FWS Research Assistant Highlights: Kim Banks

My Name is Kim Banks and my intended major is Physics and an Astronomy minor. I am currently working for Jessica L. Rosenberg as a research assistant. I am a freshman and I am grateful to get such an assistantship so soon, especially in my preferred field of work. We are working on a proposal to use the Hubble Telescope in May of 2015 to look at spheroidal dwarf galaxies and use a quasar as a source of light to find out what these galaxies are made-up of.
           

Currently, I am gathering data together to look over and decide with is the best to use for the project. Then I am to submit a request to gather data from an online database called Mikulski Archive For Space Telescopes about objects- such as a quasar- that we want more information about. Before this, I collected information from the different galaxies and organized the information into Excel sheets for easier access. After I have gathered the requested data I am to access it through a program using Linux.

I have learned a lot since being this assistantship. I have learned a great deal about my intended career field and about the work I will be dedicating my life to. Along with learning about locating points in space- similar to longitudes and latitudes on Earth but in space- have also learned about measurements used to define how far away something and what these measurements are equivalent to. This week, I should be learning a bit about how to use Linux, which is preferred in most of this line of work. 

My long-term goal is to become an Astrophysicist and work under other scientist in this field while gaining experience then eventually researching independently. Having the opportunity to work in this kind of position so early on is a true dream, especially as my first job. This assistantship as done a great deal for me and helped me make another step closer to accomplishing my dream.

FWS Research Assistant Highlights: Zeba Ejaz

The project I am working on in the Psychology Oscar Department is based on linguistics. Linguistics is applied in the spontaneous English files, which is the name of my first project that I am working on. In the spontaneous English files, I had to mark a boundary on syllables that were in the words that were spoken and state when the person spoke and when they were silent. The point of this project was to see how people differ in speech based on their native languages. Everyone had said the same lines, which made it easier to mark the syllables that were spoken and compare the rates that people spoke. I had worked on this project under my supervisor, Professor Tuuli Morrill and two graduate students named Zhiyan Gao and SungShim Choi. There was also another undergraduate student that worked with me named, Astacia Pegram.

On a weekly basis, I went to the Speech Analysis Lab or worked on my computer at home to work on the spontaneous English files because the computers had to have Praat (a software) downloaded on them for the spontaneous English files. One thing I discovered this week with the spontaneous English files was that people have different rates of speaking. The English spontaneous files depicted how people vary in the way they say the same words and they also vary in the amount of time it takes them to say the same things. Some people say things slowly while others speak a bit faster.

My position in the Psychology Oscar Department relates to my long-term goals by allowing me to apply linguistics in the real world. I was always interested in Psychology and linguistics and I am glad I got a chance to do activities to apply them in projects. My major is Biology but I am always open to all the sciences because they seem interesting and I get to learn new things from them.

FWS Research Assistant Highlights: RaNeka Scott

As an OSCAR RA, I am currently working on a nutrition study with Dr. Cara Frankenfeld.  The study focuses on the relationship between where an individual lives and their eating habits. 

Each week, I collect data using a dietary assessment program, as well as a database module containing information on U.S. businesses.  With the addresses given by each subject participating in the study, using the database module, I download and collapse information about the locations of grocery stores, pharmacies, cafeterias, and bars within a certain mile radius.  Using the dietary assessment program, I enter in the dietary information given by each of the subjects, in order to further analyze the relationship.

One thing I learned this week was how simple it is to modify resources being used to collect data for research.  I have always been afraid of the research process, knowing that sometimes there are things you simply cannot get around when collecting data and making analyses. However, this week I was continuously reminded of how wonderful technology is when you need to enter and assess data very quickly. 

Becoming involved in the OSCAR RA program has been wonderful! I have learned so much, and have been granted opportunities to network with individuals who are passionate about public health and research just like I am.  As an undergraduate student, I have learned so much from those individuals, as they are now starting their own research studies. I would like to further my education and continue on to graduate school, and this opportunity has set me apart from other cohorts because I have gained research experience.  I hope to continue to learn, and as I advance I hope to use this information to help others, as well as make a difference in the world.

