By Dave Larsen
Two University of Dayton students were awarded 2025 arts and humanities scholarships by the Council on Undergraduate Research, from a total of five U.S. awards.
Savannah “Sam” Smith and Caleb Molseed received awards to support their honors thesis projects from the council’s arts and humanities division, which offers annual scholarships to support undergraduate student research and creative inquiry projects at any stage of development up to and including presentation.
Smith is a senior from Cincinnati with a triple major in German, world language education and history. Her honors thesis looks at how German academic institutions, particularly at the primary and secondary levels, used folklore to perpetuate anti-Semitism during the Third Reich.
Molseed is a senior from Cleveland with a double major in history and English. His honors thesis examines the Stockbridge-Munsee, an Indigenous nation that emerged as a single community from the Stockbridge Mohicans from New York’s Hudson River Valley and the Munsee band of the Lenape from Pennsylvania’s Delaware River region.
“I am so proud of Sam and Caleb for being two of the five students who are receiving CUR Scholarships,” said Danielle Poe, UD College of Arts and Sciences dean. “This is an exceptional honor, as these awards are rare in the arts and humanities, marking their achievement as a true standout on a national level.
“Further, these awards are a powerful testament not only to the excellent work of Sam and Caleb but also to the exceptional quality of scholarship and dedicated mentorship provided by our faculty in the arts and humanities.”
Smith’s topic combines several of her interests, including the Holocaust and folklore, specifically fairy tales. She plans to teach German after graduation and enjoys learning about pedagogy and how it has developed across different cultures…

