Student view: The benefits of undergraduate research

December 13, 2023 - Eliza Kreske

Eliza Kreske is a member of the Honors College and is a senior majoring in political theory and constitutional democracy, and social relations and policy in James Madison College. Kreske also is a defender for the MSU field hockey team, earning Academic All-Big Ten selection, Big Ten Distinguished Scholar awards, and a place on the NFHCA Division I National Academic Squad during 2021 and 2022.

When I began to explore the opportunity to play field hockey at the Division I level, Michigan State seemed like a distant option. Growing up in Ann Arbor, I had all but ruled out MSU until visiting. Though the allure of the school began for me through field hockey, I quickly discovered MSU would allow me to explore every academic interest I could have by the time I stepped foot on campus.

As I researched the university, my excitement grew, especially the possibility of an invitation to join the Honors College. Michigan State’s support for its undergraduate students and the plethora of research opportunities were leaps and bounds above any other school I visited.

While I was skeptical about the possibilities to participate in undergraduate research while also competing as an athlete, my interest piqued when I received an email invitation for a professorial assistantship, a program run through the Honors College that connects students with faculty conducting research in their potential fields of interest.

Through my enrollment in James Madison and a professorial assistantship, I was introduced to Dr. Mark Axelrod, who holds a joint appointment in James Madison College and the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife. Dr. Axelrod’s research addresses international and comparative environmental governance with a focus on justice outcomes.

I’ve appreciated having Dr. Axelrod’s support from the very beginning of our time working together, even on matters outside of research. He gave me several project options and was incredibly inclusive at all stages of the project.

The project I have focused on examines the influence of climate change on migration patterns and community responses to such migration, beginning with a review of the existing literature. Over the course of the project, I was introduced to several other researchers and MSU faculty members, including but not limited to Dr. Linlang He, Dr. Amber Pearson, Dr. Stephen Gasteyer and Dr. Sean Lawrie.

Every member of the project was greatly supportive and invaluable to learn from over the process of the review. Our literature review, “Interventions addressing conflict in communities hosting climate-influenced migrants: Literature review,” was recently published in Environment and Security. Being able to contribute to such a publication has been an immensely rewarding experience.

My experience as an undergraduate researcher helped to develop skills that will be advantageous after graduation, whether I continue to work in academia and research or not. I learned to navigate a multitude of databases and was responsible for coordinating a systematic review of over 300 articles. As a result, my ability to quickly synthesize and analyze information improved tremendously. Because of this research, my understanding of the effects of climate change, migration and systems of governance has grown.

I will admit I was apprehensive about taking on undergraduate research in addition to the demands of Madison classes and Division I athletics, but I found these experiences have complemented one another. To any student who is remotely curious about undergraduate research, I encourage you to take advantage of the many resources that MSU and James Madison offer.