The 66th annual World Social Science Association Conference took place in San Antonio, Texas earlier this month with a presentation from Colorado Mesa University (CMU) political science student Shayla Trowbridge.
Trowbridge submitted a paper she wrote last year on the role of philanthropic organizations in health for the Lamb Prize. The Lamb Prize in Political Science is awarded annually to recognize the best doctoral dissertation in political science.
“The title of my paper was Genius Playboy Billionaire Philanthropist: How Human Security Became a Tool for American Hegemony. It was basically about philanthropic organizations and their work on a global health stage,” Trowbridge said.
Trowbridge submitted her work on whim, not expecting it to go anywhere, but it ended up being highly recognized.
“I got an honorable mention, which is basically like the runner up. So then I got invited to come present at this conference in San Antonio, which was the World Social Science Association Conference,” Trowbridge said.
Trowbridge said she originally wrote the paper for a global governance class about national organizations. The assignment was originally on global health regimes, but she chose to go in a slightly different direction.
“I read my paper was really late that semester […] and I was like, this is the worst paper I’ve ever written. [But] then she [Dr. Holly Oberle] was like, you need to submit this for publication, […] so I did follow-up research over winter break this past semester and finished editing it and we submitted it [at the] beginning of February.”
Assistant Professor of Political Science Dr. Holly Oberle helped Trowbridge apply her essay for the Lamb Prize, and she was continuously impressed by Trowbridge’s presentation.
“I’m really not exaggerating when I say that her performance was truly impressive. It’s been like, what, a week and a half since we’ve been back, [and] I am still getting emails from faculty, people that attended and met her and just telling me and her how impressed they were with her,” said Oberle.
During the conference, emotions were high before Trowbridge’s presentation, but she didn’t let them get the best of her.
“I was a little bit nervous[…] you know, the imposter syndrome gets to you from time to time,” Trowbridge said.
All that hard work paid off with Trowbridge receiving second place and an honorable mention certificate.
“She presented her research very concisely, very clearly, very maturely, very professionally. And what’s cool about what she did is that she did it without notes,” Oberle said.
Trowbridge enjoyed her time at the conference and gained valuable experience.
“Yeah, it was really, really cool, […] I totally didn’t think I was gonna get anything, so that was certainly shocking. I don’t love having the spotlight on me […] but that was it was a fun time,” said Trowbridge.
Oberle also commended Trowbridge on the strength of her research despite CMU not having a lot of support in that area.
“We do foster research, but we don’t have the same sort of support systems for that. And so for her to pull this off, and to be competitive next to people like Brown and plenty of other Ivy League schools, it speaks specifically to her work,” Oberle said.
Trowbridge plans on going to grad school to continue her studies in the future.
For people interested in hearing Trowbridge’s work and presentation, she will be presenting at the CMU Student Showcase on April 26, 2024.
