Students Conduct Research for the State Department Through Diplomacy Lab

That’s why the federal government partners with select universities and graduate schools to outsource projects to students through their Diplomacy Lab.

“This is an opportunity for students interested in working in any area of international economic policy to have a very hands-on experience dealing with an issue defined by officials at the State Department,” said Robert Rogowsky, a professor in the International Trade program. “It’s a remarkably practical application of the things we are teaching at Middlebury Institute.”

This year marked the first that the Institute participated, with international policy and development student Nancy Kwang Johnson MAIPD ’24 selected to research transitional justice in Montenegro in the western Balkans. Johnson capped the project by presenting her team’s findings to high-level diplomats at the State Department in April 2024.

“The country’s recent census shows what it means to self-identify and embrace the Montenegrin language versus the Serbian language,” Johnson said. “This alludes to what’s coming down the road as far as conflict transformation.”

Leveraging experiential learning funding through the Institute, Johnson spent a month in fall 2023 conducting interviews on the ground, working with the U.S. Embassy in Montenegro to reach local NGOs. She recruited MPA student Elizabeth Hammond to support with quantitative analyses.

“I did the quantitative lifting on the project, building out statistical models for freedom and fragility scores across the world to identify key variables relevant to the embassy’s goals,” Hammond said. “We also worked together to model the results Nancy found from her on-the-ground research. She found that the quantitative models triangulated her qualitative findings of brain drain in the country.” 

“There’s a marvelous sense of teamwork that evolves among the students,” Rogowsky said. “They are not just working together on a paper for a professor. They are working together to make a presentation to the State Department. Wonderful camaraderie and competitive pressure develops to make sure everyone pulls their weight.”

Johnson presented her findings to State Department officials at the annual Diplomacy Lab Fair in Washington, D.C. Most of the invited institutions include D.C.-, Virginia-, and Maryland-area colleges and universities. Middlebury Institute’s recent inclusion brings new opportunities for students and a chance for the graduate school to shine. Johnson, who specializes in French and also studied Korean (one of her mother tongues) through Middlebury’s intensive summer program, said attendees noted the Institute’s leadership in language.

In contrast, Hammond said she did not embark on Diplomacy Lab with any specific career goals in mind. However, the experience has led to fresh opportunities.

“I didn’t do it to further any specific career goals, other than practicing independent analytical work,” she said. “However, I find myself being recruited as a data scientist, and this work is directly relevant to the position they want me to fill.”

Rogowsky hopes to grow the program. Because many of the projects focus on emerging hot topics, students have a chance to be pioneering researchers and even achieve publication. Johnson used her research to complete her client-based international policy and development practicum, working closely with Professor Scott Pulizzi.

“It was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to dig into a topic I had never researched and follow my curiosity wherever it might prove helpful to the team and embassy,” Hammond said.

“The diplomats in the room commented that they learned a lot and if I was ever interested in pursuing a career in the State Department they would offer a helping hand,” Johnson said. “Having the honor to present and represent the Middlebury Institute as the first project ever accepted was life altering.”