Nunn School undergraduates Jonna Tiitinen (IAML) and Shannon Kehoe (IAML) represented the Center for European and Transatlantic Studies at the 11th Annual Claremont-UC Undergraduate Research Conference on the European Union. Convened by the European Union Center of California, the purpose of this event is to “enhance undergraduate training in and knowledge of the European Union and US-European relations. In addition, the aim of the conference is to allow students with expertise in different areas to interact with each other as well as with faculty, foster intercampus cooperation, and recognize the excellent work achieved by students. Envisioned as an intercampus undergraduate seminar, the participating campuses simultaneously offer courses on the issues relevant in Europe today, integrating the conference with the student’s curriculum to encourage student initiated research and presentations.”
The students were invited to present on panels topics ranging form Immigration and Repatriation to Public Opinion and the EU. Each had 12 minutes to present their papers to fellow student colleagues and faculty discussants, followed by evaluation, commentary, and a question and answer session. Both students did very well with their presentations, and felt the experience greatly enhanced their research skills and abilities. Jonna Tiitinen, who presented on EU Values and Policy Innovation, states, “This was a great opportunity and I recommend it for other students in the future. I wanted to make some changes to my paper based on the comments and questions I received after my presentation…But all in all, this was a great experience and I couldn’t have imagined a better way to end my undergraduate academic career than to attend this conference! I hope Georgia Tech will send more students in the future!”
The Nunn School regularly submits student papers for consideration, which have been honored with conference awards. Interested students should contact Dr. Vicki Birchfield for more information.
