Up, Up and Away!

Hello! My name is Hajjar Littles (she/her) and I am a rising senior majoring in psychology with a minor in Africana studies with certificates in Afro-Latinx studies and the conceptual foundations of medicine. This summer I will be studying aboard in Amman, Jordan where I will be a part of the School for International Training’s…

Brackenridge Introduction: Simon Wang

Hello, FHC community! My name is Simon Wang. I’m a rising junior studying psychology and economics-statistics in the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences. This summer, I’m conducting research in the Learning Imaging and Family Experience (LIFE) Lab under the mentorship of Dr. Jamie Hanson. From 10,000 feet, Dr. Hanson’s work focuses on examining the…

CURF 3: The Road Ahead

This semester, I worked a lot on my BPhil/Honors thesis project. One of the tasks I had to do for the honors thesis was to create a proposal and defend it to my committee. For this, I had to create and give a quick (15-20 min) presentation summarizing my proposal. I learned a great deal…

CURF: Finding my place

Freshman year, I came into Pitt as an astrophysics major. I took physics and calculus classes for a year and a half before realizing it wasn’t my passion and switched to psychology. However, I discovered I missed the science and math that was a big part of my previous major and looked for ways to…

Reflecting on my Brackenridge Summer Experience

My summer was spent reviewing scientific literature, forming hypotheses, drafting my undergraduate thesis, conducting data analysis in R, and, most importantly, becoming a more confident and well-rounded researcher. I am immensely proud of my own accomplishments and my peers’ contributions to their fields. The Brackenridge Fellowship allowed me the invaluable opportunity of working on my…

Brackenridge Introduction: Sophia Norvilas

Hello! My name is Sophia Norvilas, and I am entering my fourth year at Pitt as a Bachelor of Philosophy candidate with a Psychology major and French minor. I am originally from Dunmore, PA. In my free time, I love taking walks in Schenley Park and discovering new coffee shops in the Pittsburgh area. My…

Beginnings of the Brackenridge

Introduction Hello! My name is Jolie. As a junior at Pitt, I am double majoring in Psychology and Law, Criminal Justice, and Society with a minor in Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies. I am originally from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. I came to Pitt in hopes of pursuing research on the development of gendered actions and preferences….

I Did It! – My BPhil Defense and Future Research Endeavors

As the fall semester draws to a close, most seniors completing BPhil theses are just starting the research portion of their projects. Meanwhile, I just successfully defended my BPhil thesis and I would like to share my reflection on the BPhil process for those who are starting to embark on the later portion of this…

Why I Decided to Pursue a BPhil (and Why You Should Too!)

Before taking on my BPhil project, I conducted research in the Kids’ Thinking (KiT) Lab as part of the Summer 2020 Brackenridge Fellowship and for Directed Research credits. I thought I knew how much work went into conducting a research project following these opportunities, but completing a BPhil is truly a graduate-level undertaking! I completed…