University of Illinois Springfield history major Lilian Georgiou recently presented her research at the Undergraduate Research Workshop hosted by the Committee for Undergraduate Middle East Studies at the annual meeting of the Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA) held in Montreal, Canada Nov. 1-6, 2023.

Georgiou presented her paper and corresponding poster for her research entitled “The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Arab Orthodox Community.” This grew out of a project she completed in her HIS 373: ECCE Reading Arab Pasts course which explored the history, politics, culture and literature of Greater Syria in the 20th century.

The course was taught by UIS Associate Professor of History Kristi Barnwell who mentored her through the research and workshop application processes.

Georgiou received a Chapin Award for her efforts, which contributed to her travel and conference fees.

MESA is a non-profit learned society and its annual meeting “is a leading international forum for scholarship, intellectual exchange and pedagogical innovation.” (MESA, 2023)