REU Site: Lifespan Approaches to Diverse Psychological Science

Duke University, Durham NC

Investigators

Abstract

This project is funded from the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Sites program in the SBE Directorate. It has both scientific and societal benefits, and integrates research and education. The Lifespan Approaches to Diverse Psychological Science REU at Duke University promotes the progress of science by providing underrepresented students with truly unique research experiences using a combination of methodological approaches across the lifespan and across three main areas of psychology: Developmental, Social, and Cognitive Neuroscience. This REU supports education and diversity by training underrepresented students in every aspect of psychological research. REU students will work with diverse groups of research scholars, all committed to recruiting, training, and conducting research with underrepresented groups. The primary goal of this REU is to provide underrepresented students with the skills, socialization, connection, and continuity they need to begin developing a scholar-researcher identity. During this 10-week REU, students will get hands-on experience conducting experimental and observational research in addition to individually-tailored academic writing and graduate school application preparatory sessions. Students will participate in weekly lab meetings, small group meetings, various professional development trainings, and one-on-one sessions with their mentors in addition to meeting with other Duke undergraduates and faculty. Attendance at weekly research talk series will also expose students to other types of psychological science methods and researchers. Students will also have the opportunity to attend and/or present at national professional conferences. Since the program’s goal is to enhance underrepresented students’ research experiences to increase the number of diverse students who enter Ph.D. programs, students from underrepresented backgrounds inclusive of first-generation student status will be given priority consideration. Through this experience, REU students will gain the skills and support network they will need to succeed in graduate school, all while enhancing and diversifying psychological science along the way. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.