Several of our undergraduate students recently traveled to New Orleans, LA, to attend the Southeastern Psychological Association annual conference. All the undergraduate students presented during the CEPO (Committee for Equality and Professional Opportunity) sessions, a set of presentation sessions meant specifically to spotlight undergraduate research and sponsored by Psi Chi, the International Honors Society for Psychology. UNCG Psychology has a rich history of taking undergraduate groups to SEPA. Notable this year is that it was the first time all student attendees were presenting authors of research projects and funded through the URSCO Travel Fund. Dr. Jessica Caporaso, co-advisor of UNCG’s chapter of Psi Chi, accompanied the students to the conference.
Check out some of the notable accomplishments of our undergraduates at this year’s SEPA conference:
- Roba Hussein’s poster was one of 10 undergraduate posters selected to be a part of the “Distinguished Undergraduate Research Posters” presentation session
- Roba also won the 2nd place CEPO Outstanding Undergraduate Research Award
- Clara Lussier won the SEPA Regional Research Award (one of 16 awards selected by Psi Chi International out of all the presentations at SEPA by Psi Chi members)
- Both Roba’s and Clara’s award came with a monetary award
Dr. Caporaso asked the undergraduates who attended SEPA about their experiences. When asked how this experience made students want to do more research, here are some responses:
“Being able to interact with other researchers and get different perspectives on my own research was really exciting and has inspired me to do more research and attend more conferences” – Alejandro Robles
“Receiving feedback about my research during my poster presentation made me want to immediately incorporate that feedback to improve my work. Seeing other research presentations inspired me to consider new avenues of research” – Camden Gaddy
“After having to talk about my research in the poster presentation, I realized that I could explain my work well to others and that I enjoyed doing so. These conversations inspired me to take a deeper dive into my research and inspired many future research ideas. It was a real confidence boost!” – Roba Hussein
“It was so nice being able to talk to like-minded individuals & swap knowledge with others; it made me want to learn everything! I’m excited to continue to do research to learn more and contribute to that knowledge. It also made me realize that I love presenting and doing more research means I get to do more presentations.” – Clara Lussier
“The questions I received from others helped me broaden my own understanding of research. The whole conference deepened my appreciation for the broadness of the field and the topics I could research within it.” – Nikolai Tassin
When asked what students got out of attending SEPA, all students reported being able to make connections with students and faculty from other universities, getting closer with their fellow UNCG psychology majors, receiving critical feedback on their research, gaining a sense of community within the field, and gaining confidence in their own research and public speaking abilities.
Of course, going to a conference means engaging in academic discussion. But it also provides an opportunity to explore a new place. When asked what cool things they did outside of attending SEPA, students mentioned that they did a lot of exploring. They loved the French Market, going shopping, and learning about the history of the city. They enjoyed being immersed in such a lively and energetic city, with live music on every other block. One student specifically sought out filming locations of some of her favorite tv shows. Most importantly, the students loved trying all of the new and unique foods that New Orleans is known for, especially beignets, po boys, gumbo, and even alligator jerky. They were also happy to have an opportunity to have a finer dining experience as a group, where they got to try dishes like steak tartare, sea urchin carbonara, and steak au poivre.
Thank you so much to faculty mentors Drs. Blair Wisco, Jessica Caporaso, Kari Eddington, Michaeline Jensen, Megan Fields-Olivieri, and Susan Keane for their commitment to undergraduate mentoring that allowed for this awesome opportunity.
Congratulations to Camden Gaddy, Clara Lussier, Nikolai Tassin, Alejandro Robles, Jordan Sides, Jayla Bayley, and Roba Hussein, for their excellent work. Keep it up!
