Frequently Asked Questions

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I asked some fellow students frequently asked questions about research and all it entails. Here are their responses.

Why would someone want to do research?

It allows you to further explore areas that you are interested in and connect with professors. It also gives you opportunities to present your research and know more about the research process.it helps you to become more prepared for graduate school or jobs you are interested in

-Rachel Harmon

Why would someone be interested in doing research in the summer as opposed to during the semester?

Doing research during the summer allows the student to have more focus on the research than they would be able to have during the semester. Solely doing research during the summer allows for a deeper understanding of the topic, creates a familiarity with techniques, and strengthens the bond between the research student and the research professor.

                             -Madalyn Wheeler

 

Doing research in the summer is beneficial because it is the main focus, so you get more out of it. When you do research during the semester, sometimes it is pushed back as a last priority thing that you get to when you have time. 

                      -Claire Aurand

 

What was your summer research experience like?

My summer research experience was very beneficial to my thought process about what career path I might want to pursue. It made me want to apply for an REU this summer and then consider a career path that involves genetics research.

                             -Madalyn Wheeler

 

Summer is a laid-back way to get more hands-on experience in a setting of your choice. I was taking summer classes and was still allowed to participate in research. I had limited lab hours due to class, but through what I did I gained a lot of knowledge at a fast pace. 

                             -Claire Aurand

 

Why did you choose to do off-campus research?

I chose to do off-campus research for the ability to do work in facilities that aren’t available here on campus. I wanted to be able to do work in a field (fluid dynamics) that I wouldn’t normally have access to. My off-campus research experience was more than I hoped for. I was able to experience graduate type research in a field that isn’t offered here on campus. I was able to use different facilities and work closely with my graduate adviser and a graduate student that worked in the same field. I was given insight into what my potential research would be able to look like.

                      -William Lambert

 

 

Research Highlight: Cody Dillon-Owens

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Cody Dillon-Owens is a senior at Roanoke College majoring in Psychology. His research investigates how group biases in empathy can affect our judgements in moral decisions. Essentially, people can make moral decisions based off of emotions or gut reactions rather than logical reasoning. These emotional processes can be influenced by empathy, or putting oneself in someone else’s shoes. Depending on who that ‘someone else’ is, emotional processes may be influenced in different ways. The end goal is to find ways to increase rational thinking in order to combat these biases. His project stems from his fascination on how people interact with one another.

“There are a lot of terrible events in our human history that are the result of discrimination or other negative consequences of group dynamics. I would like to find ways that we can increase our positive experiences with each other.”

He states that working with his research advisor Dr. Buchholz has been a wonderful and enriching experience. He has learned so much about not only research in the field, but how to conduct research of my own.

“There are a lot of valuable skills that I’ve gained from the last couple of years and I hope I can develop my skills as a researcher even more.”

Cody recently had the opportunity to present his research at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology conference.

“The conference was a ton of fun! There were a ton of highly intelligent people all in one building presenting new and exciting research in the field. You definitely learn a lot in a short amount of time, it’s overwhelming. My presentation went well, I actually presented research that someone else in the lab did on making moral decisions in the modern context of self-driving cars. I had the opportunity to present at the morality pre-conference so it was a much more intimate setting.

He is looking forward to the opportunity to present at a conference again.

To anyone considering doing a research project, Cody recommends getting involved.

“Definitely take advantage of the resources Roanoke College provides to be a part of research at such an early time. It will give you the experience and skills to be both competent and competitive in your future endeavors. Plus it’s a lot of fun to actually contribute to a field that interests you!

Research Highlight: Megan Blackwell

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Megan Blackwell is a senior at Roanoke College. She is a psychology and biology major with a concentration in neuroscience.  She has had the opportunity to work with the Salem Veterans Affairs Medical Center to conduct research.

How did your collaboration with the Salem VAMC come to be?

     “I was at my induction for Psi Chi, the psychology honors society, my sophomore year when Dr. Buchholz approached me. He knew I had been looking for research opportunities and talked to me about the VA and afterwards sent information to me about the primary investigators (PIs) that were looking for undergraduate assistants. There were several projects that I thought were really interesting, so I sent in an application. When I went through the interview process, I had a great interview with Dr. Stacy Belkonen in the Center for Aging and Neurocognitive Services (CANS). She accepted me on as an undergraduate research assistant and I have continued to research there since May 2017.”

How has your experience with VAMC been?

