Of note: news about center students, faculty and staff

CATEGORIES: May 2014, Voices

The Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics is pleased to recognize the accomplishments and activities of its students and staff:

Madeline Becker, senior in political science and history, presented “Women and the Welfare Rights Movement” during Iowa State’s Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression on April 15. She was also recognized as an outstanding student by the department of political science during an awards luncheon on April 16 and was inducted into Pi Sigma Alpha, the national political science honor society founded in 1920 to encourage and recognize superior achievement in the study of government and politics at the undergraduate and graduate level. Becker, who is from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was a Rice-Neville Legacy of Heroines scholar for two years.

Dianne Bystrom, center director, gave presentations at four conferences in April. At the annual meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, she and Valerie Hennings, adjunct assistant professor of political science and scholar-in-residence at the Catt Center, presented their paper on “Articulating Interests and Advocating Issues: An Analysis of Congresswomen’s Political Speech after the 2012 Election” on April 4. At MPSA, Bystrom was also the discussant on a panel titled “Evaluating Female Candidates and Representatives: Priming and Stereotypes” on April 4. On April 8, Bystrom was the keynote speaker at the See Yourself Here workshop at the Iowa Capitol building in Des Moines. She presented “Women in State Legislatures: Making a Difference.” She was also invited to participate in the Working Group Conference on Women, Media and Politics: A Comparative Perspective at Arizona State University. Bystrom presented “Political Advertising Content and Effects: TV Spots by or for Women” on April 11. Bystrom also participated in the Women in Politics 2014: Historic and Current Perspectives symposium at the University of Iowa on April 18. She moderated a panel on “Policy Discussion: Action Steps for the Future.”

Molly Carpenter, senior in community and regional planning with a minor in English, presented “Housing Markets in College Towns: The Case of Ames, Iowa” on April 15 during the Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression at Iowa State. She also won the ISU English department’s Kurt Moody Creative Writing Award in the spring semester, which is given annually to an Iowa State undergraduate student who demonstrates excellence in creative writing. Carpenter is earning her certificate in community leadership and public service and is from Highlands Ranch, Colo.

Morgan Foldes, senior in management with a certificate in community leadership and public service and public relations intern for the leadership certificate program, presented a group research project, “A Land Before I’m: The Winners Write History,” at the Iowa State Conference on Race and Ethnicity on March 6. Their presentation gave a brief overview of the mistreatment of Native Americans during colonization and further delved into the inner workings of one of the original tribes of Iowa, the Ioway. Foldes also presented “Connecting Students Through Communication” on March 28 at the Council for Advancement and Support of Education’s Affiliated Student Advancement Programs district conference in Emporia, Kan. This presentation gave a broad overview of several sources of communication outlets for student leaders to utilize in their organizations, including shared drives, Google (drive, calendar, chat, etc.), Twitter, Facebook and more. Foldes is from Johnston, Iowa.

Hallie Golay, graduate student in political science and research assistant at the Catt Center during the 2013-2014 year, was awarded a Teaching Excellence Award from the Iowa State Graduate College during graduation ceremonies in May. This award recognizes and encourages outstanding teaching by graduate students. Up to 10 percent of graduate students involved in teaching are recognized each year. Golay was nominated by the department of political science to receive this award. She is from Glidden, Iowa.

Valerie Hennings, Catt Center scholar-in-residence, was recognized as an outstanding faculty member by the Greek community on April 10 during a reception for influential faculty members who excel in relating to their students. One of Hennings’ students nominated her for the recognition.

Aja Holmes, a graduate teaching assistant and doctoral candidate in higher education with a concentration in social justice, received a Teaching Excellence Award from the Iowa State Graduate College during graduation ceremonies in May. This award recognizes and encourages outstanding teaching by graduate students. Up to 10 percent of graduate students involved in teaching are recognized each year. Holmes was nominated by the School of Education to receive this award. She also received the Above and Beyond Award on April 29 during the Division of Student Affairs’ spring meeting. Holmes is from Chicago, Ill., and co-taught LAS 151x and 152x, “Dean’s Leadership Seminar,” with College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean Beate Schmittmann during the 2013-2014 academic year.

