Student Research Conference Recap!
Author: Author: Katrina Kindred Smith, Admin Assistant II for WGS
Thank you so much to everyone who attended Charting Our Course: Women’s and Gender Studies Student Research Conference! Our student presenters came from ISU, Central, Drake, Iowa, UNI and Grinnell, creating so many opportunities to connect with new people and perspectives. We’re so grateful to everyone who joined us!
It was an inspiring day filled with meaningful connections, shared knowledge, and a strong sense of community. Read on to learn more about the conference and take a look at photos from the event!
The start of something great
The day began with presenters and attendees checking in, meeting one another, and enjoying a breakfast catered by Panera while preparing for the day ahead. From there, we made our way to the Student Innovation Center auditorium, where our director, Dr. Kelly Winfrey, kicked off the conference with a warm welcome.
Student presentations begin!
Next, we moved into Sessions A and B, where 21 students shared their research. Presentation topics included negotiating queer and feminine identities in film, cycles of exploitation, biopolitics and the body, and questions of erasure and existence.
After each session, presenters participated in a Q&A, giving audience members the chance to ask questions and engage more deeply with the work. New this year, we also introduced comment card tables for presenters. These offered another way to share feedback, encouragement, and support—helping foster a stronger sense of community among participants.
Feeding our minds (and bodies)
Provisions catered delicious sack lunches, and we spent the hour networking, relaxing, and getting to know one another.
Plenary session – Charting Our Course with Knowledge, Solidarity and Hope
The afternoon plenary session, moderated by ISU WGS Director Dr. Kelly Winfrey, created a space for thoughtful discussion and meaningful student feedback, bringing many voices into the conversation.
Dr. Winfrey shared information about common myths and realities regarding Women’s and Gender Studies, feminist research methods and theories, the wide range of skills gained through a WGS major or minor, and the many career paths pursued by WGS students and alumni.
Below, you’ll find highlights and materials from the session.
Myth: Feminist research methods are political.
Fact: Feminist research methods are applied.
- Feminist research methods stem from the centering of human expereinces and pushes researchers to understand their own role in the research, how their position or perspective may influence research findings, what might be missed by “objective” methods. It asks researchers to focus on who is accounted for in research, and who is being overlooked.
Myth: Feminist theories are political ideologies.
Fact: Feminist theories are scholarly theories.
- Feminist theories provide reasonable, evidence-backed frameworks for understanding phenomena.
- Developed through extensive research, subject to peer review and validation, and they are continuously reinvestigated and revised.
- As a category, “feminist” theories center gender, power, and the lived expereince of all people to understand humans and their social structures and to improve the human experience for all.
Myth: WGS teaching is indoctrination.
Fact: Feminist pedagogy is the opposite of indoctrination.
- Feminist pedagogical practices include high-impact and interactive approaches.
- It opens space for difference and disagreement.
- Feminist pedagogy and research grew as an alternative to traditional top-down, expert-driven ways of knowing.
Skills student’s developed through WGS classes & research
Students shared a range of valuable skills they’ve built through their coursework and research, including:
- Self-motivation – learning to be self-directed while writing a senior thesis and conducting independent research
- Time management – discovering what strategies work best individually while learning from others’ approaches
- Constructive communication – engaging in disagreement thoughtfully and respectfully
- Attention to detail – learning to examine small or overlooked elements and uncover deeper meaning
- Nuanced understanding – developing the ability to think critically and engage with complex ideas from multiple perspectives
Where WGS students & alumni work and study
As part of the plenary discussion, students and faculty highlighted the wide range of career paths and fields that WGS graduates pursue, underscoring the versatility and real-world impact of the discipline.
Health Care & Social Assistance
Counseling, housing advocacy and coordination, medical assisting, home health care, child and school social work, and roles in health services and community health education.
Finance & Insurance
Financial advising and retail financial services.
Educational Services
Academic advising and student affairs.
Public Administration
City management, policy analysis, community planning, housing services, fundraising, and nonprofit work.
Additional Fields Identified by Students
Visual media, communications, journalism, graphic design, politics, engineering, the arts, information science, and data science.
Final sessions and thank you
In our final session of the day, Session C, 14 students shared their work on topics including the art and labor of social influence, strategic resistance in literary and folk traditions, and mapping power in policy, press, and populism.
This conference provided the opportunity for participants and guests to be inspired by presenter’s research and passion, giving us the strength to move forward in this essential work. Thank you for being part of this incredible day—we’re already looking forward to seeing you next year! (More photos are below.)
If you’re a presenter or attendee and have ideas or suggestions for next year’s conference, we’d love to hear them. Please take a moment to fill out the survey we shared via email the week after the event. Thank you!