Summer Humanities Institute Preps Students for Life After Mary Wash

University of Mary Washington senior Stephen McClanahan spent five weeks this summer practicing filmmaking. A psychology major, he saw the session as the next step in carving out the career he’s hoping to build.

“It’s an incredible opportunity to have access to this technology the university offers while also getting hands-on experience with filming and editing footage,” said Rob Willcox, an anthropology and theatre major who also took part in the video project.

Led by Assistant Professor of Communication and Digital Studies J.D. Swerzenski, the summer filmmaking course – packed with interviews, location scouting, lighting set-up, editing and more – was part of UMW’s Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Summer Institute (AHSSSI). The collection of immersive hands-on learning experiences, designed to give students real-world expertise they can add to their résumés, also included psychology, environmental sociology and 3-D design work, all done side-by-side with faculty mentors.

“Lots of universities offer research opportunities to students, only to have them end up doing menial work. That isn’t what happened this summer,” Tobias Conner, a senior psychology major who plans to pursue a Ph.D., said of AHSSSI, for which students receive free room and board, as well as a paycheck. “We were doing real research every step of the way, from researching our primary sources in week one, to building the study, running participants, and assessing data by the end.”

Assistant Professor of Psychological Science Marcus Leppanen (standing) watches while (from left to right) UMW psychology majors Kelly Simons, Julia Patrick, Tobias Conner and Brianna Daly look at results of their research working with the Tobii Pro Fusion Eye Tracker. The team tracked eye-movements during test-taking. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

From left to right, UMW psychology majors Kelly Simons, Tobias Conner and Julia Patrick process the results of their Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Summer Institute project. Their research tracked eye movements during test-taking. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

The new Tobii Pro Fusion Eye Tracker in UMW’s Eye Tracking Lab in Mercer Hall, home to the Department of Psychological Science, uses infrared light to measure eye movements and has the ability to take 250 pictures per second. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

The institute also instilled teamwork, troubleshooting and presentation skills, said Conner, one of four students who participated in a project that tracks eye movements of test-takers, particularly when a potentially threatening component such as a timer is present. The group, led by Assistant Professor of Psychological Science Marcus Leppanen, spent much of its time in Mercer Hall’s Eye Tracking Lab using a newly purchased Tobii Pro Fusion Eye Tracker, which reflects infrared light off the test-taker’s eye and captures 250 pictures per second.

UMW sociology majors Viktor Newby and Maggie Dye took part in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Summer Institute. The two compared the policies of areas that have been named Bee Cities for their efforts to improve habitats for essential pollinators. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

UMW sociology major Viktor Newby weeds in UMWs Pollinator Garden. Part of his work with fellow sociology major Maggie Dye and faculty mentor Associate Professor of Sociology Eric Bonds was to continue the process of advocating for Mary Washington to be named a Bee Campus. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

UMW sociology major Maggie Dye waters plants in UMWs Pollinator Garden. Part of her work with fellow sociology major Viktor Newby and faculty mentor Associate Professor of Sociology Eric Bonds was to continue the process of advocating for Mary Washington to be named a Bee Campus. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

Sociology majors Viktor Newby and Maggie Dye braved the summertime heat to weed and water campus areas built to host pollinators, like bees and butterflies vital to the environment. Mentored by Associate Professor of Sociology Eric Bonds, the pair compared the policies of areas, like Fredericksburg, that have been named Bee Cities for their efforts to protect essential insects. They also continued the quest to have UMW named a Bee Campus.

UMW junior Donald Glander, a history and sociology major, helped the group study the history of the bagpipe and test their newly created instrument. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

From left to right: Adjunct Music Instructor Rebecca Callaway poses with UMW students Daniel Paluh, James Turgeon, Donald Glander and Joe Haun. The group used a 3D printer to construct a bagpipe from scratch during the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Summer Institute. (Not pictured is Eagle Pipe Band Interim Conductor Olivia Corcoran.) Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

Senior music majorJoe Haun, who also is minoring in physics, used special software to help plan the 3D printing of bagpipe parts, including drones, stocks and a chanter. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

A member of the 3D bagpipe printing project takes measurements during the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Summer Institute. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

A team led by Adjunct Music Instructor Rebecca Callaway and Eagle Pipe Band Interim Conductor Olivia Corcoran built on the work of Mary Washington alumnus AJ Gluchowski ’24, who used a 3D printer to build a bagpipe completely from scratch. “We also wanted to scientifically explore how bagpipes work,” Callaway said.

UMW junior Donald Glander, a history and sociology major, handled that part of the project, while teammate Joe Haun used AutoDesk Fusion 360 modeling software to plan out the printing of drones, stocks and a chante, taking aspects like airspeed and thickness into account.

“It was a great opportunity to work in both fields,” said Haun, a senior music major with a minor in physics, “and collaborate with other people.” The group created filaments, testing for factors like yield stress and tensile strength that create the instrument’s signature sound and used simulation software to examine how the parts worked together.

UMW senior Katie Reif adjusts lighting during a five-week session on filmmaking that was part of UMW’s Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Summer Institute. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

Senior psychology major Stephen McClanahan takes part in the AHSSSI filmmaking session. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

Senior Rob Willcox adjusts equipment inside UMW’s Hurley Convergence Center. Willcox and the other participants in a five-week filmmaking session – part of AHSSSI – made videos of the other AHSSSI projects, as well as tackling other assignments. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

Meanwhile, Swerzenski’s filmmaking crew captured it all, creating short videos of each of the other three AHSSSI projects, promotional spots for local nonprofits, and interviews of professors and high school students set to take part in Mary Washington’s upcoming Summer Enrichment Program. Along the way, they gathered B-roll, experimented with footage-enhancing equipment and learned to make content accessible.

All valuable skills for McClanahan’s future.

“Wherever I end up after UMW,” he said, “I know that this summer experience will follow me.”

Watch videos of AHSSSI projects:
Eye Spy: AHSSSI Psychology
Bee City FXBG: AHSSSI Sociology
Printing Pipes: An Investigation and Production