Students celebrated at annual STaRS and PURC events

On April 21, 2026, the Department of Psychology recognized the outstanding work of students completing a thesis at the Student Thesis and Research Showcase (STaRS) and celebrated remarkable academic and research accomplishments and community-engaged work at the Psychology Undergraduate Recognition Celebration.

Twenty-seven students presented their research in Union South’s Varsity Hall, exploring a range of topics including “Associations Between Motivations for Anglo Name Adoption and Mental Health Among Chinese Students” to “Poverty and Pubertal Timing Effects on Adolescent Reward Processing.” The event’s program is available here.

After short presentations, students, faculty, alumni, and their guests gathered in Varsity Hall to celebrate this year’s Department of Psychology award recipients. We are delighted to present them below; an event program is also available here.

Robert J. Glushko Outstanding Undergraduate Cognitive Science Prize
The Robert J. Glushko Outstanding Undergraduate Cognitive Science Prize is awarded annually to senior Psychology majors who have demonstrated the strongest combination of: academic excellence; sustained and outstanding involvement in cognitive science research (typically involving two or more semesters devoted to a single project); and engagement in learning about cognitive science at UW and beyond via activities such as classwork, research, independent reading, and/or conference attendance.
This year’s recipients are Zach Studdiford and Nick Tarantino.

Serendipity Award
This award recognizes undergraduate students who have distinguished themselves through hard work, talent, and dedication, drawing the attention of the faculty member in whose lab they work. The award is designed to be given “serendipitously,” since faculty members nominate students without their knowledge. The award is funded by retired Professor of Psychiatry and alumnus Aris Alexander’57, MA’59, PhD’62.
This year’s recipient is Ximena Franco.

Arlene Davenport Award
The purpose of the Arlene R. Davenport Fund is to annually support Psychology students who have demonstrated a career interest in psychological research. Funds are to be used to help defray research and career development costs. This award is funded by the late Professor Emeritus Charles Snowdon, his wife Ann Lindsey, and Friends and Family of Arlene Davenport.
This year’s recipient is Sophie Greene.

Thesis and Travel Awards
Undergraduates may receive these awards to support research and thesis projects supervised by a Psychology faculty mentor or to cover travel expenses to present research at a professional conference. This award is funded by distinguished alumni award recipient and Board of Visitors member Joyce Rosevear, PhD’74.

This year’s Undergraduate Thesis Award Recipients are Hannah Sutin and Julia Weber.
This year’s Travel Awards recipients are Jonathan Morris, Samuel Cann, and Howard Owens.

Bryan’s Aspiring Psychology Student Award
This award is intended to acknowledge students’ excellent work as a UW-Madison student and to encourage these students to take the next steps toward achieving their academic and career goals in the psychology department. Bryan’s Aspiring Psychology Students have declared the Psychology major in the past academic year, and have the top GPAs among their peers.
This year’s recipients are:

Nicole Else-Quest Scholarship
The Nicole Else-Quest Scholarship is awarded to undergraduate Psychology students who are first-generation students in their family to attend college, have graduated from a high school in Wisconsin, and have demonstrated excellence in the study and pursuit of psychology. This scholarship is funded by alumna Nicole Else-Quest who earned her BA, MS, and PhD from the Department of Psycholgy and now serves as Professor of Education and Chair of the Social Science Interdepartmental Program at the University of California, Los Angeles. This year’s recipients are Nabila Maow, Kayla Rhodes, and Aleksia White.

Outstanding Undergraduate Research Scholar Award
This award is given to students who were nominated by a Psychology faculty member and have been outstanding and exceptional research assistants and scholars. When beloved former lecturer Bryan Hendricks initially donated the funds for this award, he wished to remain anonymous. Today, when students are nominated and awarded the Outstanding Undergraduate Research Scholars Award, they are told about Bryan and his generous contribution to recognize undergraduates’ hard work and dedication to the innovation and discovery happening at UW-Madison.
This year’s recipients are:

Psychology Undergraduate Community Impact Award
Psychology major undergraduate students are a talented, creative, and compassionate group who make broad-ranging contributions to society through research and civic engagement. This award recognizes significant student achievements in activities that benefit the local or broader community. The award is funded by the Ziegler Family Foundation.
This year’s recipients are:

To see pictures from the evening, please visit this link using the password: Psych2026

Congratulations to all of our students!