Meet Lucie Lopez ’24, an OUR Peer Research Ambassador (PRA) double majoring in Psychological Sciences and Spanish.
What is the focus of your research?
I am currently working on an IDEA Grant project that combines two of my research interests I had previously explored separately: social-emotional development and food insecurity. My research explores how participation in a free or reduced school meal program impacts sense of belonging at school, particularly for adolescents.
Why did you get involved in research?
Before coming to UConn, I didn’t have much of an understanding of what research really was and what the process entailed. I knew UConn was a Research I institution and had read about so many cool student-led research projects in the UConn Today magazine and always wondered how I could do something like that. I wanted to explore more of what research as an undergraduate could look like, so I joined a lab during my second semester. That experience in my lab and the SHARE summer apprenticeship taught me what the research process was like and made me realize that I really enjoyed it. After those experiences, I wanted to investigate my own ideas, so I applied for the IDEA Grant Program. I am currently working on an IDEA Grant project that combines two of my research interests I had previously explored separately: social-emotional development and food insecurity. My research explores how participation in a free or reduced school meal program impacts sense of belonging at school, particularly for adolescents. Continue reading