the student supporting the project remotely. Though not a requirement for participation, the student will ideally have a vehicle and be willing, should the need arise during the two weeks of the program, to transport one or more program participants locally. Finally, specialization in ArcGIS is a desirable, but not required, research skill.

Project Hours: 30

Anticipated Format: Hybrid

Faculty: Dr. Vikas Mehta

Project Description:

Public space reflects the identity and image of a city; it is the barometer of a city. In profound and mundane ways, public space affects us all. The realization that public space is essential to our well-being has generated a newfound interest and investment that has brought citizens back to urban centers. At the same time, social and political uprisings have reinforced the role of public space as the geography of the public sphere and as places to express diverse opinions and demand justice. For society at large, public space enables social cohesion and active citizenship. For cities, public space acts as a powerful symbol to compete in the local and global economy. It provides the capacity to unify the many diverse parts that make up most cities and regions. Most importantly, public space can be a powerful domain and tool to confront and manage the current challenges of public health, social inequalities, climate crisis, and the other inescapable aspects of the environment that need to be addressed to ensure a resilient future. Cities must pay attention to their public spaces and one of the first steps would be to assess and catalogue the entire ecology of public spaces in a city.

Cincinnati has a robust system of public spaces with a wide range of typologies including numerous pedestrian-friendly streets, small squares, plazas, parks, urban woods, and large urban forests. The majority of these are part of the parks system with 14 percent of city land dedicated to green space and recreation. Although much has been written on the public spaces of Cincinnati, particularly the parks, there is no definitive document that records and assesses our public spaces to create a catalogue of these treasures. This project is a part of a multi-year effort to do just that. Besides the documentation of these spaces, the assessment is integral to the project. This includes assessing the equity of these spaces by evaluating the aspects of access and control that residents of different socio-economic groups may have. As an example, although a majority of neighborhoods have good access to our parks (Trust for Public Land, 2020) and other public spaces, numerous barriers prevent many people regular access, including physical and perceptual barriers. For the summer UHP project the faculty member and student will select approximately 20 public spaces of various types and sizes to document and evaluate these spaces using well established methods.

A good fit for this project would be a student who is 1) interested in visiting public spaces in Cincinnati, 2) based on established methods and protocols, taking photographs, observing public spaces, collecting information on access, amenities, etc. and 3) systematically cataloguing the collected information and data.

Project Hours: 40

Anticipated Format: Hybrid

Faculty: Professor Sarah Schroeder

Project Description:

The goal of this project is to evaluate our current practices working with our local urban public school district and how we can improve the experiences for both our partners and our students. The UHP student will be working with the faculty researchers and community partners to identify needs, create resources and structure experiences for first year preservice teachers that support the dismantling of deficit mentalities and misconceptions about urban emergent schools. The project will include working with the faculty mentor to conduct virtual focus group discussions, visiting schools when able, and conducting research on urban educational contexts. Mentor is very collaborative and is seeking ideas from student researcher on how to make this work more dynamic and meaningful. 

Project Hours: 30

Anticipated Format: Virtual/Remote (possible In-Person option if interested) 

Faculty: Professor Alejandro Lozano Robledo | Digital Futures Partnership

Project Description:

Join us in Shaping the Future of Cities, Technology, and Learning

Are you passionate about envisioning the future—where cities, mobility, and technology seamlessly integrate to improve quality of life? Are you excited about using emerging technologies like Digital Twins, AR, and VR to transform education? If so, we invite you to join the Future Mobility Design Lab at UC Digital Futures as a student researcher on a groundbreaking project.

This project, funded by the Ohio Department of Transportation, is at the forefront of reimagining STEAM education through immersive technologies. Our goal is to inspire the next generation by developing an innovative learning toolkit that brings future cities to life. This toolkit will allow educators and students to experience interactive, data-driven scenarios that explore:

Future Innovation Hubs – where people connect through next-generation transportation, access education, healthcare, and employment, and engage in sustainable community initiatives; Cutting-Edge Mobility Scenarios – including Electric Vehicles and charging infrastructure, autonomous transportation, and other emerging trends in urban mobility.

Why join us? As part of this project, you will:

• Work directly with state government entities and interdisciplinary partners from academia, industry, and nonprofits.
• Engage in human-centered research to identify real opportunities for technological innovation.
• Experiment with Digital Twins, AR, and VR to create powerful, immersive educational experiences.
• Help shape the future of mobility, sustainability, and urban living through technology-driven research.

We welcome students from all disciplines—from humanities and design to engineering and game development. More than a specific skillset, we are looking for individuals who share our vision for the future and are eager to contribute their unique perspective.

If you want to leave your mark on the future of cities, technology, and education, we want to work with you! Reach out to explore how you can be part of this transformative project.

Project Hours: 40

Anticipated Format: In-Person

Faculty: Dr. Patricia Valladares-Ruiz

Project Description:

With over 9 million displaced individuals, the Venezuelan exodus is the largest refugee crisis in the history of the Americas. Venezuelans have relocated to Colombia, Peru, Chile, Argentina, the United States, Spain, and at least 90 other countries. A digital archive will allow us to explore how their cultural products address issues of displacement, identity, and resistance.

This digital archive will serve as a preservation and research tool, addressing the following objectives:

1. Conservation of at-risk cultural materials produced by the Venezuelan diaspora.
2. Facilitate research into migration, identity, and political resistance.
3. Showcase emerging and established creators to foster engagement with scholars and creators in Venezuela, as well as the general public.

Our approach incorporates best practices from established digital archives, such as the Díaz-Ayala Cuban and Latin American Popular Music Collection (Florida International University) and the Digital Library of the Caribbean (University of Florida). We are also exploring a potential collaboration with the UC Libraries, which could play a key role in developing an interface that adheres to current archival protocols.

For the mentee, this collaboration offers them the opportunity to build critical skills in digital humanities—such as archival protocols, metadata management, and interface design— while gaining exposure to research methodologies. This mentorship experience will provide a solid foundation for academic and professional success, equipping the mentee with practical expertise and analytical skills that are transferable across disciplines.

Through this mentorship, students will also engage with topics that not only foster their growth as globally minded, socially conscious individuals but also inspire curiosity and critical thinking that extends well beyond the scope of the research project. The student mentee will gain hands-on experience in digital humanities and archival science, including: data collection and curation, digital archiving protocols, metadata management, and bilingual database development  The mentee will contribute directly to the project’s workflow, including content selection, metadata tagging, and user interface development. By the end of the program, they will have gained practical skills and a comprehensive understanding of migration studies, Latin American cultural studies, and digital humanities.

Project Hours: 35

Anticipated Format: Virtual/Remote

Faculty: Dr. Christopher Platts

Project Description:

Dozens of small museums, special-collection libraries, and other public institutions in the Midwest contain significant early modern European artworks (ca. 1300-1700) that remain in storage, unpublished, and virtually unknown to art historians and public audiences alike. Some of these little-known repositories of Renaissance and Baroque paintings, sculpture, drawings, and illuminated manuscripts were inventoried by two art historians in the early 1970s, but the resulting publication included very little data about the artworks and not a single illustration. Consequently, scholars have ignored this highly useful book and in so doing have neglected to consider the hundreds, if not thousands, of early modern artworks currently all but invisible in local and regional institutions.

My project aims to discover, research, and share the most significant early European art objects housed in little-known museums, libraries, and churches in the Midwest. To do this, we will write to curators, librarians, archivists, and church caretakers to request information and images about the collections they oversee. With photographs and data in hand, we will study the artworks, including their style, quality, iconography, and other features, determining which objects deserve further research and possibly in-person examination.

I have already begun this project by contacting and visiting local institutions in Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, and other nearby cities, and based on the promising results so far, I am eager to expand the scope of the study to include institutions in Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, West Virginia, and other states. I have already found a handful of unpublished Renaissance and Baroque paintings, drawings, and illuminated manuscripts that I have discussed in scholarly conference papers and that I hope to publish. I believe that by working with a dedicated research assistant, we will find additional important artworks that we can examine and share, not only with the staff at the institutions that own them, but also with their diverse audiences and with the art-historical scholarly community more broadly.

Project Hours: 40

Anticipated Format: Hybrid

Faculty: Professor Muhammad Rahman

Project Description:

Although the Over-the-Rhine Comprehensive Plan from 2002 endorses the reinforced network of pedestrian-oriented alleys, ‘mews’ and tertiary streets, the initial research shows that most gated alleys in Cincinnati are in Over-the-Rhine. At current, 19 of the 59 alleys in the neighborhood are gated and not publicly accessible. It has been facing significant gentrification and often leading to privatization of public spaces. Reimagining these alleys as walkable community connections presents an opportunity to counteract exclusionary trends and enhance urban mobility.

