Two Daemen University students presented research at the Eastern Psychological Association conference Feb. 26-28 in Boston.
Natural sciences major Alexis Nguyen and psychological sciences major Alexandra (Lexie) Drum, who both completed independent research projects in the Studying Phenotypes: Learning, Affect, and Social Habits (SPLASH) lab using the Zebrafish (Danio rerio) animal model, presented their posters: “Withdrawal from low-dose chronic ethanol elicits anxiolytic responses in adult Zebrafish” and “Auditory enrichment may increase anxiety-like responses following mild stress in zebrafish,” respectively.
Dr. Kanza Khan, assistant professor of psychology, accompanied the students to the conference. “Lexie and Alexis have been working diligently on their research projects for several months, and have been engrossed in the planning and grant writing process since February 2025,” she said. “They did an exceptional job presenting their projects to a wide scientific audience and I could not be more proud of, or excited for them and their accomplishments.”
Dr. Joy Hanna, associate professor of psychology, also attended the conference, presenting a poster examining student performance in methods classes before and after curriculum changes during the past several years, and also talked about the interaction of face-masks, gender, race, and sexual dimorphism on both facial recognition and attractiveness ratings. “One of my favorite aspects of this conference was the number of students who were interested in my work and asked questions, including graduate student teaching assistants and undergraduate psych majors with insightful comments and suggestions,” she said.
Drum said, “It was an amazing opportunity to be able to present at a regional conference and share the project that I’ve been working on for so long. It was cool to hear everyone talking about their research, which helped me realize how proud I am of my own project. I’m glad that my lab mate Alexis and professors Dr. Khan and Dr. Hanna were there to support me.”
The students’ research and conference expenses were supported by the Student-Faculty ThinkTank awards and Daemen’s 2025 Day of Giving campaign.
