Two Drake University students presented papers during the undergraduate poster session of the Midwest Political Science Association's annual conference.
Kate Kemper, a senior from St. Paul, Minn., and Darby Matt, a sophomore from Andover, Minn., presented at the conference held April 6-9 in Chicago. The 75th annual event had more than 4,000 registered attendees and featured presentations in more than 80 subject areas.
“The Midwest Political Science Association's annual meeting is a place for political scientists from across the country to present new and cutting-edge research to their peers,” said Mary McCarthy, associate professor of political science, who mentored Kemper and Matt during the during their paper work. “The conference's undergraduate poster sessions are a great way for undergraduates to take an active part in this scientific community and learn what it really means to be a political scientist working in the field.”
Kemper presented a paper titled “The Effects and Effects of British Colonialism and the Tea Industry on Darjeeling and Northeast India.” He double majored in international relations and environmental science and policy at Drake.
Matt's paper was titled “A Critical Analysis of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325.” He is a graduate of international relations and law, politics and society.
Kemper and Matt applied through a competitive process to have their paper accepted, then created a poster articulating their main arguments and evidence in a concise and engaging way, and were prepared to answer questions from scholars in their field.
“Being able to go to the conference really opened my eyes to so many different ideas that a typical day in the classroom couldn't offer. I was able to get great feedback and ideas on how to expand my research to make it the best it can be,” said Matt.
They also attended other panel sessions, learning what political science professionals do and how they articulate their findings to an academic audience.
“By attending lectures and paper sessions, I gained a better understanding of topics I had little familiarity with,” Kemper said, “and learned about some of the incredible projects being worked on by scholars at institutions around the world.”
