In early and mid-April, 2025, several Beloit College psychology students attended psychological research conferences and presented their senior thesis or summer research findings. Senior Ezekiel Kingsbury ’25, political science and psychology, noted a nice sense of connection and community at these conferences, as well as the bonus of receiving fun swag and prizes when visiting exhibitor booths.

Ezekiel Kingsbury ’25 and his poster at the Midwestern Psychological Association's Annual Meeting

The Wisconsin Psychological Association (WPA) held their 2025 Annual Convention, themed “Psychology and Health Equity: Addressing Disparities and Improving Access for All,” on April 4. Samantha Irwin, cognitive science and psychology ’25, participated in a poster session where she presented her research about perceptions of bias in computerized decision making and its potential in housing discrimination. The day started off with an American Psychological Association (APA) keynote speaker and was followed by the poster presentations.

Sam Irwin ’25 and her poster at the Wisconsin Psychological Association's Annual Convention

Ezekiel commented on the multiple networking opportunities that came with presenting his research at the annual Midwest Psychological Association (MPA) convention held in Chicago, where he found an appreciation for plenty of conversations with excited and interested academics. He found it especially helpful to partake in discussion with psychology students who had conducted similar research studies such as his focused on associations between religious participation and charitable giving. He noted that some of his results were counterintuitive and it was interesting to hear theories he had not considered.

Additional students who presented at MPA include seniors Aleah Roesler ’25, cognitive Science and psychology; Kelly O’Brien ’25, cognitive science and psychology; and Qiaoxi Yang ’25, cognitive science and psychology, who presented on topics related to trauma symptoms, memory, and Alzheimer’s disease, respectively. Gisella Uribe ’26, sociology and data science and data analytics, presented her McNair Scholars summer research on healthcare experiences in the Latine community. With psychology professors Suzanne Cox and Isaac Young cheering them on, the students found these conferences to be fabulous opportunities to learn more about current research in psychology, as well as to network and get to know the psychology community in both Wisconsin and the wider Midwest.

Another set of students will likely present at MPA in the spring of 2026. The Psychology Department faculty enjoy student-faculty collaborative research and will continue to co-present at regional, national, and international conferences in the future!

Psychology Faculty and Students at the Midwestern Psychological Association's Annual Meeting, April 2025