Summer Research Series: Pursuing the Logan Research Legacy

Martino has seen firsthand the challenge of conducting open-ended research – but said she’s been grateful for the unique experience.

“It’s an awesome opportunity that they let students come up with their own research topic that is our own and is original,” Martino said. After taking a Soviet history course at Emmanuel, her interest in the topic stuck, leading her to research Josef Stalin’s cult of personality and following.

Her faculty mentor, Associate Professor Melanie Murphy, Ph.D., said giving students access to this type of independent work helps them build their own perception of themselves as scholars. “There’s nothing like that, really,” Dr. Murphy said.

Martino has pored through online archives, articles, imagery and more to help support her findings, forcing her to practice focusing on one piece of the project at a time. When she does get stuck, she said Dr. Murphy’s support has been crucial.

“She’s there to lift you up and re-motivate! She’s always engaged and contributes to the conversation when I’m stuck,” Martino said.

This research and partnership, Dr. Murphy added, is “recognition that we admire their hard work – even great students need the recognition.”

The Logan Scholarship has been a “gift” for Mullins she said. Mullins aspires to study Eastern European history at graduate school and become a historian – which is why she said she appreciates all the valuable skills she’s been developing this summer.

Having the time dedicated to the research and learning how to pursue a long-term project for an undergraduate, Mullins said, especially when it’s a project that she and her fellow Logan Scholars selected, is so beneficial for their futures.

When applying to graduate school for example, Mullins said, “I can say it’s a project that I’ve done and that I’ve built independently.” That factor was daunting at first, she added, but it caused her to really think about how she approached roadblocks and worked on her research methods.

It’s also allowed her to fully dive into the topic of research. Mullins is investigating the use of mass Soviet graves as propaganda, and specifically analyzing how the facts and frameworks change depending on the time period and where the story comes from.

Mullins is preparing for the next step of her research when she’ll be looking through the archives at Yale University. “It’s nerve-wracking but exciting! I hope to gain the skills to use archival documents and then be able to walk away more confident about how I’ll apply those skills in the future,” she said.

Decker isn’t participating as a research fellow under the Logan Scholarship. Instead, Decker is working as a research assistant to Associate Professor of History Violetta Ravagnoli Ph.D. while he does his own research as well.

Through the Emmanuel College Faculty Development Committee (FDC), faculty members are able to apply for student research assistants, which provides an additional opportunity for collaboration between students and faculty outside of the typical classroom setting.

He is, however, linked with both Martino and Mullins through subject matter – and a proposal for a panel in the New England Historical Association meeting on October 26th. His research, which he hopes to continue for his dissertation, is analyzing cookbooks from Yugoslavia and observing how its culture adapted and changed through the literature as the country was dissolved. 

In conjunction with Martino and Mullins, the panel they have proposed reflects the use of different types of propaganda to shape collective consciousness and manipulation of memory and historical narratives. 

Since he’s applying the skills he learns as he goes, Decker said supporting Dr. Ravagnoli’s research this summer all that more valuable. “It’s been instrumental – I’ve been learning the ropes,” Decker said. “It’s a lesson in taking your time, taking a step back and using a more systematic approach.”

Though it’s still yet to be seen whether or not the student trio will have their panel request approved, they’re gaining valuable experience through the research process and elsewhere. Most recently, Decker spent a week in the archives at Stony Brook University to view primary sources.

“This is a great opportunity that is not usually given [to students] as undergraduates,” Dr. Ravagnoli said. “[Decker is] building a skillset that he’ll take with him beyond this work and beyond Emmanuel.”

Feyler has been spending her summer diving into Native American history. Being from Maine, she decided to look into the Abenaki tribes, and her interest in language led her to study how the Abenaki passed their traditions and culture through storytelling.

She has analyzed articles, audio clips and other primary sources and observed how crucial interpretation of the oral history has been – and how it can shift the stories overall.

For Feyler, the research environment was definitely an adjustment from a more structured schedule during the school year. While it was a challenge at first, she was able to learn more about herself and how she works independently on open-ended projects.

“I’ve loved getting to geek out about something for three months,” Feyler added.

She’s also enjoyed how creative she can get when the research project is her own, and hasn’t had to “leave anything unread” because of more frequent deadlines.