HWS News
4 September 2025 • Alums An Eye into Psychology
Maggie Adams '25 is gaining firsthand knowledge of psychology research as a Human Subject Research Specialist.
Taking her first steps into a career in research, Maggie Adams ’25 is investigating social media’s influence on youth working as a Human Subject Research Specialist under the direction of Dr. Meredith Gansner, an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Child and Adolescent Services through the University of Rochester Medical Center.
Under Dr. Gansner’s guidance, Adams has been entering and analyzing data for two projects: one examining how social media affects teens’ negative thoughts, and another exploring its influence on adolescent substance use.
“Being part of research concerned with problematic social media use in teenagers and young adults is an area of growing importance as unhealthy and dangerous content is easily accessible and can have a strong influence on the lives and wellbeing of all youth, especially those that are already high-risk," says Adams, who graduated summa cum laude in Psychological Science and Environmental Studies at HWS. “It’s paramount that we better understand these effects on children and young people, an impressionable population, that are highly susceptible to the trends taking place online.”
Adams discovered the job opportunity through a visit to HWS by Dr. Steven Silverstein, a Professor of Psychiatry, Neuroscience, and Ophthalmology at the University of Rochester Medical Center, who spoke on his research about schizophrenia. Adams talked with Silverstein, sharing her interests in psychological research, who then got her in contact with Dr. Gansner.
Adams credits her two capstone projects and her study abroad experience with preparing her for the research work. In the “Clinical Psychology” capstone with Professor of Psychological Science Jamie Bodenlos, Adams explored how narcissism appeared differently across gender on Instagram. The course solidified her confidence in creating a new research question and finding the literature to support the concepts being studied.
As part of the "Behavioral Neuroscience" capstone with Assistant Professor of Psychological Science Elizabeth Belcher, Adams collaborated with other students to measure the physiological experience of disgust from clips from the “Saw” movies, including studying heart rate, facial muscle movement and skin conductance. Adams analyzed whether certain personality traits were associated with disgust sensitivity.
“The small, conversation-based classrooms blossomed me into an outgoing contributor and listener, eager to ask novel questions, share my ideas and participate in important and interesting discussions,” says Adams.
“From my time at HWS, I will be sure to continue carrying my confidence, inquisitive-nature, leadership skills, and extraversion to each new job and opportunity that lies ahead,” says Adams.
On campus, Adams was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, the nation's oldest honor society, and Psi Chi, the international honor society for psychology. She was also the Secretary of HWS' Psi Chi chapter, an O'Laughlin Ambassador, a Psychological Science Teaching Assistant and the President of the Theta Phi Alpha sorority. Additionally, she served as an Orientation Mentor and was a dancer in the Kinectic Dance Collective. She studied abroad in Monteverde, Costa Rica with Associate Professor of Psychological Science Emily Fisher, focusing on how people who live in a vulnerable ecosystem are developing resiliency through conservation, sustainability and ecotourism.
