The Center for Global Studies showcased both professionals and grad students canvassing solutions to international dilemmas this week during a conference held at on the second floor of the Union.
Jean Garrison, the director of global and area studies and professor of international studies and political science said the conference, titled Wyoming Goes Global: UW Faculty and Students Developing Practical Solutions to Address International Problems, was to illustrate the importance of research and how it affects the culture.
“Why do we do research? We do research to have impact.” Garrison said. “We do research to become a part of the dialogue and a contributor to knowledge.”
The event opened Sunday. It resumed in the afternoon on Sunday, finishing at 7 p.m. The day consisted of career panels, a roundtable, several research presentations from faculty and students on campus and finally an international poster session where more students had the opportunity to share their experiences.
One of the featured panels focused on student-led international fieldwork. Faculty members who spoke oversaw said projects with little to no intervention. Richard Schmidt, department head and professor of the College of Engineering and Applied Science, said the Engineers Without Borders student project to build a school in Chocomuc, Guatemala was an undertaking the students should be proud of.
“If it weren’t for the inexhaustible energy and dedication of our students, these projects wouldn’t be possible,” he said.
In addition to the group projects discussed in the session, four graduate students spoke as a part of another panel. They were each able to go on their trips thanks to receiving the Dick and Lynne Cheney Study Abroad Grant, among other donations and grants.
One of the students, Maame Hagen, traveled to Ghana and researched social change occurring as a result of a recent oil discovery in the area. She illustrated the benefits of international fieldwork projects.
“Just having the practical research part of this work was very beneficial to me,” she said. “I would encourage people to actually go out and do international work because it kind of opens your eyes to the world. It’s a very beneficial experience.”
Though much of the conference was tethered to student projects, one of the panels dealt with faculty-specific projects.
One of the speakers, Nevin Aiken, a political science and global and area studies assistant professor, went to Ireland and studied the conduct of paramilitary forces. He went on to outline the fact that bombings and shooting by the Republican paramilitary have been increasing since 2009.
“Obviously a very broad breadth of research is going on up here, which is one of the great things about the global and area studies program,” he said. “We’ve had these great conversations about what joins us all together.”
