Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program

Unit: Department of Geography and the Environment

Faculty Leads: Brenda Boonabaana & Carolina Faria

Meeting Time: Friday 3–5 PM

About the project:
This research project explores localized and transnational care for eco-environs impacted by environmental degradation and pollution. It emphasizes the geographies of care (who performs care, the vulnerabilities involved, and sustainable solutions) through spatial narratives that reveal diverse perspectives shaping sustainability. Case studies from Uganda, Mexico, the Amazon, and Hawai’i highlight how political, cultural, and historical contexts influence pathways toward transformative, locally grounded solutions.

Student researchers will work within the Feminist Geography Collective, a collaborative research group focused on the relationship between power and place, with a central emphasis on decolonial and feminist political ecology. They will gain hands-on experience in archival and qualitative data collection and analysis, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and story mapping. Training includes foundational theory, case study analysis, and practical skills such as grant writing, event organizing, and developing visual outputs like posters and digital story maps. Students will co-author academic articles, contribute to two special issues on “Feminist Political Ecologies of Extraction & Resistance,” and help create new teaching materials to support collective learning.

Unit: Life in Frequencies Health Disparity (LifeHD) Lab within the Population Research Center (PRC)

Faculty Lead: Jacob Cheadle

Meeting Time: Friday 2–3 PM

About the project:
This research project investigates how the loss of a family member affects young adults’ emotional and physiological health, with a focus on how social inequality shapes these outcomes across the life course. It integrates sociological, psychological, and biomedical approaches to explore how social experiences influence stress, emotion, and biological processes, contributing to broader understandings of health disparities and emotional well-being.

Student researchers will be integrated into the LifeHD Health Disparities Lab and will train in biosocial research methods, including ecological momentary assessment (EMA), biosensor setup, biological sample collection, and ethical participant interaction. They will gain hands-on experience in data collection, survey administration, and interdisciplinary research practices, while developing technical, analytical, and collaborative skills. Students will contribute to an NIH-funded study, produce reflective research materials, and help refine lab protocols for future data collection.

Unit: Department of History

Faculty Lead: Jonathan Cortez

Meeting Time: Thursday 9–10 AM

About the project:
This research project centers on the 2022 San Antonio tragedy in which fifty-three migrants died inside a sealed shipping container. Students will engage with immigration history and the sociopolitical conditions that lead to such events, drawing from a forthcoming scholarly article to contextualize the tragedy within broader patterns of migration, trade, and deterrence. The project uses public history as a research method to examine how global processes contribute to state-induced violence and migrant deaths, while honoring the lives lost through historically grounded storytelling.

Student researchers will design two public history materials: (1) a zine offering historical context surrounding the tragedy and (2) memorial cards that humanize each of the fifty-three victims. They will conduct research on immigration policy and migrant experiences, develop writing and design skills for public audiences, and practice ethical approaches to representing lives lost. Students will also participate in a community-based workshop in San Antonio, where they will present and refine their materials, gaining experience in public engagement and collaborative research.

Unit: Language Development Lab / Children’s Research Center / Department of Psychology

Faculty Lead: Catharine Echols

Meeting Time: Tuesday 5–6 PM

About the project:
This research project investigates how person-first (e.g., “person with autism”) versus condition-first (e.g., “autistic person”) language influences children’s perceptions of individuals with disabilities. Through stories and follow-up questions, the study explores how children interpret the centrality of a condition to a person’s identity and make judgments about their social characteristics. The research project focuses on physical, sensory, and cognitive disabilities, contributing to broader understandings of language, social perception, and child development.

Student researchers will assist with multiple aspects of the study, including recruiting families, collecting data from children, and managing and verifying research data. They will receive training in human subjects ethics, participant interaction, and research procedures, and will engage in weekly meetings to discuss project goals, methods, and findings. Through this experience, students will develop skills in research design, data analysis, teamwork, and communication, while gaining insight into how language shapes social perceptions and how research is conducted in developmental psychology.

Unit: Institute for Urban Policy Research & Analysis (AKA the Institute for Research & Policy, “IRP”)

Faculty Lead: Edmund T. Gordon

Meeting Time: Tuesday 11 AM–12 PM

About the project:
This research project explores how plurality and democracy intersect with public policy through multidisciplinary social science research. Students will be assigned to one of nine working groups within the Institute for Urban Policy Research and Analysis (AKA the Institute for Research and Policy, “IRP”), each focused on different topics such as education policy, reproductive justice, demographic mapping, and political movements in the African diaspora. Through these diverse research lenses, students will examine how democratic relations are shaped by social structures and how research can inform policy solutions to real-world challenges.

