CISS Research Internship Showcase to Be Held April 28, 2023

  • By: Lilian Belisle

By: Lily Belisle (CAS ’24)

The second annual cohort of Center for Innovation in Social Science  interns will present the results of their year-long mentored research projects at a showcase on April 28th, 2023 from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm in the CISS conference room (5th floor, 704 Commonwealth Ave). The Social Sciences Undergraduate Internships in Social Justice and Sustainability program is a centerpiece of CISS programs,  and  provides students paid research experience working with a BU faculty member studying a cutting-edge social issue. All members of the BU community along with family and friends are invited to attend the symposium. For those wishing to participate remotely, please contact Center Administrator Shannon Landis (ciss@bu.edu) for the Zoom registration link. This year’s interns and faculty mentors are: 

The CISS internship program is modeled after an internship program piloted successfully by CAS in 2020-21. The CISS program’s inaugural cohort, who served as interns during the 2021-22 academic year, are proof that hands-on research experience is critical to students’ professional and personal development. All are now flourishing in their newest endeavors. For example, Nikki Huang (CAS ‘23), interned with sociology professor Dr. Jonathan Mijs on the project, “Correcting Discrimination,” and will be attending graduate school in Sociology at the University of Chicago. Shraddha Pingali (CAS ‘22) collaborated with earth and environment professor  Ian Sue Wing on “Climate Change Mitigation-Adaptation Strategies,” and is now working full time as a Quantitative Analyst at Opinion Dynamics. Carly Mast (CAS ‘22), a former research assistant working on “Studies of Structural Racism in Community Health and Criminal Justice” under sociology Professor Jessica Simes is now a Social Justice Springboard Fellow at the NYU Bronfman Center. 

The research internship programs exemplify the Center’s goal of sparking research collaboration and training. According to former Associate Dean of the Faculty for the Social Sciences in CAS Nazli Kibria, who played a pivotal role in the Center’s formation in 2021, “Both faculty and students benefit. For faculty, it is a chance to involve a student in their own research and show them how to contribute. For students, the benefits include developing mentoring relationships with faculty and gaining research skills that will benefit them in virtually any career they choose to pursue.”

Faculty members who would like to work with a paid undergraduate intern next year can apply for the 2023-24 internship program (see here for Call). Contact Center Director Professor Deborah Carr or Center Administrator Shannon Landis (ciss@bu.edu) to learn more.

The best way to learn about the program is to attend the April 28 presentations. We provide a preview here of the 2022-23 interns and their work.


Faisal Ahmed is a junior in the BA/MA program in Economics and pursuing a minor in Applied Human Development. Claire Williams is a junior double majoring in
International Relations and Economics. Supported by the oversight of Professor Capella Zielinski, their backgrounds make them the perfect team to work on a research project focused on “The Effect of Extreme Weather Events on US Military Installations.” This project highlights that climate change affects not only the level of our oceans or the heat of our summers, but every arm of how the U.S. functions—including the nation’s military, according to Claire. Professor Capella Zielinski details that with less than 1% of the US population in the active military and an even smaller  presence in New England, students are increasingly removed from understanding civil military relations, and this results in larger-scale issues. The trio seeks to change this. And, not only does their research have the potential  to inform policy decisions around military funding and bureaucratic transparency, but it has left Faisal and Claire with “transformative research experience,” articulates Faisal.

Avery Bolden is currently a senior studying political science in the department’s BA/MA program. Through the CISS Internship, she is supporting the work of the Racial Equity in Corrections Initiative (REICI), Avery Boldenan initiative of Prisoners’ Legal Services of Massachusetts (PLSMA), a nonprofit organization that advocates for the humane treatment of incarcerated people in the Commonwealth. This Initiative was driven by efforts of activists at PLSMA Mac Hudson, LaToya Whiteside, and Kelsea Goodrow in partnership with people incarcerated in Massachusetts state prisons. Together they designed and administered a comprehensive survey meant to capture the experiences of BIPOC individuals incarcerated in state prisons. Avery worked under the supervision of CAS political scientist Spencer Piston, sociologist Heather Schoenfeld and media studies graduate student Chawannuch Chaikulngamdee to enter the responses of over 350 people. Future work will include analyzing the survey responses in accordance with the needs of PLSMA. Racial discrimination appears in “all aspects of governance in MA prisons,” says Professor Spencer Piston, Avery’s faculty mentor, and this work is valuable to inform the work done by legal advocacy organizations like PLSMA. “This collaboration is a great example of where social science research can be used to make a difference in incarcerated peoples’ lives.” Avery will continue to pursue her interests in law when she begins law school at University of Chicago in Fall 2023.

Inspired by her major in Psychology (CAS) and minor in Visual Arts (CFA), Shumita Littlefield has worked on the project “Illustrating Evolution: Developing Materials to Support Teaching of Large and Small-Scale Natural Selection to 3rd Graders” under Professor Deborah Kelemen, professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences. This project seeks to address the public health crises generated by the public’s failure to grasp basic scientific concepts. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the confusion and vaccine hesitancy seen were partially driven by a lack of basic understanding of natural selection and biological evolution. Moreover, in conversations surrounding climate change, it is apparent that it is difficult for most to accurately understand the process by which organisms evolve into new forms. Over the past semester, Professor Kelemen and Shumita have worked together to produce illustrations/curriculum that would facilitate lessons on scientific evolution as early as third grade. Their hope is that by integrating this scientific pedagogy early, educators can prevent consequential reasoning biases and tendencies in young children. 

A senior majoring in Psychological and Brain Sciences (PBS)  with a minor in Biology, Valjean Pulido Pardo is investigating “Prostitution as a means of Flourishing for Cubans” with School of Hospitality Professor Makarand Mody. While Valjean and Professor Mody are not the most obvious research collaborators, “CISS has given the two the opportunity to connect,” says Mody. Blending two distinct disciplines, the project is part of a larger effort supported by the Templeton World Charity Foundation to study people who flourish  despite facing economic, social, or physical adversity. Mody and Valjean, specifically, investigate whether a trade like prostitution—something quite socially taboo—can find opportunities to flourish in Cuba. They chose to study Cuba in part because of its relative distance from the rest of the world as well as the unique level of prestige hospitality workers carry in the Cuban economy. These qualities then facilitate a rich analysis of the complex linkages among hospitality, the sex work industry, and tourism.

Diana Reno is a junior at the Pardee School of Global Studies majoring in International Relations, focusing on Africa and the Middle East and Business and Economics. Through the CISS Research Internship, she is investigating “Strategies for the Promotion of Afghan Women’s Economic Empowerment” with Political Science Professor Rachel Brulé. In this project, Diana is working to solidify the new Alliance for Afghan Women’s Economic Resilience. The Alliance works in collaboration with the U.S. State Department, and aims to support Afghan women with accessible academic resources, skills training, mentor networks, and a variety of initiatives that address economic empowerment. Backed by the resources and privileges that come with working under a major research institution, Diana and Professor Brulé are striving to establish sustainable pathways to empower and support this community of women. 

Launched in September 2021, the Center for Innovation in Social Science (CISS) was established by BU’s College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) Dean Stan Sclaroff to advance a vibrant social science community, facilitating collaborative research, teaching, and professional development at Boston University. Under its director Deborah Carr and administrator Shannon Landis, the Center aims to build an inclusive community for social scientists from throughout the BU campus.

Lily Belisle (CAS ’24) is the CISS Communications Manager. She is studying sociology with a minor in women’s, gender, and sexuality studies.

 

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