     “I have had an incredible experience at the VA. When I first started, Dr. Belkonen introduced me to everyone who worked in CANS so I could talk to all of them about the research they had going on. From there, I had the freedom to pick which research projects I wanted to be a part of. I was put onto two protocols originally, “Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in Older Adults” and “Traumatic Brain Injury in Rural OEF/OIF/OND Veterans.” With these projects, I’ve been able to do data entry and analysis, study intakes, IRB maintenance, and have presentations at two conferences. I have also been able to assist in performance improvement projects for CANS. I’ve developed wonderful relationships with the researchers at the VA and they have been great mentors for me through the latter half of my undergraduate education and in my application project for PhD programs.”

What has been your favorite or most interesting part of your research so far? Why did you decide to do research?

     “My favorite part of my research has been being able to develop and carry out my own research project. My project is titled “Cognitive Reserve and Resilience in Traumatic Brain Injury” and focuses on the role cognitive reserve and resiliency play on the severity of symptoms experienced by patients who come through our TBI clinic. This project has given me a lot of independence as a researcher. I was able to design the project, carry out my IRB proposal, and do the intakes and data analysis for it largely on my own. The researchers at the VA have been extremely helpful in this process, especially Dr. Belkonen, Dr. Neena Cassell, and Dr. Brian Shenal. This has prepared me for my next steps for research in graduate school. I chose to do research because I am really interested in a variety of topics in psychology. Doing research at the VA now has allowed me to explore these interests and will open a lot of possibilities to me in the future.”

What would you say to current and incoming students interested in doing research?

     “If there are students interested in research, I would strongly encourage them just to ask about it. Professors here are very open about their research if a student is interested in what they are doing. If a student has a topic or an area of interest that isn’t being explored by a lab here, the professors are always open to talk about ways the student can further explore the topic or connect them with someone in the area that could help them.”

Lastly, any other additional information or comments you’d like to include besides the questions stated above?

     “My time at the VA has been extremely influential in my decision to apply to PhD programs for Clinical Psychology. Without working there, I am not sure that I would have decided to go down this path and found something that I love doing as much as this. I’ve also formed relationships with the individuals that work there that I plan on keeping because they have had a profound impact on me both academically and as a person.”

Research Spotlight: Josef Simme

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Josef Simme is a recent graduate of Roanoke College. He had the opportunity to present his research project at the 28thColloquium on the Conservation of Mammals. His dream to become a wildlife biologist and his love of the outdoors led him to pursue his research topic. His project is about evaluating the effects coyotes have on other mammal carnivores in the Roanoke Valley by using trail cameras. His favorite part of his research was “being able to hike every Saturday morning as well as looking through all of the great photos we get each week makes it an awesome task. Seeing it all come together from all the hard work put in is so rewarding as well”.

Josef loved the opportunity of presenting his work at the conference as he was “able to learn a ton, make connections as well as share what I have learned and get insight from others on the topic”. The conference ended up being a lot of fun even though Josef was nervous at first. Josef intends on continuing wildlife biology research so there will be plenty more of these research projects in the future.

Josef advises that if one is interested in doing research “Sit in research labs and talk to students to see what would be the best fit for you. Research is something huge that sets you apart from a lot of other schools. It will prepare you for the real world and give you incredible experiences as well as a stellar resume”.

Research Spotlight: Emily Whitaker

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Emily Whitaker is a recent graduate of Roanoke College. She worked with Mr. Buriak in Health and Human Performance for her research project. Her research examined the effect of sleep time on strength gains in collegiate baseball players. Specifically, it looked at how sleep affects pitching accuracy in collegiate baseball pitchers. This study was a pilot study that may have the opportunity to expand in the future. This study is the first to
follow a team throughout a semester. While sleep is commonly known to influence the body’s composition in weight loss, there is no similar study looking at the anabolic processes in athletes. Following several baseball team members across a semester, group participants were allowed less than 5.5 hours or over 8 hours sleep per night. The results indicate that there is a trend that longer amounts of sleep (6+ hours/night) improved strength gains and over improvement in lean body mass accumulation. Sleep time also showed some interesting trends related to pitching accuracy.

What made Emily pursue this topic was that she felt there was no research examining sleep in collegiate athletes and how it affected athletic performance. Also, Emily was a collegiate athlete at Roanoke, on the women’s soccer team, so one could see how important this was for her to pursue. She knew that sleep was important as an athlete but wasn’t aware of the influence it could have on strength gains and performance. Emily felt “that research was a great opportunity for [her] to explore different areas of study in [her] field”. It also allowed her to connect with a lot of professors that she wouldn’t have been able to without the research program. Thanks to the research program, more importantly, the guidance of Mr. Buriak, Emily was able to complete this project on her own; thus, learning how to do research on her own.

