LEAP Symposium Archives: Presentations and Abstracts
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Item Open Access Immunotherapy: Altering the Immune Response to Combat Food Allergic Reactions(2014-05-28) Mwanza, MtiseIngestion of certain foods results in an adverse immune response to a protein contained therein. This allergic response occurs when the body's immune system mistakenly identifies a protein as harmful when it actually isn't. A small amount of allergy causing food can cause severe symptoms or even lifethreatening reactions known as anaphylaxis, which could lead to death. It has therefore become increasingly important to develop vaccines that impede an allergic response. Using mice models, our lab worked towards developing a tolerance inducing vaccine that would curb a food allergic response. We utilized various biological and laboratory techniques such as ELISAs, which will be explained during the presentation, to achieve our developmental goal.Item Open Access Lessons from Beyond the Classroom: a Personal Reflection on my Summer at the City Paper(2014-06-06) Lammel, OliviaI thought I had scored my dream internship. I got the job at the Pittsburgh City Paper, writing for the Arts & Entertainment section. I fantasized about my summer at the weekly paper, picturing a June full of front row concert seats, a July of gallery openings, and an August spent rubbing elbows with the artistic elite. I saw a summer of syntax and grammar training. My fantasies came true, but the internship wasn’t exactly a dream. Along the way, I discovered things about myself that made me think I might not be fit for the fast paced life of a reporter. This discovery leaves me with questions surrounding what I’ll do with the rest of my life. Through a series of stories, I will humbly discuss my revelations and the somewhat complex lessons I’m still sorting out.Item Open Access Connecting Past and Present: Exploring a Career in Museums While Working as a Curatorial Intern(2014-06-06) Wells, EmilyThis summer I worked as a curatorial intern for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in Williamsburg, Virginia. I worked with the Curator of Toys, conducting research and updating catalog entries for items in the collection. While most of my work consisted of writing object descriptions and condition reports, I also had the opportunity to work on a variety of smaller projects and became familiar with the day-to-day activities of the curatorial staff. In addition, I gained hands-on experience in the museum by attending volunteer training sessions and assisting with installations. All of these experiences came together to give me a new perspective on museums as well as valuable insight into the curatorial field.Item Open Access Marriage Migration in Singapore and South Korea Reflections on Field Research(2014-06-06) Kim, YuliiThere are various motivations that compel individuals to move from one place to another. Within the last few decades, there has been a surge of women primarily from Southeast Asia migrating to marry men in other economically prosperous Asian contexts. Given this growing trend, my research focuses on marriage migration in Singapore and South Korea, two popular destinations for this type of migration. Informed by feminist methodologies, my 16 weeks of fieldwork sought to collect narratives about the oral histories from women who are the pioneers in this multi-national, multi-cultural discourse of family making in Asia. This presentation reflects on the various processes of qualitative research and offers insight into the challenges and joys of fieldwork.Item Open Access Baby Steps and Reality Checks: My Experience with Museum Accessibility(2014-06-06) Corman Penzel, LilyThis summer I was the first ever Accessibility Intern at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Ma. This meant meeting with staff members at PEM and access departments at other museums and institutions. I also learned about accessibility law and compiled a list of recommendations for the museum.Item Open Access Be Careful Who You Dig For(2014-06-06) Terry, AustinMy presentation will focus on choosing the proper field school for students who want to go into archaeology. Specifically, I will be presenting on two separate field school experiences, one positive the other not so much, and what made one better than the other. Over the summer I encountered several problems with my field school choice and I am hopeful that other students can learn from my troubles so to not repeat my own mistake.Item Open Access Second class citizens in the Islamic Republic: The persecution of religious minorities in Pakistan(2014-06-06) Jatoi, SanaThis summer I was a research intern at the Jinnah Institute in Islamabad, Pakistan. I was carrying out independent research on the persecution of religious minority groups in the country. Over the past few years incidents of violence against non-Muslim Pakistanis have risen dramatically, but governmental response has been nowhere near adequate to protect religious minority citizens. In fact, there is an environment of fear when it comes to talking about these issues. In 2011 Salmaan Taseer, Governor of the Punjab province was shot by a member of his own security force because he spoke against Pakistan’s notorious anti-Blasphemy laws. This incident was followed by the murder of Shahbaz Bhatti, who was a Christian and the Minister for Minority Affairs. My research was primarily interview based, but also consisted of monitoring the print and audio-visual media platforms in order to find out what kinds of views exist in Pakistan regarding religious minority persecution. One of the main themes of my research was exploring the construction of Pakistani national identity, and how that affects the status of minorities in the country. In researching these issues, I was able to experience