In a display of department support of student research, the sociology and anthropology department hosted an event for junior Caitlyn Yates to present her research in front of a group of faculty and students in preparation for a research conference.

At 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 18, Yates gave a special talk titled “The Growth of Narcotrafficking in Rosario, Argentina: Disciplined Violence and Social Resistance” to practice for her 15 minute presentation of this research at the social development conference at University of Notre Dame Feb. 27-28.

The anthropology and political science double-major conducted her research while studying abroad last fall in Argentina as an independent study course.

Yates’ advisor, Alfred Montoya, professor of anthropology, helped Yates through the process, and organized this special talk to allow her to practice in a formal setting before giving her professional presentation at Notre Dame.

“We wanted to give Caitlyn the opportunity to present her work and receive feedback on that work, to respond to questions and comments that would help her sharpen her ideas, giving focus to some of the issues her work brings up and highlighting some points that could have been further developed or emphasized,” Montoya said.

Montoya also commented on the possibility of having all students who conduct research present in front of faculty and peers to keep the community informed about what students research.

“Certainly, I would love to see all of our students who come back from abroad and have done field work and our students who do community-based research here in town have the chance to be able to present their work,” Montoya said. “There is so much interesting work being done by students and my colleagues, that it would be a shame for the larger community not to have the chance to hear about it.”

Several faculty members in the anthropology and sociology department, as well as students, attended the special talk last Wednesday and provided Yates with constructive comments and feedback.

“Hopefully, this gave Caitlyn the opportunity to practice in a supportive environment where people know her and respect her,” Montoya said.