SAFE Grant Student Spotlight: Katherine Quinn, Psychology
Katherine Quinn is a graduate student from Winston-Salem, N.C.
Student and Faculty Excellence (SAFE) fund recipient
Project: “Understanding Infant Feeding Practices and Implications for Developmental Milestones in Two Countries”
With the funding provided through a SAFE grant, Quinn was able to travel abroad with her mentor, Dr. Amy Galloway, professor, Psychology, to Paris, France to present her research findings at the International Conference of Psychological Science.
In her research, Quinn examined the diversity of ways in which parents feed their child complementary food in the first year of life and whether or not particular feeding practices predicted developmental outcomes. She was able to make conclusions about these patterns through the use of samples from two countries. Survey participants consisted of Italian and U.S. mothers of 6-12 month old children. The results indicated that parents in the US and Italy differ in their approach to infant feeding and in their working definitions of a feeding practice called baby-led weaning.
Quinn’s findings indicated that there may be differences cross-culturally in the way that infant-feedings are defined and utilized. By focusing on a novel infant-feeding practice called baby-led weaning, Quinn and Galloway were able to contribute to the understanding of an understudied type of infant feeding, which can have long-term health and developmental impacts.
By presenting this work at an international conference Quinn gained perspective that could lead to future research on infant-feeding informed by cross-cultural understandings of the practice.
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About The SAFE Fund
Initially endowed by Hughlene and Bill Frank, the College of Arts and Sciences Student and Faculty Excellence (SAFE) Fund provides resources that can be used to support undergraduate, graduate and faculty experiences. The SAFE Fund provides funding for college priorities and opportunities that arise throughout the year. These unrestricted funds support student and faculty travel, publication support for faculty and student research opportunities. Learn more at: https://cas.appstate.edu/students/student-and-faculty-excellence-safe-fund.
About the Dr. Wiley F. Smith Department of Psychology
Appalachian’s Dr. Wiley F. Smith Department of Psychology serves more than 1,000 undergraduate majors seeking the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree in psychology, as well as 80 graduate students in three master’s programs (experimental psychology, school psychology, and industrial-organizational psychology and human resource management) and the clinical psychology (Psy.D.) doctoral program. Learn more at https://psych.appstate.edu.
Compiled and written by Barclay Ann Blankenship and Ellen Gwin Burnette
Oct. 21, 2020
BOONE, N.C.
Katherine Quinn with her research presentation. Photo submitted
Katherine Quinn with her research presentation. Photo submitted