University Writing & Research Conference Program Fall 2026

University Writing & Research Conference
Thursday, October 22nd & 
Friday, October 23rd
Online via Zoom, In-Person in Ames Hall

Fall 2026 Conference Program & Schedule

The conference comprises 8 panels, with one session per time band. All panel sessions are ~60 minutes in length. Please arrive on time and plan to stay for the entire session, including the Q&A, which is an important component of the panel discussion. 

Two (2) Sessions will be conducted via Zoom.

Thursday, October 22nd:

• 6:00pm (to be confirmed)
• 7:30pm (to be confirmed)

All other sessions held in-person in Ames B101, Mount Vernon Campus.

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University Writing and Research Conference Sessions:

Session 1, Beyond Borders and Barriers: Rethinking Access, Equity, and Protection (Thursday, Oct 22nd, 6pm)

Virtual Session, join via Zoom

Moderator: Rachael Stark, Associate Vice President & Deputy Dean of Students

Bridging the Language Gap in Healthcare: Strengthening Quality Healthcare for Patients with Limited English Proficiency
Ebise Galato
Professor: Barlow

Presenter Bio: Ebise Galato is a sophomore majoring in Biomedical Engineering and minoring in Public Health. She is from Denver, Colorado.

Disparities that patients with LEP face in current US healthcare systems stem from either systemic racism and/or bias from providers or genuine linguistic and culture barriers between patients and providers, which both impact patient outcomes. The scope of this work is to analyze how the current healthcare system can be improved to better support patients with LEP by the implementation of cultural competence training for providers that includes proper interpretation use support. First, this proposal will analyze key factors that contribute to disparities and barriers in healthcare due to language proficiency, then evaluate current methods of accommodations for patients with LEP in healthcare by identifying limitations of current resources, and then propose the development of a more effective program to improve healthcare delivery. The large population of people with LEP deserve as adequate healthcare as those that speak English proficiently. While people will always have their own individual experiences, there must be improvements systematically to improve overall outcomes for such a large population group.

From Mare Nostrum to Fortress Europe: The securitization of Mediterranean Migration
Arthur Bunnell
Professor: Hijazi

Presenter Bio: Arthur Fotis Bunnell is a senior at the University of George Washington studying International Affairs with a concentration in conflict resolution. He is Greek, and interested in migratory policy, languages, and human rights.

In my paper, I analyze the evolving border policies and securitization practices in Europe over the past two decades. I focus my scope towards migration in the Mediterranean, and critique the various methods by which European countries have shifted from supporting and ensuring the safety of journeying migrants to implementing and enforcing securitization policies which directly and indirectly jeopardize the safety of these people. In order to write my paper, I interviewed a former professor of mine; migration researcher Angeliki Dimitriadi. Her knowledge and experience provided invaluable insight on the causes for this change in political climate. She also offered predictions for the sustainability of these policies, and the inherent problems that come with their enactment. In my paper, I address several root causes for migration, to provide context and illustrate how ineffective the measures I examine are at controlling migratory flows. I look at the various routes and methods of migration in the Mediterranean, and give justifications for changes in popularity and use. I further support these justifications by examining specific policies, restrictions, and international partnerships utilized by European countries such as Italy, Greece, and Spain, and explaining how and why these actions have affected migration. I highlight the key moments when policy changes from humanitarian focused to securitized. Importantly, I discuss the work of Humanitarian agencies and NGOs to fill the gap left by the reduction in state action, and critique the restriction of these agencies by state actors. I utilize comparative analysis to demonstrate the effectiveness of policies which encourage cooperation and an emphasis on humanity against those which prioritize security and externalization. Finally, I again emphasize the root causes of migration, and underscore how little they are being addressed by the securitization of Europe.

Session 2, Regulating Femininity: Bodies, Beliefs, and Cultural Power (Thursday, Oct 22nd, 7:30pm)

Virtual Session, join via Zoom

Moderator: Thomas Choate, Teaching Assistant Professor of Strategic Management & Public Policy

Secularism & Belonging: How Laȉcité Hinders the Integration Process for Muslim Migrants and Refugees
Sophie Veilleux
Professor: Hijazi
Presenter Bio: Sophie Veilleux is a second year International Affairs major from Boston who is also pursuing a minor in Religion and has a strong interest in migration studies. 

