Jepson Research Symposium

The Jepson School of Leadership Studies hosts a symposium each spring to give students an opportunity to showcase their research projects and to recognize students who will earn honors. The 13th annual Jepson Research Symposium and Honors Recognition Ceremony will be held from 10:30 a.m.- 12 p.m., Friday, April 19, 2024, on the main floor of Jepson Hall. The symposium will feature students' honors research, summer research, independent study, and directed study.  

Expand All
  • Honors

    Katrina Hale
    Katrina Hale
    Offense or Defense: Leadership of the NBA and NFL in Response to Athlete Activism
     
    My thesis examines how the National Football League and the National Basketball Association, two major U.S. professional sports leagues, differ dramatically in their response to instances of athlete activism. Through the examination of two cases – Colin Kaepernick kneeling in 2016 and the Milwaukee Bucks walkout of 2020 – I demonstrate how the culture of the sports and the leagues, as well as the leadership and power structures of each organization, contributed to these differences.
    Research Advisor: Dr. Thad Williamson 

    Sophia Hartman
    Sophia Hartman
    Care or Compliance? 
    An Examination of Sexual Violence and Institutional Responses at Two Crisis Points
    My thesis considers the changes to age-of-consent laws in the United States during the Progressive Era and the current response to sexual violence on college campuses as two crisis points in which prevention efforts institutionalize norms of violence and hierarchical values of persons’ autonomy. It then turns to theories of care work to consider an alternative framework for violence prevention.
    Research Advisor: Dr. Lauren N. Henley 

     Josie Holland
    Josie Holland
    Out-of-Time and Out-of-Place: Queer Horizons of Popular Culture
    My project is an exploration of the semi-utopic queer-community building in and around a work of popular culture, the HBO series "Our Flag Means Death" (OFMD). In examining OFMD, I use a Fictional Relativity Theory, a cultural production framework that looks at the ways a text organizes time and space to reveal something about the work’s ideology. My thesis also asserts that works of popular culture, especially those that spark a utopian impulse, perform leadership through inspiration.
    Research Advisor: Dr. Kristin M. S. Bezio 

    Emma Kennedy
    Emma Kennedy
    Effect of Sports Participation on Health Outcomes for Immigrant Youth
    My study investigates the relationship between youth sports participation and health outcomes for immigrants. Given the theory behind the relationship between physical activity level, sense of community, and health, I test whether immigrants are impacted by youth sports participation on a higher level than non-immigrants. Using secondary survey data with Stata as my analysis software tool, I measure the correlations between immigrant status, sports participation and indicators of health conditions, including BMI and chronic illness.
    Research Advisor: Dr. Volha (Olga) Chykina

    Sophie Martinez
    Sofie Martinez
    Gender-Based Violence and All Its Erasure

    My intersectional case study analysis was designed to determine organizations’ and administrations’ most prominent characteristics that may lead to gender-based violence. By looking at the Salem Witch Trials in Massachusetts, feminicides in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, and patterns of sexual assault on college campuses, my project aims to construct an indexing system to rank any organization on its structure and its conductivity to gender-based violence. 
    Research Advisor: Dr. Kristin M. S. Bezio and Dr. Mariela Mendez

    Kathryn Reda
    Kathryn Reda
    Political Polarization and Science in America
    My project aims to assess the role political ideology and scientific knowledge play in belief formation on a variety of scientific topics by using both social science and humanities research approaches. Findings suggest that politic ideology significantly influences scientific belief formation on both political and nonpolitical topics. Therefore, it is essential to restore science as an apolitical institution.
    Research Advisor: Dr. Kristin M. S. Bezio 

    Sam Shapiro
    Sam Shapiro
    A Necessary Evil: A Leadership Analysis of Major League Baseball’s Best Managers
    My thesis provides an analysis of the 10 best Major League Baseball managers from 1903 through the present day. It focuses on the presence of subjects’ charisma and perseverance and the use of task and relational leadership and situational leadership. The project is rooted in the historical context of different eras of baseball history: World Series Era (1903-1920), Landis Era (1920-1947), Integration Era (1947-1968), Collective Bargaining Era (1968-1976), Free Agency Era (1976-1998), and $100 Million Dollar Contract Era (1998-present).
    Research Advisor: Dr. Julian Maxwell Hayter