firsthand the challenges of conducting independent research, especially regarding an issue as controversial as my chosen topic, which many people in Pakistan are reluctant to speak about.Item Open Access Chantilly: An International Treasure of Art & Culture(2014-06-06) Whitney, EmilyThis past summer I interned in France as an English tour guide at the Musée Condé in the historic Château de Chantilly. As an intern I studied the collection at length, conducted tours daily, welcomed guests, as well as assisted in administrative work. At the château, I was able to explore and further my interests in both Art History and French culture. This experience gave me insight into what working in a historic museum is like, in addition to the challenges faced when working in a foreign country.Item Open Access A Taste of the Auction House(2014-06-06) Jiang, IsabellaAs an intern specialist, I worked at Chinese Works of Art Department in Sotheby’s New York this summer. One of the most prestigious auction houses in the world, Sotheby’s taught me how to be a perfectionist in work. We evaluated and conducted research on those most expensive art pieces. For those who are obsessed with arts, working in auction house could be the best chance to combine your business interests and academic research abilities. In the presentation, I would like to introduce the auction house business and share stories behind those enigmatic art pieces with you.Item Open Access I'm Not an Academic but that's Okay: Embracing My Inner Fox(2014-06-06) Redondo, AliciaPerformed independent research to begin a thesis on a particular foreign policy case: the growing relations between China and Latin America and what security implications it has for the United States. Throughout the process, I was challenged with both internal and external obstacles that forced me to question my post-graduation goals.Item Open Access Experiencing Media: The Boston Marathon Bombings(2014-06-06) Alawa, HudaMy independent research this summer as a summer intern at Harvard University’s Pluralism Project began efforts to understand the impact of the mainstream news media on Muslim Americans – specifically, how young Muslim American females experience being Muslim Americans post-Boston Marathon Bombings. Focusing on the Muslim community in Western Springfield, I looked at how the Boston Marathon Bombings impacted young adults in the community. Though the Boston Bombings did not directly impact Western Mass, the disdain towards Muslims created by the media still seems to have impacted the Springfield area’s view of Muslim Americans. Through participant observation and interviews with participants, I attempted to better understand the variety of experiences that these college-aged women through speaking to seven participants, half of which chose to cover their hair with the Islamic hijab and half of which did not observe the headscarf. This research helped me bring to light the different challenges these students faced as Muslims struggling to be accepted as Americans.Item Open Access Navigating an Unfamiliar Industry(2014-06-06) Hohenstein-Flack, HannahThis summer, I interned in the newsroom at WAMC, an affiliate of National Public Radio based in Albany, NY. I will talk about why I chose WAMC despite having no background in radio; what working in a newsroom was like; and how this experience prepared me to pitch, write, and produce my own news story. My presentation also will describe the application and interview process (which did include a quiz!), for students worried about planning their own internship.Item Open Access UNICEF Viet Nam: Is This the Right Place for Me?(2015-08-24) Nguyen, Ly C.Have you ever thought about working at UNICEF, a very large and well-established international organization? Do you know how UNICEF operates and what people do there? Is UNICEF a great place for you to hone your skills and build a long-term career? I have always dreamt of working at UNICEF since high school. When I was accepted to the Social Policy and Governance Internship program at UNICEF Viet Nam for Summer 2014, I could not be happier. Getting the chance to work in an international environment and to interact with peers who come from all over the world, getting to go and work directly with the Vietnamese community, I asked myself: ÒCan I ask for anything better than this from UNICEF Viet Nam?Ó However, what I hoped to gain at the workplace was the opposite of my reality at work. The differences between what I had wanted and what I was going through got bigger and harsher. By the end of my internship, I realized that a place like UNICEF (especially in a developing country) is not the right one for me to pursue a career in - at least not in the short-term. Why was the experience not satisfying? How did I overcome all the obstacles? Did I gain anything? In my presentation, I will give an overview of my internship experience at UNICEF Viet Nam: the good and bad sides of it and how it helped me to redirect my career path today.Item Open Access Examining Galaxies and Goals(2015-08-24) Keller, Erica“What do you want to be when you grow up?” As a Five College Astronomy Research Intern, I hoped my research experience would lead me to solidifying my path of becoming a professional astrophysicist. In my daily research, I used data obtained at the Large Millimeter Telescope located in the state of Puebla, Mexico. I planned to find the mechanism driving large amounts of gas being expelled from different galaxies. At the conclusion of my project I found I needed more data to make conclusions, both in research related to galaxies and my personal path after graduation. This has allowed me to examine different possible paths and reflect on how my astronomy major can help me in different possible careers. During this presentation, I will share my journey in research and how I found value