Janet Horsager, senior in economics and music and Beth Bierbaum Legacy of Heroines scholar, presented “Can We Feed the World? Food Production, Input Prices, Trade Restrictions and Technological Change, 1961-2010” during Iowa State’s Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression on April 15. She also presented this research during the University Honors Program’s capstone poster presentations on April 30 as a graduating honors student. Horsager is from Minneapolis, Minn.

Krista Klocke, junior in speech communication and communication studies with a minor in psychology and certificate in community leadership and public service, received one of ISU’s highest honors at the Student Leadership Awards Ceremony on April 13. She received the Sandra and Lynn Davis Leadership Award, which recognizes her display of outstanding character, academic achievement, community engagement and leadership. Klocke is a Phyllis Davis Legacy of Heroines scholar and is from Ames, Iowa.

Shinichi Kogi, senior in communication studies and psychology, presented a group research project, “The Use of Gesture During Truthful and Fabricated Accounts of a Self-Experience,” during Iowa State’s Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression on April 15. Kogi is from Kanagawa, Japan, and is earning his certificate in community leadership and public service.

Katherine Marcheski, senior in journalism and mass communication with a minor in Spanish, traveled to Council Bluffs, Iowa, to the Iowa School for the Deaf with nine other Iowa State students during spring break in March as a service/immersion trip. She shadowed high school teachers and worked with students’ reading comprehension using American Sign Language – Marcheski’s second language. She was the center’s Plaza of Heroines intern from spring 2012 through spring 2014 and is from West Dundee, Ill.

Jennifer Musgrove, senior in world languages and cultures and Spanish with a minor in criminal justice, was selected for the ISU on the Mediterranean/Summer in Valencia, Spain, teaching assistantship and scholarship. Each year, this study abroad program selects one student who is outstanding and maintains an interest to use Spanish within their profession after graduation. Musgrove’s responsibilities will include a film project promoting the world languages and cultures study abroad program (by interviewing students with beautiful scenery of Valencia), supporting ISU students on program (such as tutoring, etc.), and writing articles related to the biology classes and excursions to be published in the world languages and cultures newsletter. Musgrove will also have an internship with a language academy in Valencia, teaching English classes to native Spanish speaking students in the evenings. She is the James R. and Lauri K. Young Legacy of Heroines scholar and is from Ames, Iowa.

Anna Olsen, senior in microbiology and a Phyllis Davis Legacy of Heroines scholar, presented a research poster, “Plant Microbiome of High and Low NUE Maize Genotypes,” during the College of Agriculture and Life Science’s Science With Practice open house and reception on April 29. Science With Practice provides opportunities for students in CALS to learn and work experientially with faculty and staff in university research, laboratories, farms, greenhouses and other units through planned education and work experience programs. Olsen is from McCallsburg, Iowa.

Danielle Pohl, senior in biology with minors in microbiology and Spanish from Center Point, Iowa, and a recipient of the Helen Jensen Howe Legacy of Heroines Scholarship for Women in Science, presented “The Role of Maternally Supplied Cell Death Components in Primordial Germ Cell Development of Drosophila Melanogaster” on April 1 at the Iowa Capitol building as part of the annual Research in the Capitol event. More than 60 undergraduate students from Iowa’s three Regent universities are invited to present their research to legislators and others each year to highlight the importance of research to the undergraduate learning experience. Twenty-one Iowa State students presented their research this year. Pohl also presented her research during Iowa State’s Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression on April 15 in the Memorial Union.

Kelly Sebetka, Elizabeth Hoffman and Brian R. Binger Legacy of Heroines scholar from 2010 to 2013, recently was accepted into the University of Pennsylvania’s Master of Social Work program. She will begin coursework either this fall or next. She is currently working at a charter school in Philadelphia through an AmeriCorps term of service through July. Sebetka graduated from Iowa State in May 2013 with her English and international studies degrees and minors in women’s and gender studies and psychology.

