WMSURE researchers to return to Barbados in summer 26 | Charles Center | College of Arts & Sciences

wm.edu · Feb 27, 2026 · Collected from GDELT

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| February 27, 2026 William & Mary Scholars Undergraduate Research Experience (WMSURE) faculty and students will travel to Barbados this June to continue work on the Linguistic Atlas of the Caribbean – a project started by WMSURE co-Director Iyabo Osiapem in collaboration with Jason F. Siegel, a lexicography research fellow and director of the Richard & Jeannette Allsopp Centre for Caribbean Lexicography at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill. “There has not been an atlas that covered the entire Caribbean. There just isn’t,” Osiapem said. “So, ours, hopefully, when we get there, will cover the entire Caribbean.” In addition to conducting fieldwork and linguistic research, Osiapem sees the research trip as an opportunity for students to connect with one another and community members through conversation, which she said reflects linguistic lessons as well. Osiapem, teaching professor of Africana studies and linguistics, led an inaugural research trip to Barbados last summer that included 15 undergraduates who had taken her Caribbean Language & Identity course. Students transcribed oral interviews of Barbadian citizens conducted by UWI students and documented language targets — a word or phrase — which will appear in ArcGIS, an interactive web map linked to each speaker’s place of origin. Once completed, the project will allow users, including researchers, to listen to audio clips of each language use. “What I enjoyed most last summer was listening to W&M students share and observe, ‘you say this’, ‘you say that’ — that’s the type of stuff I find really interesting, because I can’t teach that,” she explained. “I can teach you about the history of a place, we can study the structure, the grammar, read articles, but it’s interactions that convey the most meaningful information.” Anthony “AJ” Joseph, WMSURE assistant director, coordinated last summer's experience, which sought enrichment opportunities that enhanced students’ research and intercultural communication skills. “Study abroad allows for a moment of self-discovery in a different environment where you can reflect on who you are and how you intersect with the rest of the world,” Joseph said. Brennan Strong ’28, chemistry and government double major, had just completed his first year at W&M when he joined last year’s research trip. “I got to make a little tutorial video for the future lexicographers who work on the project,” Strong said, citing previous audio editing experience that allowed him to support the project with these skills. Sarah Morolari ‘28, an intended economics and finance double major, said the trip was eye opening. "My trip to Barbados was a great sneak-peak of what a full semester of study abroad would be like. It was only two weeks, but that was more than enough time to experience some of the challenges of study abroad, such as finding food and transportation. Having to overcome these, really made me more confident in my ability to travel independently,” Morolari said. Kristina Savage ‘28, a public policy major, said the Barbados research experience was a surprising opportunity. “I wasn’t expecting to be able to have the opportunity to go abroad and do research as a freshman. I’m so glad that I was able to, and it helped me expand my perspective especially when traveling. It also helped me gain more confidence in my ability to support myself when I’m not in the U.S., especially in terms of problem-solving and navigation.” WMSURE student fellow Parah Shaw ‘27, an Africana studies major and marketing minor, was eager to take part in both Osiapem’s Caribbean Language & Identity course and the practical application of the coursework and academic methodologies through hands-on research in the field. “There were a lot of firsts for me attached to Barbados,” Shaw said. “I'm grateful that I had that first experience with a program, with WMSURE,” she said, “I felt like I was taken care of, which felt really good for me and my first time doing something like that.” The nurturing experience in Barbados last summer served as a springboard for Shaw, leading her to study abroad in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand last month through the Winter W&M Mason Business School in Southeast Asia program. According to Joseph, experiences like Shaw’s illustrate a central goal of WMSURE's research abroad experience. “It is important for us to provide opportunities that aid our students in maximizing their college experience,” he said. Siegel, of UWI, also pointed to the transformational impact of such experiences on undergraduate students. “It’s important to have people involved in research early, to identify whether it’s a talent of theirs,” he said. Osiapem first met Siegel in 2018, when she took her students to UWI's lexicography center. This visit set the stage for the multiyear collaborative effort to create the Linguistic Atlas of the Caribbean. UWI students provide lived language expertise to the interview transcription process while collaborating with W&M students on related research. “I’ve never experienced anything like that before,” said Maleigha Roach, a second-year UWI student studying microbiology. This was Roach’s first undergraduate research experience, and she is eager to continue the collaborative work with the next WMSURE cohort this June.