and stayed present while questioning my own goals and future.Item Open Access Identity as Self(2015-08-24) Huynh, Brooke LyMy internship forced me to think about the self. I interned at the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation in Hanoi, Vietnam. I studied the political divide between Vietnamese nationalism and colonial truth. I was amidst a duality of sameness (the West) and of otherness (the East) in which I found my self-certainty in question. I grew up in the United States speaking the Vietnamese language, where I experienced cultural exchange and societal assimilation. I lived in sameness. While I walked through the bustling, motorcycle-riddled streets in Hanoi, I was a foreigner in my own homeland. I lived in otherness. My presentation will discuss not only the work that I did as a research intern, but it will also highlight my collision with alienation. My narrative will also delve into how Vietnam’s history further shaped my own notion of self.Item Open Access Living With History: Spending a Summer at Historic Deerfield(2015-08-24) Wells, EmilyThis summer I participated in the Summer Fellowship Program at Historic Deerfield, a history museum located in Deerfield, Massachusetts. While living on site, I attended a wide range of classes taught by the museum staff, gave tours of two historic houses, and wrote an object study paper and a final research paper. Additionally, I visited over a dozen museums and historic sites along the East Coast. During the nine weeks I spent at Deerfield, I was given an overview of many aspects of the museum field, including administration, marketing, interpretation, education, and public outreach. I learned about the history and material culture of New England while also gaining exposure to the wide variety of opportunities available in the museum field. Finally, this experience provided me with a solid foundation of skills and knowledge that will prove useful as I look forward to post-graduate studies and a career that will allow me to share my enthusiasm for history.Item Open Access Identity as Language(2015-08-24) Rosendahl, Siri LorraineHow important is national identity to individuals living in an increasingly globalized world? This summer, I tackled this topic through the prism of language pursuing an independent research project in Galway City, Ireland. While volunteering for the Galway City Fringe Festival and playing on the Connacht Ultimate Frisbee Team, I was welcomed into a young and active Irish community. Through observations and interviews I traced where, when, and who spoke Gaeilge, the Modern Irish Language, a language considered dead and useless to some, but a vital part of Irish national identity to others. What role does the government have in curating aspects of culture and heritage? What does it mean to be young and at the crossroads of the traditional and cosmopolitan? In addition to tracing the steps of planning and executing self-designed research abroad, my discussion will explore the difficulties of maintaining a homogeneous national and cultural identity in our current interconnected, money-driven, and global society.Item Open Access Frances Perkins Center Internship(2015-08-24) Brenner, RebeccaAs the first intern for the Frances Perkins Center, Rebecca Brenner organized and logged the extensive research of Kirstin Downey, author of The Woman Behind the New Deal, for transport to the Mount Holyoke College Archives & Special Collections. Rebecca learned archival skills, became comfortable with hand-written pieces of history, and synthesized information. Overall, this internship was one of Rebecca's favorite life experiences, and she will always remember the conviction of Frances Perkins, who said "social justice would be my vocation."Item Open Access Law and Order: Human Rights of Ghana(2015-08-24) Hwang, SharonIn a country where corruption rules, where discrimination can come in any form and where the most trusted government officials can be your worst enemy, comes The Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) in Cape Coast, Ghana. This commission strives to live by the ideology of advocating, promoting and enforcing human rights regardless of age, gender, socioeconomic status and religion. As a legal intern at the CHRAJ, Sharon Hwang assisted the commissioner, mediator and investigator in meditations, court proceedings and investigations presented to the commission and actively discussed resolutions with the head mediator of the branch, regarding cases presented by the complainant. This internship provided Sharon with an insight into human rights and international law and allowed her to interact with different cultures of Ghanaian law, providing her with insight and skills of logical thought, problem solving, conflict resolution and legal techniques. She received firsthand experience on several of the major human rights problems Ghana faces daily and effective measures of how to handle a diverse array of conflicts, ranging from child custody hearings to investigations against the Ghanaian police.Item Open Access Selling the Seas: Global Marketing at Royal Caribbean(2015-08-24) Maitre, Stephanie HenrietteRoyal Caribbean International is a leading cruise line with 16 markets spanning across the globe. One of the challenges large corporations face is the lack of communication across their global offices. As a Global Sales and Marketing intern, I implemented an online platform and created a Best Practices program. These initiatives will allow global marketing teams to efficiently share ideas and strategize ways to strengthen Royal Caribbean's brand in order to reach a larger international audience. This presentation will discuss how these initiatives came to fruition, to create an internal sense of corporate global consciousness, bringing Royal Caribbean Marketing together as “One Brand. One Team.”