On April 21 and 22, avid pop culture fans and self-proclaimed nerds will meet for the fourth biennial Pippi to Ripley conference.

Quirky, obnoxious and unique. These traits create the “manic pixie dream girl” trope that Ithaca College senior Alyssa Rodriguez explored this summer in collaboration with Katharine Kittredge, professor in the Department of English. Rodriguez’s project is funded by her Emerson Humanities Collaboration Award, an annual IC award that provides students with financial support for scholarly projects.