The research centers on three(3) core objectives: (1) identifying and categorizing alleys as viable pedestrian corridors, (2) visualizing their potential for community use through mapping and data-driven storytelling, and (3) engaging residents to understand how alley revitalization can enhance public space equity.

The project follows a three-phase research approach:

Phase 1: Data Collection – Using historical archives, GIS data, and on-site fieldwork, the research team will document alleys based on accessibility, physical conditions, and infrastructure. This includes shadow mapping, material audits, and light analysis to assess their usability and safety.

Phase 2: Visualization & Mapping – The collected data will be transformed into interactive visualizations, showcasing opportunities for alley activation. These maps will help communicate the role of alleys in pedestrian mobility and urban placemaking.

Phase 3: Community Engagement – Participatory workshops and interactive surveys will invite OTR residents to share their lived experiences and aspirations for alley use. Inspired by Cindy Chang’s “I Wish I Was There” project, community-driven responses will be collected through public prompts and installations, allowing residents to voice their needs for alleyway improvements.

This project has direct implications for urban mobility, public space equity, and community-driven placemaking. By uncovering hidden pedestrian networks, the research aims to contribute to policy discussions on public right-of-way, walkability, and neighborhood revitalization in Cincinnati and beyond.

The student researcher will contribute to data collection, visual mapping, and community engagement efforts. Ideal students should have a basic background in urban research, architecture, visual communication design, and/or planning. Experience with mapping tools (e.g., QGIS, ArcGIS) will be a plus but not required. Strong visual communication skills. Basic working experience in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, or other data visualization tools would be beneficial.   An interest in public space, equity, and urban storytelling. A curious commitment to perceiving and improving urban pedestrian experiences in historically significant but changing neighborhoods is key. This role offers hands-on experience and creative experimentation in urban research, community-based design, and data-based storytelling, equipping prospective students with valuable skills applicable to urban design, communication in the urban environment, and civic engagement initiatives.  Lastly, prior field research experience and interest will be a plus as well. The role involves site visits, documenting alley conditions, and gathering qualitative data through surveys or interviews. Availability for on-site work. Some tasks, such as community workshops and field documentation, will require in-person participation. 

Project Hours: 30-40

Anticipated Format: Hybrid 

Faculty: Professor Liwei Chen

Project Description:

Artificial intelligence is increasingly shaping educational experiences by providing adaptive learning tools. This project aims to explore AI-enabled learning by analyzing how students interact with AI-driven platforms and collecting and analyzing data from various AI-assisted learning environments. The overarching goal is to understand how AI-based educational tools influence student engagement, learning outcomes, and problem-solving strategies.

The research will involve gathering and preprocessing anonymized interaction data from AI-driven learning systems and identifying patterns in student behavior, engagement metrics, and learning progressions. Depending on the selected learning contexts, data collection may include chat logs, problem-solving attempts, decision-making processes, or gameplay analysis. Once the data is collected, analytical techniques such as natural language processing, statistical modeling, and machine learning may be applied to examine student interactions, track learning patterns, and identify common challenges. Data visualization tools will be employed to highlight trends and insights.

The analysis will be conducted to examine engagement and learning effectiveness across different AI-assisted educational contexts. By identifying AI-driven scaffolding strategies that benefit learners, this study aims to offer valuable insights into AI-supported learning experiences. Findings will be summarized in a research report, and a presentation will be prepared for potential submission to undergraduate research conferences.

By the end of this project, the student researcher will gain hands-on experience in data collection, preprocessing, and analysis, as well as develop skills in statistical analysis, natural language processing, and data visualization techniques. The project will expose key concepts in AI-assisted learning and human-computer interaction, fostering analytical and critical thinking skills. Additionally, the student will improve their research communication abilities through reporting and presentations, preparing them for future academic or industry research roles. This research opportunity is ideal for students interested in understanding the behavioral and social impacts of AI technology in the context of education, particularly those with basic programming knowledge and a willingness to learn behavioral research methodologies. The insights gained from this study will help improve AI-based tutoring systems and inform best practices for digital learning platforms.

The ideal student researcher should have a strong interest in artificial intelligence and education technology. The student should be curious, detail-oriented, and eager to engage in hands-on research tasks. They should be available to work on the project consistently each week, participate in regular meetings, and contribute to discussions. While the project requires independence, mentorship, and guidance will be provided to help develop research skills and refine analytical techniques. The student will gain practical experience in data collection, analysis, and visualization while contributing to meaningful research in AI-enabled learning. Desired skills: programming, data visualization, statistical analysis, natural language processing. Having some knowledge of chess is a plus.

Project Hours: 40

Anticipated Format: Hybrid

Faculty: Professor Bryan Kowalczyk | Digital Futures Partnership

Project Description:

The primary goal of this project is to identify the needs of autonomous vehicles and systems within the healthcare sector. This includes in-hospital robotics, at-home telehealth solutions, delivery and logistics solutions incorporating robotics, autonomous vehicles (AVs), uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS), and advanced air mobility (AAM). The student researcher will be expected to:
1. Identify existing technology gaps,
2. Estimate when relevant technologies will become commercially viable,
3. Provide a comprehensive overview of current trends in these technologies.
This project requires a detailed exploration of how these autonomous systems can impact the medical field, with a focus on technology, regulation, and security aspects.

1) Conduct a Market Survey of Autonomous Technologies in Healthcare
 Objective: The researcher should start by performing an in-depth market survey to identify autonomous systems currently deployed or in development within the healthcare industry. This will include various forms of robotics and autonomous systems in areas such as in-hospital operations, home healthcare, logistics, delivery systems, and air mobility solutions.
Key Tasks: Literature Review: Perform a detailed review of existing academic research, industry reports, and product documentation related to autonomous technologies in healthcare.

2) Identify Technology Gaps and Opportunities
 Objective: Identify specific areas where autonomous vehicles, robotics, and related technologies have unmet needs in the medical field. This involves evaluating existing solutions and determining where improvements or new innovations are necessary.
Key Tasks: Gap Analysis: For each identified technology, assess its functionality, reliability, and scalability. Determine where performance could be enhanced, such as in precision, cost-efficiency, and adaptability to diverse healthcare environments (e.g., urban vs. rural, hospital vs. home); Technology Maturity Assessment: Identify which autonomous systems are still in research and development phases and which are ready for widespread implementation.

3) Evaluate Legal, Regulatory, and Security Barriers
 Objective: Assess the barriers posed by legal, regulatory, and security concerns to the widespread adoption of autonomous systems in healthcare.
Key Tasks: Regulatory Landscape Review: Investigate existing healthcare and aviation regulations affecting the development and deployment of autonomous systems. For example, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for drones, or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for medical devices and robotics.

4) Provide a General Overview of Trends in Autonomous Systems in Healthcare
 Objective: Identify and discuss long-term trends in the use of autonomous systems across the healthcare sector. Focus on technological, societal, and economic trends that may shape the future of healthcare.
Key Tasks: Future Roadmap: Create a future roadmap for when these technologies may become commercially viable in different healthcare domains.

Project Hours: 40

Anticipated Format: In-Person

Faculty: Dr. Keshar Ghimire

Project Description:

Credible research indicates that the COVID-19 pandemic led to a significant increase in individual participation in financial market investments.  This surge was largely driven by the widespread availability of self-directed brokerage accounts, often accessible through mobile apps with user-friendly interfaces such as Robinhood, Acorns, and Webull. Anecdotal evidence suggests that this heightened investment activity has been particularly pronounced among college students compared to the pre-pandemic era.

This project aims to investigate how investment behavior and financial risk-taking have evolved among U.S. college students in the wake of the pandemic. To achieve this, we will analyze multiple waves of survey data from the National Financial Capability Study (NFCS), focusing specifically on full-time college students enrolled in the U.S. The NFCS, conducted by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Foundation surveys a nationally representative sample of US adults, including full time students, across the nation.

Methodologically, we will link microdata from the NFCS Investor Survey with data from the NFCS State-by-State Survey using a unique identifier. We will then employ econometric/machine learning methods to assess the impact of COVID-19 on college students’ investment behavior. Our findings will not only enhance our understanding of financial literacy and risk-taking among college students but also provide insights into potential interventions that can support informed investment decisions within this critical demographic.

