Major Insight

Amitoj Kaur understands how to seize every opportunity that comes her way. As a freshman, she was appointed by the governor of Ohio to serve on Miami University’s Board of Trustees, where she advocates for the student experience. Amitoj is also a first generation college student, who helps others navigate the transition into university life. And on this episode, she also talks about combining her interests in design, marketing, and policy to create more accessibility for immigrants, and for those in communities everywhere. Featured Majors: Emerging Technology in Business + Design, Political Science

As a mechanical and manufacturing engineering double major, Laura Mayer is fascinated by how things work, how they’re put together, and how they can be built even better. Laura is also interested in exploring the connections between engineering and business. And on this episode, she talks about discovering her passion for engineering, her mission to get more young women interested in the field, her research on 3D printing, and how engineering relates to so many hidden aspects of life. Featured Majors: Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Supply Chain and Operations Management Featured Organizations and Internships: Society of Women in Engineering, Swagelok

As the editor-in-chief of one of the oldest college newspapers in the country, Chris Vinel takes human interest stories to heart. Chris currently leads a dynamic staff of writers and editors, who connect local and regional events to the college experience. On this episode, he also talks about keeping a student media organization running during COVID, how journalism can open doors for a variety of career paths, and how students can find the confidence to move forward in school and in life. Featured Majors: Journalism, Sport Leadership and Management Featured Organizations: The Miami Student

Jackson Polish aims to help redefine the sport of hockey. As the Founder of SP Analytics, Jackson created a hockey application that makes in-depth analysis of video and in-game data to make strategic decisions during competition. On this episode, he also talks about combining his interests in sport, business, and data analytics to build a future career in the sport industry. Featured Majors: Sport Leadership and Management, Coaching, General Business

Jannie Kamara came to college with the goal of becoming a leader. Today she is the student body president of the Associated Student Government, where she advocates for more connection and inclusion across the campus and the community. On this episode, Jannie talks about the importance of diversifying your leadership style, her research on black female civil rights leaders, and how all students can make most out of their college experience. Featured Majors: Black World Studies, Diversity and Leadership Featured Organizations & Internships: Associated Student Government, Diversity Affairs Council, Western Program

As a biochemistry major who combines physics and engineering to study self-healing polymers, Jafer Vakil uses chemical reactions to create materials with industrial and commercial applications. His undergraduate work has already earned him multiple publications within the field of polymer chemistry. However, this is not the college career Jafer originally envisioned for himself. On this episode, he also speaks about his abrupt transition from the liberal arts to the physical sciences, why sometimes the most unexpected path becomes the most profound, and how he overcame fear and doubt along the way. Featured Majors: Chemistry, Biochemistry, Physics, English Literature Featured Organizations & Internships: Hughes Internship

The community-building efforts of Madison McGirr are aimed at helping other people thrive. As a sophomore in Miami’s interdisciplinary Western Program, she is interested in education reform, reducing poverty, and the effects of gentrification. Madison's work with nonprofits such as Our Daily Bread in Cincinnati, Ohio, as well as youth-based programs such as Big Brothers, Big Sisters and Dream Keepers, is helping to make local schools and communities more accessible, inclusive, and prosperous for everyone. Featured Majors & Minors: Individualized Studies (Western Program), Education, Teaching and Learning

As an aspiring Chemical Engineer, with a concentration in Environmental Engineering, Emily Kuehl is using her time as a college student to make our world a cleaner, safer place to live. Her projects involve the detection of arsenic in water and soil samples, as well as research designed to remove other dangerous chemicals from drinking water. Emily is also a rock climber, trombone player, and a math and music minor. And on this episode, she also talks about her role in designing university classes and how to find a balance between the personal and academic sides of college life. Featured Majors: Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Mathematics, Music Performance

Connor Moreton wants to blur the lines between business and sustainability. As a double Corporate Sustainability and Marketing major, his work explores the middle ground between the economic, social, and ecological where viable new models can have both profitable and positive worldly effects. On this episode, Connor also talks about using sales as a powerful tool to identify problems and find solutions, following through on long-term goals, and about reaping the rewards of investing in yourself. Featured Majors: Corporate Sustainability, Marketing Career Clusters: Management, Sales and Consulting

Megan Cremeans wants to cause social and political change by exploring the ways in which democracy and education are inseparably intertwined. As an integrated social studies education and political science major, she uses applied policy to find practical ways to fight inequality and injustice, especially in schools where she researches public school funding disparities in Ohio. On this episode, Megan also talks about representing and empowering students across campus, her rewarding experiences as a student teacher, and how college has helped her become a better leader. Featured Majors: Integrated Social Studies Education, Political Science Career Clusters: Education, Nonprofit and Human Services, Law and Government

While following her dream to become a criminal prosecutor, Reagan Brown has learned how to craft eloquent arguments, how to stand up for her beliefs, and how to keep cool in intense situations. As a comparative religion and psychology major, she has studied the controversial views of the Westboro Baptist Church during a faculty-led project designed to understand religious extremism. On this episode, Reagan also talks about the value of understanding different viewpoints and the power of empathy to change the world. Featured Majors: Comparative Religion, Psychology, Pre-Law Featured Organizations: Miami University Ohio Innocence Project, Parent Child Interaction Lab Career Clusters: Law and Government