In light of recent veiling bans in France, my research examines the history of this phenomenon and its roots in secularist policies. France created their own version of secularism called laïcité, which aimed to limit the visibility of religion in the public sphere in hopes to achieve equal treatment towards everyone on the basis of religious belief. In order to facilitate this, France banned all religious attire in public schools, but failed to consider how it would disproportionately impact their large Muslim population – most notably the Muslim women who veiled. For centuries France has had a large Muslim population due to their colonial history in the Maghreb region, and the number only continues to increase. Immigrating or seeking refugee status can often lead to feeling as though one has no control and a feeling of great loss. Rather than trying to prevent or reduce this feeling, the French government continues to make being Muslim a taboo by placing complete bans on niqabs and continuing to enforce other veiling restrictions. These policy actions remain aligned with the notion of laïcité, so putting an end to Islamophobic legislation needs to start with dismantling the French variety of secularism. 

Feathered Glory: Leda and the Swan’s Bestiality, Patriarchal Power, and Female Agency
Stella Xie
Professor: Pollack
Presenter Bio: Stella is a sophomore from the California Bay Area studying International Affairs and Economics. She loves exploring various areas of art history and how art has interacted with politics across eras and cultures.

Greek sculptural tradition is often celebrated for its harmonious proportions and celebration of the human physique, but the mythology it is based on is often plunged into a perturbed preoccupation with sexual assault and bestiality. Such perverse act of sexual intercourse between a human and an animal was closely explored and immortalized on vases, steles, paintings, and sculptures. Central to many such Greek myths surrounding romantic pursuits and bestiality is Zeus, the king of the Olympians—from his sexual exploits of Europa as a bull, to Ganymede as an eagle, and Leda as a swan. The myth of Leda and the Swan is one of the most widely depicted Greek myths in art, with its artistic legacy spanning centuries. Each time it is depicted, a new dimension is created through which the myth can be viewed. It centers around Zeus, who, upon seeing Leda, queen of Sparta and wife of Tyndareus, king of Sparta, becomes enamored with her beauty—so enthralled that he takes on the form of a swan to seduce her in secret. This paper analyzes the interpretations of Leda and the Swan through the lens of how power dynamics between men and women manifest through bestiality in Greek antiquity.

Hot Girls, Dead Girls, Final Girls: Gender and Patriarchal Anxiety in American Horror Films
Sophia Mora
Professor: Tomlinson
Presenter Bio: Sophia Mora is a second year political science major from Miami, Florida. She is deeply interested in the intersection between film and cultural issues.

As women in the United States have gained greater rights and autonomy, horror films have reworked these shifts to reflect the social fears surrounding them, particularly patriarchal anxieties about control, sexuality, and bodily autonomy. Films across three distinct eras reveal how these anxieties evolve. As seen in Rosemary’s Baby, horror from the 1960s centers on the fear of women’s reproductive power, where autonomy is imagined as something capable of being systematically taken. As seen in Halloween, by the late 1970s and 1980s, this anxiety transforms: women are permitted to survive, but only under strict conditions of restraint and conformity, sustaining a system in which female sexuality must be regulated. More recent horror from the 2000s, including Jennifer’s Body, shows a further evolution, centering on the fear of women who actively desire and wield power, exposing and subverting the very systems meant to control them. Drawing on Barbara Creed’s concept of the monstrous-feminine and Luce Irigaray’s theory of women as objects within systems of exchange, this paper argues that American horror films do not simply depict women as victims or monsters, but instead encode patriarchal unease into their narratives.

Session 3, Whom Does the City Serve? Inequality and the Politics of Urban Life (Friday, Oct 23rd, 10am)

B101, Ames Hall

Moderator: Jeffrey Brand, Associate Provost for Undergraduate Affairs and Special Programs & Associate Professor of Philosophy

Empathy on Life Support: Affective Injustice, Structural Apathy, and Miriam’s Kitchen in Washington, D.C.
Mackenzie Ehrich-Pollock
Professor: Ryder
Presenter Bio: Mackenzie Ehrich-Pollock is a sophomore studying anthropology interested in social justice. She is from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

