Rebecca Flores, senior Political Science major, recently returned from her presentation at “Posters on the Hill” about divided federalism, or ‘why states vote one party for President and another for governor.’ The conference was hosted at Capitol Hill by the Undergraduate Research Council, which selects one student from every discipline to partake in conversations with members of Congress that showcase the importance of funding undergraduate research.
Rebecca was the sole student from New Jersey and the only one specializing in Political Science. Here she shares what she learned from the experience – and what she was even able to teach Congressmen about the U.S. political system.
“What did you learn from the experience?”
I learned from this experience that no matter what I am doing, I have to try and get the most out of all my experiences.
This opportunity arose when I was just doing my capstone project and decided to apply for CUR, even though I did not think I had a chance to be selected. Then, once I was in DC I decided I would try to do as much as I could and talk to as many people as I could, which led to meeting the Spanish Ambassador to the US when I answered a women’s questions about American slavery.
I learned that whenever there is a possibility to do something beyond what you are already doing in life, even if the probability of actually being able to do that extra thing is small, you should always attempt to do it by asking people for help or taking the time out to try something new and unrelated to your interests.
“What was the reaction to your presentation? Who did you present to and how did they respond?“
We presented to Members of Congress, congressional staffers, government agency officials including those from the Department of Education and Department of Energy, and professional societies including the American Chemical Society, the largest organization of scientists in the country.
Most people enjoyed my presentation and poster and felt that my research and findings had implications for the integrity of American elections and how officials win office within states. I spoke with the person in charge of the American Chemical Society’s publication and they want to publish my research findings, so I am currently in the process of working with their editors to publish my findings.
I was able to meet with staffers from Representative Bonnie-Watson Coleman’s office and Senator Booker’s office to discuss my poster and funding for undergraduate institutions and their students’ research. I met other Members of Congress including Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA). The Congressman most interested in my project who felt that it had implications for state elections was Representative Steve King (R) from Iowa and his staff, which was really funny because my mentor Dr. Bowen is from Iowa so I thought that was a funny coincidence.
As the only political scientist, many Members of Congress and their staffers discussed not only my project with me but also American elections in general and issues from campaign finance reform to term limits.
— Story and Interview by Jack Meyers
— Photo courtesy of Rebecca Flores via The Council for Undergraduate Research