Political Science and International Relations Students Showcase Summer Research
September 09, 2026 Written by Chiu-Yin Mak and Alice Ba | Photos courtesy of Alice Ba
Undergraduates spend summer tackling global policy, cybersecurity, and Delaware’s workforce needs
Summer research gives students an opportunity to move beyond the classroom and apply what they have learned to questions with real-world significance. This summer, 17 undergraduate students in political science and international relations participated in the University of Delaware’s Summer Scholars and Fellows Programs and shared their research at UD’s Summer Symposium. Their projects explored topics ranging from international institutions and national identity to immigration, climate policy, cybersecurity and political participation.
International Organizations
Among the presenters was Sarah Riemer, international relations student, whose research, “Better Partners Than Adversaries: Comparing the Role of China’s Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to the World Bank,” examined the relationship between emerging and established international organizations. Her research compared the AIIB with the World Bank to explore whether new international organizations are more likely to compete with or collaborate with established institutions.
Riemer found that, contrary to theories suggesting that the growing number of international organizations would lead to greater contestation, new and established organizations often collaborate. In the case of the AIIB, her findings suggest that China may be using international organizations not primarily to replace the United States as a global hegemon, but to increase its voice and influence in the international community.
Immigration trends
For Jahnese Session, an international relations student, her summer research provided an opportunity to examine Delaware’s immigration trends and potential workforce challenges.
Her research, “Delaware Immigration Trends and Policy Opportunities,” explored how Delaware could use state-level immigration policy and economic development strategies to address potential workforce shortages. Session examined Delaware’s demographic trends, immigration policies and approaches in neighboring states, finding that welcoming policies alone do not necessarily lead to greater immigrant settlement.
Her research points to the importance of broader infrastructure and economic factors, including transit-oriented development and streamlined recognition of foreign credentials, if Delaware is to attract and retain foreign-born workers while supporting the state’s economy.
Cybercrime
Cybercrime was the subject of Finnley DiBenedetto’s summer research. A political science student, DiBenedetto worked with Troy Mix in the Institute for Public Administration in the Biden School to examine the scope of cybercrime in Delaware, existing state legislation, recommendations from experts and approaches taken by other states. The research ultimately led to policy recommendations and the conclusion that Delaware is behind other states in some areas of cybercrime policy, even as the problem continues to grow.
Latino voting trends
For Hilary Tzun-Vicente, a political science student, summer research provided an opportunity to examine the influence of religion on political behavior within the Latinx community.
Her research, “Saints Go Voting: The Influence of Religion on Latinxs Voting,” examines the influence of Christianity on the Latinx community, especially the factors associated with Trump’s support among Latino voters in the 2024 election.
Tzun-Vicente conducted a systematic literature review synthesizing findings from 13 empirical studies examining the relationship between religious identity and Latino voting behavior across the 2016, 2020 and 2024 presidential elections.
Her review identified recurring themes including religious assimilation, religious denominations, the role of religious leaders and support for policies that may negatively affect Latino communities and demographic factors associated with political preferences and support for Trump. Her research highlights the complex relationship between religious identity and political behavior within the Latinx community.
About undergraduate research
Through the UD undergraduate research program, students are able to work with political science and international relations faculty to engage complex political and policy questions, thereby contributing to broader conversations taking place on campus and beyond. They also learn practical quantitative and qualitative research skills that extend beyond the classroom. Students can learn more about opportunities for undergraduate research through the University of Delaware’s Undergraduate Research Program. Summer and Winter programs also award students with research stipends to support the research process.
