It’s uncommon to attend an academic or professional conference where you can learn about a variety of disciplines ranging from criminology to physical education all under one roof — but that’s exactly what you’ll find at the University of Northern Iowa’s INSPIRE Student Research & Engagement Conference. Undergraduate and graduate students alike present at the April 3 and 4 conference in Rod Library about their research projects, hands-on academic experiences, internships and more, showcasing the many ways UNI equips students for their future careers.

“The conference provides students with the opportunity to publicly present their projects and enhance their public speaking skills in a forum that is structured similarly to what national conferences look like,” said Brenda Bass, dean of the College of Social & Behavioral Sciences (CSBS). “The skills they gain are crucial for their post-graduation lives because they are valuable for future employers and/or graduate school applications.”

A version of the conference has been hosted since 1994. Originally, it was the CSBS Student Research Conference, but in 2018, it transitioned to the INSPIRE Conference to encompass students from all academic programs and showcase hands-on experiences in addition to research. In 2020, the Graduate College also began co-hosting the conference, opening the experience up to graduate students.

“The INSPIRE Conference showcases what UNI does best: faculty and staff mentor UNI students through individual experiences tailored to help the students develop skills that will benefit their professional and personal lives into the future,” said Bass.

Exploring criminology career options

Maddy Stone, a third-year student majoring in psychology and criminology, is a prime example of that mentorship. She’s presenting at the INSPIRE Conference about her internship at the Waterloo Department of Corrections, an opportunity that associate professor of criminology Kimberly Baker prepared her for.

“She's good at opening doors so that I can get myself out there,” said Stone.

During her internship, Stone worked with a parole officer for part of the time and then managed the desk at the facility which operates like a halfway house the rest of the time. She sat in on client meetings, learned how to operate the computer system and helped parolees transition back into society.

“The internship route is 110% the way to go,” she said. “It’s so different to see what I’ve been reading about play out in real life and apply everything I’ve learned the past three years.”

Stone was even able to turn her internship into a paying part-time position as a resident officer, which she is still working. She thought the INSPIRE Conference would be the perfect platform to share her passion with others while developing strong presentation skills.

“I want other people to learn from what I did,” she said. “If other people are in my shoes of not knowing exactly what they want to do, I want to encourage them to look into internships.”

Preparing for a future working in health

Only a first-year student, biology: biomedical major Ryan Schares is already acquiring real-world experience that he will use in his future as a doctor. For his INSPIRE Conference presentation, Schares will be showcasing his experiences working as a resident assistant at CedarStone Senior Living — a position he describes as very rewarding.

“I get to learn the stories of all of these people who have lived much fuller lives than me,” said Schares. “They've had all of these life experiences, and they always enjoy sharing them. So it's fun to get to know the residents.” 

Connecting what he’s learning in class to the real world has been easy for Schares. Right now, he’s taking Family and End of Life Issues, which is very relevant to his position. 

“Working in an assisted living or nursing home — you encounter people who are at the end of their lives,” he said. “I can apply what I’ve learned to how I act around the aging community. Sometimes when you’re going through a class, you think you’re never going to use what you’re learning. But when you learn something and then use it right after like me, you realize it’s important. It makes you really want to focus on the material and understand it so that you can use it and apply it in the future.”

Based on observations he’d made at work and the encouragement of professor of psychology Carolyn Hildebrandt, Schares researched undiagnosed dementia for the research component of his presentation. He is confident the skills he’s learning not only through his work but also through experiences like the INSPIRE Conference will be applicable in his future.

“When I'm in med school, research is such an important part of the curriculum,” he said. “So having the background knowledge of being able to write a research paper and using information that I've collected from different sources will be invaluable.”

Advocating for physical education teachers

Leah Borgerding, a third-year physical education teaching major with a health education minor, will be taking a unique approach to her INSPIRE presentation, as she will be discussing her experiences at SPEAK Out! Day in Washington D.C. SPEAK Out! Day, hosted by the Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE), is a chance for PE teachers and aspiring PE teachers to advocate for legislation related to physical education.

“Advocacy is a huge part of the physical education profession,” said Borgerding. “The second that we stop advocating, that tells legislators that we don't care anymore. We have to continue to show up and tell them, ‘Yes, we're still here. Yes, we're still fighting. Yes, we're still important.’”

For Borgerding, presenting at the INSPIRE Conference is an additional advocacy opportunity.

“I can talk to people in real-time, answer any questions that they have or maybe change people's perceptions of physical education if they're not favorable and if they are, I can reinforce them,” she explained.

Borgerding was encouraged to present at the INSPIRE Conference by Kim Hurley, associate professor of kinesiology and physical education. After all it was Hurley who invited Borgerding to participate alongside four other UNI PE teaching students at SPEAK Out! Day.

The faculty-student relationship exemplifies why Borgerding chose to attend UNI in the first place.

“A lot of colleges in the state have a beautiful atmosphere and the buildings and the resources and everything that you see is incredible, but what really stood out to me about UNI was the people,” she said. “When I went on my tour, the people I interacted with from UNI were just very welcoming, very friendly, and you could tell they cared a lot about their jobs and the people they were interacting with. Those are the kinds of people I want to be around.”