Student researchers are expected to: • Conduct a thorough literature review to assess the state of knowledge in this area • Prepare a draft highlighting any existing studies relevant for this project • Highlight econometric/statistical techniques used by previous studies • Help acquire data and code it appropriately for use in STATA or R • Load data from various sources to STATA or R  • Conduct preliminary analyses to create tables for summary statistics on relevant variables, graphical plots of trends, etc.  Students should be available to work full time on a remote basis and be available to meet on zoom on a short notice. Some experience with STATA or R is helpful but not essential. A solid understanding of statistics at the level of an introductory college course in statistics or econometrics is advantageous

Project Hours: 40

Anticipated Format: Virtual/Remote

Faculty: Dr. Nancy Jennings

Project Description:

Moral lessons taught in children’s prosocial media have long been of interest to scholars. Children can learn behaviors including helping (Friedrich & Stein, 1975) and sharing (Kruse et al., 2021). However, for reasons that are not yet fully understood, children’s media seems to be less effective in teaching children to play with and include others who are different from them in their activities. For example, the research in this area suggests that children struggle to comprehend the intended message or lesson (Mares & Acosta, 2008) and in some cases, actually show even greater stigmatization towards children in other groups after exposure to inclusive prosocial messages (Cingel et al., 2019). Diversity and inclusion, however, are increasingly important in many areas of life (Minkin, 2023). Therefore, it is important to explore why children might struggle to comprehend inclusion messages in prosocial videos relative to other prosocial messages in media, such as cooperation and helping.

Little research has considered how the presence of emotion in animation affects narrative and moral comprehension among children. While research clearly shows that emotional understanding of nonverbal facial cues increases in children from age 4-16 (Montirosso et al., 2010), much of that research examines children’s understanding of human cues, often in the form of still photos. In children’s media, emotional expressions are presented on characters, often animated, and there is little understanding of how that may affect comprehension. Although a substantial amount of research has looked at children’s own emotional responses to children’s media (Cantor, etc.), only a handful of studies have looked at the effects of character emotion on the child viewers themselves. 

This project will explore children’s comprehension of emotion with various forms of media from videos to social robots. Social robots, with their ability to exhibit facial expressions, gestures, and interactive feedback, present a unique opportunity to examine how dynamic, embodied interactions affect moral learning among children. Prior research suggests that children form attachments to social robots (Breazeal et al., 2016) and treat them as social partners (Kort Westlund & Breazeal, 2019). Thus, social robots may be particularly effective in reinforcing inclusion messages by fostering direct, reciprocal interactions with children. 

The mentee will be involved in research design and implementation of research with children.  The mentee will have an opportunity to interview children in a research setting and gather data from other resources as well.  The mentee will learn more about social scientific research and the ethics involved in conducting research with human subjects.

Expectations will be to work with the research team in various stages of research development.  This may include collecting academic sources for the literature review, training on ethical treatment of research participants, conducting interviews and sessions with participants, and attending research team meetings.  Familiarity with excel on online academic search tools and an ability to build rapport with children are essential skills. 

Project Hours: 30-40

Anticipated Format: Hybrid

Faculty: Professor Ming Tang | Digital Futures Partnership

Project Description:

The Extended Reality Lab at Digital Futures invites students to participate in a UHP discovery program exploring the intersection of Generative AI, Extended Reality (XR), the Metaverse, and Digital Humanity research. This initiative represents a transformative frontier, merging real and virtual spaces to create innovative human experiences. Students engage in experimental projects incorporating Generative AI for digital content creation, utilize XR technologies through augmented and immersive devices, and investigate the Metaverse as a platform for social gatherings and cultural exchange. Additionally, participants contribute to Digital Twin and Digital Humanity research by studying spatial, motion, and behavior simulations. Activities include conducting literature reviews on these emerging topics and participating in skill-building exercises with AI tools and VR game engines.

This program is open to students from diverse academic backgrounds, including engineering, social sciences, business, education, music, arts, design, and non-STEMM disciplines. The initiative aims to explore GEM technologies' humanistic and societal implications by fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, deepening our understanding of their role in digital interaction and community engagement. Specifically, the research examines how these technologies shape cultural, educational, and social paradigms, positioning GEM as a tool for education, artistic expression, and social connectivity—extending beyond entertainment and gaming.

The program offers a hybrid learning experience, combining online and in-person engagement. Participants collaborate closely with the XR Lab at Digital Futures, gaining hands-on experience with cutting-edge technologies. This collaborative environment allows students to apply theoretical knowledge to practical settings, enhancing technical proficiency while fostering interdisciplinary teamwork. The exchange of diverse ideas and perspectives enriches the research process, creating a dynamic learning experience. Students explore how GEM-HD technologies address real-world educational, business, and community-building challenges through this initiative. They critically evaluate the potential and limitations of these technologies, considering ethics, accessibility, and cultural impact. This comprehensive approach develops technical skills and enhances critical thinking, problem-solving, and cultural awareness. We welcome students passionate about the intersection of technology and the humanities to join this unique research project. No matter your background, your contributions help shape the future of digital interaction as we explore how these technologies can create a more connected and inclusive digital world.

Project Hours: 40

Anticipated Format: In-Person

Faculty: Professor Seth Powless

Project Description:

The student researcher will work collaboratively with the PI on the project designed to analyze current top GenAI applications in use including how they are utilized, and if demographic factors contribute to GenAI usage rates. The purpose of this study is to further analyze GenAI to better harness the technology for social good. The primary goal of this study is to evaluate GenAI usage rates and how it is used to determine if myriad anecdotal research is supported by primary research using survey data. A secondary goal is to determine if demographic factors such as educational level, age, and gender identity impact GenAI utilization. The student researcher will work with the PI to collect data on survey participants’ GenAI perceptions, usage rates, and how GenAI is used. Data collection will include meta-analysis of existing research on GenAI followed by survey deployment and respondent-driven survey methods. The student researcher will participate in all facets of the study, including literature review, survey creation, collecting data, and data analysis leading to conclusions to the final research questions. The student researcher will also engage in ethnographic research experiences by utilizing GenAI for supplemental research tangential to this study. Key takeaways for the student researcher include analysis of cutting edge GenAI applications, further experience with primary research methods, and developing skills in respondent-driven survey methodology. 

Project Hours: 35

Anticipated Format: Virtual/Remote

Faculty: Professor Neil Daigle-Orians

Project Description:

This project combines archival research with creative work in print media and beyond. It is primarily focused on utilizing periodicals, letters, and other ephemeral documents to gain understanding of paranormal subcultures in the 19th and 20th centuries. This information is being used to craft an immersive creative project that questions the role of archives in how we understand our contemporary reality. Through this process, traditional archival research is mixed with contemporary artistic practice to explore narrative and what we are haunted by. 

Current research is investigating various connections between spiritualist and occult movements in the 19th-20th centuries and how they are connected to progressive movements such as labor, suffrage, and abolition/civil rights. Conversely, research into periodicals and other forms of publication focuses on how queerness is (or is not) documented and described. 

Additional elements of this project include critically analyzing archives themselves. What is deemed worthy of archiving, and what is not? Whose stories are preserved within the hallowed halls of respected institutions, and whose stories go undocumented and forgotten? The creative project attempts to speculate the stories within these gaps — the stories of queer people and other marginalized groups who have been systemically ignored in the greater “historic canon”.

Initial research conducted independently in the summer of 2024 explored various objects at the Beinecke Rare Manuscript Library at Yale University. These included meeting minutes of the Denver chapter of the Brotherhood of Light cult from 1902-1919, letters from Charles Hayden (1840-59), a transcribed diary of Charles Waterman (1898-99), and various transcriptions of recorded channeling sessions performed by the psychic Elwood Babbit (1971-76). Additional research since then has used the New York Times’ online archives to explore how queer people were described in various contexts ranging from the mid 19th century to as recent as this year. While travel to the Beinecke is planned for June of 2025, this summer will be focused on exploring local archives in UC and beyond and what additional information they may contain. The first part of this project is to identify collections and objects in and around Cincinnati. The second is to look at them and digitize/transcribe relevant objects when possible. The final component would be organizing what has been discovered thematically and chronologically. Student researchers will be invited to take part in the creative output if they choose but this is not a requirement or expectation.

Students are not required to have experience with reading and transposing handwriting, but reading various forms of cursive and script will be part of the research. Students without experience with photography, scanning, or other forms of image-based documentation are encouraged to apply as instruction will be incorporated into the project. Students who are strong, independent workers will be comfortable researching in this project. An interest in internet horror, the supernatural, and other spooky things is encouraged but not required

Project Hours: 35-40

Anticipated Format: Hybrid 

Faculty: Professor Peter Yi

Project Description:

Zoning is the hidden blueprint that drives the design of our buildings and cities. In recent years, outdated zoning policies have been criticized for contributing to our culture of urban and suburban sprawl, the climate crisis, and the lack of attainable and diverse housing. Now, a groundswell of zoning reform points to change ahead. Minneapolis has eliminated single-family zoning. Los Angeles allows residents to split single lots and build multiple units. Austin has removed parking minimums easing housing construction, just to name a few. Amidst this growing movement, it is critical to study the potential impact these reforms will have on the way we design our cities, build housing, maintain environments, and support public transportation. The student researcher on this project will work closely with the faculty member to collect information, data, maps, and interviews on zoning policy reform happening in municipalities across the country. We will speculate on how these reforms will impact housing design, with a focus on community-led initiatives such as cohousing, community land trusts, and community development corporations. We will conduct case studies of historic and recent precedents of innovative land use that can inform future zoning policy reform. We will engage and interview city officials, community leaders, and residents as part of the research.