In this episode, we dive deep into the heart of human nature by hearing how the humanities can be a powerful way to learn more about ourselves, about the world, and each other. We'll also get to know more about the new host of this podcast, Peter Everett. As a double history and comparative religion major, Peter's research touches upon the value that can be found in studying the people and the places that are often overlooked. Featured Majors: History, Comparative Religion, Political Science, Literature, Philosophy Featured Awards, Scholarships, and Organizations: University Honors Program 

The humanities enrich our lives in illuminating ways. They teach us to think critically, adapt to change, to ask the right questions. They teach us about ourselves, and even what it means to be human. As one of Miami’s most high profile students, Jacob Bruggeman has been an outspoken champion of the humanities. On this episode, he explains how studying the humanities will help you succeed in college, and in life. Jacob has also been the host of Major Insight since it launched. But as he prepares for life after graduation, this episode also marks a new season, as our new host, Peter Everett, talks to Jacob about his remarkable journey through college. Featured Majors: History, Political Science, Philosophy, Literature Featured Awards, Scholarships, and Organizations: Joanna Jackson Goldman Memorial Prize, Geoffrion Family Fellowship, Altman Fellows Program, Undergraduate Summer Scholars Program, Miami Family Fund, Ohio Public Leader Fellowship, The Humanities Center.

As recently as May of 2019, an ingredient found in many common over-the-counter drugs was linked to the death of an infant. Curiously, use of this ingredient was still legal, and even FDA approved. This led Virginia Bulger to ask, “why?” Virginia’s research explores the complexities of drug regulation legislation. And on this episode, she also talks about how her university experiences can help other aspiring student researchers successfully pursue passion projects of their own. Featured Majors: Political Science, Business Management Featured Study Abroad: Jamaica, Middle East, Oman, Abu Dhabi Featured Internships and Organizations: Consumer Healthcare Products Association Internship, King Library

On this episode, Terry Tait talks about his research that frames the Iraq War within the emerging field of borderlands studies. Terry looks how individual people try to understand their circumstances in a global world, and at how our perceptions of borders -- both visible and invisible -- can have a profound effect on our lives. Featured Majors: History, Arabic, Middle East and Islamic Studies Featured Study Abroad: AMIDEAST Intensive Arabic in Amman and Jordan, Oman and UAE

Max Leveridge wants to protect all species from extinction. On this episode, he talks about connecting a variety of environmental and sociological factors including geological conservation, animal behavioral ecology, and sustainability to do it. Featured Majors: Environmental Earth Science, Environmental Science, Sustainability, Geographic Information Science Featured Organizations: Center for Animal Behavior, Undergraduate Research Committee, Miami University Sustainability Committee, National Association for Environmental Professionals, Phi Beta Kappa National Honors Society

On this episode, Ellen Florek talks about reexamining the U.S. educational system, her goal to protect women’s rights, and how learning about disabilities studies and social justice can bring valuable insight to students pursuing almost any career path. Ellen’s work as a political science major links law, reproductive rights, and disability rights to advocate for the kinds of policies and practices that can impact the lives of people everywhere. Featured Majors: Political Science, Special Education, Social Justice Studies Featured Awards: Law and Public Policy Scholars Program, Bridges Program Featured Study Abroad: Luxembourg MUDEC Program

Abby Culpepper wants us to connect with places we’re from and spaces we occupy, right here and right now. As a French and linguistics major, she uses language and literature to explore our relationship with local communities and with the wider natural world. On this episode, Abby speaks about her work with eco-poetics, why it’s so important to appreciate the distinctness and richness of our own unique localities, and more. Featured Majors: French, Linguistics, German Featured Awards & Organizations: Geoffrion Family Fellows Program, The Office of Research for Undergraduate’s Summer Scholars Program, The Humanities Center, The Dean’s Scholar Program, Bishop Woods Featured Study Abroad: Paris: Cultural Capital; Intensive German Summer in Heidelberg, Jena, Dessau and Berlin

Few fields are evolving as quickly as the field of genetics. Emily Wyatt found her calling in genetics while working in Miami University’s Killian Neurobiology Lab, where she studies a protein that is known to be a possible leading cause of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Her work has earned her a Howard Hughes Internship Award and she represented Miami at the 2019 International Emory Global Health Case Competition. On this episode, Emily talks about her research experience, career opportunities, and how others can follow a similar path into this growing field. Featured Majors: Biology, Bioinformatics Featured Internships & Awards: Howard Hughes Internship Award, The International Emory Global Health Case Competition. Featured Organizations: Killian Neurobiology Lab, The Genetics Club

For Charles Kennick, there are no boundaries between campus life and community life. During his time at Miami, Charles has become a leading advocate of student voice in all town-gown relations. He has served as the chair for the City of Oxford Student Community Relations Commission, as the Secretary for Off-Campus Affairs in the Associated Student Government, as a 3-time president of Miami’s chapter of College Democrats, and more. On this episode, Charles explains how to become civically engaged in your local campus community, the benefits of having a strong alumni base, and a career in public administration. Featured Majors:  Anthropology, Public Administration, Political Science, History Featured Internships: Greater Cleveland Transit Authority, Ohio Public Leaders Featured Organizations: The City of Oxford Student Community Relations Commission, Miami’s Parking and Transportation Board, The Associated Student Government, Miami’s chapter of College Democrats, Armstrong Student Center Board  Music: “Only Kno