Co-lab Program
Department of Interdisciplinary Studies
Explore Spring 2026 CO-LAB Opportunities
Ready to do research that makes an impact?
Now accepting applications! This spring, the College of Liberal Arts is offering two exciting CO-LABs, each designed to give students hands-on experience with research while developing valuable academic and professional skills.
Dr. Troy Bassett, professor of English, seeks student collaborators who are interested in nineteenth-century book history with an emphasis on the book as a physical object written, published, and read by human beings. Students will have the chance to work on original research in the fields of bibliography, digital humanities, and literary history.
Dr. Bassett’s digital humanities project At the Circulating Library: A Database of Victorian Fiction, 1837–1901 (ATCL) (www.victorianresearch.org/atcl) is the largest bibliography of nineteenth-century British novels and currently has entries for over 25,000 titles, 6,000 authors, and 800 publishers. More title and author entries continue to be added every year, ultimately until every work of fiction has been identified. Currently, works from the 1880s are being added. Even in its unfinished state, researchers around the world use ATCL as a reference work and dataset of Victorian publishing history.
Dr. Bassett invites applications from potential students who are interested in learning more about bibliography, digital scholarship, library science, and literary history. Students will assist Dr. Bassett in identifying missing titles and authors from the 1880s, data entry and coding, and publicizing this work through social media. In addition, students will have the opportunity to work with Dr. Bassett’s extensive collection of nineteenth-century books, periodicals, and manuscripts.
Students interested in collaborating with Dr. Bassett should send a statement of 250 words explaining their interest in the topic, evidence of their research skills, and experience, if any, in book history, literature, digital humanities, and social media. Any inquiries or questions welcome. Applications should be sent to [email protected] by Friday, October 31, 2025, 5:00 PM.
Dr. Nurgul Aitalieva, associate professor of the criminal justice is offering a CO-LAB that will give students an opportunity to study how public opinion shapes and is shaped by contemporary social and political issues. Students will explore attitudes toward social welfare programs, health care, education, criminal justice reform, gender equity, cultural identity, and other timely topics. The course emphasizes hands-on research with major survey datasets such as the General Social Survey (GSS), American National Election Studies (ANES), and Pew Research Center, allowing students to examine how demographic factors, media narratives, historical contexts, and political institutions influence attitudes.
During the semester, students will gain skills in quantitative research, data interpretation, and policy-relevant analysis. Projects will culminate in both academic and public-facing presentations at a campus-wide event sharing findings with the community. This is a 3-credit hour course. Students will enroll in IDIS 49100: Special Topics in Interdisciplinary Studies. Depending on individual academic plans and subject to departmental approval, this course may fulfill one or more of the following requirements (pending approval, reach out for more details):
• COLA Thematic Requirements (Area C): Institutions and Behavior
• Civics Literacy Proficiency Requirements
• CRIM 37000: Seminar in Criminal Justice
• Honors Program H-Option Credit
Students interested in collaborating with Dr. Aitalieva should send a 250-word statement describing their research interests, relevant coursework or skills (such as statistics, writing, or data management), and motivation for joining the project. Applications should be sent to [email protected]. Applications should be submitted by Friday, October 31, 2025, 5:00 PM.
Two ways to make your research count
Public Opinion & Social Attitudes with Dr. Aitalieva
Curious about how people’s views shape society? This CO-LAB gives you the chance to explore issues like healthcare, education, and criminal justice through real survey data. You’ll practice analyzing trends, connecting findings to current debates, and presenting your work to the campus community.
Victorian Fiction of 1880s with Dr. Bassett
Love literature, history, or digital projects? Join this CO-LAB to uncover hidden stories in Victorian publishing. You’ll help grow the largest global database of nineteenth-century novels, work hands-on with rare books, and contribute to a resource used by researchers around the world.
LEARN
How to Participate in a Co-Lab
To be considered for a Co-Lab, you will submit an application directly to the faculty member directing the specific Co-Lab that interests you. The Dean's Office issues a call each spring for applications for the following academic year. The call for applications is announced i in a winter issue of "Collated," the Dean's Office newsletter for students, as well as here on our website.
To qualify for the program, you must meet the following requirements:
- Be enrolled in a major in the College of Liberal Arts
- Have good academic standing
- Have junior or senior standing during the period of the Co-Lab
Note: Faculty members may grant special permission for sophomores to enroll, when appropriate to do so.
The CO-LABs are a 3-credit learning experience, and students accepted into a CO-LAB will be registered for IDIS 49101 for Spring 2026.
If you have general questions about the CO-LAB Program, feel free to send them to Dean Badia ([email protected]), coordinator of the CO-LAB Program.
Co-Labs: An Enriching Experience for Liberal Arts Majors
The Co-Lab Program in the College of Liberal Arts provides our students with a unique opportunity to work closely with a faculty member on a research-based project designed to model and teach a variety of skills relevant to the execution of a larger research endeavor. Designed around a topic relevant to a faculty member's area of interest, Co-Labs allow students to:
- Conduct research, either according to disciplinary practices or by integrating multiple disciplines in ways that encourage explicit reflection on interdisciplinarity
- Refine your critical-thinking and problem-solving abilities
- Organize/manage a large project, utilizing effective time management and task prioritization
- Practice collaboration, including improving communication skills necessary for effective interpersonal relationships and cooperative efforts
- Cultivate flexibility, adaptability, creativity, and effective decision-making skills
- Consider ethical standards and practices in research
- Practice communicating research to the public
previous co-labs
In Fall 2024, the College of Liberal Arts launched its Co-Lab Program, an exciting new initiative that provides our students with an opportunity to work closely with a small cohort of their peers on a research-based project under the guidance of a faculty director.
The program is competitive, both for the faculty who design the projects and for the students who are selected to participate in the funded Co-Labs. Three COLA faculty led Co-Labs this past fall: Dr. Heloisa Wilkerson, assistant professor of communication, Dr. Ann Livschiz, associate professor of history, and Dr. Damian Fleming, professor of medieval studies.
Exploring the impact of social media on elections
Dr. Wilkerson’s Co-Lab tackled a timely and relevant topic: the role of social media in the 2024 election.
Through the project, “Social Media, Elections & You,” students analyzed how journalists frame political campaigns, how that framing influences audience engagement, and the effects of misinformation and polarization on elections. Students collaboratively conducted three original research projects using discourse analysis and interviews. A highlight of the semester was a roundtable discussion held by the students just one week before the election that was featured as a civics literacy event.
Examining Russian and Soviet Imperialism through Digital Humanities
Dr. Livschiz’s Co-Lab explored Russian and Soviet imperialism and its ongoing impact. A key component of the project was the use of digital humanities tools, such as Scalar and StoryMaps, to create a digital exhibition. One featured project, “Soviet Monuments in Kyiv: Political Memory as a Weapon in Identity Politics,” showcased how political memory is shaped through historical narratives.
Students stated the overall experience helped them grasp how the digital humanities can aid in publishing valuable historical narratives to a public audience.
Investigating Medieval Manuscripts and Hebrew Alphabets
Dr. Fleming’s Co-Lab focused on his decade-long research into bad Hebrew in medieval Christian manuscripts. Contributing to the work Fleming has already undertaken, students analyzed 8th- and 9th-century manuscripts through online digitization, working to categorize alphabets by date, library, and letter forms.
In October, Fleming’s cohort visited Ohio State University’s Rare Books and Manuscripts Library, where they had the unique opportunity to study medieval books of hours and liturgical manuscripts firsthand. After returning to Purdue University Fort Wayne, students presented their findings to the university community.
