Kent State Tuscarawas senior Madalyne Ludovici captured first place during the Kent State University Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) held during the Fall 2021 semester.
SURE is an annual program that helps fund promising researchers dive into faculty-supervised research for a period of eight weeks and is available to Tuscarawas Campus students.
To focus on their topic of research, participating students are provided with funding, support and faculty mentors through the SURE program.
Majoring in Psychology, Ludovici was awarded first place in the Psychology and Music category. Choosing the Black United Students (BUS) organization at Kent State University as her research topic, Ludovici focused on the organization’s contributions to Kent State’s campus culture and to both local and national communities since its establishment in 1968.
“The reason I am interested in this research is because it is like a little pocket of history that has unfolded right before me while doing research,” says Ludovici. “It makes me feel like I am contributing to Kent State as a whole by contributing to these findings and researching more. I also feel like I am assisting in keeping the BUS legacy alive.”
Ludovici mentored under Dr. NJ Akbar and Dr. Amoaba Gooden of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Department at Kent State and was assigned a Peer Mentor, Jordan Smith, by SURE Representative Anna Gosky.
Ludovici participated in the SURE program remotely and easily from the Kent State Tuscarawas campus.
“Anna Gosky made it very easy to participate in the SURE program at the regional campus level and kept me informed of any opportunities via email,” said Ludovice. “I was able to accomplish all of these things at the regional campus and at the undergraduate level by participating remotely.”
For more information about the SURE program visit www.kent.edu/research/student-research/summer-undergraduate-research-experience.