Spring and Summer 2007

In Spring 2007, I enrolled in an Honors seminar course in preparation for traveling to Amsterdam as part of a study abroad program the following summer. The class required a research project, to be conducted during the Amsterdam trip. Each of the 17 students proposed a possible project, then we moved into groups based on the similarities of our projects. Each group then decided on a final research question to pursue in the Netherlands.

My group was formed around my proposal to examine wayfinding behaviors. Along with me, Sunil Garg (a computer science undergraduate) and Ann Swearingen (an MLIS student) worked on a final proposal that was approved by our instructors. As we divided our responsibilities, the three of us agreed that I would take the role of lead investigator.

As the lead investigator, it was my job to write a great deal of the Human Subjects Research application, and to act as the "project manager" for the research. The significant amount of work we had set for ourselves to do in a very constrained time made this one of the most difficult leadership roles I have ever taken on, and there were times when I know my leadership style was not entirely successful. In the end, however, our team did produce what I can only describe as outstanding work.

Because our group was the only group to successfully complete a Human Subjects Research Application and get approval to conduct our research, it is our hope that additional, more complete analysis of this rich collection of data will result in a published paper.
Annotative Wayfinding Behavior: Final Paper
Annotative Wayfinding Behavior: Slides

Spring, Summer, and Fall 2007

In getting the Student Ambassadors off the ground, I did a great deal of preliminary work. Before I recruited my returning student peers to act as "hosts" to their incoming colleagues, I created a survey to get feedback from current students about what they might want from a student-led part of orientation. Next, I contacted students in my cohort to see if they would be willing to participate, and encouraged students to apply to the "position" Marie Potter had developed. I also created (and still moderate) a Mailman list for my cohort, so we could have a place to coordinate this work.

While many of my peers had shown interest in a project like this, I believe it was my persistence and encouragement that helped get the 16 volunteers to move from having interest to being committed to following through and making themselves available not just for orientation, but also a commitment to be available as resources and mentors to their incoming colleagues. Similarly, the proposal would not have transformed into an actual, successful program without my advocacy.
More about the Student Ambassadors Project on the Service page

Fall 2007

While some leadership means helping other people to work towards a goal, sometimes what needs to be done must be done at a time when resources are scarce. The ourSchool Mixer, an event to bring students together by themselves, with no faculty or staff to put on a good show for, was something I knew I wanted to happen. I'd had lots of feedback from members of my cohort that they wished students in the different programs had more chances to get connected with each other - both for practical networking purposes as well as for the fun and social aspects.

It was for these reasons I wanted make sure that there would be an event during iWelcome Week which could attract students from all programs, including the online MLIS students whose time on campus during residency is very short. I wanted students in the different program to be able to connect in a pressure-free zone, but I also wanted to get incoming students connected with returning students. Because iWelcome Week is so intense and so many people are committed to other events, ourSchool was motivated, planned, hosted, and funded (through successful requests to ALISS, IUGA, and the Dean's Office) by me. In this case, leadership was't necessarily leading a team or a group, but taking the responsibility to do whatever it took to create an opportunity I felt would be valuable for my colleagues. Even though at first glance this leadership opportunity seems like it doesn't involve leading anyone, it was my hope that other students could see this event as a successful and useful event to put on in the future.

Even though it was the first time a student-run event like this had been done for students, there were more than 40 attendees, and at least one returning and one incoming student (if not more!)from the Day and Online MLIS programs, from the Day and Exec MSIM programs, from the Informatics program, and from the PhD program. I believe events like these not only benefit the students, but also create conversations in the iSchool community about ways to support this kind of programmatic barrier removal. By helping students to participate cooperatively in their educational environment, it is my belief that the iSchool can develop more thoughtful and better-connected leaders in the information professions.