Computer Science

See the Wind Turbine Webpage created by Computer Science majors Wain Yee, Arthur Lewis, Ben Kazez, Glen Friedman, and Mark Dyson.

Sociology/Anthropology

Eberley Wedlake '07 researched the Latino community in Northfield, and found an interactive dynamic between Latinos and the greater Northfield community.

Elisha Hall '07

Political Science

Cary Tiernan '07 wrote about the politics of Northfield's Latino community and their increasing political influence.

Conception of Community
Her research has changed her conception of community. Among Northfield Latinos, “people are actively building it,” and now she says that she studies “community as an active dynamic.” And this is not limited to Latino residents – she has noted an interactive dynamic between Latino communities in Northfield and the Northfield community at large, making them impossible to distinguish from each other.

Research in the Community
Eberley stresses that she “learns from” her interviewees, instead of “studying” them. “There’s a lot of power involved in being a researcher,” she says, “and it’s been a challenge negotiating the different roles – friend and researcher.” Still, her interviews have even strengthened many of her friendships with community members.

And here again we come to a different conception of research. Speaking directly to the population, she says, is “a different kind of learning” than the theory that Carls study in classes. “It helps you speak back to theory.”

Career Development
Eberley sees her comps research as career development experience of a sort “which I couldn’t get in the libe.” Next year she wants a job doing something similar, perhaps working on immigrant rights or doing community organizing. The experience she’s gaining with her civic engagement comps project – interacting with people in a real-world setting; learning about very local, very present issues; creating your own results instead of interpreting others’ – is hard to find in academics at Carleton.