USU History Scholars Selected for America250 Student Symposium

Utah State University Scholars Selected for America250 Student Symposium in Salt Lake City

Three history scholars from Utah State University will present original research at the America250 Student Symposium on the American Revolution, scheduled for Nov. 13 at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.

Madison Maw-Carlstrom, Benjamin Neal, and Brooklyn Nielsen earned selection alongside student researchers from across Utah for the event, which marks the 250th anniversary of the United States.

Morning Panel Focuses on War, Frontier Mobilization, and Geopolitics

The USU scholars take part in the opening panel, titled “War and Violence,” which runs from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Their presentations examine distinct facets of the colonial and revolutionary eras.

USU History Scholars Selected for America250 Student Symposium

Madison Maw-Carlstrom presents her research on eighteenth-century Virginia politics and legal standing under the title “Had She Been a White Woman”: Geo-Politics Before the Bar in Eighteenth-Century Virginia. Brooklyn Nielsen explores frontier dynamics in her paper, The Common Revolutions: Frontier Mobilization during the Revolutionary Period. Benjamin Neal rounds out the trio with Strategic Analysis of the American Revolution: The European Enabling Condition.

Eric Herschthal, associate professor of history at the U and symposium organizer, emphasized the broader scope of the gathering. The event celebrates both the nation’s history and undergraduate and graduate scholarship focused on the colonial and revolutionary periods.

Scholars Bring Professional Backgrounds and Grant Support to Historical Research

Nielsen and Neal earned bachelor’s degrees in history from USU in 2026 and 2025, respectively, under the mentorship of Kyle Bulthuis, associate professor in the Department of History. Nielsen currently works as a licensed escrow officer with Hickman Land Title Company in Logan, while Neal serves as a field technician with U.S. Army Dugway Proving Ground in Tooele County, Utah.

Maw-Carlstrom is pursuing a master’s degree in history at Utah State. Her research has drawn external backing through the American Historical Association’s 2026 Michael Kraus Research Grant and the American Philosophical Society Philips Fund for Native American Research Grant. Her faculty advisors include Julia Gossard, professor and associate dean; Sauda Nabukenya, assistant professor; Bulthuis; and Seth Archer, associate professor and director of Graduate Studies.

Archer is scheduled to deliver closing remarks during the symposium’s concluding session, which runs from 3:10 to 3:45 p.m. The full event agenda is available online.