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Helping a nationally renowned professor with his upcoming book has been a highlight of the Lafayette experience for Katherine Blair ’04 (Marco Island, Fla.), a double major in history and religion & politics.
Under the guidance of Donald L. Miller, John Henry MacCracken Professor of History at Lafayette, Blair gathered information that will be used in his upcoming volume on World War II, titled Bomber Boys. She worked with English major Lauren Sheldon ’03 of Somerville, N.J., to sort through newspapers and magazines from the era and conduct phone and face-to-face interviews with members of the Eighth Air Force, based in England during the Second World War.
The students joined the project through Lafayette’s distinctive EXCEL Scholars program, in which students work closely with faculty on research while earning a stipend. Many of the more than 160 students who participate each year go on to publish papers in scholarly journals and/or present their research at conferences.
“As a history major, this was a great opportunity,” says Blair. “I learned a lot about conducting basic research and how to differentiate good sources from bad ones. I also had a lot of personal contact with veterans who served during World War II. I learned a lot of valuable skills.”
“I had Professor Miller in class before,” she adds. “However, working on this research project was completely different. It was an amazing experience.”
Miller has received critical acclaim for the book The Story of World War II, published by Simon & Schuster/Lou Reda. PBS recently aired a four-hour American Experience series based on his book City of the Century: The Epic of Chicago and the Making of America, which won a Great Lakes Book Award. Miller played a multifaceted role in the production of “Ulysses S. Grant,” a four-hour American Experience program that premiered on PBS television in May. He also is lead scholar and on-air host of “A Biography of America,” a PBS video series and telecourse, and has played significant roles in other PBS series.
Blair is gaining more hands-on history experience through a unique Lafayette initiative that has allowed her to collaborate with local historians and research landmarks to raise their profile in the community and beyond.
She is working with seven fellow students in Lafayette’s Technology Clinic to create an automobile tour on CD, designed to boost tourism and local awareness of historical attractions in the rural area surrounding Nazareth, Pa.
Technology Clinic is a year-long, hands-on course that brings together students from different majors to solve the real-world problems of a business, non-profit organization, or government body. Their research addresses the social, technological, and economic issues involved with the client’s problem.
Working on behalf of the Greater Nazareth Council of Governments, Blair and her group are developing an audio program that drivers would use to find and learn about historical sites in the area, with corresponding signs designating locations. She says local historians will narrate the CD. The students have gathered information through research and interviews of amateur and professional local historians.
The team presented a midyear report in May to Nazareth Chamber of Commerce President Bill Brackbill. The students are being advised by Technology Clinic director Dan Bauer, professor of anthropology, and Larry Malinconico, associate professor and acting head of geology and environmental geosciences.
This summer, Blair is serving an internship with Enterprise Rent-A-Car, working with a branch manager to learn the ropes of managing a division of a large corporation.
Blair spent a semester studying at University of St. Andrews in Scotland. She is a tour guide and member of Alpha Phi sorority.