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War and Peace (Leidner Lab)

Our competitive Research Intensives program places high-achieving high school students in professional working labs alongside distinguished faculty, graduate and undergraduate students.

Research Intensive in the War and Peace Lab (Leidner Lab)

Generally, research in the War & Peace Lab is concerned with: international violence and conflict; international justice, reconciliation, and peace; political polarization; science communication and public trust in science during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the COVID-related as well as other research is also done globally, including many countries from all over the world. Most research, however, is done in the US, Israel and the Middle East (Westbank, Iran), and the Balkans (Bosnia, Serbia). Interest in these world regions in particular is a must. Experience with other countries, cultures, languages (e.g., Arabic, Hebrew, Serbian) is desirable.

The Leidner Lab can host 2 students. Learn more.


Program Overview

During this program, high school students will assist UMass faculty and graduate students in research labs while learning about research methodologies and contributing to ongoing research studies. Each student will create and present a research poster to faculty, fellow students, friends and family at a poster session at the end of the program.

Students will come away with an introduction to the field of Biology, firsthand experience with university-level research, and an understanding of opportunities that exist for undergraduate students at a major R1 university such as UMass Amherst.