The work can be completed fully remote. An ideal student researcher should have interest in the built environment, planning, urban design, and/or architecture. Skills in CAD drafting, Adobe Photoshop, and/or GIS would be a bonus but not required. Students should be available to meet for regularly scheduled 1-hour meetings two to three times a week on Teams, and be able to work independently on assigned tasks during the remainder of the time.

Project Hours: 35

Anticipated Format: Virtual/Remote 

Faculty: Professor Renee Seward Nettle | Digital Futures Partnership  

Project Description:

Are you passionate about creating accessible reading materials for struggling readers? The Learning By Design Lab at the University of Cincinnati invites you to collaborate on an exciting project aimed at enhancing literacy among 3rd and 4th-grade students.

Project Overview
In this initiative, you'll work alongside the lab director and fellow researchers to author and design a children's book tailored for struggling readers. A key component of this project is the integration of our specialized literacy font, designed to improve a reader's recall of English spelling rules.

Augmented Reality Integration
To further engage readers, the project incorporates Augmented Reality (AR) elements into the physical book. By integrating AR technology, we aim to enhance struggling readers' ability to read and enjoy the story.

Why Participate?
By joining this project, you'll contribute to meaningful advancements in children's literacy. Your work will directly impact struggling readers, providing them with tools to improve their reading skills and foster a love for reading. Additionally, you'll gain hands-on experience in educational design, typography, and AR technology integration.
If you're eager to make a difference in children's literacy and gain valuable experience in educational innovation, we encourage you to join us. Together, we can create engaging, effective reading materials that make a lasting impact.

Student Expectations
As a participant, you will:
• Author and Design: Collaborate in writing and designing a short children's book specifically crafted for 3rd and 4th-grade struggling readers.
• Integrate Literacy Font: Apply our specialized literacy font into the book's design to facilitate better reading comprehension.
• Incorporate AR Technology: Design and implement AR features that complement the narrative, making the reading experience interactive and engaging. Having a passion and some skill for graphic design and technology is encouraged.

Project Hours: 30

Anticipated Format: In-Person

Faculty: Professor Yingying Sun

Project Description:

An analysis of UC shuttle ridership shows demand varies by time, day, and events, with peaks in the early morning and late evening. These fluctuations highlight the need for adaptive transportation solutions. This study will use the Simulation of Urban Mobility (SUMO) platform to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) in addressing fluctuating demand, potentially replacing or supplementing traditional shuttle services. The goal is to explore how AVs can enhance efficiency and responsiveness in a campus setting, improving overall service quality and user experience. Participants will apply LLM-assisted learning in model development under the guidance of a cross-disciplinary team, including instructors from DAAP Industrial Design and the Civil Engineering program at CEAS. Engaging in this pilot study on a cross-disciplinary topic will provide valuable insights into AI-powered learning and pedagogical innovations.

Project Hours: 40

Anticipated Format: Hybrid

Faculty: Dr. Diego Cuadros | Digital Futures Partnership 

Project Description:

This project explores how COVID-19 hotspots emerged and shifted across the United States by comparing urban and rural regions. Working with weekly county-level case data from the CDC and demographic information from sources like the U.S. Census Bureau, the student will learn to use GIS software (e.g., ArcGIS or QGIS) to create dynamic maps that visualize how case rates shifted during major pandemic waves. Through hands-on tutorials and guided practice, you will master fundamental techniques for importing, cleaning, and mapping data, as well as identifying “hotspots” and testing basic correlations (e.g., between COVID-19 case rates and median income or population density). You will then interpret your findings to uncover whether urban regions consistently had higher infection rates than rural ones or if disparities shifted over time. By the end of this fellowship, you will have not only gained valuable technical skills in data analysis and spatial visualization, but also contributed original insights to the broader discussion on how geography and socioeconomic factors shape public health outcomes. No prior GIS or epidemiology background is required, just curiosity, attention to detail, and a desire to understand the real-world impacts of public health data.

This summer fellowship is a great opportunity to explore real-world data on COVID-19, learn cutting-edge GIS techniques, and discover how socioeconomic and geographic factors shape health outcomes. Under close mentorship, the student will build valuable skills, like mapping, data analysis, and scientific communication, that can serve as a springboard for future opportunities in geography, data science, epidemiology, and beyond. Take this chance to collaborate, innovate, and contribute to groundbreaking work that informs how we tackle health disparities now and in the future.

Project Hours: 30

Anticipated Format: In-Person

Faculty: Dr. Heidi Kloos

Project Description:

When summer comes, many children struggle to retain what they have learned during the school year. This so-called summer-learning loss is particularly pronounced for children from economically disadvantaged communities. We seek to address the summer-learning loss by interfacing with a summer program that is organized for homeless children. Our specific focus is on elementary-school math (arithmetic, pre-algebra). This is a particularly challenging academic subject, with children often being several years behind their grade level. Children also struggle with learning motivation and persistence. They might even suffer from math anxiety. The proposed research will explore ways in which children can overcome these barriers and learn math in a positive environment. The research involves designing, carrying out, and testing the effect of a math-enrichment program that will be rolled out during the summer.

This is a high-intensity project that requires in-person commitments during six weeks of the program (all of June, and the first two weeks of July).

Project Hours: 40

Anticipated Format: In-Person

Faculty: Dr. Susanna Tong

Project Description:

Urbanization of a watershed can deteriorate water quality and increase floods and combined sewer overflows in downstream receiving waterbodies. Extreme weather events, such as torrential storms, can further aggravate these impacts. To improve the hydrologic conditions in urban areas, effective watershed management is needed to store stormwater and reduce surface runoff, suspended solids and nutrients. To this end, installing nature-based green infrastructures, such as green roofs, rain gardens, infiltration basins, and wetlands, may be viable options. But their utility has yet to be evaluated.

This project aims to explore the locations, efficacies, costs, and benefits of different nature-based solutions in curbing river discharge and surface runoff through literature review, simulation exercises, statistical analyses, cost-benefits calculations, mapping, and perhaps field surveys.

The Blue River Watershed was chosen as the study area. Encompassing the bi-state Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the Lower Blue River Watershed is highly urbanized. Most of the rivers in the middle and lower watersheds are channelized and paved. The water quality in the Lower Blue River is deteriorated, and there are frequent floods and combined sewer overflows in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. As such, it provides a good study area.

It is hoped that the results from this study will further our understanding of the hydrologic problems and management options in the American mid-west, providing useful insights to water managers and environmental planners as they devise feasible management strategies to combat hydrologic problems.

Project Hours: 30-40

Anticipated Format: Hybrid

Faculty: Professor Timothy Forest

Project Description:

My project investigates why the Roman Catholic Church, the British Government, railroad companies, and state governments worked to establish colonies of Irish Americans and Irish immigrants along the frontier of white settlement in the early 1880s. The rise and fall of these colonies in Nebraska, Minnesota, and Arkansas is an untold story in itself, one that goes against the "rags to riches" story associated with Irish Americans because all these towns "failed." I use their stories, and these "failures," to explore evolving notions of who and what held privilege at that turning point in American and global history. Supporters saw the Irish as masculine, strong, rural, faithful, “British,” self-sufficient folk, who not only could be rehabilitated from the crises of famine and poverty then engulfing them, but who would also redeem the West, and then the nation, from the forces of secularism, socialism and populism, urbanism, commercialism, effeminacy, and multiculturalism (a 19th century version of "woke," as it has frequently come to be characterized) threatening to envelop the region and nation. Opponents, however, discounted first the Irish as the people to achieve these goals, and second the goals themselves. Many saw these Irish, mostly from urban slums and the poorest corners of Ireland, as too Celtic, too degraded, and not "white." They were feminine, weak, urban, superstitious, dependent, ignorant, and depraved - the exact opposite of what was promised. Further, as these colonies failed, the industrial farms, immigrant cooperatives, Native Americans, and African-American and Asian railroad builders they were supposed to confront and displace thrived. This combination threatened not only to undo the gains the Irish made in American and British society, but white supremacy altogether. Hence their marginalization from whiteness and Irishness.