Student researchers will assist with literature reviews, engage with data collection and cleaning, and contribute to presentations and working group discussions. They will also attend IRP events and interact with scholars and practitioners to deepen their understanding of research methods, policy development, and evidence-based advocacy. By the end of the program, students will complete a capstone project that includes a reflective memo and a one-page policy brief, gaining practical experience in research design, policy analysis, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Unit: Digital Writing & Research Laboratory (DWRL)

Faculty Lead: S. Scott Graham

Meeting Time: Thursday 3:30–4:30 PM

About the project:
This research project investigates the global history of anatomy and pathology museums, focusing on institutions founded by physicians and surgeons within a single academic genealogy tracing back to Pieter Pauw’s university anatomy museum in Leiden (1595). Students will contribute to the development of a digital public repository that documents museum founders, curators, holdings, and geographic data. The archive will be image-rich and designed to support historical research on the role these museums played in medical education and research across diverse global contexts.

Student researchers will receive training in archival search strategies, digital object curation, metadata protocols, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). They will conduct independent research using digital archives and online sources, collecting and organizing data for inclusion in the repository. Through this work, students will gain experience in digital humanities methods, historical research, and collaborative archive development, contributing to a publicly accessible resource that supports scholarship in medical and digital history.

Unit: Department of English

Faculty Lead: Geraldine Heng

Meeting Time: Tuesday 5–6 PM

About the project:
This research project investigates how white supremacist and white nationalist groups misuse the expressive and material culture of the European Middle Ages—such as literature, artifacts, and art—to promote hate and division. By collecting and digitizing these materials, the project creates a searchable database that allows researchers and educators to critically examine extremist rhetoric without having to navigate unsafe or unannotated online spaces. The database supports teaching, research, and public education across disciplines, offering a vital tool for understanding how historical narratives are weaponized in contemporary white nationalist movements.

Student researchers will engage in both traditional and digital scholarship, including primary and secondary source acquisition, analysis, digitization, and annotation. They will be trained in digital tools such as Omeka and TimelineJS, gaining experience in metadata protocols, digital archive development, and functional website design. Students will also collaborate on research tasks and contribute to a team-constructed grant proposal for future development of the project, while building essential skills in critical analysis, digital publishing, and interdisciplinary research.

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Unit: Texas English Linguistics Lab (TELL)

Faculty Lead: Lars Hinrichs

Meeting Time: Wednesday 1–2 PM

About the project:
This research project investigates how social factors are influencing the evolution of Texas English in the 21st century. Through the study of recorded interviews, phonetic analysis, and regional demographic data, this project explores patterns of language variation and change across the state of Texas. The project combines qualitative and quantitative methods to uncover how cultural and social dynamics contribute to the development of this regional dialect.

Student researchers will contribute to data preparation, collection, and analysis, working with primary sources such as interviews and transcripts, and integrating secondary sources like demographic and cultural data. They will gain experience in data management, discourse analysis, and digital tools including AVAnnotate, GIS software, Tableau, R, and Python. Students will also be encouraged to participate in undergraduate research events and will have the opportunity to develop individual research projects, building skills in method selection, interpretation, and presentation.

Unit: Linguistics Research Center

Faculty Lead: Danny Law

Meeting Time: Thursday 10–11 AM

About the project:
This research project explores ancient and underrepresented languages from regions such as Mesoamerica, the Middle East, and parts of Europe and Asia, placing them in rich historical and social context. Through the development of public-facing online lexical databases (e.g., IELEX, SemitiLEX, and MayaLEX) the project supports research in historical linguistics and writing systems, while also addressing software design issues that shape how users interact with scholarly data. By building resources that are accessible to both specialists and non-specialists, the project contributes to broader efforts in the digital humanities to recover and preserve linguistic heritage.

Student researchers will contribute to database construction and curation, gaining experience in archival research, metadata protocols, and digital interface design. They will be introduced to linguistic concepts such as sound structures, language change, and historical writing systems, while also learning computational tools including OpenRefine, Python, and GitHub. Students will develop skills in problem-solving, data cleaning, and adapting scholarly materials for varied audiences, making meaningful contributions to long-term digital resources that support teaching, research, and public education.

Unit: Department of History

Faculty Lead: Monica Muñoz Martinez

Meeting Time: TBD (will be updated here soon)

About the project:
This research project investigates the landscape of public history in Texas by analyzing historical markers, monuments, and museums across the state. It explores how the Texas Historical Commission has shaped public memory since its founding in 1953, and evaluates the impact of initiatives like the Untold Marker Program, which aims to address historical gaps and underrepresented narratives. The research considers what histories are accessible or inaccessible to Texas residents and how public commemorations reflect—or obscure—broader historical truths.

