Janelle L. Wilson

The Aroma of Recollection: Olfaction, Nostalgia, and the Shaping of the Sensuous Self

ABSTRACT This study examines olfactory perception and nostalgic memories focusing on sense acts and the sensuous self as a dialectic of ritual sensations and sense-making rituals. Our data are drawn from a convenience sample of twenty-three participants who reflected on their olfactory experiences through the use of research journals. Our analysis illustrates how olfactory perceptions and memories are necessarily produced by active “idealizing activity” that is emergent in sensuous rituals that help maintain self continuity over time. Our focus on olfaction—at the expense of a more multisensory approach focusing on, say, taste and olfaction—contributes to a very small body of sociological (but also a larger body of anthropological) literature on this important but much neglected medium of perception.

Experiences of Mentors Training Underrepresented Undergraduates in the Research Laboratory

The goal of this research was to better understand the experiences and perspectives of mentors in a program designed to increase the number of American Indian students garnering PhDs. Challenges and benefits associated with mentoring undergraduates were identified through semistructured interviews.

Efforts at Broadening Participation in the Sciences: An Examination of the Mentoring Experiences of Students from Underrepresented Groups

Diversifying the scientific enterprise entails understanding how students from underrepresented backgrounds experience mentored research. Qualitative data were collected from mentees enrolled at community colleges about their research experiences. The themes were compared with previously collected data from mentors associated with the program.