The Undergraduate Research Assistants Program (URAP) is a program where students work one on one with a faculty member on a research project together. Students apply their senior year of high school and can work on their research program for four years. Ann Shreckhise is a senior who entered the program her freshmen year. She applied to work with Dr. Rearick on a project named Understanding the Choices We Make: A Psychological, Physiological and Kinematic Examination of Human Motion.
Ann says she has been able to incorporate her studies across disciplines to ask questions from different perspectives and analyze data in new ways. Using her backgrounds from biology and psychology she has been able to further her research.
Ann’s favorite part of URAP is:
“The student-faculty interactions that result from working one on one with a professor over the course of four years has made my research experience an incredible endeavor. As an undergraduate, I did not expect to have the opportunity to develop my own questions while working alongside a faculty member. Particularly, attending conferences where I am able to present my research and learn about others’ has been a highlight during my time as a URAP student.”
When asked if incoming/current students should do research, Ann says:
“Absolutely get involved in research! Even if you are not sure what you want to study, get involved with a professor’s lab. It’s the best way to figure out what you are interested in.”