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May 21 | Arts Wing Studio | 7:00p
May 21 | Arts Wing Studio | 7:00p
We are proud to present three keynote speakers for Celebration of Research 2026.
We are proud to present three keynote speakers for Celebration of Research 2026.
Their topics represent diverse fields of study—economics, architecture, and creative writing—and their work represents not only individual excellence but also the breadth and depth of the Academic Research Program.
Their topics represent diverse fields of study—economics, architecture, and creative writing—and their work represents not only individual excellence but also the breadth and depth of the Academic Research Program.
Each speaker will give a short talk followed by a Q&A session.
Each speaker will give a short talk followed by a Q&A session.
Brendan Beland
Brendan Beland
Brendan's project examines the hidden costs of hosting the Olympic Games. While the Games are framed as celebrations of global unity and athletic achievement, Brendan found that host cities consistently bear burdens that far outweigh the benefits: massive cost overruns, displacement of residents, and lasting ecological damage.
To tell this story rigorously, Brendan drew on a wide range of sources, including economics scholarship, urban planning research, environmental science, and sociology. The result is a study that catalogs the problems and engages seriously with proposed solutions, from restructured IOC revenue-sharing to value capture legal tools that can slow gentrification.
Zaire Polk
Zaire Polk
Zaire's project focuses on rethinking the architecture of jails and prisons to better meet the goal of rehabilitating incarcerated people. Too often, he found, carceral architecture is needlessly oppressive and actually works to undermine the stated aims of corrections.
His research encompassed architecture, sociology, and psychology as he worked to think differently about how America seeks to rehabilitate its incarcerated citizens, with the understanding that, with very few exceptions, they will return to the community.
Zaire is a 2026 Senior Scholar.
Lucy Wujek
Lucy Wujek
Lucy sought to capture the drama and possibilities of a government collapse in a piece of deeply researched historical fiction. She began her work by settling on a little-known but pivotal moment in European history: the rise and fall of the Hungarian Soviet Republic, which lasted only 133 days in 1919.
Through primary- and secondary-source research, Lucy learned everything she could about the people and places that were central to her story. Then she set about writing a novella that put readers into the middle of this exciting and scary moment in history. The result is not only a compelling work of fiction, but a powerful introduction to an understudied chapter of history.
Lucy is a 2026 Senior Scholar.
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