Social Science undergraduates showcase new and ongoing research at 14th annual Mid-SURE symposium

August 2, 2024 - Emily Jodway

Senior Elliott Smith presents his research. Photos by Jackie Hawthorne.

Undergraduates from the College of Social Science joined together with students from across a range of academic disciplines at the 14th annual Mid-Michigan Symposium for Undergraduate Research Experiences (Mid-SURE) on July 24. Mid-SURE gives undergraduate students the opportunity to showcase their research both in person at the STEM facility and via online poster presentations. 

Students work on their research project with a mentor from their realm of study, who may be a faculty member, graduate or doctoral student, or a government or industry professional. The event is open to the public and gives them the chance to share their findings with the greater community. Several of these students were also winners of a Provost’s Undergraduate Research Initiative (PURI) grant in 2023 to help fund their research. 

This year a total of 14 students from the College presented research, representing psychology, anthropology, criminal justice, interdisciplinary studies, sociology and political science. Mid-SURE is an example of how wide-reaching and unique the field of Social Science can be. Topics ranged from reproductive rights and partisan animosity to behavioral intervention strategies and labor movements. 

From the psychology department, two students conducted research under the mentorship of Dr. Mark Brandt. Jolie Kretzshmar studied the ideological similarities and differences in partisan animosity. In a similar vein, Aymin Triki looked at the ideological similarities and differences behind partisan bias, working in the department’s Belief Systems Lab. 

“The psychology aspect of politics is truly intriguing, especially in today's polarized world,” Triki said. “I think political psychology has really resonated with me because it kind of transcends specific political policies or parties and becomes more a study on human beings.” Both researchers were 2023 PURI grant awardees.

Senior Lee Ferris, who is majoring in social studies education, presented his research titled “A War on Memory: A Comparative Analysis of Nineteenth-Century American History Textbooks. 

Political Science student Lola Browne discusses her poster.

“In a nutshell, my research focuses on the way that we teach children and how we impart our cultural values onto them, how they then interact and how they conflict with each other,” he explained. 

Political Science student Meera Kanade, who conducted her research with the help of professor Ian Ostrander, examined the politics of judicial nominations. Kanade succinctly explained their research so that non-experts can easily understand the concept and its impacts on modern politics. 

“You’ll see a lot of different [nomination] trends throughout the years depending on the president, and the trend for female nominees has increased significantly through the years along with minority nominees,” she said. “I’m really happy to say that our judicial landscape has definitely been much more diverse, a great reflection of america.”

Another student tackling very timely issues was Elliott Smith, a sociology major researching Starbucks workers and their recent labor movements and efforts to receive better working conditions. His work is titled “Baristas United? The Formation and use of Collective Identity within Labor Movements. 

“I’m looking at Starbucks workers and their work conditions, and how a collective identity is forming within their labor movement, Smith said. “Their work climate has been defined by worsening conditions and tenuous relationships with their management, but many have seen this as a cause to organize.” These findings have given Smith an opportunity to reflect and further examine this emergence of collective identity and renew his data collections and analysis. 

See more in-depth summaries of each Mid-SURE presentation here.