Pi Sigma Alpha tackles virtual 2021 National Student Research Conference

Members of the Purdue Chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha, the national political

science honor society, attended the 8^th Annual National Student Research Conference on March 6-7. The conference was held virtually with an in-person watch party held on campus in Beering Hall. More than 100 undergraduate students from chapters across the country presented their research, including students from Purdue.

One of the Purdue projects focused on media coverage of Supreme Court confirmations from Justice Thomas to Justice Kavanaugh. The research, undertaken by Pravina Ravi and Paulina Dawidowska, highlighted the coverage of nominations by the Washington Post and the New York Times. They also conducted an exploratory regression analysis using STATA. Dawidowska presented via Zoom, due to the pandemic she is back home in Poland for the semester.

Ryan Wettschurack, a senior at Purdue, also presented his research at the conference. Wettshurack’s research discussed the evolution of conservative media in the 1990s by examining the relationship between conservative talk radio and the Republican Party. According to Wettschurack, “Purdue’s focus on research and its wonderful archive prepared me to find my own original sources for this research.”

In addition to presenting their research, the Purdue chapter organized and hosted a virtual trivia session for the conference. Trivia themes included “Are You Smart Enough to be a U.S. Citizen?” and “Biden’s Policy Agenda.” Purdue student organizers included: Abigael Mullens, Dania Rau, Pravina Ravi, Reese Mason, and Anna Adamsson.

Over 400 chapters of Pi Sigma Alpha are dotted around the United States. The Delta Omega chapter at Purdue has been named a Best Chapter for the past five years. Anna Adamsson, Pi Sigma Alpha President, is gratified to see the Chapter’s growth since joining her freshman year. “I am extremely proud of our student leaders,” she said. “Our membership has increased four-fold over the last three years and participation at our weekly meetings has more than doubled.”

The Purdue University Delta Omega chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha organizes many activities throughout the year, including faculty and student colloquia, events with working professionals, resume workshops, and an end-of-the-year spring banquet and induction ceremony.

Pi Sigma Alpha recognizes excellence in academic achievement by college and university students in the field of political science, government, and international and public affairs.

The Purdue chapter welcomes new members. For more information, contact psalpha@purdue.edu or visit their website.