Nick Cavicchio Shares Experience Attending The National Undergraduate PPE Colloquium

Nick Cavicchio, a current PPE major at Virginia Tech, shares his experience attending the 2026 UNC-Duke National Undergraduate PPE Colloquium. This is an invitational colloquium that brings together some of the best PPE students from around the U.S. for two days of intensive discussions.

Nick, how did you learn about this opportunity and what interested you in pursuing it?

While I was initially unaware of the experience, Dr. Moehler reached out and explained the opportunity to me, as well as referring me to UNC’s website. What provoked me to go to the conference was when, while doing research about its goals and structure, I was intrigued by the idea of thoroughly analyzing one topic from a variety of lenses, allowing a comprehensive overview of the topic from within all the PPE disciplines. With short class times and a fast-moving curriculum at Virginia Tech, I was excited to take the time to thoughtfully discuss one topic from a variety of angles using the skills fostered throughout my participation in the PPE program. I was also intrigued by the variety of students and schools and to learn about the different degree program structures of PPE at other universities. I had a great interest in conversing with students from differing backgrounds.

What was the format of the colloquium?

The colloquium was made up of 18 students from different PPE programs across the United States. We spent two days at Duke exploring the question “You Say You Want a Revolution?” Each day was split into multiple 90-minute sessions exploring one aspect of revolutions, such as why revolutions are often a surprise, the duty to resist, and whether we should give violence a chance, with each session accompanied by papers to prompt discussion. Each session was moderated by a distinguished guest, author, or staff member from UNC/Duke, with students proposing claims and debating the content from within the readings or topics deemed relevant to the current discussion. Outside the formal sessions, there was time for conversation and follow-up discussions with both staff and students, allowing ample time to critically assess the readings and discussion components.

How did engaging with others at this colloquium during both formal discussions and informal social hours influence your understanding of PPE as an interdisciplinary field?

In my opinion, the most fruitful part of this experience was the informal social hours and the discussion that occurred beyond the formal sessions. What was wonderful about this event is that the schools represented and students from those schools all had very different educational backgrounds, with many formally studying PPE, but others’ experience was derived primarily from other disciplines such as Computer Science or Mathematics. This sparked discussion about a wide variety of topics reaching far beyond the revolution question and more traditional PPE works. However, with this discussion students still used their PPE background and leveraged their analytical skills, which I felt challenged me to assess a wider reach of questions from a PPE perspective (such as collective action in housing, the role of surveillance and data collection in political opposition, and feminism in modern football).

During the formal sessions, the colloquium’s seminar-style required quick, critical thinking to assess students’ claims and formulate a dissenting or supporting opinion. The variety of sessions highlighted how broad and wide-reaching PPE and the intersection of its disciplines are, approaching everything from preference falsification to the morality (or lack thereof) of violence. Very rarely are we given the opportunity to so thoroughly discuss one topic through so many different perspectives, disciplines, and opinions, highlighting the importance of inter- and transdisciplinary thinking.

How do you plan to apply what you learned at the colloquium to future coursework, research, or career plans?

More than anything, I feel that the colloquium reaffirmed the value of a PPE perspective and education. The diverse sessions and wide range of topics in relation to the core question of revolution highlighted that when thinking analytically about complex problems or circumstances, it is necessary to assess the multiple perspectives and draw on the intersectionality of the disciplines. This experience also helped emphasize the value of collaboration and formal discussion through seminars within PPE, providing an environment for students to challenge each other and introduce new ideas into our thinking, which I felt produced a more comprehensive and holistic understanding of the problems and with that, more concrete positions on claims or conclusions.

Do you have any final remarks for other students who may be interested in exploring similar opportunities?

I would strongly recommend attending the colloquium, if given the option. While the small group format may seem intimidating, it provides an opportunity for strong discussion and debate while bringing together students with different perspectives and backgrounds. For me, I felt this was a perfect way to utilize the knowledge and skills developed during my undergraduate education, while sharing knowledge and learning from students from different programs with different knowledge, and skills.

(Photograph provided by Nick Cavicchio – used with permission)