Graduate students Rachael Moyer and Creed Tumlison recently presented their co-authored papers at the 37th annual Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management  research conference held in Miami, Florida. Moyer is a doctoral student in the interdisciplinary public policydoctoral program. Tumlison is a master's student in political science.

The conference is the most prestigious of its kind in the nation, with a paper acceptance rate of about 20 percent.

The U of A students gave both panel and poster presentations. Moyer and Tumlison's panel presentations were titled "What Determines the Knowledge Hubris of Policy Elites?: The Role of Affective Evaluations and Cultural Value Predispositions" and "What Drives a Policy Elite's Perspective of Who Should Make Policy Decisions?" The pair also presented poster papers entitled "The Origin and Role of Trust in Local Policy Elites' Perceptions on High Voltage Power Line Installations in the State of Arkansas" and "Values, Emotions, and Benefit-Risk Assessment: Explicating Local Policy Elites' Perceived Utility of the High Voltage Power Line Installations Proposed in the State of Arkansas."

The duo was accompanied to the conference by Geoboo Song, assistant professor of political science and faculty adviser to Moyer and Tumlison.

"Rachael and Creed did a fabulous job presenting their research, while representing the excellence of scholarship in our graduate programs at the University of Arkansas," Song said.

The students returned from the conference reenergized about their research and their degree programs.

"After spending a week with other doctoral students, I realize that we are very fortunate to have such engaged and dedicated faculty, administration and staff," Moyer said.