At IDEA, we know that big ideas often start with something small: a question, a conversation, or just a passing suggestion. That’s exactly what happened with Ralph Martins, an Ohio State PhD student in Communication whose dissertation journey began with one of those quiet but pivotal moments during an informal research meeting.

The Turning Point

Ralph came to Ohio State with a degree in journalism from Northwestern. His early graduate days focused on how the press informs and engages the public, but he felt like something was missing. He wanted to dig deeper into why those functions actually matter in a democracy. His search took a turn during a research group session. Ralph was sharing some early findings from a study on letters to the editor. In the room was Dr. Michael Neblo, IDEA’s director, who made a simple suggestion: look into deliberative democracy as a framework. That comment, simple and perfectly timed, became a major turning point for Ralph.

A Transformative Year

Over the next year, Ralph delved into deliberative theory and later enrolled in Michael’s political theory seminar. The class helped him connect the dots between democratic values and Communication. From there, he started building the foundation for his dissertation, which would focus on how people share personal stories during small-group discussions.

As his project progressed, two major challenges emerged: he required a large collection of deliberation transcripts and more time to properly conduct the mixed-methods study. IDEA stepped up to help with both. IDEA granted Ralph access to our archive of small-group forums and awarded him an additional year of assistantship funding, enabling him to delve deeper.

Beyond Research Support

His year at IDEA was about more than just research support. It became a space for learning, experimentation, and genuine connections. Ralph joined weekly lab meetings, collaborated closely with the team, and got hands-on experience in designing deliberative processes. He also connected with fellow graduate students who were working right at the intersection of Communication and democratic engagement.

Looking back, Ralph described his time at IDEA as a period of significant academic and personal growth. He gave much credit to the IDEA team for creating an environment where he felt supported and challenged in equal measure. He also spoke fondly of his friendship with Euchan Jang, whose honest feedback and steady encouragement made the experience both productive and personally meaningful.

A Meaningful Contribution

Ralph’s final dissertation used content analysis, grounded theory, and hierarchical modeling to study storytelling in deliberation. His work introduced the first multilevel analysis of how group dynamics influence personal storytelling in democratic dialogue, and it asked some critical questions about how we understand civic voice and experience in structured forums.

The project and the researcher he became all grew from one simple suggestion, sustained by mentorship, resources, and the trust to follow a big idea to its full potential. We’re proud to have supported Ralph in this work and look forward to seeing where it leads him next.

Ralph’s journey is a perfect example of how one conversation can lead to a meaningful research path. If you are an IDEA alumnus with a story to tell, a current Ohio State student looking to begin your own research journey, or if you want to be part of the IDEA Graduate Research Associate program, we want to hear from you. You can also connect with Ralph on his LinkedIn profile to learn more about his experience and expertise.

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