MTS @ Frontiers in Undergraduate Research Exhibition

Written by Madison Bigelow and Ashten Vassar-Cain, with support of the DAC team.

On October 18th, the Mansfield Training School-UConn Memorial Project team presented research at the University of Connecticut’s Frontiers in Undergraduate Research Exhibition. Led by Ally LeMaster and Lillian Stockford, and assisted by Ashten Carter and Madison Bigelow, members of the team shared their work so far on the project to members of the UConn community. 

ASHTEN:

Walking into the reading room for the Frontiers event was intimidating. I have always found it difficult to exist in formal academic settings. There’s always some kind of anticipation that makes me feel like turning my back. I didn’t get a chance to indulge in second-guessing this time, because right at the entrance to the event was our poster. It was the first thing I saw. When I saw Madison, Ally, and Lily already standing by our work I felt more secure and at ease. I knew everyone involved in the project worked tirelessly to help uncover the long-neglected history of Mansfield Training School, and that spirit renewed my confidence in our ability to deliver the message to others. Our poster was turning heads, and I admit it was hard to determine what the reaction may be. It did seem out of place among the intricate charts displayed by our peers. When people started approaching, I watched their reactions intently. For many, this was the first time they had heard about the Mansfield Training School, despite the entrance to the campus only being only two miles away from the room we were presenting in. I decided to lean into the discomfort.

That’s what I had been embracing when I spoke about the project with friends. It may seem easy to push back. No one likes being confronted with information that may change their worldview. Because “the state wouldn’t do that? Surely UConn could not have been involved right?” There’s always a silence when you start talking about MTS. Sometimes it is a solemn silence, other times a thoughtful one. You can feel it hanging in the air and see it stirring in the minds of the confided. It is a silence that welcomes more than just the project we’ve been working on in this short time. That’s how I knew that maybe we were not as “out of place” as we assumed. A mere snapshot of the history was on display, and we got to watch the audience grapple with what it may mean. Simultaneously, we felt the obligation to make it known. Not just as researchers but as humans making a connection, others got to witness “why” we do this.

When I speak of the project related to Mansfield Training School to others, I do so with a commitment to the committed. I do so out of love, out of rage, out of curiosity and confusion, out of tenderness and authenticity. I know from the long talks we’ve had as a research team on the project – whether in group chats or peering over each other’s shoulders at files–  that while these feelings about our work are weighty, they are shared. I am hopeful that at least a few people who visited our poster at the Frontiers event walked away with a piece of that spirit and continue carrying it with them. 

MADISON:

When I walked in that evening to find that our poster had been placed at the front of the room, I knew that lots of people would be seeing our work by virtue of foot traffic alone. At events like these, they can be quite intimidating for people who do work in the humanities (and even social sciences); most of the 60+ posters around us featured large calculations, sprawling data charts, and scientific names for plants and animals that I couldn’t even begin to decipher. However, even though most of the individuals that came up to talk about our poster weren’t familiar with the Mansfield Training School, I was happily surprised, and frankly proud, of my UConn community members for their willingness to invest in MTS’ legacy. 

Otherwise, I do think the experience was a bit overwhelming, albeit in a good way. While this isn’t the case for every team member, Frontiers was my first time sharing our work to such a large audience. This is something that I’ve very excitedly discussed with my parents, friends, and even some professors, but never to such a broad demographic of people up until this point. Especially considering the fact that the exhibition was not a true presentation that was separated by distance between speaker and audience, but rather a series of conversations that took place within a few feet of each other, we were directly interacting with those interested in the MTS project and, hopefully, made a lasting impression. 
Being at the Frontiers Exhibition ultimately makes me excited for what’s to come. I’m overjoyed by the reception we received at UConn, and it reaffirmed my belief that this information needs to be shared. In the very near future, I’m looking forward to what we’ll do next in terms of presenting and sharing our work with an even wider audience in efforts to begin to restore justice in the otherwise tumultuous history of the Mansfield Training School.