Betty Buchanan Dunn '53 University Fellows Endowment Fund

Over the summer, I had the opportunity to work with Dr. Joseph Braimah on a research project titled: “Examining the Social Determinants of Older Adults’ Health in St. Lawrence County.” Through this experience, I strengthened my qualitative research skills in interviewing, transcribing, and coding, and deepened my understanding of the barriers that shape rural health inequities and aging in St. Lawrence County.

This summer I was granted the opportunity to work in the Experimental Analysis of Behavior (EAB) lab under the supervision of Dr. Adam E. Fox, where I began phase one of a multi-phase experiment investigating the effects of experience and maturation on impulsive choice behavior. The experiment looks at delay discounting specifically, with a task that involves repeated choices between smaller, sooner and larger, later rewards.

My summer research looked at the connections between technology and a student’s sense of belongingness in public elementary education. Through a combination of school visits, literature reviews, and reflection on the purposes of early education, I was able to begin developing a framework to think seriously about how schools should use technology with young children.  

The topic of my research is abroad experiences effects on education inequality for pre-health students. This project consists of analyzing pre-health and especially pre-med student’s experiences of participating in a pre-health environment abroad. My research questions are how do health-related international programs and/or lab courses benefit pre-health professions students? And, due to access problems, how do these programs perpetuate inequality in the medical system?