Jamestown Community College students Ginna Hensel and Kate Grigoreva presented at the State University of New York’s Undergraduate Research Conference held virtually in April.
The SUNY Undergraduate Research Conference is a multidisciplinary spring semester event that brings together undergraduate students and faculty mentors from across the SUNY system for a full day of activities. Synchronous and asynchronous sessions were devoted to student presentations, keynote speakers, and professional development workshops for students and faculty.
Dr. Morgan Phillips, an assistant professor of psychology and addictions counseling at JCC who served as the students’ honors program advisor and research mentor, noted that Hensel and Grigoreva pored over “hundreds of peer-reviewed works, authoring sizable literature reviews, creating well-developed and thoroughly vetted research proposals, and presenting their works publicly before fellow scholars.”
"Our students are our pride,” Phillips said. “Their dedication to the field of psychology was clearly illustrated and they represented our institution with distinction – aptly demonstrating their command of complex psychological principles, in company with researchers from other SUNY institutions housing well-respected and sizable research departments.”
Hensel, a Great Valley native who graduated with an associate degree in homeland security and psychology in May, focused her project on education barriers for students with disabilities and the stigma surrounding specified learning disabilities, engaging in a literature review and drafting a proposed research methodology that would survey urbanized areas and clusters, including schools on Native American reservations.
"Avenues like SURC give me an opportunity to spread the word about my research initiatives and show the world my passion,” she said. “I hope someday to actually implement my research study and SURC is one way to get my name out there as an upcoming researcher.”
Grigoreva, an international student from Russia who recently completed her associate degree in social sciences, researched the psychological underpinnings of ‘homesickness’ experienced by international students like her. Her presentation also included a proposed program of psychoeducational and psychotherapeutic support aimed to help international students cope with cultural adaptation and mental health concerns.
“I am very grateful for the opportunity to present my research at the SURC conference,” she said. “It allowed me to speak about the psychological needs of international students and hopefully bring attention to the issue. I believe that this presentation will raise discussions about the mental health of international students on our campuses.”
JCC students first began presenting at the conference in 2015.
“JCC’s representation at SURC was yet another indication of our college’s remarkable value, and the academic success that our students can expect to achieve,” added Phillips. “I am humbled to work with the caliber of student I routinely encounter at JCC.”