FWS Research Assistant Highlights: Frah Ejaz

The project I am working on estimates obesity in young children later on in their life. How the data will be collected is by conducting focus groups around children aged two through five. The children’s waist size, weight and height are measured and parents are responsible for filling out four packets that contain small surveys and questions about them and their child. These are essential parts of the study that will shape the predictability of obesity. With all the data collected, analysis and recording results is as follows at the end where parents are eventually informed about their child’s results. Whom I work with on this project is the Supervisor of the Nutrition and Food Studies Department Dr. Sina Gallo and a graduate student named Ashley Shaw. I mainly spend most of my time with my co-worker Ashley because this project is for her thesis. What I have to do on a weekly basis depends Ashley because some days have more work than others. Sometimes I am assigned mini projects I have to complete in a certain amount of time while other days inputting paperwork to the computer is needed by using the program Microsoft Excel. One thing I discovered this week is how passionate I am not only about this job but also about this field of work. I am less confused about my major and what to expect for the path I am on. I feel certain that I want to be in medical sciences and will enjoy the process along the way. I see this as relating to my long-term goals in many different ways. First off, it is helpful in understanding and providing examples with details in the field of science because it is a hands-on experience. Also, I have developed useful skills I will need later on to advance in my career such as how to properly conduct research, communication skills and much more. I am still in the process of building and improving more skills as I go along but I feel confident and better prepared with the OSCAR research study experience I have become a part of.

FWS Research Assistant Highlights: Randall Drury

After graduating from Germanna Community College in December 2013 with a two-year degree, I enrolled at GMU to continue my higher education. It was during my first semester at Mason (as a junior) when I began to consider which fields of psychology that my interests best fit. Initially, those interests were as broad as the Potomac is wide and this prompted me to seek out advising. Following a meeting one afternoon with Dr. Hurley, I took the suggestion to apply for undergraduate research experience. Soon after that, I began working with Dr. Carryl Baldwin in the Auditory Research Group (ARG) and the Mason Transportation Institute (MTI) and my interests began to narrow.

The more involved I became in research the more my working relationship with Carryl grew - she became my unofficial mentor. Prior to the summer term, we discussed the option of independent study. I signed up for this option as a summer semester elective (PSYC 460 - Introduction to Human Factors). Also, I learned about the OSCAR program through the Office of Student Scholarship and secured a federal work-study undergraduate research assistantship with Carryl for the 2014-15 school year. Since then, Carryl has become my official mentor and I have benefited much through my lab experience.

From week to week I collaborate with the other students (graduate and undergraduate) of the two labs. Along with the other RAs (research assistants) within the ARG, research is conducted on sustained attention to response task (SART). The SART investigates the influence of music on maintenance of focused attention. Within the MTI, I am learning programming of the motion-based driving simulator through JavaScript-based scenario scripting. My lab activities include: writing code, running participants, or reviewing journal articles. Thus far my experience in applied research has certainly been well-rounded; I have also consistently met with Carryl and others RAs to discuss past and up-coming Human Factors Applied Cognition (HFAC) general proceedings. I spend between 10 and 15 hours a week enjoying these opportunities. Today, my interests are in driver distraction, usability, perception and performance. As an ancillary benefit to my research experience, I enrolled in another round of independent study (PSYC 460 - Driver Behavior Assessment & Training) this past August with my mentor.

Over the past week, I learned how to edit an abstract for submission to a peer-reviewed journal. I engaged in this process with Carryl and other RAs, regarding the previously mentioned SART study. If it happens to be accepted for publication, my name will be attached. I discovered that being published (potentially) as an undergraduate is an advantage.

Throughout my college career travels, I could have taken a different direction at any number of intersections along the way. I got involved in research as an undergraduate however, and am now earnestly pursuing HFAC psychology. It is through the OSCAR program and federal work-study funding that I owe my gratitude. Being given the ability to earn while partaking in research allowed me to accomplish more in the same amount of time, and having time to get things done makes all the difference in what the future holds for me. Importantly enough, a graduate degree in HFAC makes a lot of sense for my future.