In February 2020, I was offered the opportunity to represent Wake Forest University at the Pi Sigma Alpha National Student Research Conference in Washington, DC. More than 100 students from universities across the country traveled to Washington, DC to give presentations on their research. During the conference, students were able to present their own research, listen to their colleague’s presentations, and receive feedback from graduate students on their paper. Students presented their research to conference attendees at informal panels of four presenters throughout the day. The panels were grouped according to general topic, so students had the opportunity to discuss their research with fellow subject matter experts.
I presented a paper entitled “Global Warming and Cultural Norms: Case Studies from the Pacific,” during a panel focused on international politics and climate change. My panel’s chair, EB Pertner, a graduate student at George Washington University, offered me insights into my methodologies and suggested areas that my paper could expand on.
The conference’s lunchtime speaker was Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, president and CEO of Global Policy Solutions. Her passionate speech inspired students to use their research to make a difference in the real world.
I am thankful to have had the opportunity to present my semester-long research paper in front of an audience of field experts. Thank you to Dr. Walldorf, Dr. Dinan, and all the professors of the Department of Political Science and International Affairs for supporting my research and making this possible. I am excited to continue research on this topic in the future.