A group of our Michigan Tech graduate and undergraduate students made the trek to Northern Michigan University for the first annual Superior Psychology Data Blizzard. The brand-new event is the result of Dr. Jason Harman (MTU) and Dr. Jon Barch’s (NMU) desire to establish and foster a collaborative ecosystem between our two programs. The two groups held a poster session and gave presentations about their ongoing research.
Poster Presentations
Sarah Atkinson, an MS student at MTU, shared that “The poster presentations were filled with the sharing of ideas and differing research areas that everyone was working on. Questions were welcome, along with curiosity about the different research areas that each institution/students were working on.”
Elijah Nieman, a 2nd-year PhD student at MTU and an NMU alumnus, noted the strategic value of the visit: “The main goal for the event was to present and share our research generally, but also to find or create opportunities to collaborate on future projects.”
For Nithish Raja Loganathan, the event marked a significant personal milestone. “It was my first time presenting at a human factors–related event. Presenting my project, Recovery Ninja, and receiving questions and feedback from others made the experience both encouraging and really valuable.”
The Impact of Collaboration
Many of our students reported that the draw to NMU was the chance to see research through a different lens. While MTU is a powerhouse for Human Factors and PhD-level research, NMU’s Department of Psychological Science offers a vibrant, neuroscience-centric environment.
Nithish shared his experience viewing the research from NMU students: “One thing that really stood out to me was the strong focus on neuroscience in many of the projects. It was really interesting to learn about the different ways students are studying human behavior through neuroscience. Seeing that perspective gave me a new way of thinking about how neuroscience and human factors research can connect.”
Beyond the research, the event also highlighted clear pathways for student growth. Elijah noted how the relationship between the two schools can benefit academic careers. “There’s some potential for MTU undergrads to consider going there for an MS, or for students from their programs to come here—that’s what I did, getting my BS in Neuroscience and MS in Psychology before coming to the PhD program at Tech.”
When asked to sum up his experience in a single sentence, Stanley Oshimeje said, “The event highlighted the value of bringing students and researchers together to exchange ideas, strengthen connections, and inspire future work.”
Looking Forward to Next Year
A huge round of applause goes out to all the students who shared their hard work. We are already looking forward to making this a staple of the academic calendar for years to come!
Graduate Students:
Brandon Woolman, Jessica Brassard, Nithish Raja Karuppiah Loganathan, Elijah Nieman, Stanley Oshimeje, and Sarah.
Undergraduate Students:
Morgan Aufdencamp, Brianna Sleeman, and Justine Klein.
Special thanks to Jason Harman for coordinating and to Jon Barch at NMU for hosting such a productive exchange. Everyone is already looking forward to doing it again next year!