Student researchers will divide the state into regions and select counties to review public history sites, analyzing the people, places, and topics commemorated. They will receive training in archival and digital research methods, develop a tagging system to categorize historical markers, and learn mapping skills to create visualizations. Students will contribute to a collaborative report that presents findings and offers recommendations for expanding public engagement with Texas history, while gaining experience in historical analysis, data organization, and public history research.

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Unit: Humanities Institute 

Faculty Lead: Samantha Pinto

Meeting Time: Wednesday 9–10 AM

About the project:
This research project builds on the recently launched UT Mobile Reproductive Health Lab, which investigates how law, access, and resources shape reproductive health across diverse communities and geographies. The lab examines mobile reproductive care through global and local case studies—from South African maternal health apps to rural Texas clinic closures and global by-mail pharmaceuticals—analyzing how these tools function within cultural norms and legal frameworks. The goal is to document available resources and critically assess their representation and effectiveness in addressing reproductive health needs.

Student researchers will contribute to two pilot projects: coding interviews with Texas healthcare providers and analyzing mobile reproductive health apps and services worldwide. They will be trained in interview coding, legal research, comparative health research, and critical cultural analysis of technology and media. Students will also gain experience working with medical journals, clinical studies, and introductory GIS tools, while collaborating on co-authored research papers and public-facing infographics designed to support healthcare and legal professionals and improve community access to reproductive resources.

Unit: Department of Spanish & Portuguese

Faculty Lead: Sandro Sessarego

Meeting Time: Wednesday 1–2 PM

About the project:
This research project investigates Afro-Latino Vernaculars of the Americas (ALVAs), contact languages that emerged from the interaction of African languages, Spanish, and Portuguese during colonial times. Through linguistic, sociohistorical, and anthropological perspectives, the research aims to document and analyze these underrepresented varieties, contributing to the preservation and understanding of Afro-Hispanic linguistic heritage. Student researchers will work with a curated corpus of recorded interviews, focusing on specific linguistic features such as phonetic and morphosyntactic structures, and exploring the historical and cultural contexts in which these languages developed.

Student researchers will gain hands-on experience in linguistic research methodologies, including transcription quality control, sociolinguistic analyses, and contextual research. They will be trained by graduate students with expertise in tools such as ELAN, FLEx, Praat, Wavesurfer, GoldVarb X, R-Studio, and SPSS, while learning to manage and analyze linguistic data. The cohort will collaborate on enhancing the corpus and preparing research for academic presentations and publications, while building skills in data analysis, corpus management, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Unit: Department of Government

Faculty Lead: Sean Theriault

Meeting Time: Monday 4:30–5:30 PM

About the project:
This research project contributes to the Policy Agendas Project (PAP), a long-term effort to measure and analyze the legislative agenda of the U.S. Congress. By collecting and coding data from archived congressional bills, the project tracks changes in national policy priorities and outcomes since World War II. The resulting database is a widely used resource for journalists, scholars, and advocacy groups to assess how congressional and presidential actions reflect public concerns and political trends over time.

Student researchers will be trained to code congressional bills by policy topic using the PAP codebook, gaining expertise in public policy classification and legislative analysis. They will learn to navigate complex policy language, reconcile coding decisions through collaborative review, and gain a deeper understanding of congressional decision-making. By semester’s end, students will have coded thousands of bills, while developing valuable skills in data interpretation, policy analysis, and academic communication.

Unit: Innovations for Peace and Development (IPD)

Faculty Leads: Kate Weaver & Dan Nielson

Meeting Time: Monday 5–6:30 PM

About the project:
This research project investigates how recent and significant cuts to U.S. development and humanitarian aid are reshaping both the global aid landscape and international perceptions of the United States. Using survey research, including experimental designs, the project will gather data from both development professionals and general populations in the U.S. and abroad. The goal is to understand how people perceive U.S. aid compared to other global donors, and how shifts in aid policy shape attitudes toward its legitimacy, effectiveness, and desirability.

Student researchers will be trained in survey design, implementation, and analysis, including experimental treatments to measure public and elite opinion on development aid. They will gain experience conducting background research, working with international collaborators, and using social media platforms for survey distribution. Through this process, students will develop a deeper understanding of the structure and history of the global development aid and financial system, build skills in data collection and interpretation, and engage in collaborative research that may lead to future opportunities.

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