Janice Snow to Present COVID-19 Research Nationally at Posters on the Hill

Utah State University student Janice Snow has been invited to present her research at the Council on Undergraduate Research’s (CUR) Posters on the Hill 2021, which will take place as a virtual event April 27-28, 2021.

This annual event gives elite undergraduate student researchers the opportunity to advocate for undergraduate research, present research to congressional members, and meet with representatives from the State of Utah. Only 60 student researchers from the nation are selected to attend Posters on the Hill.

Snow, a senior in the USU Psychology Department, will be presenting her project, titled COVID-19 Impacts Undergraduates Mental Health: Students Returning Home Across State Lines Lose Access to Mental Healthcare. Snow’s project surveyed students at USU and across the nation, assessing undergraduate mental health and academic challenges in the wake of COVID-19, revealing an increase in both among students. Additionally, this research reveals inequities in the availability of mental health services for students who live in a different state than the institution they attend. Spotlighting these issues during the pandemic and beyond allows discussion of better policies and practices to ensure resources are available to those that need them most.

Snow is a member of the Factotum Research Lab under the mentorship of Drs. Crissa Levin and Jennifer Grewe. Through that lab, Snow participated in a project funded by an Undergraduate Research and Creative Opportunities (URCO) grant on myths in psychology. Additionally, she has participated in three other independent research projects, including two similar studies related to inequities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I feel honored and blessed that I get to present to congress at Posters on the Hill. I am excited that my research will reach people who can affect policies and put changes in motion,” said Snow. “Current licensing and policy regulations prevent most counselors from providing counseling to out-of-state students, even when providing counseling online. I hope that by talking to congress about this issue there will be a stronger push for policy changes so colleges and universities can help out-of-state students who are struggling.”

In addition to her research efforts, Snow has volunteered as a research assistant in the ACT Research Group under Drs. Michael Levin and Michael Twohig, and is currently a lab manager and peer research mentor in the Factotum Lab. She has been accepted into the USU Master of Social Work program for Fall 2021 and plans to pursue a PhD in social work.

“I want to continue to do research that promotes social justice and can make a direct impact on people’s lives,” said Snow. “I’m already starting to work with social work professors in my graduate school program, and I plan to dedicate my career to this research.”