AMES, Iowa – Two Iowa State University students earned honors for outstanding undergraduate research papers at this fall’s Midwest Criminal Justice Conference.
The ISU students are Jared Knight, senior in political science and president of ISU’s Government of the Student Body, and Levi Grove, a senior who is majoring in criminal justice and sociology and who also has a minor in political science. Grove and Knight tied for first place along with a student from another university for the best undergraduate research papers, which were also presented at the annual professional conference in Chicago at the end of September.
A third Iowa State student, Kaitlin Heinen, a senior with a double major in chemistry and political science, also presented her research at the conference. The three students are in Iowa State’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Each year the conference hosts a student paper competition. Students from all over the United States submit papers on constitutional criminal procedure, criminology and criminal justice.
The three ISU students were in last year’s American Judicial Process course taught by Kathleen Waggoner, adjunct associate professor of political science. The students spent much of the spring 2012 semester and summer working with Waggoner writing multiple drafts to perfect their papers prior to submitting them to the conference committee.
"We had Dr. Waggoner in our corner the entire time," Grove says. "I couldn’t tell you how many times she reviewed my paper. I felt guilty having her review it so many times, because it was 19 pages long."
Waggoner was surprised when she had learned Knight and Grove had tied for first place because a tie rarely happens.
"All three Iowa State students generated work that was more than worthy," said Waggoner. "The two men were researching cutting-edge issues where not much work has been generated yet."
Grove’s research was titled "Surreptitious Searches permitted under §213 of the USA Patriot Act of 2001: A Tool of Justice or Constitutional Infringement?" Knight’s paper was titled "Is the Exclusionary Rule Becoming Irrelevant?" and Heinen’s paper was titled "Ineffective Assistance of Counsel: Difficult Standards and Rare Exceptions."
As their rewards for first place, Knight and Grove each received $150 and a plaque identifying their achievements. Also, their papers have been submitted to a refereed journal on crime and justice. All three students are planning to attend law school when they graduate from Iowa State.
-30-
About Liberal Arts and Sciences The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is a world-class learning and research community. Iowa State’s most academically diverse college, LAS educates students to become global citizens, providing rigorous academic programs in the sciences, humanities and social sciences within a supportive personalized learning environment. College faculty design new materials, unravel biological structures, care for the environment, and explore social and behavioral issues. From fundamental research to technology transfer and artistic expression, the college supports people in Iowa and around the world.
NEWS RELEASE College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Iowa State University
Contacts: Kathleen Waggoner, Sociology, (515) 294-1131 kwaggone@iastate.edu Paige Berg, Liberal Arts and Sciences Communications, (515) 294-0461, pmberg@iastate.edu Steve Jones, Liberal Arts and Sciences Communications, (515) 294-0461, jones@iastate.edu