More than 300 people had the opportunity to see more than 60 presentations at CEHD’s Research Day March 24 in the McNamara Alumni Center. This year’s Research Day was the first to feature a collection of research projects led by students.

Quintin Hunt, a Ph.D. student in couple and family therapy, was one of them. He presented findings on suicide bereavement practices, the topic of his dissertation. Through interviews with survivors of suicide loss, Hunt identified seven different themes of suicide bereavement and classified them as helpful, hurtful, or neutral. It was his first time leading a research project.

“It’s a lot of work,” said Hunt. “Honestly, it really motivated me to get a Ph.D and to become a professor.” Research Day gave him a chance to see what his future might hold.

Nicolaas VanMeerten, Ph.D. candidate in educational psychology, saw Research Day as an opportunity to share the work he has been doing with the Minnesota Historical Society. VanMeerten and two other researchers collected behavioral data from elementary-aged students participating in Play the Past, a historical society field-trip experience that aims to further engage young students in museum exhibits through interactive mobile technology.

“I’ve had a lot of fun with it,” he said, “so I’m happy to tell people about it.”

VanMeerten, no stranger to leading research, spent five years as a research associate with the Veterans Health Administration before becoming involved with the Minnesota Historical Society. This research is in the early stages of what he hopes will become a longer partnership, VanMeerten said, and he is looking forward to the next steps of his project.

People’s Choice awards

Attendees explored posters detailing faculty and student research and were able to cast their votes for the best presentation in three categories: excellence in research, diversity and globalization, and technology and innovation. Winning teams receive $250 for professional development. The following posters were selected as best in their category by popular vote:

• Excellence in Research: Jehanne Beaton, Su Jung Kim, Miranda Schornack, and Jessica Tobin for “A Dialogic Framework for the Formative Assessment of Teacher Candidate Dispositions”
• Technology and Innovation: Mi Hwa Lee, Sohye Lee, Soo Kyoung Lee, and Hee Yun Lee for “A Culturally Tailored Text Message-Based Intervention Development to Promote Cervical Cancer Screening in an Underserved Population”
• Diversity and Globalization: Jenifer K. McGuire, Jennifer L. Doty, Jory M. Catalpa, and Cindy Ola for “Gender, Body Size, and Body Image: A Qualitative Analysis of Transgender Youth”

Poster abstracts and PDFs of many posters are available on the Research Day page.

—Story by Ellen Fee