Student-faculty research teams accepted to prestigious national research training program

SUNY Geneseo has a wide variety of research opportunities for students over a range of majors and interests. Under the guidance and direction of a faculty member, students study topics from cultural anthropology and linguistics to biochemistry. These types and range of research opportunities are rare in undergraduate institutions, and the wide availability of these opportunities is one of Geneseo’s most notable features as an undergraduate-focused college.  

Recently, two student-faculty research teams were selected by the Scholars Transforming Through Research Program (STR). According to the Council on Undergraduate Research, an organization that advocates for and provides opportunities for undergraduate research in colleges across the country, the STR provides “a six month professional development opportunity for undergraduate students and faculty/mentors interested in garnering communication and advocacy skills to leverage the impact of their undergraduate research experience by conveying their story to stakeholder groups such as funding agencies, association partners, elected officials, future employers, community, and beyond.”

This year, the teams represented by the STR come from sixty-two different institutions and twenty-eight states, with seventy-five campus representatives and one hundred and twenty-four undergraduate students. The Geneseo research groups selected for the program are Associate Professor of Global Languages and Cultures Kodjo Adabra with junior sociology and psychology double major Gaetan Jean Louis, and Assistant Professor of English Olaocha Nwabara with senior sustainability studies and women’s and gender studies double major Yarold “Yaro” Bautista Martinez. 

“My research topic is ‘First-Hand Encounter with Multilingualism in Senegal. The Re-Defining of a Multiplicity of Voices’” said Jean Louis, who performs research that is an anthropological, sociological, and demographical study of the native/indigenous languages of Senegal.

“Studying abroad in Senegal last summer allowed me to conduct research about something I am truly passionate about: languages,” said Jean Louis in an email interview. “Growing up in a linguistically diverse environment not only contributed to my fluency in five different languages but it also and most importantly instilled in me a thirst for knowledge in regard to any discipline that approaches, studies, or analyzes language. When I got accepted to the study abroad program in Senegal, I automatically knew that my research would be about languages.”

“This topic was also important for me to study because most people have a lot of misconceptions about African/Caribbean languages,” said Jean Louis. “When the science says that Senegal has 43 national languages, they don't refer to dialects or regional idioms. Senegal has 43 distinct languages that are diametrically opposed to one another and are not quite mutually understandable.”

Jean Louis hopes that their research will encourage a greater awareness about the complicated linguistic ecosystem of African nations like Senegal. 

“I hope to bring more awareness about the linguistic situation of Senegal, and also Africa as a continent in general, by attending those conferences and presenting my research next semester in Washington D.C. with other undergraduate researchers.” Jean Louis is also excited to learn more about being a researcher and attend the workshops in Virginia. 

Jean Louis encouraged other students to pursue research that they are passionate and spread awareness about their areas of study, regardless of the subject they are interested in, as a way of both expanding their resume and learning about their subject in a very meaningful way. 

“Doing research may seem intimidating but if you are doing research about something you truly enjoy, trust me, it will be plenty of fun! Plus, your professor will be beyond happy to be a mentor for you throughout the process by allowing you to learn/share as much as possible. If you decide to start the exciting journey of research, not only will you have something very substantial to add to your resume, but you will also build meaningful relationships along the way, take away relevant information, and grow as a human by acquiring more awareness of the world and its treasures.”