Last week the trainings and discussions we had cut across the disciplines. How does the interdisciplinary nature of this program, the fact that students are focusing on such a diverse range of projects, help you think about your project and/or your academic interests more broadly?

I think the program’s interdisciplinary nature is extremely important and helpful, especially as I formulate my research project and develop my research abilities. When I initially became an undergraduate, my understanding of different fields was quite isolated. But, throughout my undergraduate career, I have only learned the opposite. Each field is intertwined with another, and academia is inherently interdisciplinary. Now, as a history major, I understand this fact even more clearly. In many of my History courses, professors always stress the importance of turning to other disciplines and methodologies, as they all speak to history. This research program also really appeals to me due to its interdisciplinary nature, educating us not only about our own interests but also those that we may deem to be far from us. Only through such interaction can we then realize the interconnectedness between all these fields. Last week, a personal highlight for me was learning about everyone’s research projects and academic interests. I even found many focusing on STEM fields to have fascinating research perspectives and proposals. I am grateful that Laidlaw is allowing me to grow this perspective while allowing new researchers to interact with diverse research interests.  

As you begin your individual research projects this week, do you anticipate any challenges in getting started? If so, what are they?

This week, I have mainly focused on educating myself on the complex history of Afghanistan to better understand the reasoning behind the mass emigration waves out of the country. Having a better understanding of these events can further aid me when I begin doing my oral history interviews with various community members in Queens. A challenge that I have definitely run into is with IRB clearance. As I was using oral history methodology, many professors who I had asked about my project had just mentioned getting a CITI certificate, which would suffice. However, I have now learned that in order for such narratives to be part of published research, I must get IRB approval. I am now in the process of submitting my protocol, and I hope to hear back good news soon. In the meantime, I will continue doing historical research, compiling parts of a literature review, and starting to look into US government immigration statistics on Afghans from the past few decades.