51视频

06/30/2020

Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944 or Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu and Christine Gillette, 978-758-4664 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu

LOWELL, Mass. 鈥� 51视频 students are gaining experience in political research, polling and data analysis, thanks to their involvement in the university鈥檚 Center for Public Opinion.

The nationally recognized center conducts surveys on political and social issues and presents programs that provide opportunities for civic engagement. Polls written and conducted this spring gauged the public鈥檚 views about COVID-19, Democratic primary races in key states and beliefs on a range of other political and pop culture topics.

All of these projects involved 51视频 students working alongside the center鈥檚 Director Joshua Dyck and Associate Director John Cluverius, faculty members in the university鈥檚 Political Science Department. Launched in 2011, the center is a member of American Association for Public Opinion Research鈥檚 Transparency Initiative.

鈥淥ne of the unique things is that we are a university survey research center run by faculty committed to making student engagement a core part of our mission,鈥� Dyck said. 鈥淢ost people probably know who we are for publishing horse-race polling numbers or surveys on other views, but our most important work is training future survey researchers and supporting projects proposed by 51视频 faculty.鈥�

51视频 students are reaping the benefits of this work. Lindsey Kilpatrick, of Manlius, N.Y., learned about the center as a member of the university鈥檚 Honors College through its Emerging Scholars Program. A double major in mathematics and political science, Kilpatrick also plays field hockey on 51视频鈥檚 Division I team. This year, she contributed to a project that combined two of her passions: sports and politics.

Working in the center, Kilpatrick analyzed a subset of data from a survey that explored respondents鈥� attitudes about football, concussions and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain condition caused by repeated head impacts. She wrote up her findings in 鈥淔riday Night Politics: Football Bans and American Polarization,鈥� a research paper so accomplished, the professors are submitting it to academic journals for publication.

The experience helped Kilpatrick land a paid internship this summer with a professional polling firm that conducts survey research for political candidates, businesses and nonprofits.

鈥淚 liked this project because it started off where I was most comfortable: the data analysis, the math. Then I eased into the writing of a formal research paper. Now, I鈥檓 at a job and I know what I鈥檓 doing,鈥� she said.

Dyck and Cluverius discuss the center鈥檚 work in every class they teach, from Introduction to American Politics to Quantitative Research Methods, so that students understand that research is 鈥渁 living, breathing thing,鈥� according to Cluverius.

鈥淲e have more and more students every year who are interested in polling and in being a part of the work we鈥檙e doing. And every time we bring students into the process, we create a better survey,鈥� he said.

Madeline Hertz鈥檚 time working with the center helped define her career path. The Andover resident, who earned her bachelor鈥檚 degree last month as a double-major in American studies and economics, plans to pursue her master鈥檚 degree in statistical research methods in the fall. She hopes to one day manage data for candidates running for public office.

Hertz started working in the center after taking a class in survey research methods with Dyck last year. Her first assignment was to enter data from a poll about Andover residents鈥� satisfaction with municipal services. But Dyck and Cluverius soon realized she could do more because she excelled at writing questions that were both clear and neutral.

As a result, Hertz edited many of the questions in the center鈥檚 polls this spring of likely Democratic presidential primary voters in South Carolina and five Super Tuesday states. Poll results were widely reported by media outlets across the country and cited by various candidates鈥� campaigns.

鈥淲orking with Josh and John was great. They鈥檙e fantastic, enthusiastic professors who were willing to include me in whatever they鈥檙e doing. I both realized that I鈥檓 really capable and really interested, and that there鈥檚 a lot more I can learn,鈥� she said.

51视频 is a national research university located on a high-energy campus in the heart of a global community. The university offers its more than 18,000 students bachelor鈥檚, master鈥檚 and doctoral degrees in business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, humanities, sciences and social sciences. 51视频 delivers high-quality educational programs, vigorous hands-on learning and personal attention from leading faculty and staff, all of which prepare graduates to be leaders in their communities and around the globe. www.uml.edu