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Conducting independent research is challenging. After landing on a project that resonates with your interests and matches your skill set, you have to find a mentor, obtain funding, and then structure and complete your project. I spent months workshopping an idea for my Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) project before finally landing on my topic: Jewish midwifery practices of the ancient Near East and the medieval Islamic world. I selected general scholarly works to serve as a literature review and introduction to my topic and specific Biblical passages and documents from a digital archive for my research, planning out my week-by-week schedule. When my SURF began in May 2025, I was ready to jump into my research. However, I was immediately met with a challenge I did not plan for: loneliness.

Unlike most STEM and some social sciences research, I was not working in a lab, in the field, or on a people-facing project. My research required only my computer, some physical books, a notebook, and myself. This is, of course, an asset, as I could work from nearly anywhere, including from home. Even in the planning stages, however, I was aware that any productive work would likely have to be done outside of my small apartment. I had planned on working at Dimond Library, hoping to spend time around other people that way, but the library was a ghost land after the mad scramble of finals, and the only people I saw were the helpful front desk staff and apologetic maintenance crew. I was researching a topic I was intensely fascinated by, but the lack of face-to-face contact outside the weekly check-ins with my mentor made every day feel like a slog. It did not help that I had also just moved into my first off campus apartment, and it was the first time I wasn’t living with my family over the summer or attending a summer program surrounded by people.

My loneliness grew through the month of May, until I reached June and, with it, the Jewish holiday of Shavuot. Shavuot commemorates the giving of the Torah (the first part of the Hebrew Bible) to Moses and is celebrated by studying Torah and attending a special service where the story of Ruth is read. Ruth was the first text I read in Hebrew after taking Biblical Hebrew with Professor Nicole Ruane the year prior and, as a convert, it holds an incredibly special place in my heart. I went to the service and, for the first time since beginning my project, was surrounded by my community.

As it was a weekday and near the end of the school year for families, there were very few people at the service, and we did not have the quorum needed for many of the special prayers or formal reading of the Torah. The service became rather informal, all of us praying together as equals without the usual distinctions between leader and congregation. Afterwards, there was a small luncheon, and it was there that I was finally able to discuss my research with a community of people.

I knew that my mood was impacting how I viewed my research, but I hadn’t realize how lonely I was. I also hadn’t realized how important working with classmates and peer groups was to other research projects that I had completed in the past. At that luncheon, I was able to express my interest and excitement about the SURF project, which in turn helped me recognize that I was still interested and excited by my work. Talking about my research gave me ideas about how to expand and, perhaps more importantly, contextualize and explain it.

After, I felt lighter and reenergized, and I knew that my routine needed to change. I began reading outside on T-Hall Lawn, or, on days when I did not need my computer, taking my work to the beach, where I would sit and listen to the waves and sounds of children playing while working through books on gender theory and the history of gynecology and obstetrics. Spending time outside in public spaces helped to combat the loneliness I had initially felt. I continued to lean on my faith community and tried to make more time for friends outside of my workday. One of my professors, who I had emailed during the first month of my project when I was feeling particularly despondent, took me out for lunch, and acted as yet another sounding board for my research.

The research I completed during my SURF turned into my honor’s thesis, which I completed in the fall 2025 semester. Again, I struggled with some loneliness from working so intently on an independent project. This was helped by my other classes but was thoroughly cured by my new job teaching third grade Hebrew school at my synagogue. Once again, it was my community that helped put my research into perspective and encouraged me to think in new ways.

I know firsthand that independent research, especially research done in the liberal arts, can be lonely. Intentionally creating, leaning on, and seeking out communities not only helps with this loneliness, but also helps with the research process itself.