Tennessee Tech psychology students recently completed a transformative international research trip to Barcelona, where they attended an international psychology conference.
Assistant Professor Dr. Stephanie Kazanas said she traveled with three other faculty members to supervise the group as they navigated the Association for Psychological Science meeting. Kazanas said the conference allowed students to explore diverse interests ranging from clinical and social psychology to cognitive psychology and new statistical software.
“Getting to see the students shine would be my biggest takeaway,” Kazanas said. “What’s really unique about a research conference is that both students and researchers who have been doing this for a very long time can be pretty much at the same level.”
Department Chair Michael Hoane said the department and university provided funding to cover nearly all travel costs for the week-long trip to ensure the opportunity was accessible for 11 students. Hoane said the experience served as a capstone for undergraduates and graduate students who have spent years conducting research within the department.
“They come back changed for the better,” Hoane said. “Because they have been challenged, they’ve been put outside of their comfort area. They’ve had to figure out how do I get from point A to point B. Many of them have never been on a train, some of them, you know, it’s, it’s really, what I consider a major transformative experience.”
Hoane said the overall cost of the trip reached approximately $4,500 per person, but departmental and university grants reduced the student’s responsibility to only incidental costs. Hoane said the students presented research posters that were well-attended by international professionals, demonstrating their mastery of research theory and critical thinking.
Kazanas said the conference offered a special opportunity for learning that went both ways.
Kazanas said the international setting highlighted the importance of multicultural psychology and how cultural differences can impact research results. Kazanas said the group also took a train to Montserrat to hike and tour a mountain monastery, allowing students to see Spanish towns outside of the main city.
“Psychology is all, all about the human experience,and there’s nothing like that going to a different culture and trying to figure out, okay, so language barrier, everything’s a little bit different, you know, cultures are different, how do I adjust?” Hoane said. “And you know, our students adjusted extremely well.”
Hoane said the students will share their experiences and photos with the rest of the department during the fall semester to motivate other students to pursue similar research opportunities.
