Kelsey Lyles Awarded Fulbright-Mitacs Internship, Will Be Conducting Research in Canada This Summer

(LEBANON, Ill., March 24, 2025) – Junior Kelsey Lyles, a psychology major at McKendree University, was recently awarded the Fulbright-Mitacs Globalink internship to conduct research in Canada this summer. The Fulbright-Mitacs Globalink enables about 60 students from the United States to attend a Canadian university in which they will undertake advanced research projects for 10 to 12 weeks in their area of interest under the supervision of a professor. Additionally, students will be given the opportunity to take part in professional training and extensive cultural, social and recreational experiences.

Lyles will be conducting research at the University of Regina in Regina, Saskatchewan. Her research project will focus on children’s memory and honesty during forensic-based interviews and will involve a large-scale project to explore children’s memory of events, as well as their understanding of adult-child interactions. The project will involve working with more than 400 children between the ages of six and 15 years old. Lyles will be working as a researching, assisting in conducting these experiments and collecting and analyzing data.

“I am excited to add to my travel and research experience doing work that truly interests me,” Lyles said. “It’s not often that you get paid to go to a Canadian summer camp, and I’m sure this experience will bring many fun stories to tell and also look good on my resume.”

A resident of O’Fallon, Ill., Lyles is a member of McKendree’s Honors Program. She was selected as one of the university’s representatives at Technos Japan. Additionally, she is a current member of Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society and has been invited to join both Psi Chi and Pi Gamma Mu Honors Societies. Outside of school, Lyles works at the Center for Autism and Related Disorders in O’Fallon. She has worked there for more than four years.

“During my time abroad, I hope to play my part as a member of a research team offering my insight as someone who frequently works with kids and who is passionate about psychology,” Lyles said. “I hope to learn a lot and hone my skills toward analyzing data while making connections and expanding upon my research contributions.”

 

-McK-