Emily had the opportunity to go to the American College of Sports Medicine Conference this year. It was a great experience for her as an undergraduate student as it exposed her to a large demographic of research. Emily was able to meet “physicians, physical therapists, athletic trainers, and doctorates from all over the country”. Emily’s favorite part of her research project was showing the results to our very own Roanoke College coaches and athletes. They got a firsthand account of how important sleep really is. She says “it was very neat to see coaches and athletes buying in to the [study]”.

Emily would encourage incoming and current students to get involved with research soon and often. She says that it is an awesome way to get involved with all Roanoke has to offer. Research is avenue where one can constantly learn new things about one’s area of interest.

 

Beth Janes – Work Study Research Assistant spotlight

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Southwest Virginia LGBTQ+ History Project

Beth Janes

      My work study position for this past academic year was working with Dr. Rosenthal as a Work Study Research Assistant. Through the semester I worked in collections management in an archive, I presented historical information to the general public, developed projects in the digital humanities, and attended community events. The specific projects I worked on over both semesters were digitizing issues of the Blue Ridge Lambda Press, a regional gay newspaper from the 1980s, up through its run in 1985; researching the impact of the AIDS crisis on the LGBTQ population of Roanoke; and editing oral histories to be used in a digital exhibit on the 1980s in Roanoke.

     The process of digitizing the Blue Ridge Lambda Press took place at the Virginia Room, which is located at the main branch of the Roanoke Public Library in Downtown Roanoke. Dr. Rosenthal and I would go once a week for three hours when I would scan archived issues onto a flash drive to be processed and uploaded onto Shared Shelf, a digital archival platform. When necessary, I would also use this time to read through primary documents to find information for ongoing projects. This process is an ongoing task for the research assistant on the Southwest Virginia LGBTQ+ History Project.

     The projects that were specific to me and my time as research assistant were working with oral histories and researching the history of AIDS in the Roanoke Valley. In working with the oral histories, my job was to edit untouched recordings from the oral history of an anonymous sex worker to protect the privacy of related parties as well as identifying and editing shorter excerpts for use in digital exhibits. My biggest project of the year was the creation of two informational pamphlets on the history of AIDS in Roanoke to be distributed to the public. The first pamphlet was a general overview of AIDS organizations in Roanoke, with a brief history of the disease’s presence in the Valley. The second pamphlet was more research intensive and was specific to the years 1983-1989. I created a timeline that followed the progression of individual AIDS cases, activism, and major news stories of the decade. This pamphlet was published and distributed at Roanoke’s Pride in the Park Festival in April.

     I enjoyed the work I did this semester and feel as though the work strengthened my skills as a public historian and equipped me with more practical and technical skills that are necessary but seldom publicized. Compiling and managing a digital archive was definitely a learning curve for me. I had only ever had experience with physically-filed collections (which the History Project has) and the amount of work that goes into scanning, formatting, and properly uploading and labeling was much more than I would have originally guessed. It was tedious at times, but increasing direct accessibility to history through archive and museum collections is an integral part of my personal philosophy and is also part of the mission of the Southwest Virginia LGBTQ+ History Project. Additionally, I became familiar with Shared Shelf, which is a fairly common digital archiving service. I am sure these skills will be useful in later academic and professional endeavors. The work I did with the oral histories was by far my favorite aspect of my tenure as a research assistant. Besides getting to listen to the stories of LGBTQ individuals from Southwest Virginia, I learned skills I had never imagined needing in the field of history. I learned how to use audio editing software to edit oral histories for clarity and privacy; I learned how to extract clips for use elsewhere; and I learned to adjust technical aspects of the recording such as speed and volume. My first oral history experience was with an oral history from a former sex worker in Roanoke. Their recording required quite a few redactions of names, places, and events per Roanoke College’s Institutional Review Board (IRB). I had never interacted with the IRB before, and had only thought about it in the context of the social sciences.

     This position as a research assistant has given me a much broader scope for looking at the way history, and specifically public history, is done. Going in, I knew very generally what each component of the position was (scanning, oral histories, education) but had never done any of them myself start to finish. Coming out of this year I feel as though I can speak with more authority on what within the field of history I like to do, why those individual aspects are important to the field as a whole, and what labor goes into each aspect.

