Department Chair and Associate Professor of Political Science, has a Ph.D. from The Ohio State University. Her teaching and her research focus on U.S. politics, in particular electoral politics. Since joining the faculty at Grinnell College in 1990, she has developed an interest in the politics of the region. She has examined Iowa caucus politics and is presently studying "coordinated campaign" efforts in the Midwest.

The courses offered by Ms. Trish introduce the students to methods of empirical political science and data analysis. Most courses involve a significant research project in which the student collects and analyzes data. Burling Library assists students in locating data in both traditional and electronic formats. (See, for example, the guides to research for "The Presidency" and for the "American Politics Seminar.") Many students opt to analyze data archived by ICPSR, of which Grinnell College is a member.

Ms. Trish is involved in Grinnell College’s Center for Prairie Studies and is the faculty administrator of college’s Program in Practical Political Education (PPPE). She organized last year’s Annual Meeting of the Iowa Conference of Political Scientists and is currently the president of that organization. In addition to her scholarly interest in the subject, Ms. Trish is active in party and campaign politics.

• Pol-101: Introduction to Political Science
• Pol-216: Politics of Congress
• Pol-237: Political Parties
• Pol-238: Campaigns & Elections
• Pol-239: The Presidency
• Pol-310: Advanced Seminar in American Politics
• Mat-115: Introduction to Statistics