I am open to negotiating the extent and the nature of the research you would complete. I envision this has having three components. First, I would like someone to help me sift through the research I have compiled in archives and libraries. This would include both books and primary sources (hiring contracts, newspaper articles, government documents, railroad pamphlets.) Progressing from there, we could work together going through databases, using keyword searches, to locate research together. If interested, towards the end of the project we could potentially take a field trip to an archive (I know I need to access the files of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, but there are also key records I need to look at in Chicago and St. Louis). Any one of the above, or a combination thereof, would depend on what you want to do.

I would prefer a student who has some experience in historical research, especially involving the subthemes of imperialism, gender and race theory, the economics of the nineteenth century, Native Americans, African-Americans, the Irish, railroads, western expansion, and borders and frontiers. Someone with a background in geography or geology would be especially helpful, to answer some of the scientific reasons why these schemes failed.

Regarding availability, my schedule is flexible. Most (if not all) of the work can be done independently, and remotely. Most or all meetings can occur virtually and work transacted electronically. The rest can be determined in conjunction with the student.

Project Hours: 35

Anticipated Format: Virtual/Remote 

Faculty: Professor Sherae Daniel

Project Description:

Increasingly, the Internet provides the primary mechanism through which we learn about the people around us. Getting to know someone online is often the initial way we meet someone, and at the same time can be a continual way to learn information about someone over time. For this reason, the way many people perceive us is determined by how we present ourself online. Whether this is to find a romantic connection on Tinder, to find lodging on Airbnb or to find a job on LinkedIn, the way that we present ourself online drives important outcomes. At the same time, online interactions raise privacy concerns. This study is positioned to understand the tension between a desire to create positive impressions of one's self and privacy concerns.

The goal of this project is to better understand the impact of managing one’s online profile on software developer career opportunities. In particular, we consider efforts on platforms including LinkedIn, Twitter and Github. We are interested in career opportunities including promotions within a firm and career opportunities with other firms. We also include promotions within organizations other than firms such as open-source software development communities (e.g., Apache Software Foundation).

In addition to understanding how online behaviors impact careers, generally, we consider in what situations the impact of an online behavior on a career outcome might differ. Preliminary interviews suggests that a person’s gender might influence the relationship between those behaviors and career opportunities. We consider for instance if a man posting a skill gives him more career opportunities than a woman posting the same skill.

More generally, this work will consider the degree to which a person’s social identity, including things such as race, gender, or political affiliation change the relationship between how one presents themselves online and career opportunities.

Findings from this study will be useful for individuals who interact online and pursue careers. In addition, findings from this research could help those who own and design digital platforms. This would include the owners and designers for platforms including LinkedIn and Github.

This project is ideal for a student who has interests in data collection, analysis and psychology. A student with a potential interest in a career in research would be ideal. This summer, the student will be completely emersed in moving the research forward. This is an ongoing project. The project team has already identified relevant literature and collected interview and survey data.

The team will include multiple professors and a Ph.D. student. This will provide the students with ample opportunities to learn about various roles and opportunities within the academy.

Project Hours: 40

Anticipated Format: Virtual/Remote

Faculty: Dr. Angela Potochnik

Project Description:

This UHP Discover project is to work with the UC Center for Public Engagement with Science (PEWS) on interdisciplinary research and outreach initiatives, including: (1) Science Harvest, an outreach program providing hands-on science activities at the Northside Farmers Market; (2) An initiative with FC Cincinnati to develop educational materials for elementary school field trips to the FCC stadium; (3) Continuing to develop PEWS web resources, including website, YouTube Channel, and social media; and (4) editorial work for a book series run out off PEWS, Elements in Public Engagement with Science (Cambridge University Press).

This position is appropriate for students with a wide variety of majors who are interested in public engagement. We are especially interested in students with expertise or interest in cultivating expertise in graphic design, video production, web design, and/or social media, as these skills would support projects (1)-(3) in the research project description. The UHP Discover student will join a robust collaborative team working on these and other initiatives, including multiple faculty, a postdoc, several graduate student interns, and one other UHP Discover student. This will thus be an innovative experience in collaborative humanities-led research aligned with public engagement. PEWS is nationally recognized for its work in this area (e.g. McIntyre, L. “Talking to science deniers and sceptics is not hopeless“ Nature, 2021).

The student researcher will need to be available for in-person meetings once or twice per week and occasional in-person events and activities, but much of the work time can take place off site and on their own schedule. We are happy to work around limited other commitments, including vacations and travel plans.

Project Hours: 35

Anticipated Format: Hybrid

Faculty: Professor Max Cormendy

This UHP Discover project is to work with the UC Center for Public Engagement with Science (PEWS) on interdisciplinary research and outreach initiatives, including: (1) Science Harvest, an outreach program providing hands-on science activities at the Northside Farmers Market; (2) An initiative with FC Cincinnati to develop educational materials for elementary school field trips to the FCC stadium; (3) Continuing to develop PEWS web resources, including website, YouTube Channel, and social media; and (4) editorial work for a book series run out off PEWS, Elements in Public Engagement with Science (Cambridge University Press).

This position is appropriate for students with a wide variety of majors who are interested in public engagement. We are especially interested in students with expertise or interest in cultivating expertise in graphic design, video production, web design, and/or social media, as these skills would support projects (1)-(3) in the research project description. The UHP Discover student will join a robust collaborative team working on these and other initiatives, including multiple faculty, a postdoc, several graduate student interns, and one other UHP Discover student. This will thus be an innovative experience in collaborative humanities-led research aligned with public engagement. PEWS is nationally recognized for its work in this area (e.g. McIntyre, L. “Talking to science deniers and sceptics is not hopeless“ Nature, 2021).

The student researcher will need to be available for in-person meetings once or twice per week and occasional in-person events and activities, but much of the work time can take place off site and on their own schedule. We are happy to work around limited other commitments, including vacations and travel plans.

Project Hours: 35

Anticipated Format: Hybrid

Faculty: Dr. Audrey Hickert

Project Description:

This project is a multi-study effort by a team in the School of Criminal Justice (SCJ) conducting research on Restorative Justice (RJ) approaches within the criminal justice system, with a focus on how the public perceives these approaches and how Victim Offender Dialogue (VOD) programs operate in the US prison system. RJ approaches broadly focus on repairing harm caused by crime.

Because success of RJ programs relies on community involvement, understanding the extent to which the public supports the fundamental principles of RJ is essential. One study within this RJ/VOD project will be a literature review of public opinion research on the principles of RJ and conducting a new public opinion survey on these principles and RJ programs.

VOD programs (also known as Victim Offender Mediation, Victim Offender Reconciliation, Victim Offender Conferencing, Harmed-Harmdoer Mediation, and other terms) are a specific approach to RJ. The VOD study will focus on exploring the implementation, operation, and efficacy of in-prison VOD programs. This study will include a systematic review of prison-based VOD programs, as well as data collection on existing VOD programs online (e.g., websites) and directly from correctional systems (e.g., state DOCs) to document VOD programs in prisons across the U.S.

The RJ/VOD project will involve searching and synthesis of public opinion and criminal justice literature, collecting and cleaning data, pilot testing data collection instruments, preparation of materials to convey findings (e.g., presentation slides, written drafts), and other collaborative tasks with the research team, led by School of Criminal Justice faculty member Audrey Hickert and PhD team members Sinui Park and Jonathan Morgan.

The student researcher will work with the team on all aspects of the social science research project. The student researcher should have experience in conducting literature reviews (familiarity with social science database searches, article annotation, synthesizing literature). The team prefers students with strong writing and communication skills. Although not necessary, priority will be given to applicants with some experience in data management/analysis (programs such as Excel, SPSS, Stata, R) or who have taken an undergraduate social science statistics course (e.g., CJ 4023 Criminal Justice Statistics). The team will work collaboratively and Dr. Hickert will provide training and mentoring on specific research tasks as needed. 

Project Hours: 40

Anticipated Format: Hybrid

Faculty: Dr. Gary Painter

Project Description:

Since the publication of Raj Chetty et al (2014), the consensus among economists is that neighborhood environments do shape the outcomes of children.  While sociologists have long found such relationships in their research, economists have debated the causal impact of neighborhood contexts because of the difficulty of accounting for neighborhood sorting in economic models.

To date, much of the research that has continued to focus on the relationship between neighborhood poverty and life outcomes has focused upon urban neighborhoods.  As such, we know much less about the impact of growing up in high poverty rural areas.  There are reasons to believe that proximity to high opportunity neighborhoods in urban areas might allow persons that grow up in high poverty urban areas to have better life outcomes than those that grow up in neighborhoods geographically further from opportunity. 

