Students advocate for undergraduate research on Capitol Hill

Damanpreet Khaira ’26, Xingchen Liu ’26, Abigail Swihart ’25, and Professor John Kirk visited Capitol Hill as part of a program sponsored by the Council on Undergraduate Research.

They met with congressional staffers from the offices of Representative Bryan Steil, Senator Ron Johnson, and Senator Tammy Baldwin. Students described their research projects and the impact of the experience on their Carthage education. Prof. Kirk highlighted the diverse research and creative work that Carthage students and faculty carry out and the importance of federal support to enable that work.

Studies repeatedly show that participating in undergraduate research, scholarship, or creativity increases retention and graduation rates in academic programs. As part of these experiences, students gain knowledge and skills specific to their discipline and greatly expand their critical thinking and communication skills. As a result, students with research, scholarship, or creative experiences are better prepared for the workforce and graduate or professional programs.

The trip to Washington, D.C., is the culmination of a five-month professional development program focusing on advocating for undergraduate research with the media, policymakers, and the general public. Carthage was the only school from Wisconsin to participate in the program, which brought together teams from 22 states to learn to write op-eds and policy briefs, conduct media interviews about their research, and connect with and build relationships with policymakers.

Sponsoring Department, Office, or Organization:

Teaching Commons

For more information, contact:

John Kirk: jkirk1@xiaoneizhi.com