Fourteen 2025 SOCKS undergraduate interns concluded their exciting 10 week summer experience with a three-day symposium at the University of Vermont's Davis Center. Held on July 28th, 30th, and 31st, the symposium offered the opportunity for each undergraduate intern to present their summer research to their peers and advisors. The research covered an array of topics:

• Analysis of Local News Stories and Programs
• Data Ethics, Privacy, and Belief Propagation
• Indigenous Narratives and Storytelling in Global Environmental Governance
• Language Analysis of Trauma Survivors' Narratives
• Migration Narratives and Social Media Discourse
• Understanding and Promoting Human Connection in Illness

The symposium represented a culmination of the SOCKS summer internship program, which began on May 26th and concluded on August 1st. Interns utilized SOCKS research tools and collaborated with faculty advisors, giving them the hands-on experience of collaborating and working on a research team.

"The symposium was great," said intern Kodi Udochukwu (pictured above). "I loved the questions that people asked after I was done presenting. It gave me the chance to dive deeper into my what I researched and my findings. After a 6+ weeks of researching, you tend to get pretty excited and informed about your topic, so it's always great to answer questions from people who are very curious and very experienced."

"The symposium felt like story time with friends," said Leah Flood. "Everyone in the crowd is a familiar face and asks questions that highlight your project, it's a fun time."

"It was amazing to see the research that the other interns and I had produced throughout the summer in a professional setting," said Zoë Noble. "It was my first experience presenting research, and I was glad to do it in such a positive, supportive setting." To learn more about the 2025 summer interns, click here.