In this study, we aim to identify the causal impact of growing up in rural vs. urban poverty.  To do so, we will identify employment shocks that differentially impact all households that grow up in rural areas.  Without this identification, persons from rural areas that migrate to high opportunity areas might do so to capitalize on their own abilities, which would lead to differential sorting from rural areas.  We plan to use the Opportunity Insights Data (https://opportunityinsights.org/) that identify both the location someone was born in and the outcomes of these persons in young adulthood.  We will then combine data from employment shocks (Longitudinal Employment Housing Dynamics and its precursors) and contextual data on neighborhood factors (education quality, exposure to violence, exposure to environmental hazards) to estimate the impact of growing up in high poverty rural areas.

Project Hours: 30-40 

Anticipated Format: Hybrid

Faculty: Dr. So Yoon Yoon

Project Description:

As a social science and educational research, this project aims to understand how students develop spatial skills and use them for learning. Spatial ability is recognized as a crucial dimension of multifaceted intelligence, essential for successful performance in science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics, and medicine (STEAMM) education and professional fields.  Numerous studies have used spatial training to enhance K-2, undergraduate, and professional program students’ spatial ability, potentially improving their STEAMM performance. Despite its significance, there has been a lack of effort to review and evaluate the training effects from the literature. Therefore, this project seeks to (a) systematically review various spatial training methods in STEAMM education, (b) evaluate the effects of the training on student performance, and (c) develop an efficient spatial task to accurately assess students’ spatial ability.

The undergraduate research assistant (URA) will begin the project by conducting a thorough search for experimental research articles focusing on spatial training methods in STEAMM fields. The URA will systematically document characteristics of spatial training methods in the identified articles, with a specific emphasis on types of spatial tasks, such as gaming, animation in surgical training, virtual, augmented, and mixed (VAE) reality technology, digital twins, and apps for engineering design graphics, etc. The tasks will include documenting various aspects of spatial training methods in the identified research articles, such as (a) target population, (b) STEAMM content areas, (c) types of spatial tasks, (d) spatial assessment tools, and (d) changes in student performance resulting from spatial training.

By reviewing spatial training methods, the URA will contribute to the development of a new spatial task or training for enhancing students’ spatial ability and performance. Additionally, there will be opportunities for the URA for collaboration in preparing a conference paper as a co-author. This position will offer valuable exposure to interdisciplinary research and collaboration with graduate students working on diverse projects within Dr. Yoon’s research group.

Dr. Yoon's Mentoring Philosophy: The main goals of mentoring an undergraduate student (i.e., mentee) in a research setting are to guide and support the mentee to develop the necessary research skills, successfully conduct the planned research activities, and professionally grow as an autonomous researcher. To cultivate such a research learning environment, I would like to first identify my mentee’s goals, develop a trusting relationship grounded in mutual respect, share my research experiences, and provide career guidance and research resources as well as constructive feedback on the mentee’s research activities. Therefore, I expect my mentee to align expectations, maintain open communication, and build rapport with me for effective mentoring relationships. 

Project Hours: 40 

Anticipated Format: In-Person

Faculty: Dr. Ivan Ivanov

Project Description:

Policy debates have emerged in the last two and a half decades regarding the different ways to provide cyber security. Initially, cybersecurity scholarship conceptualized the response to cyber threats either through deterrence or a norms-based approach. Recent empirical research has demonstrated that these frameworks are inadequate. As a result, Cyber Persistence Engagement (CPE) has emerged as a third option. CPE strategy expects that entities remain vigilant and take initiative before their opponents do by exploiting and leveraging adversaries’ vulnerabilities before they identify them. Hence, an important theoretical and policy question emerged about the extent to which states have adopted CPE as a cyber strategy. To answer this question, our team of researchers have assessed 77 national cybersecurity strategies from 37 different states that include the European and NATO members, along with partners like Switzerland. With the help of WordStat software, we created a dataset of national strategies on cybersecurity using text analysis. Our current findings show five different patterns of PE adoption. These observations challenge the expectation for an alignment among NATO allies around a uniform strategic outlook on cybersecurity.

As a part of the summer research project, the UHP Discover student, along with the three authors will continue building this dataset over time and across sectors. Namely, we hypothesize that operational documents, such as cyber defense strategies, which are usually not a whole of government documents as is the case with national cybersecurity strategies, but Ministry of Defense documents, could depict different patterns of strategic thinking based on the text analysis scores. Therefore, the student will need to expand the existing dataset of the documents, translate them in English using AI (DeepL Translate software), analyze the text using WordStat text analysis software and code them following the text analysis algorithm and rules.

Most of the work can be done remotely. I expect regular meetings (remotely via Zoom or in person). I would be also available to meet in-person as needed!

Project Hours: 30-40 

Anticipated Format: Virtual/Remote

Faculty: Dr. Brent Stoffer

Project Description:

This project will examine the effects of opportunity gaps (e.g., 1st-gen status, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, etc.) on student performance and attitude in high-enrollment STEM courses. While the courses are based in STEM disciplines, the nature of the project is education-focused, examining how measurements of success and performance (drop/withdraw/failure (DWF) rates, exam performance, surveys) might vary across different student demographics. The goal is to help identify such gaps in an effort to provide better support for students in their coursework.

This project is couched within two larger projects:
1) To better understand the relationship between a students attitude regarding statistics and their performance on an assessment. Previous data has found that there is a positive correlation between how students believe they will success in statistics and their actual performance. The current project would more closely examine whether this relationship varies across different opportunity gaps in students.

2) To help provide co-requisite support for students. Multiple STEM courses are moving towards providing greater co-requisite support for undergraduate students in large gateway (first-year) courses. This project would involve (a) creating and executing interview of students in theses courses, (b) identifying the impact of opportunity gaps on student performance in these courses, and (c) assisting with the development of the co-requisite course to incorporate a student perspective.

Students who have taken STEM courses are encouraged to apply, but the project itself is an education-based, pedagogical project. No prior experience in STEM disciplines is necessary, as long as the motivation is clear. There will be some flexibility with respect to scheduling during the summer, as long as ongoing progress is being made.

Project Hours: 40 

Anticipated Format: Hybrid

Faculty: Professor D.J. Trischler

Project Description:

This summer study centers on reading the linguistic landscape of East Price Hill’s public and commercial amenities using visual analysis tools to interpret the relationships between the typography and “economy, power, status, cohesion, and diversity.”

East Price Hill is a historically White neighborhood in Cincinnati, Ohio, that has evolved into a population of diverse and intersectional identities over the last several decades. Ongoing development is visible in each district, occurring on different timelines and scales, providing opportunities to examine changes in the neighborhood’s linguistic landscape.  

In this study, our team will gather a range of symbols within the neighborhood to analyze typographic diversity and homogeneity and speculate through various forms of mapping which areas lean inclusive or exclusive. As such, this study examines the neighborhood’s typefaces and their arrangements/sizes, messaging, language, colors, and materials across multiple business districts. We will compare these observations with public feedback about feelings of belonging or lack thereof. 

This study builds on D.J. Trischler’s existing work in the East, Lower, and West Price Hill neighborhoods, including his graduate research that involved preliminary linguistic landscape readings. For a temporal comparison, the data from the previous study may be compared to the proposed study outcomes.  

Additionally, Muhammad Rahman, co-leading the study, has experience using methods to read the typographic landscape in Clifton and Hyde Park (Cincinnati Neighborhoods). He has disseminated this work through the Interdisciplinary Journal of Signage and Wayfinding. Ultimately, Trischler and Rahman aim to disseminate the East Price Hill study through a presentation and article in which the student would be included as a co-investigator.

Having a student with a background or skills in visual communication skills is ideal but not mandatory. They would need access to transportation to visit East Price Hill. It would also be important that they are open to fieldwork that requires walking, sometimes alone, in the neighborhood. As such, the student needs to be based in Cincinnati and willing to do non-remote work. This work will require one to move out of their comfort zone, self-initiate, socialize with strangers, and be open to exploring nuance instead of binaries. Trischler and Rahman plan to spend the first portion of the summer training the students in reading the neighborhood and preparing them for community interactions. The students will also have opportunities to complete Citi Training and workshops related to equity and inclusion through U.C. Then, a significant portion of the summer will be spent on neighborhood visits to collect data. That means spending a portion of their day photographing and taking notes in the neighborhood and another portion back at the computer organizing their findings. After collecting and organizing all of the data, the team will translate the findings into visualizations (maps) that prompt neighbors to share their sense of belongingness or lack thereof within the mapped spaces. This portion of the project may require a visual design and modeling background, but we can work with various tools depending on the student’s skill sets. Finally, though it would occur concurrently with the previous tasks, we would involve the student in the writing portion of the study. Ideally, the student has some confidence in their English. That said, a student with skills in multiple languages would add much value to our team since East Price Hill is home to people who speak and read many languages, including French and Spanish.   