Despite years of policy attention and organized interventions, the homelessness crisis in Washington, D.C. persists as a complex structural and humanitarian challenge. This paper evaluates homelessness as a structural and affective issue as well as a material one, in which individuals and institutions fail to recognize and respond to the emotional struggles and lived experiences of the unhoused population. Using the theoretical frameworks of affective justice and structural apathy, the paper analyzes how affective norms, dominant social narratives, and institutional practices lead to the marginalization and dehumanization of people experiencing homelessness, and how humanitarian organizations can address more than the physical aspects of the crisis. The analysis draws on expert scholarship, statistical reports, and personal engagement with Miriam’s Kitchen, a D.C.-based nonprofit serving the unhoused community. As a case study, Miriam’s Kitchen demonstrates how social justice organizations can take action to combat the effects of homelessness affectively as well as materially, restoring personhood through permanent supportive housing, case management, political and social advocacy, and practices centered on dignity and connection. This paper finds that these multidimensional strategies can reduce the emotional burdens imposed by homelessness, challenge dehumanizing narratives, elevate the voices of unhoused individuals, and cultivate both personal and larger-scale empathy. It argues that organizational responses to homelessness must progress beyond providing material assistance to properly address the interconnected structural, social, and affective dimensions of injustice.

Still Burning: The Conditional Citizenship of the Bronx Youth; The Four Cycles of Dissociation 
Chrystie Anne Peña 
Professor: Wolfe
Presenter Bio: Chrystie Anne Peña is a sophomore from the Bronx, New York majoring in Psychology and Criminal Justice. She is interested in interdisciplinary research involving sustainability and sociological and psychological themes. She hopes to pursue a JD with a focus in criminal law and eventually a PhD.

This paper argues that the Bronx youth, one of New York City’s most policed boroughs, due to its high crime rate, the least gentrified borough with predominantly Black and Brown residents, and considered to be the most dangerous, are denied first-class citizenship, as their civil, political, and social rights are repeatedly minimized, as a result of being born in the “forgotten” borough. This prompts serious and generational biological, social, and psychological consequences for these adolescents continuing a theme of conditional citizenship and generational neglect from the state towards the Bronx youth. Scholars and even policymakers are limited in how they comprehend youth responses to structural inequities, often reducing their behaviors to individual choices, rather than recognizing a pattern of systemic exclusion. I contend that this leaves the youth with four cycles of dissociation from the state, that can co-occur: a deep-rooted distrust in law enforcement that often leads to system involvement, community self-reliance through grassroots efforts, becoming law enforcement, or leaving the borough altogether, each serving as a way to take back a sense of control and freedom that they were denied in their upbringing, a pattern current policy frameworks fail to recognize.

Taking a Look at Rent Stabilization in New York City
Elena Curran
Professor: Janzen
Presenter Bio: Elena Curran is a sophomore double majoring in Economics and Political Science who lives in Brooklyn, NYC. She is interested in pursuing law and, as a sponsored runner for NAMI and AIM Youth Mental Health, has raised over $5,000 for youth mental health initiatives while training for the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon. 

Building on prior economic research, this literature review examines how rent stabilization affects rent growth and price stability compared with market-rate housing in New York City. Rent stabilization is a broad and heavily debated policy area, so I intentionally narrowed my focus to avoid overstepping its bounds. Nearly half of all rental apartments in the city are rent stabilized, making the policy central to debates over whether it improves affordability or distorts the overall housing market. Rather than capture the full range of effects, I isolated the measurable indicators of annual rent growth and price stability, as well as vacancy rates as a secondary indicator, by drawing on verifiable public datasets to compare regulated and market-rate units. The hypothesis was that rent-stabilized apartments will experience lower and more consistent annual rent increases, while market-rate apartments will show greater volatility while responding to supply and demand. My results and models showed rent-stabilized units did experience small, consistent increases, while market-rate rents fluctuated far more sharply, especially during the 2021-2022 housing rebound. These findings suggest rent stabilization moderates rent volatility at the tenant level, though my study importantly does not suggest greater resolutions to broader affordability issues in New York City.

Session 4, Beyond the Menu: Food, Culture, and the Social Norms of Dining (Friday, Oct 23rd, 11:30am)

B101, Ames Hall

Moderator: Taylor Baugher, Research Services Librarian for Undergraduate Research

What is Actually Authentic? The Impacts of Chinese Cuisine in American Society Both Past and Present
Elizabeth Chen
Professor: Quave
Presenter Bio: Elizabeth Chen is a sophomore from the San Francisco Bay Area. She is majoring in International Affairs with a concentration in Conflict Resolution.