Clint Stephens, scholar-in-residence at the Catt Center, served on a panel of experts in active learning classrooms at the Spring Faculty Conference: Online Learning at Iowa State University on April 22. He was also recognized as an outstanding faculty member by the Greek Community on April 10 during a reception for influential faculty members who excel in relating to their students. One of Stephens’ students nominated him for the recognition. He coordinates the community leadership and public service program and teaches leadership theory and skills courses.

Kate Tindall, junior in journalism and mass communication and political science with a minor in economics, was inducted into the Iowa State University Cardinal Key on April 13. The Cardinal Key selects .5 percent of the senior class and .33 percent of the junior class for membership based on the virtues of leadership, scholarship and character. Tindall is the center’s intern with the Archives of Women’s Political Communication and the Jane Greimann Legacy of Heroines scholar. She presented “Women of the United States and United Nations: Rhetorical Comparisons of Political Communications in International Politics” during Iowa State’s Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression on April 15. Tindal also was recognized as an outstanding student by the department of political science during an awards luncheon on April 16.

Morgan Todd, senior in political science with minors in history, general business, and journalism and mass communication from Windsor Heights, Iowa, presented “Balancing the Board: An Analysis of the Implementation and Implications of Iowa’s Gender Balance Legislation for Appointed Boards and Commissions” on April 1 at the Iowa Capitol building as part of the annual Research in the Capitol event. She also presented her research at the Midwest Political Science Association’s undergraduate poster session in Chicago, Ill., on April 5 and at ISU’s Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression on April 15. During the 2013-2014 academic year, Todd was a Rice-Neville Legacy of Heroines scholar and the Gender Balance Project intern at the Catt Center.

Lissandra Villa, junior in journalism and mass communication and political science and an Elverna Christian Legacy of Heroines scholar, was inducted April 22 as the ex-officio Iowa State student representative on the Ames City Council. Her term will end May 1, 2015. During a department of political science awards luncheon on April 16, Villa was recognized as an outstanding student; was inducted into Pi Sigma Alpha, the national political science honor society founded in 1920 to encourage and recognize superior achievement in the study of government and politics at the undergraduate and graduate level; and was awarded the 3rd House Memorial Scholarship for her demonstrated leadership ability and excellence in campus and extracurricular activities. Villa is from Webster City, Iowa, and will be the center’s intern with the Archives of Women’s Political Communication for the 2014-2015 year.

The following students in the communications studies program participated in the Senior Research Seminar on April 29 in the Memorial Union. In this capstone seminar class, students incorporate what they have learned in prior coursework to develop an empirical research study. Students identify a communication research problem of interest and develop an approach to study, collect and analyze data, and write an empirical research paper.

  • MaryAnn Gibney, senior in communication studies with minors in speech communication and advertising and a certificate in community leadership and public service, presented “Hug it out or get out: The Impact of Nonverbal Affectionate Communication on Relational Satisfaction.”
  • McKenzie Hagge, senior in communication studies with a certificate in community leadership and public service, presented, “Communicating Perceptions of Competence and Female Attire.”
  • Brenton Marcum, senior in communication studies with a certificate in community leadership and public service, presented, “So you Think You’re Funny? A Look Into Humor Effectiveness and Contexts of Humor.”
  • Laura Harmeyer, senior in communication studies with a certificate in community leadership and public service, presented, “Right Person for the Job? How Hiring Managers Choose Their Candidate Through Interviews.”
  • Catherine Nost, senior in communication studies with a minor in psychology and a certificate in community leadership and public service, presented, “What Different Generations Find Important to Communicate via Texting.”
  • Katie Gustafson, senior in communication studies with a certificate in community leadership and public service, presented, “Supportive Communication for Athletes.”
  • Lauren Johnsen, senior in communication studies and a certificate in community leadership and public service, presented, “Relational Maintenance Tactics in Transition.”