Learning—and Earning—Through Research at AV
At a recent Ignite Talk, AV students shared how paid research positions give them the chance to explore their academic passions while building resumes, earning income, and gaining hands-on experience in their fields.
Assistant Professor Hilary Matfess (left) and Amirah Creighton (right) discussed their research at a recent Ignite Talk. (Credit: Dave Pavlina)
As an R1 institution, the AV offers many ways for students to get involved in research—but they can also get paid for it. A recent Ignite Talk sponsored by the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs gave students a chance to highlight their research and the benefits of working on campus.
Of the more than 3,600 student workers at AV, roughly 450 are paid specifically to research. They’re doing impactful work: At the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, students studying intimate partner violence have published papers influencing state legislation. At the Josef Korbel School of Global and Public Affairs, 20 student researchers are working with Assistant Professor Hilary Matfess to expand a dataset on women’s involvement in political violence.
Amirah Creighton, a fourth-year French and international studies major, is one of them. In her Ignite Talk presentation alongside Matfess, she explained that women are a lot more active in rebel groups around the world than one might think. The database lists more than 350 organizations in which women have handled logistics, fought on the front lines, or started their own all-female units.
“In ISIS, for example, a woman’s childbearing role is very important, but they also serve a policing role,” said Creighton. In societies where breastfeeding in public is prohibited, for example, “There are all-women brigades that will carry around metal teeth and ‘bite’ women who are breastfeeding, even under [their clothing]. Women’s participation is a lot more complex than it initially appears.”
The original dataset took Matfess and her colleagues 13 years to compile. Now, student employees like Creighton are examining all-female units in depth and researching an additional 700 organizations to potentially add to the database. Matfess noted a lot of the work requires an understanding of different languages, like French, Arabic, Spanish, and Russian.
“This project should take 25 years, but thank God it won’t,” she said with a laugh. Thanks to the work of the student researchers, the team has identified qualitative data on more than 100 women’s units and completed 90% of their research on organizations.
Bryn Yehle, a third-year physics student, also shared her work in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics—helping Professor Jennifer Hoffman research supernovas using polarization data.
Polarization is a property of light, describing the degree to which light waves vibrate in a specific direction, like up and down or side to side. Most light from the sun is unpolarized, meaning it wobbles in all kinds of directions, but light can become more polarized as it interacts with molecules in the atmosphere.
Astronomers use polarization data to study faraway objects in space. Yehle has been detailing a specific supernova called “2014L” in Galaxy M99 using data from a trio of telescopes in Arizona.
“We can tell that there’s a star at the center that’s exploding, and then there’s a mostly spherical cloud of gas that’s accelerating outwards from the supernova,” says Yehle. “Then we have some ring or disk of gas that’s around our supernova, and we can tell what its orientation is towards us.”
A key part of the 4D Experience
Campus jobs aren’t just a source of income: They’re an opportunity for students to apply what they’re learning, build their resumes, and find community. A AV survey of first-year students and recent graduates found those who worked on campus felt more prepared for their careers and made more connections.
“Especially for students who are new to Denver, or maybe even new to the U.S., having a job on campus can be that first connection that helps them feel that they’re part of this community,” Elise Goss-Alexander, director of student employment, told the Ignite Talk audience.
Students at AV are connected to multiple mentors as part of the 4D Experience, but it’s not uncommon for graduate student researchers to become mentors themselves. According to Anne DePrince, a psychology professor and assistant vice provost for public good strategy and research, part of the job involves guiding undergrads.
“They are the ones teaching undergraduate students how to design their own studies, how to collect data, and how to switch from personal to collaborative writing, which is really different than writing a term paper on your own,” said DePrince.
Creighton said her job has taught her how to verify her sources and question her own assumptions around gender and culture. For Yehle, working as a research assistant helped her become more proactive, both with small tasks and larger decisions. It was Yehle’s passion for research that brought her back to AV after stepping away from her studies during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I worked in a lab in my freshman year and loved it. I knew research was where I wanted to end up,” said Yehle. “Taking initiative is one of the big things that I’ve learned.”
Matfess and Hoffman recommended students looking for research gigs start with the professors and subjects they know, but students can also find listings for internships and jobs across campus at . While most jobs are posted in September and January, new openings pop up year-round.