What makes a dish or restaurant truly authentic? Reviews for Chinese restaurants tend to mention ethnicity and authenticity more often than reviews for other cuisines. This paper examines the notion of authenticity in ethnic cuisine, with a focus on Chinese cuisine, and how perceptions of authenticity have shaped its development in the United States. Chinese cuisine has been modified since it was first widely introduced during the California Gold Rush. These changes were shaped by efforts to make exotic flavors more palatable, access to ingredients, discrimination, and the need to appeal to customers. Negative assumptions towards Chinese cuisine, both past and present, have kept it on the lower end of the gastronomical hierarchy. This paper also explores the study of the Chinese diaspora through archaeology and the impact of preconceived notions on the analysis of these archaeological sites, or lack thereof.

Perceived Safety in Restaurants: Effects on Customer Trust, Comfort, and Repeat Dining Behavior
Dariush Namin
Professor: Barlow
Presenter Bio: My name is Dariush Namin (Dar-Yoosh, Name-IN). Business major, focus on Marketing. Hometown, Potomac, Maryland. Interests include cooking and have a desire to go into the Restaurant Business.

This study examines how perceived safety in restaurant environments, shaped by food safety practices, staff behavior, and physical atmosphere, affects customer trust, comfort, and the likelihood of repeat dining. Dining out is both a biological act and a social experience, which makes perceptions of safety central to customer well-being and to business performance. Drawing on existing research in hospitality management, food safety, and consumer behavior, this proposal argues that perceived safety operates as a multidimensional construct that influences both psychological outcomes, such as comfort and reduced anxiety, and behavioral outcomes, such as satisfaction and return visits. The study is framed through two feminist philosophical perspectives, ecofeminism and cultural feminism, which together illuminate the ethical dimensions of food systems, the gendered nature of care labor in hospitality, and the undervalued role of relational, care-centered practices in creating safe dining spaces. The proposed research will use a mixed-methods observational design in active restaurant settings, combining structured observation protocols with customer feedback surveys, to identify which elements of food handling, service interaction, and atmosphere most strongly shape perceived safety. Findings are expected to help restaurants build dining environments that support both public health and customer retention, offering practical guidance for an industry where trust is easy to lose and hard to rebuild.

More than the Minimum: The Role of Social Media Social Media in Establishing and Perpetuating Social Norms Surrounding Tipping Culture
Vidhur Seshadri
Professor: Richter
Presenter Bio: Vidhur Seshadri is an International Affairs and Economics sophomore interested in global trade, government affairs, and behavioral economics. He is originally from Austin, TX.

Tipping is not a new idea. Since the beginning of the 20th century, this social practice has rapidly expanded in the United States, to the point of becoming an expectation for many. The advent of digital communication platforms has grown awareness of these social norms across countries and has shaped its global perception. More specifically, social media has shaped the influence of social norms on a digital platform and promoted multi-perspective discourse on this controversial topic. As such, tipping has transformed into a social obligation that self-increases social pressure to perpetuate itself. Since the interactions on digital communication platforms, regarding tipping specifically, have also contributed to a shift towards tipping anxiety, this paper argues that the US government should limit tip culture by stopping tip credits and implementing tax credits for businesses that do not accept tips to limit the pervasiveness and consequences of societal tipping norms.

Session 5, Centering Space: Life on the Margins (Friday, Oct 23rd, 1pm)

B101, Ames Hall

Moderator: Bella Maria Varella, Studio Arts Program

Stoops, Kitchens, and Barbershops: How Black Cinema Builds Community in Ordinary Everyday Places
James Berry
Professor: Troutman
Presenter Bio: James Berry is a sophomore International Affairs major from Atlanta, Georgia.

This paper examines how Black American films produced in the 1990s and early 2000s use everyday spaces to construct and represent community. Drawing on the films ATL, Crooklyn, Soul Food, Barbershop, Beauty Shop, Poetic Justice, Madea's Family Reunion, and Diary of a Mad Black Woman, the analysis argues that these ordinary settings function as active, communal environments rather than mere backdrops. Through techniques such as overlapping dialogue, layered movement, and simultaneous interaction, these films emphasize collectivity over individual narrative focus, showing community as something built through presence and interaction rather than a single storyline. Situating these depictions against a history of Hollywood's narrow and stereotyped portrayals of Black life, this project argues that centering everyday Black spaces expands what counts as meaningful representation, restoring cultural, emotional, and social depth to depictions long flattened by caricature.

