Researching Mis/Disinformation Globally: Tom Plant (HISP '22) Receives Fulbright Research Award
爱沙尼亚是PBK入选者Tom J. Plant （HISP & IR ' 22）的下一个目的地。 由于获得了最负盛名和极具竞争力的富布赖特研究奖，汤姆目前是瓦伦斯全球公司的分析师，他将花9个月的时间设计和分析军事演习，作为国防的媒体素养，可以解决作为国家安全威胁的错误/虚假信息的危险。
Tom, co-founder of DisinfoLab, a W&M student-led research lab that analyzes disinformation at a global scale, explains his project:
“While in Estonia, my days will be spent researching, writing, and coding for the following project in collaboration with Tallin University of Technology and the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence:
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“As anticipated, Spanish is not spoken widely in Estonia. But my experience in the Hispanic Studies department directly prepared me to apply for a Fulbright—no matter the country. My Hispanic Studies professors taught me how to understand different cultures with empathy and appreciate the complexity of historical contexts. The class “Hot, Wet? Cold, Dry?” was a rich case study for approaching a cultural analysis along multiple dimensions—not just the influence of frameworks like science, religion, and social norms, but also the countercurrents that challenged them. I learned a nuanced analytical approach that accounts for the delicate interplay of actions and reactions that are unique to a given time and place.
“These cultural skills will be invaluable as I embark on my Fulbright in Estonia. The ability to communicate across cultural boundaries will be critical in understanding the challenges and opportunities that the Estonian context presents for the design and implementation of these wargames, preparing me to serve as a cultural ambassador for the United States—a key part of the Fulbright mission.
Tom has contributed several pieces to The Diplomatic Courier on AI and disinformation topics. Tom’s research on mis- and dis-information during the rally ‘round the flag was honored as undergraduate semifinalist for the prestigious Inman Award (2022), which is offered annually by the Intelligence Studies Project at the University of Texas at Austin.
At W&M, Tom did translation work and helped design an online exhibit of Cuban women in cinema as part of the Cuban Media Project. Tom was also a most valuable Research Assistant to Prof. Terukina as they modernized and annotated selections from several 16th- and 17th- century Hispanic texts for pedagogical use in the classroom. Tom was also recruited for the highly selective MLL Teaching Internship in foreign language pedagogy and served as an undergraduate Teaching Assistant for the Hispanic Studies program. Tom’s academic achievements were distinguished with the J. Worth Banner Award (2022), given to the rising senior Hispanic Studies major with the highest overall grade point average. He also received the International Relations Award for Excellence (2022).
