Psychology department prepares for annual Student Research Conference

Every spring semester the psychology department hosts the Student Research Conference, which provides Southeast students with an opportunity to grow in their professional development.

Although the psychology department organizes the event, it is not restricted to those just within the department, and students from all academic areas are encouraged to take part in presenting research at the conference.

Research can be presented in a variety of ways, with everything from papers to posters. The presentation can be no more than 15 minutes in length. Students are encouraged to be creative with their research and to have a presentation that will leave spectators wanting to know more about the subject. Presentations in the past have been complied of a variety of subjects, including everything from biology experiments to theories and perspectives of a classic novel.

"We want there to be a variety and to make it where all the disciplines can come to learn and enjoy something, whether it relates to their major or not," conference committee member Chelsea Kline said. "It's really cool to see how much hard work someone has put into their research and to see that other people do care about it and want to know more, too."

The steps to conduct a research study to present at the conference are simple. A student needs an ethical idea for their research, preferably in their area of study, and an adviser or mentor to guide them through the research, keeping it professional.

Students can gain experience doing research in their field of study, which can help them if they continue on to graduate school, as well as learn how to present in front of groups of people professionally. Students can also use the experience as part of their internship or as credit for honors courses.

"It's very encouraging," said sophomore Destiny Brooks, who did research last year as a freshman in the honors program. "Things that aren't traditional and are different make it fun to participate in and see."

A keynote speaker, usually a professional from a different university, is also part of the two-day conference and shares his or her thoughts on student research at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

At the end of the second day, a variety of awards are given by Phi Kappa Phi for some of the best presentations. Achievements like this are encouraged to be put on resumes for those in more competitive fields of study.

"An education is what you make of it, and you have to make the most of what you're learning here, which is why participating in a research project like this is great," sophomore Charles Marcee said. "Whenever you read a research article you may only skim it and see the numbers or look at the abstract, but you really don't see all the hard work that's put into it and how they dedicate their lives to it. When somebody physically talks about it, it seems a lot different and you can see their passion for it."

"It's nice to be able to share what you love and have people there coming to see what you have to present," senior committee member Courtney Zurfluh said. "You can always find someone there who loves the same things that you do and share your interests and experiences."

This year's conference will be held on April 16-17 in the University Center Ballroom, and is open to the public for free. Submissions to do research are still open to all Southeast students. More information about the Student Research Conference can be found at semo.edu/src.com.