Research Spotlight: Jack Hill

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Jack Hill is a senior who is working with Dr. Parsons in the Public Affairs department for his research project. Jack’s research topic, “The Imprisoned Welfare State”, deals with the relationship between a mass incarceration state and the welfare state. Furthermore, it poses the question if mass incarceration has replaced the welfare state in how the US deals with poverty. Jack uses a review of existing literature and a variety of regression models to come to the conclusion that it is not a wholesale replacement, but indicative of an ideological shift in American poverty governance. Jack states that Neoliberal Paternalism is most appropriate in defining this governance. Neoliberal means reliance on market forces to solve poverty issues and paternal means the close monitoring of the poor either via prisons or present welfare programs. Jack says “[his] research is by no mean conclusive here; however, it seems to be representative of a larger political pattern”.

Jack’s reason for deciding to pursue this topic is that he has always been very interested in welfare policy. The various classes of the criminal justice system have showed him how the impoverished often are forced to deal with a complex system like jail or poverty. The search of finding a theoretical and policy framework has been quite rewarding for Jack. Also, working with Dr. Parsons was extremely helpful for him in designing the project and running the statistical tests. Dr. Parsons has always been available and welcoming to Jack whenever he needed to discuss findings, thoughts, and issues. Jack is very grateful to have Dr. Parsons as an advisor.

Jack had the opportunity to present his project at the Southern Political Science Association conference where he got to learn about various social and political issues. His presentation at the conference gave Jack a chance to consider redefining his model. As part of his Honors project, Jack will defend his project in front of Roanoke faculty this spring. This project won’t stop there; Jack plans to hopefully integrate his work into whatever occupation he has after graduation.

Jack encourages current and incoming students that research happens in all disciplines. He stresses that in social sciences, hard data can and should be used to reach conclusions. He stresses the importance of keeping an open mind in one’s project and being aware of any implications that can arise.

Research Fellows Spotlight: Riker Lawrence

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The Research Fellows program allows incoming students to get involved in research from the beginning of their career at Roanoke. Students work with a faculty mentor in a subject that they are interested in and create a research project. After they finish or complete a substantial part of their research, students present their projects at conferences both on and off campus.

Riker Lawrence is sophomore who is working with Dr. Powell for her research project

“My research has focused on data from my research advisor, Dr. Darcey N. Powell’s dissertation study. Her study examined division of labor of taking care of a toddler and how it affects the parents. I previously looked into how the fathers’ perceptions of the division of labor affect the marital satisfaction between the couples. After analyzing Dr. Powell’s data to a great extent, I’m moving into a different path of research that focuses on family leisure. I’m at the beginning stages of this project, therefore I’m analyzing many literature reviews on the subject of family leisure and division of labor of taking care of a child. I hope to find out if prenatal leisure time could possibly be a predictor of collaborative division of labor postpartum among parents”.

Riker decided to pursue her topic after hearing about it at a talk at the National Council of Family Relations last November.

“I had not heard of the concept of family leisure nor did I realize the importance of it. Family leisure also connects with the idea of work-life balance, which refers to the idea of trying to balance their work and life schedules to aid their physical and psychological well-being. Finally, the data that Dr. Powell has can possibly push me the direction of connecting family leisure and division of labor, and examining whether those components interchange between prenatal and postpartum periods of the child”.

Riker first decided to do apply for the Research Fellows program once she was accepted into Roanoke College.

“As I researched the program, I realized that this could be a great activity to do. I thought it was amazing that I would get to research psychology and get paid. As an undergraduate, I didn’t think that independent research happened that often. I was also interested in many of the studies that the professors in the psychology department were examining. I figured that there was no harm in applying to be in this program”.

Riker has really enjoyed her time in the Research Fellows program.

“Along with learning how to conduct my research, I have made many friends and have been given many opportunities that not many undergraduates receive. For example, this school year alone, I have been to two conferences to present some of my research lab’s studies. In November, I went to Orlando to attend the National Council of Family Relations. Then in February of 2018, I attended the Academy of Human Resource Department as a co-author for my friend and one of my research lab partners, Kaitlin Busse. Being in a research lab has shown me that research cannot be conducted alone. It is way too much work, but having people help you with the tedious of tasks and support you is a wonderful thing to have in college”.

Riker plans on continuing her research project in the days to come.

“After analyzing and organizing many articles, I will focus on how I can analyze the data I have already have from Dr. Powell’s research, and determine if I need to retrieve more data. Once I have a big enough sample with useable data, I will conduct tests to interpret that data. Once that is completed, I will see what my results and determine on what is the best way to present my findings”.

