As the summer and my time as a Health Science Research Fellow comes to a close, it is hard to explain where all the time went. Between lab tasks, countless edits to my final paper draft, and exploring what summer at Oakland has to offer, it only seems like yesterday that I eagerly attended the first weekly seminar session. However, this experience has taught me so much about what research is like and what I may achieve in the future.
As of now, I have completed the introduction and methods section of my manuscript. I’ve also started to analyze demographic data in SPSS and will soon begin factor analyses, which are an integral part of testing my hypotheses. While I thought the literature review process would be somewhat tedious, I found myself fascinated by the way subjective response to alcohol has been conceptualized by different researchers and the various methods they have used to test their theories. Although subjective response is still a relatively understudied subject, I was able to find a solid amount of sources for my paper (with many hours logged on Google Scholar!). Keeping all of that information organized and deciding what was most pertinent for my paper took up more time than I thought. One process that was really productive during this time was getting revisions from my mentor and repeatedly editing my draft. I definitely improved my research writing skills and learned how to write in a more concise manner. I’m excited to continue this project into the fall and do more of the data analysis, a part of the project that will be very new to me.
The fellowship’s weekly seminars and professional development sessions were also really informative. Going back to the fundamentals of what research is, the different types of research, and how to communicate our research to a broader audience was an incredibly valuable experience. I also really enjoyed speaking to my cohort about their projects. Every week I was able to hear more about how their project had progressed, the ups and downs, and what their aspirations were for the future of the project. Through the professional development sessions I was also able to learn about national scholarships, the BPhil, and other opportunities available to me at Pitt. As I start to consider graduate school in clinical psychology and avail more research opportunity, this fellowship has given me the tools to succeed moving forward.
In the future, I hope to write a full manuscript and publish it in a journal like the Pittsburgh Undergraduate Review. I also hope to continue working at YFRP on their upcoming studies. My professional goals for the future haven’t changed; if anything, I’m more eager to pursue clinical neuropsychology and do more research on the side. I’m eternally grateful for this experience and will continue to flourish at Pitt because of it.