Web cookies (also called HTTP cookies, browser cookies, or simply cookies) are small pieces of data that websites store on your device (computer, phone, etc.) through your web browser. They are used to remember information about you and your interactions with the site.
Purpose of Cookies:
Session Management:
Keeping you logged in
Remembering items in a shopping cart
Saving language or theme preferences
Personalization:
Tailoring content or ads based on your previous activity
Tracking & Analytics:
Monitoring browsing behavior for analytics or marketing purposes
Types of Cookies:
Session Cookies:
Temporary; deleted when you close your browser
Used for things like keeping you logged in during a single session
Persistent Cookies:
Stored on your device until they expire or are manually deleted
Used for remembering login credentials, settings, etc.
First-Party Cookies:
Set by the website you're visiting directly
Third-Party Cookies:
Set by other domains (usually advertisers) embedded in the website
Commonly used for tracking across multiple sites
Authentication cookies are a special type of web cookie used to identify and verify a user after they log in to a website or web application.
What They Do:
Once you log in to a site, the server creates an authentication cookie and sends it to your browser. This cookie:
Proves to the website that you're logged in
Prevents you from having to log in again on every page you visit
Can persist across sessions if you select "Remember me"
What's Inside an Authentication Cookie?
Typically, it contains:
A unique session ID (not your actual password)
Optional metadata (e.g., expiration time, security flags)
Analytics cookies are cookies used to collect data about how visitors interact with a website. Their primary purpose is to help website owners understand and improve user experience by analyzing things like:
How users navigate the site
Which pages are most/least visited
How long users stay on each page
What device, browser, or location the user is from
What They Track:
Some examples of data analytics cookies may collect:
Page views and time spent on pages
Click paths (how users move from page to page)
Bounce rate (users who leave without interacting)
User demographics (location, language, device)
Referring websites (how users arrived at the site)
Here’s how you can disable cookies in common browsers:
1. Google Chrome
Open Chrome and click the three vertical dots in the top-right corner.
Go to Settings > Privacy and security > Cookies and other site data.
Choose your preferred option:
Block all cookies (not recommended, can break most websites).
Block third-party cookies (can block ads and tracking cookies).
2. Mozilla Firefox
Open Firefox and click the three horizontal lines in the top-right corner.
Go to Settings > Privacy & Security.
Under the Enhanced Tracking Protection section, choose Strict to block most cookies or Custom to manually choose which cookies to block.
3. Safari
Open Safari and click Safari in the top-left corner of the screen.
Go to Preferences > Privacy.
Check Block all cookies to stop all cookies, or select options to block third-party cookies.
4. Microsoft Edge
Open Edge and click the three horizontal dots in the top-right corner.
Go to Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Cookies and site permissions.
Select your cookie settings from there, including blocking all cookies or blocking third-party cookies.
5. On Mobile (iOS/Android)
For Safari on iOS: Go to Settings > Safari > Privacy & Security > Block All Cookies.
For Chrome on Android: Open the app, tap the three dots, go to Settings > Privacy and security > Cookies.
Be Aware:
Disabling cookies can make your online experience more difficult. Some websites may not load properly, or you may be logged out frequently. Also, certain features may not work as expected.
Lucie Lopez ’24 Majors: Psychological Sciences and Spanish 2023-24 OUR Peer Research Ambassador
Research Journey
When I first got to UConn, I was not confident in my ability to succeed. However, after three years as an undergraduate, I can confidently say I believe in myself. One reason for this change is my experience in undergraduate research. As a first-year student, I barely knew what research was, which made the experience of getting started very intimidating. Nonetheless, I felt pressure to get involved with research, especially since I was potentially interested in graduate school. So, I took a leap of faith during my first semester and reached out to a faculty member. That led me to the first stop on my research journey as an undergraduate research assistant with Dr. Rhiannon Smith in the Social Emotional Development Lab. My next stop led me to participate in the Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts Research Experience (SHARE) program as an apprentice and work with Dr. Peter Chen in the Department of Geography. Lastly, I wanted to combine these fields into a project of my own, which led me to the UConn IDEA Grant program. Continue reading →
In recognition of the pivotal role that mentors play in supporting undergraduate research and creative activity, the Office of Undergraduate Research is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2024 Mentorship Excellence Awards. These awards recognize two faculty members – one in a STEM field, and one in a non-STEM field – and one graduate student who exemplify the ways in which outstanding mentors challenge and support their students, enabling them to take intellectual risks and achieve milestones they might not have initially envisioned being able to reach.
