CJLS RISE into Research

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CJLS RISE into Research is currently accepting applications for Summer 2026 faculty participants — the deadline to apply has been extended to February 6. If you are interested in learning more, please visit the CJLS RISE into Research faculty application website. 

As an undergraduate, finding real-world research opportunities can be difficult. These students often lack research experience and need to develop the ability to ask effective research questions, create a plan for completing the research, and then undertake the work of conducting the research itself. However, the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS) is lucky to have a program designed to help students build these skills. 

CJLS RISE into Research is the result of a four-year partnership between the Center for Justice, Law, and Societies (CJLS) and the SBS RISE program. CJLS RISE into Research aims to help students eligible for the SBS RISE program gain real-world experience and engage in professional research projects across SBS fields. The fellowship pairs each student in the program with a faculty mentor who will help them gain experience in research design, methods, and publication. Each student-faculty team receives $5,000 to support full-time work throughout the summer. 

Jamie Rowen, professor of legal studies and political science, and co-founder of CJLS, describes the program as “work[ing] on behalf of underserved undergraduates. The program was developed through Professor Rowen’s partnership with Felicia Griffin-Fennell, lecturer of sociology and director of SBS RISE. “The purpose of this fellowship…is to help students who identify as first-generation, BIPOC, and/or are from low-income families with a primary or secondary SBS major.” The pair aimed to create a program that allowed underserved undergraduates to experience the research design, methodology, and publication processes.

Once accepted as fellows, students meet with their mentor faculty member to gain an understanding of the research they will work on and the work expectations for the coming summer months. The 2025 class of fellows was comprised of four students and faculty members, working within a variety of fields. Robert Long, a communications major, was paired with Burcu Bakyurt, assistant professor of communication, working on The Political Economy of Gov-Tec, examining the political and ethical dynamics behind the shift from public open data initiatives to privatized data infrastructures in U.S. city governments.

Sarah Dienta, a major in economics, collaborated with John Clegg, assistant professor of economics, on “Counterfactual Reparations: The Effect of Naval Prizes on the Life Outcomes of African American Civil War Sailors.” Sarah analyzed a dataset of African American sailors who received financial incentives for capturing or destroying Confederate ships, using these payments as a counterfactual framework for understanding the long-term impacts of reparations. 

Jenelle Donahue, a sociology major, worked with Kimberlee Pérez, associate professor of communication, on Telling Survival Stories, a project using storytelling methods as both a communication tool and a form of cultural critique. Centering the voices and experiences of survivors, the project examines how we talk and ask questions about sexual violence and harm, and how these conversations shape society’s collective understanding and responses to survivors and their experiences. “I found the CJLS RISE into Research program to be really helpful, especially as a beginner researcher with no prior experience. I enjoyed the ISSR workshops as well, as I gained more necessary knowledge that I didn’t have before, and I will use it to continue my academic and professional journey,” says Donahue. 

Uttara Prakash, a major in resource economics, worked with Marta Vicarelli, assistant professor of economics, on Recovery, Renewal, and Resilience in a Post-Pandemic World (RRR), a multi-year, NSF-funded research initiative investigating green and inclusive economic growth in costal communities. Prakash enjoyed her experience, noting, “Being part of the CJLS RISE into Research program genuinely shaped my year. It was the first time I got to see how research connects to real people and real communities, and I’m incredibly grateful to CJLS, SBS RISE, the donors, and especially my mentor, Professor Marta Vicarelli, for making that possible. The program gave me the chance to dive into interdisciplinary, real-world research for the first time, and I loved how hands-on it was.” 

The finale of the research experience is a research symposium where the fellows present their research and findings to an audience, receiving a glimpse of what it would be like to present at an academic conference. “We aspire for students to develop their identities through this,” notes Griffin-Fennell. Both Rowen and Griffin-Fennell hope that the program can continue for years to come, helping students to harness deep professional growth and creating mentoring relationships with faculty.