REU Site: Mind, Brain, Body and Behavior

Emory University, Atlanta GA

Investigators

Abstract

This project is funded from the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Sites program in the Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE) and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (ASSURE) Program. Psychology is the science of behavior and application of the resulting knowledge to help solve individual and societal problems. The current lack of scientists from diverse backgrounds hinders innovation and problem-solving in the field. The MB3 Program at Emory University will address this issue by providing mentorship, research training, and early career support to undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds. MB3 will focus on students who would like to pursue interdisciplinary graduate training in psychology but lack resources at their home institution. Specifically, this REU program will (a) identify undergraduate students from underrepresented backgrounds across the nation who are at institutions without psychology graduate training programs to (b) be trained by leading experts, in completing interdisciplinary psychological research from start to finish, and (c) help prepare them for graduate level training and psychology related careers. The goal of the MB3 Program is to increase the diversity of perspectives on important individual and societal problems that we look to solve as a field by creating a pipeline of talented and diverse undergraduate students to become the next generation of psychologists. Each year, 10 junior or senior undergraduate students will be selected to participate in a year-long, paid research experience to work with a mentor to execute a research project in one of four areas (i.e., developmental, cognitive and computational, behavioral and systems neuroscience, and clinical science). During the Spring Workshop, students engage in a 10-week virtual seminar to learn about the program mentors, the basics of conducting research, and refine their interests. Upon completion of the Spring Workshop, students begin their 10-week, in-person summer research program at Emory University with their assigned mentor. During this period students engage full-time in research and professional development activities. By the end of this hands-on experience, students will have produced an interdisciplinary, basic science research project. Topics include the genetics influences of compulsive behaviors, biological mechanisms of social behavior in rodents, primate models of auditory cognitive control, and human adjustment and resilience, to name a few. Students will build competency in research methods, data science, ethics, and career development. During the Fall Workshop, the final phase of the program, students will meet with their mentor virtually to build strong graduate school applications. Overall, these opportunities will build capacity in behavioral science by increasing the number of psychological scientists from diverse backgrounds. This site is supported by the Department of Defense ASSURE program in partnership with the NSF REU program. 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.