About the Project
Is information inherently neutral? What types of political structures exist beneath the surface of our information that impact how we find, use and create information? As part of the Engaged Humanities Initiative at the University of Illinois at Chicago, this resource curates undergraduate research projects that explore the humanities side of how information is created, used and shared in our society.
About the Researchers
Martina Bianchi. Martina Bianchi is a first-year student at the University of Illinois at Chicago majoring in Biological Sciences. Her research paper explores the inequity women face due to political powers when it comes to maternal health and specifically, access to abortions. Her topic explores the misinformation on abortions. Research interests include feminism and the structural violence on women.
Allie Conwell. Allie Conwell is a first-year student at The University of Illinois at Chicago, studying Communication and Media. Her research paper explores how information dissemination regarding marijuana has been used to reinforce negative racial stereotypes and promote racial divisions--focusing specifically on its relationship with the prison system and history of anti-drug propaganda.
Kenya Blancas. Blancas is a first-year student at UIC planning to major in Biology. She is writing her research paper on Law and Criminal justice. The justice system is becoming more corrupt as the years come. Her research interests include racism and discrimination.
Anne Gallo. Anne is a first-year student majoring in Biological Sciences with a Pre-Medical track. Their research is on how the historical treatment and negative bias against LGBTQ+ people has led to a large disparity in LGBTQ health and wellbeing. Their research includes LGBTQ+ history, medical practices, and medical education.
Ashley Greene. Greene is a first-year student at UIC, majoring in biochemistry. Her research delves into the usage college entrance exams throughout history, emphasizing the disparities minorities face under the guise of a neutral .
Jovita Johnson. Johnson is a first-year student at the University of Illinois at Chicago majoring in Chemistry on the Pre-Pharmacy track. Her research paper explores racial disparities in the maternal health field, specifically the inequities toward African-American women. Her research interests include discrimination rooted in health practices, experiences of minority women, and solutions to present equal access for all people.
Lexie Jones. Jones is a first-year student at UIC planning to major in Communications. She is writing her research project on the imbalance in the representation of women in politics, specifically focusing on the lack of representation taught in school curriculum. Her research interests include politics and feminism.
Isabel Mares. Mares is a second-year student at UIC majoring in Integrated Health studies with a concentration on behavioral health. She is researching and writing about the therapeutic rehabilitation among teenagers, and how they effect students both physically and mentally. Her research interest include the trouble teen industry.
Abigail McAleer. Abigail McAleer is a senior at the University of Illinois at Chicago majoring in Criminology, Law and Justice. Her research paper will be focusing on recycling and plastic pollution. She will be delving into the reasons behind the little known secret that the majority of plastic is not in fact recycled. Her research examines this misinformation produced by big oil companies.
Gaby Perez. Perez is a first-year student at UIC majoring in Art Education. She is researching the ways in which the increasing privatization of healthcare insurance affects minority women, focusing primarily on Latinx women, in terms of the quality of treatment and options available. Her research interests include cultural studies and feminism.
Sierra Rabe. Rabe is a current student at The University of Illinois at Chicago with a declared major of Biological Sciences on a pre-medicine track. She is writing her research paper on the effects of misinformation on women's bodies and how the over-sexualization of women's bodies leads to a growth of rape culture and a misunderstanding from young boys on what women are supposed to be or look like. Her research interests include feminism, social media influence, and societal inequality.
Abbie Schmidt. Schmidt is a current student at The University of Illinois at Chicago. Her major is undeclared on the pre-medicine track. Schmidt is conducting research on the dehumanization of PWUD (people who use drugs) and how the media has great negative implications on communities struggling with substance abuse disorders. She also explores how the treatment of drug use is seen as a criminal issue, rather than a health care issue, and how this influences the progression of the crisis.
Zahra Vasi. Zahra Vasi is a first-year student at the University of Illinois at Chicago planning to major in mathematics with a minor in philosophy and Spanish on the pre-medicine track. Her research paper explores how misinformation on social media influences Americans to vote against their best interest, perpetuating economic inequality in the nation. Her research also includes analyses of past political campaigns, the growth of social media and economic policy in the United States.
Charlotte Wagner. Wagner is a first-year student at UIC majoring in political science. She is writing her research project on how traditional classroom settings and curriculums disempower neurodivergent students, with a focus on students with ADHD. Her topics of research include standardized curriculums, IEPs, and student’s social-emotional well being.
Wylie Warren-Boulton. Warren-Boulton is a first-year student at UIC majoring in classical studies. Her research paper explores how the inclusion of LGBTQ+ issues in sex-ed is regulated by school districts and states. Her research interests include LGBTQ+ advocacy and education.