To anyone interested in doing research, Riker says to go for it.

“Those who are interested must be ready to work hard and not slack off on any step of the project, because the outcome of it will show how serious one takes their research. The project could be published, presented at conferences, or be sent out to graduate schools as examples of work. Therefore, every part of the project should be conducted in the best possible way because it is a reflection of the student’s work and the research atmosphere of Roanoke College”.

Research Fellows Spotlight: Katie Edwards

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The Research Fellows program allows incoming students to get involved in research from the beginning of their career at Roanoke. Students work with a faculty mentor in a subject that they are interested in and create a research project. After they finish or complete a substantial part of their research, students present their projects at conferences both on and off campus.

Katie Edwards is a sophomore who has been working with Dr. Kassens on their research project about healthcare access in developing countries.

“Dr. Kassens has been working on writing a paper and book chapter that focuses on the connection between spatial relation to healthcare facilities in Papua New Guinea and malnutrition among children.  Since this project is nearing the end, I am now getting started on a new project focusing on Nepal.”

Katie decided to apply for the Research Fellows after seeing an ad for it on the Roanoke website. She first got into her topic after switching majors.

 “I came into Roanoke as a science major, and when I switched to business I thought I would have to stop doing research. However, Dr. Lassiter got me in contact with a few business professors. When I met with Dr. Kassens, I was very interested in what she was working on so I decided I wanted to help.”

Katie has really enjoyed her experience in the program and working with Dr. Kassens.

“My research advisor is so understanding and patient. She always makes sure I am not stressed and gives me the time I need.  At the same time, she pushes me by showing me new resources I would not have known about and has opened my mind to issues I did not know existed. Other students in the program have blown my mind with all of the amazing things they are capable of and have encouraged me to keep going with my research.”

To anyone considering research, Katie urges you to get involved.

“I would really encourage getting involved with research, whether it be through the Research Fellows program, a different program, or just on their own. It is not just for people in science departments! If I am doing business/economics related research, anyone can do research in any department.”

RC Student Presents at the Society for the Study of Emerging Adulthood Biennial Conference

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Kiah Coflin, a senior majoring in psychology, presented her research project at the Society for the Study of Emerging Adulthood Biennial Conference in November 2017. Her research project, titled “Associations between emerging adults’ personality and their perceptions of children with clinical and developmental diagnoses”, focused on individuals between the ages 18 to 25 and their perceptions of children with clinical and developmental diagnoses. She then compared the individual’s perceptions to their personalities to look for any correlations.

“The diagnoses we researched included Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Schizophrenia, Dyslexia, Depression, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PSTD). We wanted to look at how people perceived others with these disorders so that educational programs can integrate information about personality and help adapt to or fix inaccurate perceptions in school settings as well as promote acceptance of ‘atypical’ behavior. We found that personality traits were frequently related to the participants’ perceptions of the different diagnoses”.

Kiah decided to work on the project after taking it over from a previous student. She works with Dr. Powell who has helped Kiah throughout the research project.

“My research advisor has been incredibly helpful not only in guidance towards my own research endeavors and interests, but as a whole. Dr. Powell is a wonderful role model and she has continuously pushed me to be the best student and researcher I can be”.

Kiah traveled with two other students, Taylor Kracht and Molly Zydel, to Washington D.C. for the conference to present their research projects.

“The conference was slightly overwhelming at first, but an incredible experience to be involved in! Individuals were respectful and interested in my poster presentation, and were very impressed at an undergraduate student presence amongst the master’s students, professors, and scholars presenting. With Dr. Powell’s help, I felt very prepared for my presentation and it was overall a very exciting weekend! It really helped me grow academically and I learned a lot of valuable skills in presenting”.

Now that Kiah has presented her research, she plans to continue her involvement in research projects and conferences in psychology.

“Being a part of a research lab in the Psychology Department has been one of my favorite parts of being an undergrad student so far. I’m surrounded by like-minded, encouraging peers that support one another throughout the research process and anything else throughout the semester. Although it certainly was a lot of work, it pushed me to continue to be motivated, driven, and taught me a lot about psychology skills I didn’t know I had”.

To anyone considering doing research, Kiah’s advice is not to hesitate and to reach out to professors for research projects.

“One can learn a lot about potential fields that they could become involved in and may find something that changes their whole academic trajectory. It may seem daunting, but the professors are there to help!”