Two Mount St. Mary's Students Selected as Sage Research Fellows

Aiden Day and Rashley Rodrigo will assist Assistant Professor of Political Science William Christiansen in developing his app, educate_R, thanks to a Sage Concept Grant.

EMMITSBURG, Md., Dec. 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- William Christiansen, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Mount St. Mary's University Department of Political Science, has chosen two students to serve as Sage Research Fellows for the 2025-26 academic year. Aiden Day, C'27, and Rashley Rodrigo, C'29, will work alongside Christiansen for the year, helping to develop educate_R, an application created by Christiansen to help students learn data science and statistical programming.

"Rashley and Aiden are both excellent students, and we will be conducting projects in the area of international studies and political science focused on questions that utilize datasets that students can use early on in their academic careers," said Christiansen. "I'm excited to have them join me in developing educate_R. We will present our work at the upcoming SPARC festival and intend to publish our work in in a variety of online formats."

Day, a Pasadena, Maryland, native, is double majoring in history and political science. He's looking forward to "further cultivating my scholarly interests as a Sage Fellow. In this role, I'll not only advance my own research, but also contribute to the development of the program's application."

Rodrigo is a double major in political science and communication. Originally from Sri Lanka, she now calls Frederick, Maryland, home, and is passionate about writing and journalism in addition to political science. "I've found particular value in my coursework, especially [with Dr. Christiansen]," she said. "Over the next four years, I strive to become an integral member of the political science department's research initiatives and further develop my professional journalism skills."

As Sage Research Fellows, Day and Rodrigo will conduct international relations- and political science-based research projects using educate_R, to aid Christiansen in the app's refining. Both will multiple opportunities to publish their research as coauthors with Christiansen, and will receive a stipend for their work.

The project is funded by the Sage Concept Grant Christiansen was awarded last year. To learn more about the Sage Research Methods community and their concept grants, please visit their website. Students interested in learning more about educate_R can visit Christiansen's webpage.

About Mount St. Mary's University

Mount St. Mary's University is a private, liberal arts, Catholic university located near the Catoctin Mountain in historic Emmitsburg, Maryland, with a satellite campus in Frederick, Maryland's second-largest city. The university offers more than 70 majors, minors, concentrations and special programs for traditional undergraduate students, and more than 20 adult undergraduate and graduate programs.

SOURCE Mount St. Mary's University