Joseph Lampton, who graduated in December from IUPUC with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology, was awarded the fourth-place prize for Best Undergraduate Research Project at the Indiana University Undergraduate Research Conference (IUURC) held at IUPUI in December. In the conference’s 28-year history, Lampton is only the third IUPUC student to win an IUURC award.
The Indiana University Undergraduate Research Conference (IUURC), established in 1994, is dedicated to promoting undergraduate research, scholarship and creative activity, in all fields of study, which is performed in partnership with faculty or other mentors as a vital component of an Indiana University undergraduate education at all nine campuses. Undergraduate researchers deliver oral or poster presentations, and they engage in roundtable sessions where they discuss their research procedures and findings.
“I was very surprised to be considered for the award and even more so to receive it,” Lampton said. “I think it speaks to the tremendous mentorship I received while working on the project over the past year, and I was happy to cap off the invaluable experiences on such a positive note.”
His project, “Examining Predictors of Academic Performance Amongst ESL Middle School Students” involved surveying 21 middle school ESL students. His research found that self-esteem and perceived social support positively impacted these students’ academic performance, while stress had a negative effect.
“Joseph’s research addresses an important gap in the research on predictors of middle school students’ success. Relatively few studies have examined ESL students in middle school relative to those who studied elementary school children or college students,” said Kimdy Le, Ph.D., IUPUC Associate Professor of Psychology. Le, along with Joan Poulsen, Ph.D., IUPUC Associate Professor of Psychology, served as Lampton’s mentors.
“I’m thankful for the opportunity to present this project, in addition to the great mentorship I’ve had at IUPUC,” Lampton added. He is currently applying to Ph.D. programs in School Psychology to continue pursuing similar areas of research.
Lampton is also an Office of Student Research (OSR) grant recipient for the 2022-2023 academic year, and he will be presenting his research at the OSR Student Research Exhibition April 11, 2:30-4 p.m., in the Student Commons of the Columbus Learning Center, 4555 Central Ave. For more about OSR or the event, visit
iupuc.edu/academics/research/student-research.