MARYVANG Major | Communication Sciences and Disorders Class of 2023 Research Mentor: Dr. Valerie Freeman Sallisaw, Oklahoma HADLEESHIELDS Major | Biology: Pre-med Class of 2026 Research Mentor: Dr. Allison Dorko Amarillo, Texas How did you begin your research? I was first introduced to research during my second year in college through an Honors add-on course: Deaf Experience, Deaf Expression (DXDX). I was quickly drawn into the field after spending a semester on the DXDX team and through my introduction to research class. I was then accepted into the Ronald E. McNair Scholars program that assists underrepresented students with goals of obtaining doctoral degrees. Through McNair, I grew my interest in research and developed my project under the guidance of my mentor. How has it had an impact on you? I recently received the Student Preparing for Academic and Research Careers Award from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association to fund my research project. I have presented my research at a variety of conferences recently, including the OSU Summer Research Expo and national McNair Scholars Conferences in California, Texas, Maryland and Missouri. I also presented my ongoing DXDX project at the Oklahoma SpeechLanguage-Hearing Association Annual Conference. What are your future plans? After graduating from Oklahoma State University, I plan to attend graduate school to obtain a master’s degree and clinician certifications as a speechlanguage pathologist. In the future, I will continue my research career in a communication sciences and disorders Ph.D. program. How did you begin your research? I knew that I wanted to get into research as soon as possible, but as a freshman, I didn’t know where to start. Then I got an email about a program designed to help first-year research students find a position. I applied to AURCA, interviewed with as many mentors as possible, matched with a mentor and got to work. How has it had an impact on you? I have been working with Dr. Allison Dorko on a study looking at the learning process and how students best learn specific concepts. For example, we have found that students learn the material from lectures but truly begin understanding it when they are doing homework. Giving students more homework would allow them the chance to reinforce what they learned in class. Ultimately, I am looking for ways to improve student success. I helped Dr. Dorko create a poster, which we presented at the Oklahoma-Texas Conference on Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education and the OSU Undergraduate Research Symposium. What are your future plans? I want to become a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine. They take a more holistic approach to medicine, which I really appreciate. I would love to do my part by continuing to do research, as it plays such an important role in medicine. 10 CONNECT 2023
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