Undergraduate Research

Congratulations to the June Undergraduate Researcher of the Month, Shea Leary! 

Shea Leary is a senior Sociology major graduating in Summer 2026 who was inducted into the UNF chapter of the Phi Kappa Phi honor society in April. She has worked with Dr. Mandi Barringer and Dr. Juan Salinas in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work (SASW) on several quantitative and qualitative projects related to gender attitudes. Her most recent project investigates the experiences, identities, and decision-making processes of women who have chosen not to have children. She has been funded through the College of Arts and Sciences Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program for two consecutive years and has presented the results of her studies on campus at the SASW Symposium and the UNF Student Research Symposium, as well as at the Florida Undergraduate Research Conference held at UNF in March 2026. Shea also presented the results of her studies at the annual meetings of the Mid-South Sociological Association and the Southern Sociological Society. Later this summer, she will present her “childfree” research at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association in New York City. Shea finds engaging with her faculty mentors and critically thinking through possible avenues of explanation for her research findings the most enjoyable and invigorating elements of research. Through her research experience, Shea honed her skills in statistics and as an interviewer, both of which will benefit her as she continues her educational journey through the Master of Science in Higher Education Administration program at UNF this fall. She indicated that establishing good relationships with faculty are critical for the research experience, both in having the opportunity to engage in research and to do so successfully. She shared that “learning and researching for the sake of learning is just as valuable as a presentation or publication, so engage with topics you are interested in and that make you feel excited about learning and engaging with the world.”