Adjunct Shawn Driscoll Introduces Students to New England Historical Association
Image by Shawn Driscoll
College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences students, from left, Samuel Almeida, Dylan Stein, Sebastian Hutchinson, Aldwin Gonzalez Leonardo, Yotam Perliger, Madison Feudo and Campbell Tacey, attended the recent New England Historical Association conference at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire.
05/15/2024
By Ed Brennen
Like any history major, Sebastian Hutchinson toils in quiet solitude when writing research papers for class. When he’s done, his work typically has an audience of one: his professor.
But after attending his first academic conference, hosted by the New England Historical Association (NEHA), Hutchinson has a new perspective on his work.
“I realized that there is more to it than just writing and submitting a paper. There is a place where you can present your findings to an audience and really do a deep dive on a topic,” says Hutchinson, a rising senior from Andover, Massachusetts.
Hutchinson and six other UMass Lowell history majors attended NEHA’s recent spring conference at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire.
They were accompanied by adjunct instructor Shawn Driscoll, a Ph.D. candidate in global studies.
“These conferences are fuel for students’ creativity, connectivity and collaboration,” says Driscoll, who didn’t start attending and presenting at conferences until he was in his master’s program at Worcester State University.
“It was a great opportunity to see history in action,” says Campbell Tacey, a rising senior from Medford, Massachusetts, who is president of the History Club. “We got to see what academic research looks like up close and understand how professional academics go about their work.”
Thirty researchers from across the country presented papers at the conference, including two from UML’s History Department, Asst. Prof. Andrew Drenas and visiting lecturer Joshua Morrison.
Driscoll hopes students will look to attend more conferences in the future — and present their own research.
“It’s a great opportunity to interact with fellow historians and make professional connections that could provide future work and collaboration,” he says.
Tacey looks forward to future conferences.
“It made me think about academics in a different way,” she says. “When you see historical research put together in cohesive panels, it’s much easier to understand the broader significance of them.”