Thesis or Project Title: Our Place in Research: Understanding Social Productions of Knowledge Using Digital Spaces

Advisor: Dr. Janelle Adsit

Allison’s graduate research and her prodigious service to both the department and the M.A. in English program are truly outstanding.  Allison’s many areas of service to the department and the campus extends to her research. She is currently completing a master’s project that helps faculty across the curriculum support students’ research through designing a web-based social platform tailored for collaboration and shared knowledge-making. She is in the process of designing a prototype of this platform, and its architecture carefully enacts several Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) frameworks—specifically, the threshold concepts that “information creation is a process,” that “scholarship is a conversation,” and that “research is inquiry”—into a scaffolded tool that all students can use. Additionally, during her time in our graduate program, she has devoted many hours to clubs and activities within our department. She co-leads the APT English Club and the Humboldt chapter of the Sigma Tau Delta national honor society through which she has supported many community-building events and initiatives, including welcome events for new students, holiday gatherings, and more. Allison also supported the department's recruitment efforts in a paid student assistant position. In this role. Allison gave presentations to undergraduate classes about the value of a master’s program and helped us reimagine our graduate program website. She also did the legwork in preparing a promotional video for our graduate program. Allison has also served as a Writing Consultant in the Cal Poly Humboldt Writing Studio for over three years.