The Rise, Fall, and Transformation of DC’s Gay Spaces 
Jasper Chesak
Professor: Mantler
Presenter Bio: Jasper Chesak is a sophomore majoring in International Business and minoring in Japanese. She is interested in tourism and just finished a summer hospitality internship near her hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio.

For my project, I looked at the development of queer spaces in D.C. to offer an explanation for why so many of them seem to be disappearing. I first went through a brief history of gay spaces in DC, from cruising in Lafayette Square to finding community in gay restaurants and bookstores. Then I looked at the nation-wide trend of gay spaces disappearing and analyzed why they may be doing so with examples from modern DC.

Session 6, Constructing Knowledge: Imagining the Past, Influencing the Future (Friday, Oct 23rd, 2:30pm)

B101, Ames Hall
Moderator: Julie Donovan, Associate Professor of Writing in the Women’s Leadership Program; Affiliated Faculty, Global Women’s Institute

Reconstructing the Past or Reimagining It? Archaeology, the Paleo Diet, and Modern Ideas of “Healthy” Eating
Sabrina Benedek
Professor: Quave
Presenter Bio: Sabrina Benedek is a sophomore, majoring in psychology. She has a strong interest in mental health and the ways relationships and family dynamics shape our lives. She currently works as a research assistant, where she is able to further explore her interests in psychology and gain hands-on research experience. Originally from Westchester, NY, Sabrina has loved getting to know DC and everything it has to offer!

This project examines how archaeological interpretations of hunter-gatherer diets have shaped the modern Paleo diet and contemporary ideas about healthy eating. While the Paleo diet presents itself as a return to the way humans are “meant” to eat, archaeological evidence shows that hunter-gatherer diets were highly diverse and varied according to environment, available resources, and cultural practices. Evidence of extensive plant consumption, cooking, food processing, and regional variation challenges the simplified image of early humans as primarily meat-eating and following an unprocessed diet. From a sociological perspective, the project also explores how these interpretations of the past are reshaped by media, wellness culture, marketing, and ideas about personal responsibility and “natural” living. The cost and accessibility of Paleo foods further demonstrate how modern definitions of healthy eating can reflect socioeconomic inequalities. Ultimately, this project argues that archaeology cannot provide a single blueprint for modern healthy eating. Instead, understanding how knowledge of the past is selectively constructed and applied can help create more realistic, accessible, and inclusive approaches to health.

Reimagining the Silk Road and the Meaning of Trade
Lorena Marquez Lamas
Professor: Schell
Presenter Bio: Lorena Marquez Lamas is a sophomore in the Class of 2029. She was born in Havana, Cuba, and immigrated to Houston, Texas, at the age of eight. Her academic interests include history, philosophy, and especially Chinese history, with a broader interest in how ideas, cultures, and societies develop over time.

Why does the Silk Road feel romantic and human, while modern trade feels distant and technical? My project begins with Simeon Netchev’s map, which makes trade easy to imagine as a movement between people, places, and cultures. As I studied it, I began to see that some of this beauty comes from how we romanticize the past, not necessarily from how these routes were experienced at the time. Modern trade, by comparison, is still deeply human, but its people and exchanges are much harder to picture because trade now operates through large systems of infrastructure, logistics, regulation, and technology. These systems connect more of the world than ever, yet they also make trade feel more abstract and less personal. My project asks why the Silk Road is still imagined through the people and cultures connected by it, while modern trade is often understood through the complex systems that organize it.

Look Up: Lessons from the Corcoran's Parthenon Frieze
Chloe McCoole
Professor: Pollack
Presenter Bio: Chloe McCoole is a pre-med sophomore interested in neuroscience and oncology. She is from Guilford, CT.

The Parthenon Frieze is one of the most visited, studied, and reproduced works of the Classical canon. While the original piece gained recognition as a monument to Athenian democratic and civic ideals, the Frieze’s extensive network of replicas reveals a parallel history of accessibility, education, and cultural authority. Focusing on the Corcoran Gallery of Art’s 1898 plaster replica, this project traces the Western tradition of artistic reproduction from antiquity through nineteenth-century plaster casting to examine how replicas transformed inaccessible works into tools of art education and, in turn, shaped how societies preserve, democratize, and reinterpret the ideals they choose to monumentalize.

