Types of Events

Work in Progress Series
Work in Progress is a series of events where graduate students and faculty members across disciplines present their ongoing work in front of an audience.

We especially invite you to participate if you are a student who may find yourself teaching or taking a methods course in the future, if you are a student who teaches methods or data analysis informally through one one-on-one meetings with your students or peers, or if you are a faculty member using or teaching research methods in a quantitative/qualitative/mixed methods course! 

This is also an excellent place to interact with and know more about the plethora of methods grad students and faculty members use across disciplines at Purdue and explore opportunities for potential collaborations! Reach out to mcap@purdue.edu if you are interested in presenting your work.


Workshops
MCAP hosts several workshops on quantitative and qualitative research methods conducted by faculty members from across disciplines in behavioral, social, and health sciences as well as graduate students. This is an incredible place to learn the usage of new tools and methods of research with hands-on experience from experts across different fields. 


Special Events
MCAP also hosts miscellaneous special events. Often, these include guest speakers discussing methodological research or other topics of interest to the MCAP audience. We also host a flash talk event at the beginning of each academic year to showcase the methodological work of newly hired faculty.

Upcoming MCAP Events

September 4rd, 2025, 1:00-4:00 PM
Workshop
PFEN 241Introduction to R
Dr. Katie Thompson (Post-Doc, Sociology, Purdue University)
Slides and Code Here
September 19th, 2025, 2PM-5PM
Workshop
 WALC 3122Longitudinal Network Analysis Workshop
Dr. Scott Duxbury, Associate Professor, UNC
Slides and Code Here
October 1st, 2025, 11:30am-12:30PM
WIP
 Stone 215Chenchen Lu:
Whose Stories Trigger Reflection? A Curriculum Experiment on Teacher Sensitivity

Jennifer Hu: Personalized Machine Learning to Predict Parent–Youth Biobehavioral Interaction across Timescales.
Oct. 3rd, 2025, 3PM-5PM
Special Event
Cornerstone Library, First Floor, HSSEAnnual MCAP New Faculty Flash Talk Event
Wine, Cheese, and Heavy Appetizers
Oct. 22nd, 2025PFEN 241Noninvasive and minimally invasive measures of human development: A focus on puberty, stress, and adolescence
Dr. Birdie Shirtcliff, Research Professor, Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School and University of Oregon
November 5th, 2025, 11:30AM-12:30PM
WIP
PFEN 241Reproductive Healthcare Deserts at the U.S. County level, 2010-2023
Christie Sennott, Purdue University
Sara Yeatman, University of Colorado Denver
Matt Gunther, NORC at the University of Chicago 
Piritmwa Shemu, Purdue University
December 9th, 2025, 12:00PM-1:00PM
WIP
HNLY 136Poster Session for MCAP/HDFS Interdisciplinary Methodology Course

Appetizers provided
December 12th, 2025
1:30 – 2:30PM
WIP
PFEN 241Guest Speaker: Arthur Spirling (Princeton University)

Co-sponsored with Political Science Department

Past MCAP Events

February 3rd, 2025, 1:30-2:30 PM
WIP
WALC 2121Deep Learning Techniques for Diagnosing Mental Health Disorders using Genetic Information and Environmental Factors
Dr. Rafael Geurgas (Post-Doc, Sociology, Purdue University)
&
Advocacy of Love: International LGBTQ+ Discourse and the Essentiality of Human Rights
Aditya Anand Singh (PhD Student, Political Science)
February 7th, 2025, 1PM-4PM
Workshop
 WALC 3121Intro to Deep Learning Models and Application to Social Sciences
Dr. Rafael Geurgas (Post-Doc, Sociology, Purdue University)
March 7th, 2025, 11am-2pm
Workshop
 Nelson 1215A Social Scientist’s Introduction to Item Response Theory
Dr. Brooke Magnus (Associate Professor, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Boston College)
Slides
Example R code
Example Stata code
April 2nd, 2025 1:30-2:30PM
WIP
KRAN G002Developing Tools for Geospatial Cyberinfrastructure Training in the Social Sciences
Dr. Nicole Kong (Associate Dean for Research, GIS, Purdue University) and Dr. Ian Lindsay (Associate Professor, Anthropology, Purdue University), and Dr. Rajesh Kalyanam (Senior Researcher, Rosen Center for Research Computing)
Drawing Parallels across Complex Trait Genomics and Social Science: Integrating Environmental and Genetic Risk Factors for Depression
Dr. Katie Thompson (Post-Doc, Sociology, Purdue University)
April 7th, 2025, 1PM-4PM
WORKSHOP
WALC 3132Building Strong Research Foundations: How to Design and Publish Your Simulation-Based Power Analysis
Yongseok Lee (Post-Doc, Human Development and Family Science, Purdue University)
Slides
R files
Friday, September 20, from 3PM-5PM  John Purdue Room, Marriott Hall MCAP Party and New Faculty Flash Talks(Special Event)
Help us celebrate AMAP becoming a center: The Methodology Center at Purdue (MCAP), and also welcome new hires across CLA and HHS. At the event, we will toast to the new center and hear eight new faculty members give 5-minute presentations on innovative methodologies in their research. We look forward to seeing you there! *Wine, beer and light refreshments will be provided along with a spread of hors d’oeuvres.
October 16th, 12:30-1:30 Room: PFEN 241Summarizing Effects of Nominal Independent Variables Using New Marginal Effects Measures
of Inequality
Trent D. Mize (Associate Professor, Sociology) and Bing Han (PhD Candidate, Sociology)
Security Threats to Social Order: Examining the Nexus of Venezuelan Migration Patterns and Local Voting Patterns in Columbia
Catalina Vega-Mendez (PhD Candidate, Political Science)

*Coffee and light refreshments will be provided
Monday, November 4th, from 12:30- 1:30 PM Room: SC 231Developing Methodologies to Study Food Environments over Space and Time(Work in Progress Presentation)PresentersDr. Nilupa Gunaratna (Associate Professor, PUBH) *Coffee and light refreshments will be provided.
Thursday, December 5th from 12:00-1:15PM Room: Hanley 136 and the Hanley Lobby areaPoster Presentations from Graduate Students in HDFS/MCAP foundations in Research Design Course (Work in Progress Presentations)
*Coffee, food and light refreshments will be provided.