By Sloane Barlow
Congratulations to the 2025 Martin Luther King Jr. Advancing Inclusion through Research awardees: Emma Knott, Emma Ayers, Elena Forman, Brandon Roberts, and Abigail Rodriguez.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Advancing Inclusion through Research Award is inspired by Dr. King’s commitment to justice and the empowerment of all people.
Students from the Honors College, James Madison College, Lyman Briggs College, and the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities were invited to submit research or creative projects that reflect the values of this award.
“Receiving this award has shown me the community-building value of research,” said Emma Ayers, a member of the Honors College and second-place awardee.
Ayers submitted her research on women’s health and social politics within the Afro-Surinamese diaspora.
“The existence of this award reminds me that academic works are primarily useful because of what they can do for others and their potential to advance collective knowledge,” Ayers continued.
This year’s honorable mention was awarded to another Honors College student, Abigail Rodriguez, who submitted a creative project titled “Chicano & Other Poems”.
“[This award] strengthened my belief that art and scholarship are important tools for social justice,” said Rodriguez.
“Most importantly, it reminded me that storytelling, whether through poetry or archival research, is still a vital act of resistance and empowerment,” Rodriguez continued.
The award winners shared their research at the MSU Union in conjunction with the Diversity Research Showcase, an annual event hosted by the Honors College.
Photos from the MLK Jr. Advancing Inclusion through Research Award Ceremony are available here.
2025 MLK Jr. Advancing Inclusion through Research Awardees
First place: Emma Knott, $600
- The Flint Water Crisis: Race, Governance, and the Birth of a Local Environmentalism
- Lyman Briggs College
- Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Major
Second place: Emma Ayers, $500
- Women’s Health and Social-Sexual Politics in the Afro-Surinamese Diaspora: A Case Study on Dutch Tolerance
- James Madison College & Honors College
- Social Relations & Policy Major
- Religious Studies/Women and Gender Studies Minor
Third Place: Elena Forman, $300 – Tie
- The Women’s Center of Greater Lansing
- Residential College in the Arts & Humanities & Honors College
- Arts & Humanities Major
- Spanish Minor
Third Place: Brandon Roberts, $300 – Tie
- United States Public Sexual Education in Secondary Schools and Its Impact on Sexual Minority Groups
- James Madison College & Honors College
- Comparative Cultures & Politics Major
- Economics Minor
Honorable Mention: Abigail Rodriguez, $100
- Chicano & Other Poems
- Residential College in the Arts & Humanities & Honors College
- Arts & Humanities/Political Science Major
- Chicano/Latino Studies Minor, Design Justice Minor