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Student Involvement

Student research assistants Shaked Hoter, Jeremy Konar, and Debby Frisch

There are two distinct journalism areas at Brandeis: an academic program and a research institute.

The Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism is a freestanding research center, where established journalists pursue major investigative reporting projects designed to appear in major media outlets. 

The Schuster Institute works closely with the Journalism Program within the American Studies Department. Although the Institute does not teach classes, we do hire students as research assistants, where under our supervision they conduct some of the day-to-day research required for in-depth investigative articles. Students get hands-on experience in a small newsroom atmosphere in one of three ways. They can earn internship credit towards a journalism minor; they may receive pay through the Student-Scholar Partnership Program, funded by the Women’s Studies Research Center; or they may be hired directly by the Institute. 

One of the Schuster Institute's goals is to help revitalize the practice of investigative journalism, so critical to a thriving democracy. In the process of reaching this goal, the Institute helps students learn about reporting methods, hone their critical thinking skills, learn to examine the gap between the official story and the facts, and understand how investigative reporting can make a direct and lasting impact on society.

Students have said their experience working at the Schuster Institute has guided their career choices, given them opportunities to study social issues, further developed research and writing skills, and much more.

2011-2012: Florence Graves, founding director, introduces new student research assistants to the work at the Schuster Institute and the practice and art of investigative journalism. 

2011-2012: The Justice Brandeis Innocence Project team of student research assistants. From left, standing: Abigail Kagan, Michael Perloff, Brian Boyd, Gina Giorgi, Aaron Bray. From left, seated: Joanna Nix, Madeline Ziff, Shafaq Hasan.

Following are 2011-2012 Schuster Institute student research assistants:

2010-2011 student Research Assistants, from left: Avi Snyder, Sophie Elsner (Schuster Institute Program Associate), Jon Muchin, Jennifer Craig, Madeline Ziff, Anna Khandros, and Rachel Gillette. Not shown but working at the Institute for a second year: Mateo Aceves, Brian Boyd.

2010-2011 student Research Assistants, from left: Jennifer Craig, Natalia Bialkowska, Nathan Robinson, Avi Snyder, seen here in an Innocence Project meeting with the director (not shown).

2009 student Research Assistants, standing, from left: Theresa Sheehan, Jonah Seligman, Mateo Aceves, Vickie Chatelain; and seated, from left: Carolyn Schweitzer, Irina Finkel, Jake Yarmus.

Not pictured but working for the Institute: Natalia Bialkowska, Brian Boyd, Liz Macedo, and Naomi Spector.

2008 student research assistants Will Friedman, Shaked Hoter, Debby Frisch, and Jessica Willingham. Debby and Jessica also worked at the Institute in 2009. 

2008 student research assistants Ruth Orbach, Jenn Sheehan, and Jonah Seligman.