Project Hours: 30-40 

Anticipated Format: Hybrid

Faculty: Dr. Michael Loadenthal | Digital Futures Partnership

Project Description:

This research supports the Prosecution Project (tPP), a long-term, open-source intelligence and public policy research program focused on understanding how political violence—terrorism, extremism, hate crimes, and illegal political action—is prosecuted in US courts. Researchers would work to locate current and past (1990-present) cases of felony political violence occurring in the US, test that case for inclusion utilizing a decision tree, assemble requisite evidentiary documents, and code that case for 50 variables. Researchers are provided with training modules and an extensive team manual as well as regular check-ins with me, and later, a coding partner (i.e., another student researcher).

Every case included in the tPP dataset is validated through a decision tree, coded for 50+ variables, associated with a set of primary source documents, and triangulated via secondary sources by an independent coding team. After the first round of dual coding, the case is checked by a senior member of the project team, and finally, validated by one of the tPP Auditors. The data generated is suitable for a patterned statistical analysis and the development of complex models to understand patterns, trends, and outliers.

Through identification, analysis, and assessment of thousands of cases, tPP seeks to identify correlations between who a defendant is, how they are charged and prosecuted, and other related factors, such as political ideology, religion, and the crime’s motive, means, target, and impact. The project explores defendant demographics, prosecutorial strategy and outcome, juridical rhetoric, and relevant laws dealing with hate crimes, civil rights violations, designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations, and material support, as well as assigned terrorism enhancements and the use of specialized motive-centric statutes.

Project Hours: 35-40 

Anticipated Format: In-Person

Faculty: Dr. Ou Ma | Digital Futures Partnership

Project Description:

Many human daily tasks, such as open a soda bottle or open a self-closing door, are intuitive and almost effortless for most of us, but the same tasks are very difficult for even the most advanced robots. This difficulty stems from the immaturity of key technologies in robotics, including sensing, actuation, control, decision making, and task planning which a robot must have for these tasks. This project seeks to explore ideas to learn simple human skills by leveraging available perception and image processing software and transfer the learned "skills" to robots by imitation learning techniques. Digital modeling, programming, and simulation of a robotic arm and/or gripper using robotics simulation tools such as NVIDA Issac Sim and Omniverse are required.

Must work in-person in the Intelligent Robotics and Autonomous Systems Lab at the Digital Futures location - Room DF 375.

Project Hours: 40 

Anticipated Format: In-Person

Faculty: Professor Tamika Odum

Project Description:

Existing studies document numerous reasons for delays in access to reproductive healthcare. For example, Johnson et. al. (2003) identified variables contributing to late prenatal care initiation. Variables associated with later prenatal care initiation included maternal age, unemployment, and lack of money to pay for prenatal care as significant factors delaying initiation of prenatal care.   This project: Understanding Access to Reproductive Healthcare in Ohio seeks to understand how people navigate reproductive healthcare in restrictive legislative environments such as Ohio. This study uses rigorous, impactful research to identify the community factors that influence and/or inform access to reproductive health care services. The results of this work will help provide a research foundation that will leverage a community-engaged research project, improve the quality of direct service delivery for Ohioans, and inform policy interventions that improve reproductive health outcomes and the economic well-being of people in Ohio.

We are conducting in-depth interviews with people who have experience seeking various reproductive healthcare services in Ohio. The goal is to conduct 40 in-depth interviews by the end of summer 2025. We are recruiting participants by utilizing local community connections. Once data collection is complete interviews will be transcribed and analyzed using ATLAS.ti (latest version). The analysis will employ both inductive and deductive approaches to help understand the findings. We will begin the coding analysis this summer with knowledge of the existing literature and identify emergent themes through memoing and discussion among research team members.

Project Hours: 35-40 

Anticipated Format: Hybrid

Faculty: Dr. Thomas Moore

Project Description:

From 1980 to 2020, countries experienced unprecedented levels of interdependence socially, culturally, ecologically, environmentally, and militarily, with deepening economic ties often being the primary driver of this growing cross-border interconnectedness. Recently, however, economic globalization has stalled or even reversed. If you’re interested in international economic affairs, especially the geopolitical implications of a de-globalizing world economy, as well as the use of quantitative and qualitative evidence to address policy-relevant social science questions, working on this project should provide an enriching experience.

At the quarter mark of this century, scholars who study international relations – economists, political scientists, and public policy experts – are reassessing the extent to which “developing” countries from the “Global South,” such as China, India, and Brazil, are challenging – individually or collectively – the long-standing dominance of “developed” countries from the “Global North,” such as the US, Germany, and Japan. As part of this endeavor, scholars are debating whether the period of intensifying economic globalization from 1980 to 2020 helped or hindered the ability of the Global South to “catch up” to the Global North. To this end, scholars are also exploring new ways to assess where and how economic globalization has been experienced most and least strongly among countries, industries, and regions of the world.

My book project engages these issues by examining the extent to which multinational corporations (MNCs) from developing countries have been able to break into the top echelon of MNCs. Given the increasing role that MNCs have played in recent decades as the principal organizers of international economic activity, governments regard the strength of “their” MNCs – public and private companies alike – as being integral to, and in some cases almost synonymous with, national economic competitiveness. As evidenced most prominently by the recent escalation of commercial and technological jousting between Beijing and Washington, governments believe that there is a synergistic dynamic between MNCs and their home countries with critical implications for long-run national power.

Much research has already been completed; students have already created original databases in which the world’s top 2,000 companies are organized by industry and nationality so we can track changes in the prominence of companies from 60 countries in over 80 industries. We’ve collected company-specific data about how “globalized” companies are in their ownership, revenue generation, and asset deployment. Take the Chinese EV automaker BYD. We’ve retrieved data on the balance of domestic vs. international ownership in BYD over time; digging deeper, we’ve identified the ownership percentage for each foreign country (e.g., US, Japanese, Korean ownership in BYD). We’ve also extracted data on how the share of BYD’s domestic vs. foreign sales has changed over time. In a similar vein, we’ve retrieved data on how the distribution of BYD’s physical assets (e.g., factories) has shifted between domestic and international locations. All of this is designed to assess whether companies from different countries and industries are more “globalized” than others and whether more highly “globalized” companies and countries perform better.

I anticipate having a research team of 4-6 students in Summer 2025 depending on how much funding I ultimately have available from multiple sources. Given that the collection and organization of data is now largely complete, this summer will focus on working with the data and interpreting results. Although students from the Lindner College of Business or the College of Arts & Sciences (especially social science majors) might find the subject matter of this project particularly relevant to their studies, I’ll happily consider any motivated UHP student who finds the topic interesting, as the work does not necessarily presume any particular academic background. Frankly, the main qualifications are being willing to follow instructions carefully, being comfortable asking questions, and having a strong attention to detail.  I encourage honors students with a wide range of skills, backgrounds, and interests to apply, as there is a wide variety of work to be done. If a student already has familiarity with Excel or Tableau and wants to build upon those skills by concentrating on quantitatively oriented tasks, I should be able to accommodate that. If, on the other hand, a student has limited or no experience working with data but wants to develop basic Excel skills, that’s fine too. There will be opportunities to collect and organize data from the World Bank, World Trade Organization, International Monetary Fund, and various national governments and regional organizations as we seek to develop a broader context for interpreting our findings. Have developing countries been “catching up” to developed countries economically? In what countries, industries, and regions of the world has globalization been experienced most and least strongly? Because my project examines these questions through the lens of multinational companies, we’ll want to compare our findings with results generated by alternative empirical approaches, such as by examining trends in flows of goods, services, capital, and technology across national borders. No statistical skills or experience in data analytics is required for this work, as it will just involve (1) extracting data from databases, (2) organizing it in Excel files, and (3) providing some initial descriptive interpretation of the data. (This kind of work does not require a sophisticated knowledge of Excel, but you’d have to be willing to learn the basics.) If a student would prefer to do qualitative background research on individual companies, industries, and countries, I should be able to accommodate that as well. If a student is interested in gaining hands-on experience in developing an academic or policy-oriented literature review or working with state-of-the-art bibliographic software programs, there should be opportunities to do that too. Once the research team is assembled, I’m confident we can establish a division of labor suitable to the backgrounds, interests, and goals of different students. To maximize flexibility, I’ve selected “hybrid” as the modality in filling out the UHP Discover application. While students will work independently on their own assignments, I anticipate holding team meetings – generally in person but potentially by Zoom as necessary – every 7-10 days, generally for 1.5-2 hours each time. In addition to addressing project-specific issues, I also use these meetings for general discussion of topics such as how to use faculty-led undergraduate research experiences for career exploration, how to prepare for grad school, and how to pursue your own undergrad research project (including how to identify and develop a project, ways to earn academic credit doing a project, funding opportunities to support a project, internal and external venues at which undergrads can present their research, tips on making good presentations, how to find potential publication outlets, etc.). 

