One story among many, this feature spotlights a graduating student from Franklin College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Georgia.

When Madeleine Coleman arrived at the University of Georgia, she had an ambitious goal: to study Buddhist research in Tibet. Four years later, as a graduate of Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and Morehead Honors College, she will earn a degree in cognitive science and religion, along with a minor in Spanish.

That small word – and - has defined her college experience.

While her studies did not end up taking her to Tibet, she did go on an equally expansive journey. From Granada’s ancient churches to Vienna’s musicology labs, Coleman explored subjects as varied as mathematical topology and the ethics of artificial intelligence. Along the way, she discovered how seemingly unrelated fields can intersect and illuminate one another in unexpected ways. For Coleman, it was never science or faith, technology or humanity. It was always science and faith, curiosity, and conviction.

“Within Franklin and the Honors College, I have been able to create my own liberal arts college on a big university campus,” Coleman said. That flexibility allowed her to pursue what might seem an unlikely combination of interests. “I wanted my studies to reflect the intersection of human life and technology, and the ethics of AI and where it is going.”

Coleman credits UGA mentors with helping her build self-confidence as a scholar, especially her advisor and research mentor, Jason Roberts, a senior lecturer in the Department of Religion.

“Dr. Roberts has been instrumental in building my confidence as a researcher,” she said. “In the fall of 2024, when I came to him with a potential research project for my study abroad, I didn’t know it would turn into three semesters of work and my senior thesis. His guidance has kept me on track to publish a paper while helping me manage the sometimes-overwhelming scale of the task.”

Coleman’s curiosity led her to study abroad in Granada, Spain, twice. A visit to the Mosque-Cathedral in Córdoba proved especially transformative. 

“I was struck by the violent history, but also by how dominant the Catholic presence was,” she said, noting that Catholics maintain ownership of the cathedral built atop a former mosque. 

She returned to Granada for four months during her junior year, this time conducting an independent research project while completing coursework entirely in Spanish. She interviewed local church members, gained behind-the-scenes access to Holy Week preparations, and met with the mother superior of a cloistered convent.

“For my independent study, I went in with some degree of skepticism because I didn’t understand how anyone could be so devoted,” Coleman admits. “To me, spirituality is bigger than what one religion could capture. But the devoutness of the people during Holy Week provided me with an appreciation.”

Her undergraduate thesis, “Mary: The Procession of Historical Syncretism and Annexed Sephardic Tradition,” examines how Catholic iconography of Mary has preserved elements of the textile traditions of Sephardic Jews who settled in Spain in Granada’s churches. The openness to having her assumptions challenged, an experience she first encountered during Holy Week, ultimately crystallized into her research, where questions about faith and culture, tradition and continuity, moved from a private reflection into an academic pursuit. 

She will present her research at the 2026 CURO Symposium in April during the poster session.

“Madeleine exemplifies the qualities faculty value in Franklin students, Honors students, and religion majors,” Roberts said. “Her curiosity and drive have led her to pursue study abroad, independent research, a CURO presentation, and a culminating undergraduate thesis.”

As graduation approaches, Coleman is exploring career paths that unite her varied interests. Her ideal career is “to explore the physiological mechanisms that lead to spirituality, to identify the place for AI in all this, and to apply that knowledge,” she said.