OHC supports humanities undergraduate research
2025 Humanities Undergraduate Research Fellows (HURF)
The HURF program, a collaboration between the OHC and the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program, is a 16-week fellowship for undergraduate students conducting research in the humanities under the guidance of a UO faculty mentor. Since its inception in 2016, 73 students have engaged in this opportunity.
During winter and spring terms the cohort met weekly to workshop their projects and participate in seminars related to research skills development, research ethics, communicating research, and career preparation. Their fellowship culminated in a presentation at the UO’s Undergraduate Research Symposium held on May 22.
Adrian Cervantes, Music: “Networked Soundscapes: Community and Creation in Internet-Based Experimental Music” Mentor: Juan Eduardo Wolf
John Knutson, English: “UO Writing Tutor Transfer” Mentor: Addison Koneval
Jisu Lee, Linguistics: “Changes in Korean language as heritage language in the US: A sociolinguistic examination” Mentor: Gabriela Pérez-Báez
Kyle Murphy, Philosophy: “The Lethargizing Influence of Historical Scientific Bias on Applied Ecology and Agriculture” Mentor: Jacob Neal
Tomas Pena, English: “Themes of Ownership and Repurposing in African American Literature” Mentor: Faith Barter
Emily Sapp, Philosophy: “Masculinity, Misogyny, and the Mafia: A Critical Analysis of Identity and Gender in The Sopranos” Mentor: Steven Brence
Jaden Wirhol, History: “Japanese Public Perception and Discourse of Militarism in China” Mentor: John Leisure
Madison Yarbrough, English: “The Study of Reproductive Technological Horror” Mentor: Rachel Eccleston
2025 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow–Humanities (SURF–H)
In 2024 the Center for Undergraduate Research and Engagement (CURE) and the Oregon Humanities Center (OHC) launched a new partnership to support undergraduate research and creative work in the humanities and arts. SURF–H fellows conduct full-time summer research for 8 weeks under the supervision of a UO faculty member, and participate in CURE summer co-curricular workshops on academic and career development topics, as well as an end-of-summer Works-in-Progress presentation gathering.
This summer, Oliver Twitchell, third year student in Theatre Arts, is working on “Preserving the Past: Innovations in Costume Storage and Archival Practices” with faculty mentor Jeanette De Jong, associate professor of Theatre Arts.