Public Humanities Internships
Meet the 2025 Interns!
Lisa Krause (Ph.D. Candidate, History)
Outreach Assistant – University Press of Florida
Lisa Krause is a doctoral candidate in Latin American History at UF’S Department of History. Her dissertation research explores the relationship between Socialists states of East Germany and Cuba. She is particularly interested in how this political alliance formed and developed and how people in both states experienced the connection in their daily lives. Lisa is excited to gain practical experience in publishing and public outreach, specifically in supporting general interest books reach a wider audience.
Rory Church (Ph.D. Student, Political Science)
Intern – The Lynx Watch, Inc.
Rory Church is a Ph.D. student in Political Science at the University of Florida, specializing in American politics with a focus on civic engagement, political behavior, and race. She is currently working on a project exploring voter turnout trends among young Black men in the 2024 election, with particular attention to political disengagement and demobilization. Her broader research interests include the role of nonprofit mobilization strategies in increasing political participation. Rory is drawn to The Lynx Watch, Inc. internship for its commitment to community-driven programming and its mission to amplify marginalized voices through inclusive public engagement.
Louise Villanueva (Ph.D. Student, Sociology)
Research Intern – UF Health Outcomes and Biomedical Informatics, College of Medicine
Louise Villanueva is a PhD student in Sociology at the University of Florida. Her research explores the social and policy dimensions of aging and health. She primarily uses computational methods to examine how policies shape experiences related to diseases and care. This internship aligns with her focus on implementation science, specifically in translating research into actionable insights that could inform health policies and improve access and delivery of healthcare services. It also strengthens her approach to teaching by helping students see how research relates to real-world issues and by introducing interdisciplinary perspectives on health, policy, and society.
Sophia Pan (Ph.D. Candidate, English)
Cinema Project Intern – The Hippodrome
Sophia Pan is a PhD candidate in English at the University of Florida specializing in Asian American children’s literature and comics. Her research explores how identity and memory are produced, remembered, and re-envisioned in graphic memoirs. Through this work, she aims to shed light on diverse published texts that reflect the complexity of Asian American experiences. In addition to teaching courses on marginalized voices and Asian American identities—earning a departmental teaching award—Sophia has also taught film analysis and has a strong interest in cinema, particularly in how visual storytelling shapes cultural memory.
Project Descriptions
Outreach Assistant – University Press of Florida
As the scholarly publishing arm of the State University System of Florida (SUS), the University Press of Florida (UPF) has been engaging students, educators, and discerning readers since its founding in 1945. In their 80-year history, they have published more than 3,000 volumes and currently release 70 new titles each year. A nonprofit publisher of scholarly and general-interest books and journals, and one of the largest university presses in the South, they have earned a prominent reputation for publishing distinguished works by important global and local voices. Through their award-winning regional publishing program, they offer the citizens of Florida engaging, authoritative works on the region’s history, culture, art, music, food, literature, geography, politics, environment, and plant and animal life.
The intern will work on public outreach campaigns for general interest books in subjects including Florida history, space history, legal history, nature, dance studies, and memoir. The intern will also help increase the visibility of scholarly works in a variety of academic disciplines. In doing so, the intern will help the Press bring authoritative local information, important scholarship, and creative work to new audiences. The intern will help promote the first book in the Press’s new creative nonfiction book series, helping formally launch and raise awareness of the series among readers and potential future authors. By the end of the program, the intern will have created written and visual materials for promoting books on a variety of topics and from different disciplines. The intern will have a broader understanding of university press publishing, especially in the areas of marketing and sales, and will emerge with a solid foundation in book publicity and marketing strategies. Learn more about the position here.
The Lynx Watch, Inc. Intern – The Lynx
The Lynx Watch, Inc. is the nonprofit branch of The Lynx, a general interest bookstore in Gainesville, FL, dedicated to highlighting banned & challenged books as well as uplifting the voices of BIPOC and LGBTQ+ authors. The Lynx Watch, Inc., the store’s affiliated 501(c)(3) nonprofit, works to distribute banned and challenged books widely and equitably across the state of Florida, and to bring literary events to Floridians
The Lynx Watch, Inc. Intern will assist in the development of the nonprofit organization, with a focus on developing 2025 Gainesville Reads programming and long-term nonprofit planning. Gainesville Reads is a community reads one book event series throughout the month of September that fosters free, accessible conversations about literacy and community issues. The programming series culminates in a large, free author event about the selected book. The Lynx Watch, Inc. intern will assist in seeking grant funding, organizing individual events, marketing the program series, and other related tasks to coordinate Gainesville Reads events. Other nonprofit development tasks will include grant research, writing, and tracking, community outreach and organization of contacts, research and assistance in nonprofit growth, and assistance in other nonprofit events and activities. Learn more about the position here.
Research Intern – Health Outcomes and Biomedical Informatics, College of Medicine, UF
The Division of Implementation Science and Health Interventions (ISHI), Department of Health Outcomes and Biomedical Informatics (HOBI), College of Medicine, is a dynamic environment that fosters interdisciplinary collaboration and innovative approaches in implementation science, health services research, and health policy. At HOBI-ISHI, we lead large-scale evaluations of state healthcare programs, health policy, community-wide initiatives, and the implementation of evidence-based interventions, with a focus on promoting positive healthcare outcomes at the clinical, policy, and community levels.
Interns at HOBI-ISHI will have the opportunity to engage in preparatory research support, planning, and drafting for public health- and health services-focused grant applications, needs assessments, scientific editorial work, and research reporting at the intersection of science and policy. This internship offers a unique opportunity to blend a humanities background with health services research and policy work, providing hands-on experience of writing and dissemination within the dynamic fields of implementation science, health services, and health policy. Learn more about the position here.
Cinema Project Intern – The Hippodrome
The Hippodrome was founded in 1973 by six artists with the goal of presenting the best in challenging, contemporary theatre. The Hippodrome Theatre is committed to artistic excellence in North Florida. Our mission is to collaborate with artists, create productions, education programs, events, and cinematic programming that reflect and elevate the diverse cultures and perspectives of our region, and to create and maintain ongoing engagement with our community.
The Cinema Project Intern will play an integral role in the planning and execution of a two-day cinema event at The Hippodrome Theatre. This event will focus on a specific film genre, and the intern will work closely with the project team to curate films, coordinate logistics, and engage with the community. The intern will collaborate with the project team to select a film genre and curate a list of films that reflect the genre’s key characteristics, historical context, and significance. They will also assist in organizing the logistics of the two-day event, including scheduling, coordinating with vendors, overseeing venue setup, and ensuring all event materials are in place. Moreover, interns will support the creation and implementation of a marketing strategy to promote the event, including designing promotional materials and managing social media outreach. Learn more about the position here.