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Miriam Habeeb ’04 (Westfield, N.J.) combined forces with a national expert in American history this past school year to conduct research for his upcoming book about World War II.
Habeeb, who graduated with a bachelor of science in biology, worked with Donald L. Miller, John Henry MacCracken Professor of History.
Miller’s sixth book, The Bomber Boys, is about members of the Eighth Air Force based in England during World War II. The book is a work of non-fiction, Miller says, but it is extremely character driven. “It’s a story that takes you right through the war,” he explains.
Habeeb, who captained Lafayette’s varsity soccer team, worked to prepare The Bomber Boys for publication by proofreading chapters, doing extensive research, and updating bibliographies and endnotes. She also helped locate some of the characters in the book. Miller says Habeeb is an excellent proofreader and did a thorough job in conducting research.
“She was a big help to me,” he says. “We have a good relationship.”
A highlight of Habeeb’s experience, she says, was helping to locate Col. Robert Morgan, author of The Man Who Flew the Memphis Belle: Memoir of a World War II Bomber Pilot and one of the first Americans to complete 25 bomber missions. She also set up an initial interview.
Habeeb started working on this project through Lafayette’s distinctive EXCEL Scholars program, in which students conduct research with faculty while earning a stipend. The program has helped to make Lafayette a national leader in undergraduate research. Many of the more than 160 students who participate each year share their work through articles in academic journals and/or conference presentations.
“There are a lot of opportunities for students to expand their horizons at Lafayette,” Miller says. “The [EXCEL Scholars] program is a great opportunity for the faculty and the students.”
Habeeb says she was privileged to work with Miller, who was supportive throughout the project.
After winning a Great Lakes Book Award for City of the Century: The Epic of Chicago and the Making of America, Miller played a multifaceted role in the production of “Ulysses S. Grant,” a four-hour American Experience series that aired on PBS television. 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 series for PBS, which aired a series based on City of the Century. Miller also wrote The Story of World War II, a revised, expanded, and updated version of Henry Steele Commager’s classic book The Story of the Second World War.
“It’s great to say that I was a part of this project,” Habeeb says.
“You really get to know the students [through the program],” Miller says. “You realize the immense potential that these kids have. You get to trust each other better.”
Habeeb plans to attend dental school in the fall. Although the EXCEL Scholars program did not involve her major, Habeeb says she took advantage of the opportunity because she was interested in the topic.
“It completes my experience here at Lafayette,” she says. “My whole Lafayette experience has revolved around biology. This was a great break for me.”
As a national leader in undergraduate research, Lafayette sends one of the largest contingents to the National Conference on Undergraduate Research each year. Forty-two students were accepted to present their work at the annual conference held last April.