Three St. Thomas history students, seniors Krista Mehrl, Nathan Parsons and Andrew Ring, will present their undergraduate research at the Mississippi State University Symposium for Undergraduate Historical Research May 1-3.
The trio will be travelling to MSU to present their year-long research projects with an eight to 10-page research paper for each topic.
The students received both research grants and funding from the history department to pay for this endeavor, according to Anne Klejment, a St. Thomas history professor and the students’ faculty adviser.
“All three students got student conference grants from the university, and the history department is helping them out as well,” Klejment said. “It’s an awesome experience to have because it recognizes all of the hard work they have done and looks great on a resume.”
Resume-building isn’t the only thing that appeals to these seniors. All three have expressed their excitement simply over the opportunity to talk about a topic they have poured their hearts and souls into.
“It’s a great experience … It allows me to share my research and findings to a broader audience that I normally would not have the capabilities to reach,” Ring said.
Parsons said he was really looking forward to speak in front of other historians, as he has spent much of the last year working on his topic: American brutality in the Philippines and America’s justification for their actions.
“I got the Young Scholars Grant over the summer – that’s when I started this project and where most of my researching and writing occurred,” Parsons said. “My work is actually in the process of being published in the Journal of Military History right now.”
The symposium is set up so that each student will present on a panel with two or three other students from across the nation who have all done research on similar topics.
“My project is on propaganda and media manipulation during the Soviet Union, particularly against a small group of farmers called the Kulaks,” Ring said. “My panel is with people presenting on WWII or media issues in the early 20th century.”
Mehrl will also be presenting at MSU with her project on American women and their significance in Vietnam.
“More than 5,000 women served in Vietnam as army nurses,” Mehrl said. “Yet, it is debatable how much female military roles changed while they served.”
This is Klejment’s first year advising the research program, and she hopes more history students will join in the coming years.
“We really encourage students to apply,” said Klejment. “It’s such a valuable opportunity not only for college, but for oral communication experience with knowledgeable peers as well.”
Whitney Oachs can be reached at oach5325@stthomas.edu.