MISSOULA –

When Chris Cordingley, a University of Montana senior about to graduate with a degree in political science, saw a call for thesis submissions while browsing the Huffington Post website, he jumped at the chance to submit his.

“I happened to see the call for submissions on the same day I finished it,” Cordingley said. “Then I got an email this morning saying it would be published. I was really excited about it, though pretty tired, too.”

The website published the excerpt from Cordingley’s thesis, “Healthy Roads, Healthy Schools: A Look Into the Effects of Transportation Infrastructure,” May 9 in its “College” section. It’s available at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christopher-cordingley/healthy-roads-healthy-sch_b_1499695.html.

The thesis examines whether access to public transportation affects access to health care and, in turn, school and workplace absenteeism. By examining current research and publications on the topic, Cordingley determined that better access to public transportation can lead to “better access to health care, increased graduation rates and higher job productivity.”

Cordingley said he also plans to submit his thesis to several national conferences.

A student in UM’s Davidson Honors College who will graduate as a University Scholar on Saturday, May 12, Cordingley plans to stay in Montana this summer and then hopefully get a job working on Capitol Hill or on a political campaign in the state.

“The opportunity to do new research on a topic that I found interesting will be something I will continue to take pride in,” Cordingley said. “This project through the DHC, combined with the numerous research papers from the Political Science Department, made me feel comfortable turning a speculation into an academic project that I find meaningful to the betterment of society.”

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ALS

Western Montana

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