Please join us in congratulating Ashley Helton, Ryan Talbert, and Olivia Corvino on their selection as this year’s Mentorship Excellence Award recipients. The awards were presented on Friday, April 12, 2024 during the Frontiers in Undergraduate Research Poster Exhibitions at Storrs.
2024 Mentorship Excellence Award winner Ashley Helton, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Natural Resources & the Environment
Ashley Helton, Associate Professor, Natural Resources & the Environment
Professor Helton was nominated by a number of her students. The following text is excerpted from one nomination.
The majority of my strong undergraduate scientific skill set has in large part been shaped by Dr. Helton’s mentorship. From the beginning, Dr. Helton has set aside time for regular one on one meetings for scientific discussion and support, in addition to including me in her graduate laboratory meetings. Rather than try to keep me in my lane, she always encouraged me to fly high, encouraging me to attend postgraduate courses even though I myself was an undergraduate. She has always welcomed and encouraged my scientific questions. She presented me with scientific literature to build my knowledge base. She provided me with the opportunities to read manuscripts and write some of my first scientific literature. She helped me consider and apply for avenues of scholarship I did not know were available to me. She has invited me to multiple scientific network forums. I always feel Dr. Helton has my best interest at heart and I was moved when she actively sought out an additional internship for me because it shows she genuinely cares about the trajectory of my career. I will always be grateful for the time I have with Dr. Helton. – Anonymous
Ryan Talbert, Assistant Professor, Sociology
Professor Talbert was nominated by Joseph Annan-Kingsley ’24 (CLAS), Samantha Gove ’24 (CLAS), and Kyle Makalusky ’24 (CLAS). The following text is excerpted from their nominations.
2024 Mentorship Excellence Award winner Ryan Talbert, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Sociology.
Dr. Talbert pushes and challenges his students to take their work and their own skills to the next level. He encourages his students to take their creative work to the next step as he often finds various venues for his lab students to present at. Throughout the three semesters that I actively participated in the lab, Professor Talbert never failed to support student inquiry, challenge students to take next steps in their research, and especially develop a holistic view of his students’ short-term and long-term goals. Dr. Talbert has had an impact on my undergraduate success and my early professional life far greater than can be expected from any mentor. Dr. Talbert crafted an environment that allowed creativity to be nurtured among each student, especially when it came to academic writing skills, which fostered a sense of innovation and collaboration.
Dr. Talbert is undeniably the most incredible mentor I have known as an undergraduate student at UConn. As a graduating senior, I have spent a lot of time in the past few months reflecting on my time in college. I am humbled to say that I have accomplished far more than I could have ever dreamed of in my time in college, and I am certain of the fact that I would not have accomplished a majority of those things without the mentorship of Dr. Talbert.
Olivia Corvino, Ph.D. Student, Nutritional Sciences
Olivia was nominated by Jonatan Schmitt ’24 (CAHNR). The following text is excerpted from Jonathan’s nomination.
2024 Mentorship Excellence Award winner Olivia Corvino, Ph.D. student in Nutritional Sciences.
Olivia has also taken a serious interest in orienting my lab work towards my career goals. During the time we have spent together, I have expressed to her that I am using this research opportunity to enhance my understanding of nutritional science, and I don’t see myself working in a lab environment in my career, so the methods and procedures that we follow can feel outside the scope of my nutrition application. I had told this to my Ph.D. students/teachers in the past, but Olivia has most significantly adjusted my lab experience to meet my academic goals. In addition to helping me understand the science behind each step in the procedural research process, Olivia puts significant emphasis on the research analysis conducted at the experiment’s end. She takes timeout of her schedule to ensure that I have a complete understanding of how the factors we implemented influenced the outcome. I will often ask long open-ended questions to further my understanding, and Olivia remains patient, connecting all the dots in my head until I feel satiated. She has helped to orient me to the different types of nutrition research which has helped me better understand where in this world of research I belong and will be more (or less) fulfilled. Her genuine care for my progress is evident in every interaction, and I feel incredibly fortunate to have such a dedicated mentor by my side.
