A Medill junior will conduct research in six countries across five continents this summer, spending about a week in each country to study how technology affects civic engagement in democratic systems.
Kevin Short is the first Medill student to win the Circumnavigators Travel-Study Grant in the 11 years it has been offered. The Circumnavigators Club, a philanthropic organization dedicated to improving international relations, partners with Northwestern to fund a trip around the world for one NU junior per year. He will travel to Tanzania, Ukraine, Jordan, India, New Zealand and Brazil over the course of the summer.
Short described himself as a curious student who is passionate about a wide array of issues. He said he is trying to use his journalism education to explore the issues he thinks will define the 21st century.
Short plans to shadow not-for-profit organizations and research how they are using digital technology to get more people involved in democracy and dialogue about the state.
“Technology is shaping every facet of our lives,” he said. “One that people haven’t explored is civic engagement in democratic systems.”
According to undergraduate research advisor Jana Measells, an NU review committee chooses three finalists for the grant from a pool of 15 to 20 applicants and representatives from the Chicago Chapter of the Circumnavigators Club pick the winner.
“They’re looking for projects that are feasible, rigorous and intellectually engaging,” Measells said, adding that projects should also fit into the Circumnavigators Club’s ideas of “global citizenship and being good ambassadors.”
Katie Florez, Short’s friend, said she doesn’t expect Short to have problems because of his “phenomenal people skills.”
“I know he probably feels like he has a lot to learn,” she said. “But he definitely knows the road.”
Short has traveled via NU programs before, once to Rwanda and twice to Jordan. He is currently editing footage from his most recent trip to Jordan for a documentary about the rising street art scene in the capital city of Amman.
He said traveling with Medill’s Refugee Lives, which took him to Amman in December 2010 and 2011, has defined his university experience. He has always liked to travel, and through Northwestern, he has been able to do a little more, he said.
“Northwestern is enabling me to expand my horizons geographically and academically,” he said.
Short said he will try to merge journalism and research during his Circumnavigators trip. He plans to collect footage and photos and pitch stories to news organizations to encourage more dialogue “in the spirit of what I’m studying.”
“I haven’t heard of any other grant … that enables such a truly global research project that allows you to find depth but still have so much breadth,” he said.
Editor’s note: This article has been edited for clarity.
