Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SUROP)
The Program
Sponsored by the Graduate School as part of its recruitment efforts, the SUROP program offered undergraduate students from under-represented groups an opportunity to work closely with an active and publishing scholar at one of the region's premiere research institutions.
Once accepted as a SUROP participant, students interested in English and the humanities were paired with department faculty members who actively engaged the student in current research projects. Students learned a variety of advanced research skills and had the opportunity to work on book, essay, and edited collection projects as they evolve. Thus, students would do hands-on work in archives, in a variety of electronic databases, and in print collections. Additionally, SUROP scholars were encouraged to take specialized classes at Hale library, which introduced them to the most cutting edge tools and skills employed by scholars in the field today. Most importantly, throughout this research process, students received one-on-one mentoring from a member of K-State's award-winning faculty.
The experience offered students excellent preparation for graduate studies and research in the humanities. The Department's participation in SUROP reflected its commitment to research in the field of English for under-represented students.
History of the English Department's SUROP Experience
The Department of English has been an active participant in SUROP from 2002 through 2019. (The program was suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic and did not resume.) We typically took a team approach to the mentoring of SUROP students, assigning a student a primary mentor while also allowing the student an opportunity to work with two other members of the faculty. Our research teams included the following professors:
2019
Kaiya Thompson (Spelman College)
Research Interest: American Ethnic literature and culture
Lead Mentor: Karin Westman
Co-Mentors: Katy Karlin, Mary Kohn, and Anuja Madan
2018
Rachel Moore (Spelman College)
Research Interest: American Ethnic literature and culture
Lead Mentor: Karin Westman
Co-Mentors: Cydney Alexis, Katy Karlin, and Tom Sarmiento
2017
Jalen Thompson (University of Montevallo)
Research Interest: American Ethnic literature and culture
Lead Mentor: Karin Westman
Co-Mentors: Tanya Gonzalez, Katy Karlin, and Cameron Leader-Picone
2016
Alejandra Valadez (Northern Arizona University)
Research Interest: American Ethnic literature and culture
Lead Mentor: Karin Westman
Co-Mentors: Tanya Gonzalez, Cameron Leader-Picone, and Lisa Tatonetti
2013
Elyse Stadlmayr (Chapman University)
Research Interest: American literature and culture
Lead Mentor: Karin Westman
Co-Mentors: Katy Karlin, Jim Machor, and Lisa Tatonetti
2011
Alexander Hubbard (Wofford University)
Research Interest: American literature and Irish literature in history
Lead Mentor: Tim Dayton
Co-Mentor: Donna Potts
2010
Jessica Reyes (Kansas State University)
Research Interest: American literature
Lead Mentor: Tim Dayton
Co-Mentor: Tanya González and Phil Nel
2008
Maria Calhoun (Sterling College)
Research Interest: Latino Children's Literature
Lead Mentor: Tanya González
Co-Mentors: Elizabeth Dodd and Lisa Tatonetti
2007
Alyssa Dawson (Sterling College)
Research Interest: Women's Writings from the 18th to 21st Centuries
Lead Mentor: Bonnie Nelson
Co-Mentors: Tanya González and Anne Longmuir
2006
Melissa Rupp (The University of Iowa)
Research Interest: 18th-Century English Literature
Lead Mentor: Karin Westman
Co-Mentors: Bonnie Nelson and Michael Donnelly
2005
Talicia Y. Jones (Truman State University)
Research Interest: African American & Asian American Literature
Lead Mentor: Michele Janette
Co-Mentors: Karin Westman and Bonnie Nelson
2002
Annie Nicole Speights (Florida A&M University)
Research Interest: Ingrid Begrman, Zadie Smith, & Ursula K. LeGuin
Mentor: Karin Westman
Co-Mentors: Dave Smit and Naomi Wood