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.