Congratulations to the 2024 award recipients! The Office of Undergraduate Research thanks the undergraduate students who nominated their faculty and graduate student mentors as well as the Peer Research Ambassadors who served on this year’s selection committee.
Emma Beard ’24 Major: Molecular & Cell Biology; Minor: Physiology & Neurobiology 2023-24 OUR Peer Research Ambassador
My Journey:
Most of all, I believe that my undergraduate journey has taught me the value of patience, resilience, and exploration. Starting college in the middle of a pandemic was an incredibly difficult experience. I came to UConn with goals of what I wanted to achieve as an undergraduate and felt frustrated when reaching those goals felt impossible. I knew in high school that I wanted to be involved in undergraduate research, but with the pandemic keeping campus closed, that goal was put on hold. Once campus opened up again, I had a hard time finding a lab to join on-campus, and began to worry that, as I approached the halfway point of my undergraduate studies, it would be harder for me to find a lab willing to spend the time to train me.
Luckily, I was able to join the Health Research Program the summer after my sophomore year, which has had an incredible impact on my growth as a researcher. I would not have been able to have this opportunity without the experience of my first two years. If I had joined a lab at Storrs, I would never have gotten to learn about the fascinating research at UConn Health. Even if I had joined the HRP one year earlier, I might not have met my research mentor. By waiting until after my sophomore year, I had the opportunity to take courses in cell biology, a part of the MCB major I was initially disinterested in, and discover my enthusiasm for the subject. I have now been a member of the Department of Cell Biology at UConn Health for two years! Continue reading →
In my previous blog post “Tips for Starting an Independent Research Project”, I provided advice on developing a self-driven research project. While the pursuit of independent projects is undeniably valuable, the reality for many undergraduate students seeking research involves participation in collaborative research. Solo projects need funding and resources, which can be hard to obtain alone. Collaborative projects often offer more accessible routes into research, leveraging existing resources and established teams. This could be through a research lab or joining a professor’s ongoing study. In this blog, I will explore key tips for successful collaborative research projects, drawing from personal experiences and lessons learned.Continue reading →
Looking back at the last three years, I can say with confidence that research is one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had during my time at UConn—it’s been an incredible opportunity to dive into my field and understand the scientific process up close. However, I’ve also learned that it’s often a difficult, grinding process rife with setbacks and failures. Although it can be deeply satisfying to finally establish a protocol or collect a set of results after months of hard work, it’s equally true that a lot of the time, you feel like you’re on a long road to nowhere. Even as someone who really enjoys research most of the time, there have certainly been occasions where I’ve put my head down on the bench questioning my life decisions! Whenever I’m struck with that feeling, it helps me a lot to think about where it’s coming from. With that, let’s talk about some reasons why you might be feeling down about your research right now and what you can do to pull yourself out of it.Continue reading →
Engaging in research as an undergraduate student can lead to wanting to pursue research as a career, which comes in the form of a Ph.D. for many students. This path was true for me as my experiences as an undergraduate research assistant, SHARE (Social Sciences Humanities and Arts Research Experience) apprentice, and IDEA Grant Recipient have shaped my career goals. Once I realized I wanted to further explore research by getting a Ph.D., I embarked on the journey of applying.
When I was applying, I had many questions, but I didn’t always know who to ask because I didn’t know many people who had been through the process. However, those people who I did know were invaluable resources, as they had first-hand experience and could give me great tips and advice when going through all stages, from researching programs to interviewing.
If you’ve just started thinking about getting a Ph.D. or if you’re about to go to your first interview, I hope the tips below can help you out with the application process. Continue reading →
Almost four years ago, I began my journey at UConn pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering. Like many aspiring engineers, I knew that I had chosen a difficult major. At the time, I was excited by the challenge and eager to prove myself in my chosen field. I knew the next four years would be filled with learning and growth opportunities, and I was excited to overcome the challenges associated with this degree.
