Undergraduate Student Members

Undergraduate students from throughout the University of Tennessee are integral parts of SART’s work on social issues research. Regardless of the student’s major, they can earn up to three credits each semester of PSYC489 (Psychology) or WGS493 (Women, Gender & Sexuality) independent study credit. All students are required to be CITI Program-certified to participate in human subjects research as approved by the campus’s Institutional Review Board. Interested students should first enroll in a course with Dr. Grzanka or any SART graduate student members and familiarize yourself with our projects. Reach out directly to Dr. Grzanka to learn of any available openings on the team. Please note that unlike many psychology labs, SART runs like a team and is a tight-knit group of researchers. Because of the amount of mentoring students receive, the team tends to be much smaller than many other labs. Learn about the amazing achievements of former SART members on the Alumni page.

Jordan Brown [she/her/hers] is a current undergraduate student at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville studying Psychology and Sociology with a concentration in criminology and criminal justice. Her research interests center around the psychological impact of systemic inequality and government policy on the mental health of people from marginalized populations, aiming to study how individual views can impact social policy and in turn how institutions can further systemic harm. She is a member of numerous on-campus organizations striving to understand the systemic issues faced by communities of color on campus and analyze solutions. In academic year 2022-2023, she will be President of UTK’s Student Government Association.

Emily Gwydir [she/her/hers] is a current undergraduate student and rising senior at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville studying Political Science with minors in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Italian. Her research interests are centered around how public policy spheres such as education proliferate systematic oppression towards marginalized communities, with the aim of analyzing and deconstructing these systems in order to create progressive policy solutions. She is a Baker Scholar and Washington Fellow with the university’s Baker Center for Public Policy and is involved in on-campus organizations such as Student Government Association, where she serves as an Associate Justice in the Judicial Branch.

Gavin Buehring [he/him/his] is a current undergraduate student at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville studying Political Science, Philosophy and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. His main research interest revolves around the interactions between marginalized groups and political institutions. He is also interested in coalition building and how that translates to policy advocacy, the intersection of identity and judicial decision-making, and judicial stability in spite of an increasing threat to judicial legitimacy. Outside of academics, he is likely to be found hanging out with his friends or loudly cheering for a wide number of Tennessee sports teams. In academic year 2022-2023, he will serve as the Vice President of Communication for Kappa Alpha Pi: Pre-law Fraternity.

Rachel Laribee [she/her/hers] is a current undergraduate student at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville studying Psychology and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies with a minor in Neuroscience. Her research interests are centered around the impact of romantic relationships on the development of young adults, as well as the impact of school and community support on BIPOC students in low-income communities. She is a Chancellor’s Honors Scholar, as well as a Teach For America Fellow. She is involved in the Transitions Across the Lifespans Lab with Dr. Welsh, as well as working with the University Assisted Community School Program at Pond Gap Elementary.