Brand new research studies are being approved by the Gustavus Institutional Review Board this week in preparation for a new wave of student-led research for the 2020-2021 academic year. Many first- and second-year students who are taking introductory-level Psychological Science courses will get to be participants in the upcoming research studies. All of this applied research helps Psychological Science Majors further explore and more critically understand the discipline. Here are a few more testimonials from students who have graduated from Gustavus but enjoyed their research experiences during the 2019-2020 academic year.
Isabel St. Dennis had the opportunity to conduct research with Dr. Kyle Chambers and commented that “I participated in some research under Kyle Chambers for the Center for Developmental Science at the Children’s Museum in Mankato, as well as completing my Stats & Research Methods II experiment this past fall. Both of these things helped me gain experience in conducting research as well as writing psychological reports and articles. We went to the Children’s Museum in Mankato and observed children while they played. We looked at play patterns within the different exhibits at the museum focusing primarily on the direction in which children took through the exhibits and specific parts of the exhibits that were most attractive to children. We wore name tags and aprons that said the “Center for Developmental Science” on them so people knew we were from Gustavus. It was super fun!”.
Katherine Rhoten was encouraged by all the Psychological Science faculty to pursue her research outside of Gustavus also. She did just that and shared this experience, “The summer of 2019 I participated in an REU program funded by the National Science Foundation for students with disabilities at the University of Delaware. I worked under Dr. Roberta Golinkoff as a research assistant in the Child’s Play, Learning, and Development Lab. This opportunity allowed me to expand my knowledge and understanding of child development and research by reading pertinent literature, writing a new study proposal, entering data, recruiting families, assisting graduate students with their research, and presenting a professional poster. This experience also helped define my interests in child development and research. Spring semester 2020 I was a research assistant in the Center for Developmental Science at GAC. I helped the lab team code and enter data. Our larger research project with the Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota scheduled for April has been put on hold due to COVID-19. This opportunity at GAC allowed me to expand my knowledge of research even further and it was a wonderful experience to build relationships with the lab team. With both research experiences, I was able to work on my critical thinking and analytical skills through hands-on learning in the lab while making meaningful connections to others.”.
What will your research experience be like? Good luck to everyone beginning the journey this academic year. We can’t wait to hear about the results!