Claiborne Pell Fellowships advance faculty-student research

Claiborne Pell Fellowships advance faculty-student research

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Conducting research with a professor is an intellectually and professionally transformative experience for undergraduate students. Here at Salve, this experience has been supported and advanced through the Claiborne Pell Research Fellowship, where the focus is on giving undergraduates invaluable research opportunities typically reserved for graduate students.

Funded by Salve trustee Bernard F. McKay and Mary McKay, and administered by the Pell Honors Program, this fellowship has provided funding for faculty to team up with students on research that will result in a peer-reviewed work of scholarship.

In the first year of the program, the award supported a student team project in which Kathleen Mountcastle '23 and Renee Dube '25, both history majors in the Pell Honors Program, had the opportunity to interview former president of Ireland, Mary McAleese, during her visit to Salve, and produce an oral history.

One of the faculty-student team projects, undertaken by Dr. Yvan Ilunga, assistant professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations, with Spencer O'Reilly '25, a political science major, looked to better understand local communities' perceptions of United Nations peacekeepers during peace operations. The other, undertaken by Dr. Stephanie Jones, assistant professor in the Department of Psychology, with Sofia Abuin '24, psychology major and a Class of 2024 valedictorian, explored the ethical implications of punishment-based interventions in the behavior analysis field.

Presenting to professional colleagues as an undergrad

Under Dr. Jones' guidance, Abuin completed a systematic literature review, developed a manuscript of findings and submitted it to peer-reviewed publications. With the funding provided by the fellowship she was also able to attend and present at several academic conferences.

"The understanding of the literature Sofia was able to achieve through this fellowship has far exceeded what I have seen from many graduate students," said Dr. Jones. "Her findings were that we can do better, and whenever you talk about human rights, a lot of what you say may end up being controversial. Presenting that experience at conferences significantly built up her competence in informal debates."

"At the conferences we got an incredible amount of feedback that helped inform our manuscript and shaped how we presented the ideas that were heavily related to ethical concerns and progress," Abuin said.

Beyond advancing the research, the fellowship gave Abuin opportunities few undergraduates get to experience. "When you're in an undergrad program you're still trying to figure out what's important and what you want to pursue, especially when you're in a field that requires research. Being able to take part in research already underway in your field is crucial. It helped me take those next steps in my graduate career," Abuin shared.

2024-25 fellowship recipients focus on Newport communities and history

This fall, two new teams are beginning to dive into their fellowship projects. Dr. Tara Brooke Watkins, assistant professor in the Department of Music, Theatre and Dance, and Anna Annese '26, theatre arts major, will undertake "The Stories Behind Newport Neighborhoods," where they will engage with community members to learn and understand their experiences of living in Newport, and produce a piece for Salve's theatre arts 2025-26 season.

Dr. Emily Colbert Cairns, associate professor and chair of the Department of Modern Languages, and Leila Martinez '26, a biology major with a minor in Spanish, will research the papers of Aaron Lopez, a Sephardic Jew from Portugal who escaped the Inquisition and made his home in Newport. The project is designed to shed light on colonial New England culture and result in an edited volume of the complete "Lucerna" letters and digitization of the Aaron Lopez letters.