Project Hours: 40 

Anticipated Format: Hybrid

Faculty: Professor David Niven

Project Description:

Research and theory make a very strong case that political parties make it easier for voters to choose candidates they agree with. In this way, parties facilitate accountability and representation.

Ohio changed its election rules for the Ohio Supreme Court (and Ohio courts of appeals) in 2022. Previously, voters saw candidate names without any party labels on the ballot. Since 2022, those judicial candidates have appeared with party labels. This project will ask: Did the addition of party labels produce a judiciary more in tune with Ohioans' political values and preference?

Some evidence casts doubt on the traditional party theory. For example, a majority of Ohioans voted to enshrine reproductive rights in the state constitution while electing a party-labeled state supreme court where 6 out of 7 members oppose abortion.

This project will examine this relationship more deeply. Through an examination of judicial decisions and public issue positions, we will analyze judges and judicial candidates to establish their ideological position. Through election results (especially on ballot questions), we will analyze the ideological preferences of each voting precinct in Ohio. Together, these two results will allow a comparison of the fit between voters' values and judges' values, both before and after party was added to the ballot in 2022. This effort represents an important test for the general theory that party makes it easier for voters to be heard and represented based on their preferences.

The student researcher will gain considerable understanding of the ideological makeup of Ohio's courts and the resulting case decision patterns. Additionally, the student researcher will gain understanding of voting patterns across Ohio.

No particular expertise is required - but patience and persistence will prove useful. Interest in some combination of elections and politics, political science, and/or law would be beneficial.  Students must be available for full-time work, though the work can be done anytime and anywhere. The work will involve a combination of analyzing court decisions for ideological content, gathering and entering election data and candidate profile data, searching media reports and political databases for issue comments made by judicial candidates, and working with research articles.  The student researcher will be welcome to utilize data/information from this project in their own future work for an undergraduate thesis or other project.

Project Hours: 40 

Anticipated Format: Virtual/Remote

Faculty: Dr. Cory Haberman | Digital Futures Partnership

Project Description:

The student will work on up to to projects. Both projects include coding the actions of police officers and detectives to better understand the impact of innovative police training programs. In project one, students will watch and code body-work camera footage to understand how officers do or do not de-escalation police-citizen encounters. In project two, students will code videos of detectives interviewing suspects of crimes to understand how detectives' interviewing skills.

The student researcher should be interested in the social sciences, and they should have a strong political opinion or perspective regarding policing and police officers. The student researcher will need to complete UC IRB training and be willing to sit for potentially multiple hours at a time to code video footage with predesigned tools they will be trained to apply. This position can be completed only in-person.

Project Hours: 40 

Anticipated Format: In-Person

Faculty: Dr. Rebecca Sanders

Project Description:

We are researching current challenges to democracy posed by state-level legislation in the United States, with some attention to similar legislation being pursued in other countries, ranging from India to Russia. Although the primary focus will be on the United States, if hours remain, students may also be doing international legal research.

Our focus is a form of democratic backsliding we have termed “autocratic delegation.” This refers to laws that get ordinary citizens involved in monitoring or even turning in other ordinary citizens. US state governments are delegating some surveillance and even enforcement powers to everyday people. These laws are being passed in a variety of issue areas, including sexual and reproductive health, immigration, and education, and have encouraged and resulted in parents turning in teachers, teachers reporting on students or vice versa, neighbors surveilling neighbors, and patients informing on doctors and vice versa. This behavior is damaging to civil society and social trust. Historically, breaking down trust and civil society can precede violence and the collapse of democracy. 

After reviewing and summarizing academic articles related to this research, our goal for the student researchers is to develop a legislative and legal database that captures the wording of each law that engages in autocratic delegation; the number of surveillance, reporting, or direct actions (including vigilante violence) taken under the influence of these laws by ordinary citizens; and the relationship of the “autocratic delegates” involved (neighbor-neighbor; student-teacher; employer-employee; patient-doctor; etc.)  This database would be used for conference presentations and academic journal articles on autocratic delegation, which is a form of “autocratic legalism,” currently a hot topic in the fields of political science and law & society. It is possible the student researchers could attend such conferences during the following year, and they would be acknowledged in future publications.   

Our expectations are that a variety of majors could contribute in valuable ways to this project, including but not limited to political science, law and society, international affairs, WGSS, e-media, English, history, environmental studies, and more. We will meet at least once per week via zoom or, if possible/agreeable, in person. If the student has commitments, we can shift some hours to alternative weeks in the summer semester, achieving an average of 30/week. UHP trainings will be counted as hours worked. Work can be from home (in Cincinnati or elsewhere) or in the library or computer labs if special programs or research sources are needed.

This is a collaborative project between Dr. Laura Jenkins and Dr. Rebecca Sanders. You will accordingly see two identical postings, for a total of two positions. If you are interested, please apply for both positions to maximize your chance of being selected to work on the project.

Project Hours: 30 

Anticipated Format: Virtual/Remote

Faculty: Dr. Laura Jenkins

Project Description:

We are researching current challenges to democracy posed by state-level legislation in the United States, with some attention to similar legislation being pursued in other countries, ranging from India to Russia. Although the primary focus will be on the United States, if hours remain, students may also be doing international legal research.

Our focus is a form of democratic backsliding we have termed “autocratic delegation.” This refers to laws that get ordinary citizens involved in monitoring or even turning in other ordinary citizens. US state governments are delegating some surveillance and even enforcement powers to everyday people. These laws are being passed in a variety of issue areas, including sexual and reproductive health, immigration, and education, and have encouraged and resulted in parents turning in teachers, teachers reporting on students or vice versa, neighbors surveilling neighbors, and patients informing on doctors and vice versa. This behavior is damaging to civil society and social trust. Historically, breaking down trust and civil society can precede violence and the collapse of democracy. 

After reviewing and summarizing academic articles related to this research, our goal for the student researchers is to develop a legislative and legal database that captures the wording of each law that engages in autocratic delegation; the number of surveillance, reporting, or direct actions (including vigilante violence) taken under the influence of these laws by ordinary citizens; and the relationship of the “autocratic delegates” involved (neighbor-neighbor; student-teacher; employer-employee; patient-doctor; etc.)  This database would be used for conference presentations and academic journal articles on autocratic delegation, which is a form of “autocratic legalism,” currently a hot topic in the fields of political science and law & society. It is possible the student researchers could attend such conferences during the following year, and they would be acknowledged in future publications.   

Our expectations are that a variety of majors could contribute in valuable ways to this project, including but not limited to political science, law and society, international affairs, WGSS, e-media, English, history, environmental studies, and more. We will meet at least once per week via zoom or, if possible/agreeable, in person. If the student has commitments, we can shift some hours to alternative weeks in the summer semester, achieving an average of 30/week. UHP trainings will be counted as hours worked. Work can be from home (in Cincinnati or elsewhere) or in the library or computer labs if special programs or research sources are needed.

This is a collaborative project between Dr. Laura Jenkins and Dr. Rebecca Sanders. You will accordingly see two identical postings, for a total of two positions. If you are interested, please apply for both positions to maximize your chance of being selected to work on the project.

Project Hours: 30

Anticipated Format: Virtual/Remote

Faculty: Professor Shelina Brown

Project Description:

This summer, an exciting opportunity awaits an undergraduate student interested in exploring the vibrant music scenes of Cincinnati. Working closely with a professor, the student will delve into a specific music community within the city, uncovering its cultural, social, and artistic dynamics. This research may contribute to the Cincinnati Sounds Project, a larger initiative that seeks to document and analyze the music cultures of Cincinnati, both past and present.

The student will be encouraged to select a music scene that resonates with their interests. While all genres and communities are welcome, preference will be given to students passionate about DIY, underground, and punk scenes. These subcultures have long been hubs for creativity, activism, and community building, often challenging mainstream narratives and fostering alternative modes of artistic expression.

The research process will be hands-on and immersive. The student will be encouraged to attend live shows, interview musicians and fans, analyze online forums or social media, and explore archival materials if relevant. They will report back regularly, sharing their findings and reflections through written summaries, oral presentations, or creative outputs such as zines or podcasts.

Through this project, the student will gain valuable research skills, including qualitative interviewing, ethnographic observation, and critical analysis. They will also develop a deeper understanding of the ways in which music intersects with social identity and community formation. These experiences will prepare them for future academic or professional work in fields such as musicology, sociology, gender studies, or cultural anthropology.

This project represents a unique opportunity to blend academic inquiry with personal passion, contributing to a larger understanding of the dynamic music scenes that make Cincinnati a vital cultural hub.

Please be advised: Applicants who do not make use of generative AI in their applications will be given top priority! Please write in your own authentic voice and share what draws you to this type of research.

Project Hours: 30 

Anticipated Format: Virtual/Remote