Meet Lily Zhong ’21, an OUR Peer Research Ambassador (PRA) majoring in Physiology & Neurobiology and minoring in English.

What is the focus of your research?

The focus of my research is the biological basis behind stress and anxiety, specifically through characterizing the anatomy and functionality of a certain neural circuit in the mouse brain implicated in stress- and anxiety-related behaviors.

Why did you get involved in research?

I became involved in research to apply what I learned in the classroom to a setting where I could contribute to the creation of new knowledge while also improving upon crucial transferable skills that only a research experience can offer, such as resilience, patience, and critical thinking.

What advice would you give to incoming first-year students?

Give yourself permission to explore your own unique interests in college rather than pursuing only the activities you think you “should” be doing.

What do you enjoy the most about participating in research?

What I enjoy most about participating in research is sharing and exchanging exciting findings with others, whether it be through poster presentations, lab meetings, written proposals, or research articles. Being challenged to explain what I’ve learned in these various settings has pushed me to develop a more in-depth understanding of the background and implications of my research. Similarly, learning about what others are discovering in research not only allows me to gain exposure to a lot of interesting work, but also inspires me to think critically and ask questions about new, unfamiliar topics.

Click here for more information on Lily and other OUR Peer Research Ambassadors.

Meet Brendan Hogan ’21, an OUR Peer Research Ambassador (PRA) majoring in Political Science, Psychological Sciences, and Philosophy.

What is the focus of your research?

In my Freshman and Sophomore years, I participated in research that revolved around the influence of intellectual humility upon public discourse. Essentially, when someone engages in a conversation with another person over a political issue in today’s political climate, the conversation tends to go into one of two directions. When a conversation begins, it can either end with both parties either agreeing or both parties disagreeing. When both parties disagree over a topic, a hostile conversation usually is created where both sides become angry and attempt to force their opinion on the other. Thus, the researchers I worked with were trying to create a third outcome where parties instead agreed to disagree. With this, an attempt was made to have both sides acknowledge the facts of the other side and ultimately end the conversation with a humble realization that we are all trying to find a solution. Thus, the overall goals were to promote this idea that we are all attempting to solve the issues of today and need to work together as a society to compromise.

My Junior year, I worked on a project that planned to examine the role of race and the far-right in the making of the US-led postwar ‘liberal international order’. In particular, through theoretically-informed empirical analysis, the manuscript that I helped to edit worked to explain how the far-right contributed to the crystallization of a distinct racialized anticommunist politics at home crucial to US power-projection abroad.

In Spring 2020, I was awarded a summer UConn IDEA Grant to study the vice of arrogance and psychological group biases within white nationalist leaders’ online rhetoric. To carry out this project, I conducted a qualitative content analysis of various blogs written by prominent white nationalist leaders. Following the analysis, I will use the empirical data collected to inform and guide my UConn Political Science and Philosophy Dual Honors Thesis during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Why did you get involved in research?

When I was offered my initial opportunity to carry out research, I saw it as a chance to become exposed to a real life research project. From that opportunity, I hoped that I would be able to take what I learned and then carry out my own project. While the research experiment was an important aspect of the project, it was also pertinent that I became accustomed to the behind-the-scenes management and organization of a project.

In addition, I chose all these research opportunities as I felt a desire to understand these areas of political science and attempt to figure out how researchers are trying to solve the political issues of today. Without this desire to take part in these specific projects, I would not have gotten involved as the work and research may not have been enjoyable.

What advice would you give to incoming first-year students?

When you are jumping into college, it is easy to sign up for and commit to many extracurricular activities. If I could give you any advice, it would be to try to find a few things that you love the most and stay committed to those activities throughout your undergraduate years. Work to improve those clubs, positions, and opportunities, but also look to find a balance between your own personal life and college career. The next few years will be some of the most enjoyable years of your life, so don’t forget to take the time to not only build your resume, but to grow as an individual and find yourself.

Describe the impact your research experience has had on you.

After I finished my research around intellectual humility, I found that I have begun to approach arguments from the perspectives of both sides. This concept has really shed light on the issue of political polarization for me and has shown me that it is important to work towards compromises. With this real world application of research, this experience has left a lasting impact on my outlook in my everyday interactions with others.

What are your plans after graduation? How has involvement in research influenced your plans and prepared you for the future?

After I graduate, I plan to go to law school and eventually practice law with a concentration in constitutional law or civil rights and liberties. From my involvement in research, I have become inspired to try to see both sides in debates and conversations so that the facts of the argument can first be examined. From there, it has shown to me that no one side is necessarily always right, but rather both sides should try to meet in the middle and overcome any divides. Without people attempting to reach a middle ground, our polarized political climate will only worsen in the future. Thus, as my previous research was applicable to my area of studies, I have found that it has allowed me to grow as a political scientist, a potential lawyer, and even as an individual. It has motivated me to pursue a legal career in which I can promote positive, public discourse and intellectual humility.

