Of note: News about center faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends

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

Dianne Bystrom, director emerita, participated in five panels at the annual conference of the Central States Communication Association held April 1-6 in Cincinnati, Ohio. She presented her research with Mary Christine Banwart, professor of communication at the University of Kansas, on “Television Advertising in the 2024 Presidential Campaign: Same Issues, Different Tone?” as part of a panel on “Widening the Scope of Gender in Presidential Campaigns.” Banwart received a Carrie Chapman Catt Prize for Research on Women and Politics from the Catt Center in 2000. Bystrom also presented remarks during a panel on “Analyzing the 2024 Presidential Election and Aftermath.” She chaired panels on “Analyzing the 2024 Presidential Debates” and “Chasing Democracy: The Turbulent 2024 Presidential Election,” which featured presentations on chapters from her forthcoming co-edited book, “Democracy on the Line: The Turbulent 2024 Presidential Election.” Bystrom was the respondent for a panel on “Presidents and Political Leaders.”

Jordan Cunningham, a senior in political science, biology and anthropology, was part of a team of four students from the Department of Political Science that earned the Overall Outstanding Delegations Award for representing Saudi Arabia at the Great Plains Model Arab League (MAL) Conference, hosted at Missouri State University on April 10-11. The students also received individual awards for their representation of each of Saudi Arabia’s three councils, with Cunningham receiving Honorable Mention for her role on Saudi Arabia’s environmental affairs council. Cunningham is a Legacy of Heroines scholar and Catt Center intern.

Karen M. Kedrowski, center director, was interviewed on June 9 by Jason Clayworth (Axios Des Moines) about Senator Joni Ernst’s “Well, we all are going to die” comment at a June 2 town hall meeting. On June 11, Kedrowski appeared on Iowa Public Radio’s “River to River.” On June 12, she was interviewed by Alex Fulton (WOI-TV) about Governor Kim Reynolds’ veto of the pipeline bill. On June 23, she was interviewed by Laryssa Leone (WOI-TV), about the U.S. military attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities. On July 2, she was interviewed by Meghan MacPherson (Local 5 News) about President Trump’s visit to Iowa on July 3.

Ashleigh O’Brien, a 2023 alumna in women’s and gender studies, earned a master’s degree in public policy and women, gender and sexuality studies from George Washington University on May 16. O’Brien was an intern at the Catt Center and a participant in its multi-year undergraduate research project.

Kelly B. Shaw, teaching professor of political science and co-director of the Center for Cyclone Civics, received the LAS Award for Impact on Student Success – Faculty from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. On May 29, Shaw appeared on Iowa Public Radio’s “River to River.”

Amy Erica Smith, associate director for research and professor of political science, received the 2025 Seligson Prize, together with Taylor Boas, for public opinion research on Latin America. The Seligson Prize is awarded annually to the best scholarship (paper, book, dissertation, or other scholarly work) using LAPOP Lab’s AmericasBarometer data that was published in the prior two calendar years.