The 15th Annual SPA Undergraduate Research Symposium (UGRS) provides a forum for undergraduate students to present their original scholarly and creative work before colleagues, friends, and faculty. A "Best of" Award will be determined and handed out for each session. This year the symposium was held Wednesday April 26th in Kerwin hall.

This year’s symposium featured presentations on topics such as “How Media Sources (Old & New) Impact Political Behavior”, “Investigating the Effect of Campaign Spending in Competitive Congressional Districts”, “Extreme Weather Events and Public Opinion of Climate Change Mitigation Approaches: technocratic and Market-Based”, “Power Dynamics of Aid: A Twitter Analysis of Power and Agency in Foreign Aid Negotiations in Conflict-Affected Countries”, and more. The “Best of” each session is noted below.

Session: States and Social Movements
Vanessa Sousa, she/her
Faculty Mentor: Professor Joe Young
Title: An Illustration of Humanity?: A Qualitative Analysis of the Transnational Volunteer Phenomenon in the Russo-Ukrainian Conflict

Session: US Politics, News and Courts
Elise Buellesbach, she/her
Faculty Mentor: Professor Jan Leighley
Title: How Media Sources (Old and New) Impact Political Behavior

Session: Health Policy
Chloe McKeown, they/them
Faculty Mentors: Profs. Cowell-Meyers & Christensen
Title: The Rise and Fall of Safe Sex: Socio-Political Implications Preventing Comprehensive Sex Education

Session: Environmental Policy
Kayah Ryerson, she/her
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Cowell-Meyers & Fiorino
Title: Extreme Weather Events and Public Opinion of Climate Change Mitigation Approaches: Technocratic and Market-Based