  • Summer Research

    Sofi ConwayChris MitchellCameron Peterson

    Sofi Conway, Chris Mitchell, and Cameron Peterson
    Searching for Lost Souls  
    Under the guidance of Dr. Lauren Henley, we set out to answer historical questions about a set of women imprisoned at Louisiana State Penitentiary. Our shared goal was to learn everything we could in order to help our advisor gather information she hoped to include in her manuscript.
    Research Advisor: Dr. Lauren N. Henley 

  • Independent Study

    Alejandra De Leon
    Alejandra De Leon
    Influencers Disrupt Political Markets
       
    As a result of emerging forms of media and decreasing consumer attention spans, traditional forms of advertising have become less effective. My research examines the growing field of influencer marketing, focusing specifically on influencers’ disruption on political campaigns. I dive into the benefits influencers have, as they have proven more effective when compared to traditional advertising.
    Research Advisor: Dr. Christopher R. von Rueden 

    Lexi DiMarinis
    Lexi DeMarinis

    Sex Trafficking: How Does It Happen?
    My research looks at sex trafficking in the United States, with a focus on the local community in Richmond, Virginia. With an aim of gaining ground-level empirical insight, I interviewed key Richmond-area informants who work closely with survivors. I asked how recruitment into trafficking happens in the United States. I also investigated how law enforcement and healthcare professionals are trained to handle trafficking cases.
    Research Advisors: Dr. Tom J. Shields and Dr. Bob Spires

    Anna George
    Anna George
    Benefits of Strength Training for Mobility and Ambulation in Children with Spastic Diplegic Cerebral Palsy
    My research focuses on debates in current literature about the best treatment methods for spastic muscles in children with cerebral palsy. I argue that strength training through various physical therapy techniques shows the most success in ambulation and mobility in children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy. Strength training is the best method for achieving these movement goals because it helps improve posture, leg strength, and balance and reduces toe walking and crouch gait.
    Research Advisor: Dr. Christopher R. von Rueden and Dr. John Vaughan 

    Maeve Hall
    Maeve Hall

    Understanding Housing and Homelessness in a Richmond Context
    The goal of my independent study project is to understand the causes of homelessness at an institutional level and gain insight into the human toll of homelessness. My project culminates with a short podcast series featuring my interviews with people about different facets of this issue and their thoughts on the most important interventions that could be taken. Working with the CCE, I hope to highlight opportunities for students to engage with this issue.
    Research Advisor: Dr. Thad Williamson 

    Caitlin Wiegert
    Caitlin Wiegert
    Psychometrics as Hiring Criteria: How Much Should We Use?
    My research considers that although certain psychometric evaluations have proven to be valid assessments, employers should not limit their hiring decisions to these assessments. The results of psychometric assessment should be considered by employers when conducting future interviews with candidates, as well as when onboarding new employees. This approach would reduce the possibility of false results arising from candidates responding in a socially desirable manner and eliminate bias toward marginalized groups.
    Research Advisor: Dr. Christopher R. von Rueden 

    Christopher Wilson
    Christopher D. Wilson Jr.
    Sex Discrimination and Religion in a Liberal Democracy: The Implications of the Equality Act (H.R.5) for American Society
    In my research, I apply the philosophy of John Rawls to argue that laws should be justified by reference to values--such as freedom and equality--shared by members of a liberal democracy, given that LGBTQ+ and religious persons may have opposing views about what respect for freedom and equality requires. I conclude my research by describing the costs and benefits of requiring citizens to reconsider their views when having moral disagreements with others.
    Research Advisor: Dr. Marilie Coetsee

  • Directed Study

    Miriam Gilman Ilana LavineSamara RosenOlivia Vandervelden
    Miriam Gilman, Ilana Lavine, Samara Rosen, and Olivia Vandervelden
    Women in Hollywood
    Throughout the semester, we examined how Hollywood portrays women by watching various contemporary television shows and movies. These included, but were not limited to, "Legally Blonde" and "Mulan" as well as episodes from "Blackish" and "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel." We then identified overarching themes, namely race and identity, beauty standards, gender roles and familial expectations. Based on these themes, we created two zines that explore the implications of gender.
    Research Advisor: Dr. Kristin M. S. Bezio 

    Hayley SimmsJennifer Schlur
    Haley Simms and Jennifer Schlur
    Mental Health Representation in Film  
    Our directed study explores the representation of mental health in films and the impacts and correlations it has with wider society. We consider mental health depictions in film from the 1940s to the current decade and evaluate how representations, stereotypes and depictions have changed.
    Research Advisor: Dr. Kristin M. S. Bezio