Session 7, Society of the Spectacle: Classic and Contemporary Legacies (Friday, Oct 23rd, 4pm)

B101, Ames Hall
Moderator: Alexander van der Horst, Professor of Physics and Department Chair

“The Ennobling of the Other”: The Lesser Attalid Dedication, Kehinde Wiley, and the Visual Politics of Vulnerability from Antiquity to Black Lives Matter
Brianna Funcasta
Professor: Pollack
Presenter Bio: Brianna Funcasta is a pre-med sophomore who is doing a double major in Psychology and Neuroscience. She is from Wayne, New Jersey. Some of her interests are psychiatry and classics.

Hellenistic artworks revolutionized art by expanding the Greek ideal of beauty beyond the serene and stoic statues of gods and athletes of the Classical period to include more “realistic” subjects and diverse backgrounds. The “Lesser Attalid Dedication,” also known as the “Ten Little Barbarians,” epitomizes this shift through its realistic portrayal of defeated “barbarian” figures with strong emotion and dignity, challenging traditional Greek ideals of beauty and the portrayal of foreigners. The legacy of the “ennoblement of the other” stretches from Renaissance geniuses to modern artists like Kehinde Wiley and even the visual lexicon of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Beyond the Spectacle: A Comparative Analysis of Political Narratives in Kendrick Lamar’s and Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Halftime Performances
Ryan Cook
Professor: Svboda
Presenter Bio: Ryan Cook is a sophomore studying Economics and Political Science. He is from Chicago, Illinois, and is interested in topics including economic policy, constitutional law, and financial markets.

The Super Bowl halftime show is understood to be a site reflective of popular culture and political ideas. This study examined the political messaging embedded in the two most recent performances—Kendrick Lamar’s in 2025 and Bad Bunny’s in 2026—through the application of a dual-faceted analytical framework. To accomplish this, both Richardson’s genre method of analysis and social semiotic theory as applied by Goodnow were utilized to examine structural conventions and the visual grammar of both performances. The findings indicate that both shows communicated sophisticated political arguments: Lamar’s pertaining to racial injustice and Bad Bunny’s about a collective American identity. Despite various similarities, the shows employed almost opposite methods with which they included the audiovisual choices that structured the two performances. Lamar's performance was characterized by resistance and confrontation, while Bad Bunny’s performance exhibited features of unity and identity. Ultimately, the findings suggest that the Super Bowl halftime show, in its most modern instances, has become a useful platform for political protest; furthermore, the conclusions drawn by this study iterate that this stage, given its unique ability to reach a distinct, large audience, does not operate in a manner conventional to channels of regularly studied political media.

Trending Tunes: The Mega Impact of TikTok on the Music Industry 
Aubrey Bowman
Professor: Richter
Presenter Bio: Aubrey Bowman is a sophomore studying Human Service & Social Justice and Business. She is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She is a member of the GW First Ladies Dance Team as well as serving on the E-Boards for GW Program Board and GW Dance Marathon.

Have you ever wondered what makes your favorite songs go viral on TikTok? Well, this research project is for you, as it explores the relationship between TikTok and the music industry. From what makes a "TikTok song," to the mental health impacts it has on the musical artists. As well as all the behind the scenes work that goes on to get theses songs on your For You Page. But as these songs get their 5-seconds of fame, they are ruining the authenticity of the music industry as a whole and it's TikTok's responsibility to fix this.

Session 8, Surveillance Culture in the 21st Century (Friday, Oct 23rd, 5:15pm)

B101, Ames Hall
Moderator: Rachel Riedner, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies, CCAS; Professor of Writing and of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Monitoring a Movement: Exploring Policy Solutions that Protect Protest in an Age of Online Surveillance
Olivia Teates
Professor: Richter
Presenter Bio: Olivia Teates is a sophomore studying Political Science and Marketing. She is from San Diego, California, and is on GW's Women's Cross Country and Track & Field teams. Olivia is interested in pursuing a career in political campaigning and/or media.

In the aftermath of the 2026 protests against highly controversial ICE raids in Minnesota, it became nearly impossible to ignore that the presence of social media platforms - such as Instagram and TikTok - have greatly shaped public opinion and knowledge of modern social movements. This presence, in turn, has prompted the United States government to utilize its own arsenal of technological resources and connections in order to combat and monitor protestors virtually and on American streets. In an age of heightened digital surveillance in which users are often left with inadequate rights and freedoms online, protest discourse on these platforms is not simply uninviting, but dangerous. This project examines exactly why it is so imperative that Americans demand stricter legislation regarding government and corporate transparency in order to safeguard protesters’ freedom of speech and privacy online.

