Malcolm Wallop Civic Engagement Program

The Malcolm Wallop Civic Engagement Program offers an opportunity to build upon the legacy of Senator Malcolm Wallop’s distinguished career as a public servant, as well as the generosity of his friends and supporters, who have helped to honor him with the creation of the U.S. Senator Malcolm Wallop Conversations on Democracy Program. Senator Wallop’s life was about conversations around ideas, and the Wallop Civic Engagement Program honors that legacy, providing a platform for those making the effort to learn and champion their beliefs. provides support for student internships/research and faculty research projects in civic engagement and public affairs topics addressing local, national, and international problems.

2022 Wallop Student Internship Recipient

Holly Wodahl, Senior-pursuing degrees in Political Science, International Studies and Environment and Natural Resources, Laramie WY
Wallop Thriving Community Project

 

2021 Wallop Student Internship Recipient

Aliea Ednie, BS in Human Resource Management and Economics, Jackson WY
Business Outreach Internship for Laramie Main Street Alliance

Aliea Ednie served as the business outreach intern for Laramie Main Street Alliance for 2021. The internship involved visiting local Laramie businesses and getting folks signed up to participate in Laramie Main Street events like Laramie Jubilee Days shopping guide, Crazy Days, and Pop Up Art Walk. In addition, it also involved the dissemination of updated information about public parking, upcoming events, and a 2020 summary of the year. During June, July, and August, there were over 100 business visits each month along with mandatory committee meetings, involvement with Brewfest, helped with the farmers’ markets, and created marketing materials for events.

Aliea's video presentation can be viewed on YouTube below:

 

2020 Wallop Student Fellowship Recipients-Research 

Kyle Austin Sabourin, MA candidate in International Studies, Farson, WY
Project:  Political Engagement as a Factor of Repatriation

The current conflict in Syria has led to the international displacement of over six million Syrians. Most Syrian refugees have been displaced to Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey. While extensive research has been conducted regarding refugees and forced migration, an insignificant amount focuses on repatriation. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has defined voluntary repatriation as the preferred durable solution for refugees. However, low rates of repatriation have plagued refugee populations in recent decades.

This research will take place near Irbid, Jordan in the Zaatari Refugee Camp. A large scale survey project (along with a select number of interviews) will be performed with the help of the International Medical Corps. This survey will help determine trans-local political engagements and refugees’ desired local engagement methods upon return to Syria. This mixed quantitative-qualitative method will help identify and develop political development strategies in Syria in order to induce repatriation, post-conflict.

Kathryn Tay, MA Candidate in Political Science, Cheyenne, WY
Project:  "Who's In the Driver's Seat? An Analysis of Public Policy Formation Around Autonomous Vehicles in Tempe, AZ"

In 2016, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that human error is involved in 94 to 96 percent of all motor vehicle crashes. Also in 2016, researchers Bonnefon, Shariff, and Rahwan predicted that autonomous vehicles could eliminate 90% of traffic accidents due to their elimination of human error. However, there is still a 10% gap of unavoidable accidents that requires this technology at the state and federal level. This project analyzes how governmental policy values, public opinion, private sector motivations, and social equity issues shape the discussion, creation, and implementation of governmental policies and regulations surrounding driverless automobiles in Tempe, AZ. The comparative nature of the study will allow for a discussion on the challenges that differences in state laws will pose as the federal government has not formally addressed the issues and autonomous vehicles will inevitably become an interstate technology.

Kathryn's video presentation can be viewed on YouTube below:

2019 Wallop Student Fellowship Recipients

Susan Alt, MA in International Studies/ENR — Lino Lakes, MN
Project: Eco-tourism in Chile
Large-scale ecotourism and conservation efforts in South America are often economically and environmentally unsustainable, damaging to local cultural identities, and often have negative impacts on the environment. In Chilean Patagonia, governmental mismanagement of resources and foreign influence in the conservation and ecotourism sector has caused damage to the environment, local cultures, and indigenous communities. Research in other parts of the world suggests that ecotourism and conservation at the local level has the potential to not only improve conservation outcomes, but to enhance cultural autonomy and to improve the social and economic welfare of local people. In response to negative social and environmental consequences, local individuals and communities in the Chilean region of Chiloé have begun to develop small-scale ecotourism and conservation efforts over the last ten years. For her MA research, Susan will examine recent small-scale ecotourism and conservation efforts in Chiloé, Chile, which represent a significant deviation from traditional livelihoods. She will investigate the motivations for these projects, the degree to which they are successful or not, and their influence on cultural autonomy, environmental protection, and economic development. 

Susan's video presentation can be viewed on YouTube below:

Leena Hornlein, Senior in Political Science with minors in International Studies and Honors – Gilbert, AZ
Project: Internship with the House Foreign Affairs Committee
As an intern for the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Leena will perform legislative and policy research in support of committee staff members. She will attend and document House Committee on Foreign Affairs hearings, in addition to other relevant committee hearings (Senate Foreign Relations, Armed Services, etc.) covering a wide range of current U.S. foreign policy interests. This includes assisting in the markup process for bills before the committee as well as assisting with logistics and general duties for protocol events when foreign dignitaries and experts testify before the committee. In addition, she will have the opportunity to complete an intensive research project mentored by a staff member who specializes in her areas of interest: conflict resolution and democratic practices abroad. This is an unpaid internship and Wallop Program funds help to offset the cost of living in Washington, DC.

Leena's video presentation can be viewed on YouTube below:

Coletan Nutter, MA in International Studies — Laramie, WY
Project: Refugees in Kenya
Global development efforts to reduce gender inequality often rely on self-reliance strategies with have a weak historical track record of success. This issue is heavily influenced by a lack of negotiation with the attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs of refugees and is exacerbated by a marked exclusion of refugee men from available aid which can result in an increase of abusive behavior toward refugee women. Cole’s research seeks to demonstrate how the neoliberal aid-institutions working within refugee contexts in Kenya could benefit in the fight against gender inequality by supplementing self-reliance strategies with a value system analysis to help identify more culturally sensitive means of addressing gender inequalities among the marginalized women in refugee camps. He will investigate current aid structures in Nairobi for refugees and evaluate to what degree current aid structures aimed at reducing gender inequality promote self-reliance in refugee men and women.

Cole's video presentation can be viewed on YouTube below:

Maria Owen, MA in International Studies — Lake City, CO
Project: A Case for Culturally Competent Care: Canada’s Colonial History, Social Determinants of Health and the Failure to Care for Indigenous Populations
Indigenous peoples experience more severe and more frequent ill health than their non-Indigenous counterparts. Indigenous people deserve to have healthcare that is specific to their cultural and historical contexts. A strategy to reduce health disparities felt by minority populations is culturally competent healthcare. Culturally competent healthcare, which takes into consideration the social determinants of health and the histories of Indigenous people is the best way for Canada to move towards health parity. In her research, Maria examines the history of colonialism, social determinants of health, ill health among Indigenous populations and successful implementation of culturally competent care programing

Maria's video presentation can be viewed on YouTube below:

Faculty Engagement Fellow

The OEO Wallop Faculty Fellow works directly with OEO to address a civic engagement topic focused on issue(s) of significant public concern in partnership with Wyoming communities that enhance scholarship, teaching, and/or student service. See the 2020-2021 winner and view their project details here.