What I could not anticipate at the time was how all-consuming my academics would become. I felt like all I had time for, day and night, was school. Wake-up, go to class, come home, do homework and study well into the evening, go to bed late, wake-up the next day. Rinse and repeat, day-in and day-out. Weekends? What better way to spend a Saturday afternoon than studying at the library? Continue reading →
If you’ve read my bio, you know that I am a pre-medical student studying Molecular and Cell Biology. This part of my UConn story aligns with my described research experience: an undergraduate research assistant in Dr. Caroline Dealy’s laboratory at UConn Health and co-president of UConn Pre-Medical Society. However, my UConn journey does not end there.
After being in a STEM laboratory for 2 years, I decided to swim into uncharted waters and pursue non-STEM research, something your typical pre-medical student might not do. I also have an individualized major in Health Policy and Racial Disparities which provoked my current research exploring the experiences of individuals with disabilities in South India through UConn’s BOLD Women’s Leadership Network and a preventative screening volunteer for UConn Health Leaders.
How did I get here, and more importantly, why did I step outside the typical pre-med path?Continue reading →
Presenting your work is one of the most important skills a researcher can learn. One of the best ways to practice this skill and share your work with a large audience is attending a research conference. I had the opportunity to present my research at Cell Bio 2023, the American Society for Cell Biology’s annual meeting, in Boston this past December. Getting to present a poster at such a large conference was an incredible experience, but there were a few things I wish I had known going into the meeting that I hope others can learn from to make the most of their conference participation!
1. Know your audience, especially when they are familiar with your field
This point may seem self-explanatory, but it was something I was unprepared for. Before Cell Bio 2023, I had only ever presented my research at poster sessions for UConn undergraduates like Frontiers. These events helped me develop skills in designing posters (maybe link https://ugradresearch.uconn.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/323/2014/02/Poster-Preparation.pdf) and speaking about my research (maybe link https://ugradresearch.uconn.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/323/2014/02/Poster-Prepare-Yourself.pdf), but since Frontiers is open to all fields of research, the way I presented was tailored to an audience less familiar with cell biology.
National or international conferences usually have a more specific focus. Cell biology is a very broad field, so not everyone was familiar with my research, but I was very excited to have a few people who worked in similar areas visit my poster! The only problem was that I had only practiced one version of my presentation that was geared towards a general cell biology audience. Whenever I gave this talk to someone in a similar field, they had many specific questions at the end that I likely could have addressed during the presentation if I had known their background. I think it would be helpful to get to know more about the people visiting the poster first to get a sense of their background, and also practice including or omitting specific details in the presentation based on each person’s research interests. Continue reading →
You’ve probably been told hundreds of times how important it is to maintain positive connections with others. Whether it be your academic, social, or professional life, there are always events you can attend that help you meet others with similar aspirations. Getting to a venue on time isn’t too hard to do. What happens when you get there? Who do you talk to if you don’t know anyone? These are all normal questions that may be in your mind as you begin to learn how to network.
I have come to enjoy attending networking events with others who have similar goals or experiences to myself. Last spring, I attended the New England Political Science Association’s annual conference to present my Holster Scholar project. Being one of the only undergraduates in attendance, I was nervous that I wouldn’t have anyone to converse with. After a few attempts, I found my own way of conversing with professors and students alike. Since then, I have grown much more comfortable networking at most events. I was not born with networking skills. Instead, I have pushed myself out of my comfort zone to practice. Not only have I gotten better at networking, but I have also built a strong support system around me which has given me new professional opportunities. Without starting a conversation with others, I may not have some of the positions I do now. Continue reading →
URL:https://events.uconn.edu/live/json/v2/events/response_fields/location,summary/date_format/%25F%20%25j,%20%25Y/group/Office of Undergraduate Research/max/4/
If not explictly stated otherwise, start_date/today and end_date/6 months are implied in the URL.
Lucie Lopez ’24