Privacy and the Uneven Social Acceptance of Smart Glasses
Anieesh Saravanan
Professor: Fletcher
Presenter Bio: Anieesh Saravanan is a sophomore studying computer science with interests in technology, robotics, and machine learning. He is from Northern Virginia.

Privacy concerns contributed to social rejection of Google Glass but have not prevented growing social acceptance of Meta smart glasses. Through comparative analysis of scholarly works on wearable technology, privacy, and social interaction, this research shows that concerns about discreet recording and bystander consent can contribute to varying social outcomes. Privacy concerns surrounding Google Glass became associated with conversational disruption, social nonconformity, exclusivity, and intrusive surveillance. On the other hand, Meta smart glasses have achieved a partial and conditional form of acceptance through familiar design choices, practical appeal, and greater cultural familiarity with ubiquitous recording. However, privacy concerns remain. Recent research continues to show uncertainty among bystanders and burdens on wearers to manage the discomfort their devices may create. The social acceptance of smart glasses depends on how privacy concerns interact with broader factors like visibility, familiarity, utility, and social meaning.

The Sharp Edge of China’s Soft Power: How Development Finance Becomes Authoritarian Influence
Angela Wennerholm
Professor: Abbas
Presenter Bio: Angela Wennerholm is a sophomore studying Economics and Finance and is from Queens, N.Y. She is interested in the fields of development economics/finance and impact investing.

The paper examines China's use of soft power in Africa, arguing that it benefits the continent through development and cultural initiatives while also advancing Chinese political and economic interests. China has advanced its influence through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Confucius Institutes, Huawei technology, and UN peacekeeping. These forms of assistance provide infrastructure, education opportunities, technology, and development assistance--all of which make China an attractive partner to many African nations. However, this paper argues that in delivering developmental benefits, China's initiatives also create concerns about debt dependency, limited transparency in loans, censorship and surveillance, and the cultivation of alliances between African elites and China. The paper emphasizes that African responses to Chinese soft power have not been uniform and that the presence of Chinese soft power on the African continent is multilayered and complex. African governments and citizens remain active participants in the acceptance or resistance of these initiatives, ultimately shaping China's influence.

University Writing and Research Conference “Highlighted Events”

10th Anniversary Julian Clement Chase Ceremony

The GW University Writing Program invites you to celebrate 10 years of honoring Julian Clement Chase's legacy through the memorial prize fund named in his honor!

Thursday, October 22
3:30pm Light Refreshments
4pm Ceremony
5pm Reception

State View & City View Rooms, 7th Floor 
1957 E St NW
Washington, DC 20052

Keynote speaker: Maria Arana, author and inaugural Literary Director of the Library of Congress, will serve as host and keynote speaker. Undergraduate winners will share examples of narrative journalism, research, and stories about learning with communities in D.C. parks, cemeteries, restaurants and memory care.

Hey DC! Docuseries  - Join Professor Phillip Troutman as he takes us through GW & DC history! This series honors the 10th Anniversary of the Julian Clement Chase Prize for Writing in The District of Columbia!

Eckles Library “Research Hall” Event

12PM-3PM Friday 10/23, Ames Hall

Eckles Library librarians will be on hand from 12-3PM to help students from across any GW courses with their research projects. Come have a fun, hands-on time working on your own research project with librarians! This immersive session hopes to be as practical and helpful as possible and is a particularly good fit for most University Writing 1020 students.

The Eckles Prize for First Year Research Excellence

This annual prize recognizes students who produce a research project in their first year that demonstrates significant and meaningful use of library services and collections at the George Washington University.

2026 Eckles Prize Winners
First Place: Segregation’s Afterlife: The Dark Archival Underside of The George Washington University by Haider Zaidi

Second Place: The Forgotten Scientist: Gender, Erasure, and the Legacy of Maria Sibylla Merian by Tyler Lai

Third Place: Rights on Paper, Barriers in Practice: How Diaspora Institutions Function as Parallel Welfare Systems for Migrants in the United States by Souheil Mouhajir