Rome International Scholars students present their final Research

On May 9, 2022, students in the Rome International Scholars program presented their research to a crowd that included peers, family members, faculty advisors, and professors from different universities in Rome. The event was the latest installment of Roma, Conversazioni Interdisciplinari, an initiative that helps students, faculty and researchers to present their research to an audience. Moreover, for the Rome International Scholars students, that day was also the culmination of months of effort. 

The event featured presentations from Nick Clarizio, Bethany Cummings, Peter Di Re, Jacqui Glago, Ana Sofia Gonzalez, Patrick Lawler, Jacqueline McKenna, Lily Miller, Brenden Quirk, Gavin Shust, and Trinity Reilly. They covered a variety of topics – ranging from food to artificial intelligence – which reflected their diverse academic interests. As participants in the Rome International Scholars program, these students have the unique opportunity to pursue their own research during their time abroad. Under the supervision of their faculty advisors back on campus, and with assistance from the faculty at the Rome Global Gateway, they have each designed and carried out independent research projects over the course of the semester. May 9 marked the end of this process, and the students got the chance to present their findings to an audience.

One student said, “A big research project can be difficult as it is; doing it in Rome poses even more challenges. By the day of our presentations, we had all come so far and learned so much, not only about our individual projects but also about the research process itself. It was gratifying to see those results.” 

The event concluded with a presentation from the keynote speaker, Maria Sole Costanzo, who is currently a postdoctoral fellow at Notre Dame. Additionally, she helps teach All Roads Lead to Rome, a foundational course for those studying in Rome. In fact, many of the aforementioned students were fortunate enough to have recently had Costanzo as their professor. They watched and listened to Costanzo’s presentation, Empowering Languages: Leon Battista Alberti, Multimedia Author of the Italian Quattrocento which she states  “aims to reassess Leon Battista Alberti by historicizing his strategic use of verbal and visual languages through different means of communication.” After fielding questions specifically related to her research on Alberti, Costanzo opened the floor to questions relating to the research process in general. Costanzo helped students look back and reflect on their experiences, while also encouraging them to look forward and consider the role that research could play in their futures.

Learn more about the Rome International Scholars Program here.