Click here for more information on Brendan and other OUR Peer Research Ambassadors.

Meet Claire Fresher ’22, an OUR Peer Research Ambassador (PRA) majoring in Mechanical Engineering and minoring in Mathematics.

What is the focus of your research?

In my engineering lab I work on analyzing metabolites that undergo aggregation in the body which is linked to the development of various diseases. I work on ways to characterize the self-assembly of metabolites in the body through analysis of simulations and construction of molecular models. In my psychology lab I administer neuropsychological assessments to families to test the effects of environmental and genetic factors on cognitive development skills like language, math, and reading comprehension.

Why did you get involved in research?

I got involved in research because I wanted to pursue my specific interests in engineering and psychology. I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to discover new knowledge and expand my skillset. I also wanted to gain hands-on experience in order to get an in-depth knowledge of the topics I investigated. I was also able to work closely with faculty mentors which allowed me to be challenged and think in new ways.

What advice would you give to incoming first-year students?

To incoming freshmen, I would say to not be scared of research and research professors. Everyone started from somewhere so start with finding out what you find most interesting and what you want to put your time and energy into learning more about. After you find your passion everything else with fall into place with a little hard work and help from mentors.

What do you enjoy the most about participating in research?

I enjoy working with my research groups and mentors the most. I have found that I can really lean on my research team when I don’t understand things or need help when I’m stuck on something. I think working with other people has also helped me to develop my own leadership and research skills since I learned from others and then implemented what they taught me in my own approach.

Describe the impact your research experience has had on you.

Research has made me a more independent and analytic thinker. I pushed myself in research to explore new topics and think outside the box which helped me to become a better student and problem solver. It has also made me more curious in the fields I study. Research has taught me to question things I don’t understand and explore more topics to give myself a better overall view.

Click here for more information on Claire and other OUR Peer Research Ambassadors.

Meet Pavitra Makarla ’21, an OUR Peer Research Ambassador (PRA) majoring in Cognitive Science and minoring in Neuroscience and Psychological Sciences.

What is the focus of your research?

I currently study literal (positive and negative) and nonliteral (sarcasm and jocularity/teasing) language exchanges, and how they are affected by individual differences between people (including differences in prosody/intonation, facial expressions, gestures, etc.). Sarcasm and jocularity are considered to be two very complex language functions because of how much effort is required to understand statements beyond their literal meaning. We recently used eye tracking to monitor where people look during a conversation that involves the use of literal and nonliteral language— they either look at the Asker, the one asking the question, or the Responder, the one responding in a literal/nonliteral manner. We also tested how long they look, and how many people tend to look at either the Asker or the Responder.

Why did you get involved in research?

I decided that I wanted to explore research the summer after my freshman year. I knew that research was a big part of my major and the skills I would get would be applicable regardless of what I ended up doing, so I went ahead and conducted an independent research project based on my interests. That project made me realize I wanted to pursue research much more vigorously at UConn itself, especially since I needed a little more structure to what I was exploring, so I decided to join a lab my sophomore year.

What advice would you give to incoming first-year students?

Don’t give up! If you don’t get into the lab of your choice the first time, that’s okay! Keep applying to labs that are exploring ideas similar to your interests. If you get into one of those, that’s great! Now you can get even more research experience. If you feel that you still want to get into that first lab that you weren’t able to get in, after that one year of experience, they might be more willing to take you — apply again! There’s no one set path to getting the lab you want, and if you keep pushing towards your goal, you’ll be all set!

What do you enjoy the most about participating in research? Describe the impact your research experience has had on you.

I think there is a unique sort of joy that comes with participating in research. It might be the relief that comes with finally finishing data collection, or getting revisions back with extremely helpful critiques instead of getting rejected, or maybe it’s the delayed gratification that comes from finally publishing a paper. There is also a certain joy in getting data that doesn’t make sense, or hitting a wall in your flow of research ideas. There is never a dull moment when it comes to research, and I think there is beauty in the fact that the process can almost never be perfect all the way through. It’s the problem solving, the constant remedying, the creativity that really makes research the enlightening field it is.

What is your greatest accomplishment so far?

In research, one of the best feelings is getting a paper published; but, an even better feeling is knowing that you will be listed as second author on the paper as an undergraduate research student. I had the opportunity to work on two related papers simultaneously, one of which is a paper to be published in a special edition journal, and have both papers in the process of revisions— one step closer to official publication.

Click here for more information on Pavitra and other OUR Peer Research Ambassadors.