Categories
Office of Engaged Learning Office of Engaged Learning – Research Student Academic Engagement & Success

Undergraduate Research Student Spotlight: Tran Lam

By Diana Bautista Hernandez, Student Media Assistant for OEL

Transportation inefficiencies have a major impact on both the environment and business profitability. Tran Lam, a senior Computer Science and Data Science major, is tackling these challenges as an Undergraduate Research Assistant. Under the mentorship of Dr. Eli Olinick in the Department of Operations Research and Engineering Management (OREM), Tran is working on mathematical modeling of network flow to develop faster, more scalable algorithms for solving large, complex routing problems in transportation. This is no simple task for a student. In an interview with Tran, she shares her experiences, challenges, and the goals she aspires to achieve through her work.

What inspired you to do research? 

Research offers a unique opportunity to dive deeper into topics that genuinely interest me, beyond just what’s covered in classes. Instead of passively absorbing information, I get to engage directly with complex problems and try out different approaches. It’s a more dynamic way of learning where I’m not confined to fixed curriculum but can ask my own questions and find my own answers. It allows me to ask questions, get direct feedback, and refine my thinking. This hands-on experience helps me build critical thinking and problem-solving skills that are valuable in any career path I choose later.

What types of support do you receive from your mentors?

They offered new perspective on tackling the problem, suggesting different methods and approaches that I hadn’t considered before. For instance, they guided me on using specific optimization techniques and shared insights from their own experiences working on related problems in logistics. This helped me refine my algorithms and improve the efficiency of my solution. Overall, their feedback and expertise played a key role in shaping the direction of my research and pushing it to higher level.

What do you hope people take away from your research? 

Through my research, I hope to demonstrate a practical approach to optimizing the profitability of backhaul trips, which is a critical aspect of logistics that often gets overlooked (a “backhaul trip” refers to the return journey of a vehicle carrying goods or cargo after completing a delivery). My goal is to show that even small improvements in planning backhaul routes can lead to significant gains in efficiency and profit for logistics and delivery companies. On a larger scale, I hope this work encourages industry professionals and researchers to explore new and creative strategies for reducing empty travel time and making the most out of every trip. Ultimately, I want my research to serve as a stepping stone for future innovations in logistics optimization, helping companies reduce costs, increase sustainability, and improve overall service quality.

What advice would you give to students interested in research but feeling intimidated?

I’d say that feeling intimidated is completely normal, especially if it’s your first time considering research. The biggest thing I’ve learned is that research isn’t about knowing everything from the start; it’s about the willingness to learn, experiment and adapt. My advice would be to embrace curiosity. Don’t hesitate to ask questions, no matter how simple they may seem. It’s surprising how much you can learn just having open conversation about your ideas. Additionally, don’t be afraid to fail or make mistakes. I’ve learned that research is about finding what doesn’t work just as much as find what does. Even the setbacks are valuable because they help refine your approach.

For someone new to research, what’s the first step to take?

The first step is to find a topic that you’re genuinely curious about. Don’t worry if it’s not a groundbreaking idea right away, what matters is that it’s something you are excited to learn more about. Once you have a topic, start by doing some basic reading or literature review to understand what’s already been done in that area. This will help you identify gaps or question that you might want to explore further. Also, don’t be afraid to start small. Pick a specific problems or questions that you can tackle and build from there. The research process can seem daunting at first but taking that initial step with clear focus will give you a strong foundation on growing your skills and confidence.

Categories
Office of Engaged Learning Office of Engaged Learning – Research University Foundations

Successful pilot of First Year Research Experience

This fall, the Office of Engaged Learning successfully piloted the First Year Research Experience. This program is aimed at engaging high-achieving students who are interested in research but not affiliated with an honors or scholar group.

Fourteen students joined the initial cohort. They took the FYRE course (UNIV 1102) together and worked as research assistants under faculty mentors:

  • Dr. Matthew Boulanger (Anthropology)
  • Dr. Courtney Brown (Creative Computation)
  • Dr. John Buynak (Chemistry)
  • Dr. Maria Langlois and Dr. Milica Mormann (Marketing)
  • Dr. Monnie McGee (Statistics and Data Science)
  • Dr. Christopher Roos and Dr. Kacy Hollenback (Anthropology)
  • Dr. Janille Smith-Colin (Civil and Environmental Engineering)
FYRE class meeting faculty mentors
The FYRE class: students meeting their mentors for the first time

The FYRE class, taught by Dr. Jennifer Ebinger and Dr. Adam Scott Neal, gave students a deeper understanding of the research process through activities and discussions that centered around the mentors’ research. For their final project, each student produced a 3-minute presentation that explained their mentor’s research questions and the methods they used during the semester.

Dr. Caitlin Anderson, Chair and Teaching Associate Professor of University Foundations, attended the final presentations. She said, “It’s clear that the students learned so much through their research experience, as they each had a solid command of the material. I’m looking forward to continuing this partnership [with the Office of Engaged Learning] in future terms!”

For Qien Shensun, who is pursuing statistics and computer science majors, one of the best parts of the class was the panel discussions, “where researchers shared their experiences and insights. They highlighted important aspects of research that I had previously overlooked, such as the influence of pressures, financial constraints, and how these factors can shape a research project’s process and outcomes.”

Qien gained a lot of practical skills in her research with Dr. Brown. “In our Dinosaur Choir project, we had to build and connect various components, including a mouth-tracking camera, sound amplification devices, and the main control screen. . . . I learned how to systematically troubleshoot each piece of equipment, as every device has its own unique and efficient debugging method.”

Sohom Patel, a civil engineering major, is enjoying the FYRE experience. He says, “I loved getting to meet people that were interested in research as a freshman . . . Something interesting I learned from class was all the different types of people and personalities everyone has and how that can drive research as well as relationships.”

The faculty mentors have been impressed with the calibre of these students. Dr. Maria Langlois said, “my FYRE student, Ariadne [Aramayo Abusada], embraced this opportunity wholeheartedly. Her curiosity, adaptability, and eagerness to learn have made working with her a truly rewarding experience as we explore the complexities of consumer behavior and decision-making in research together.”

This first FYRE cohort will continue working with their mentors this spring. OEL is also welcoming a second cohort of students who will be taking the class this spring. Dr. Leanne Ketterlin-Geller (Education Policy and Leadership) and Dr. Brett Story (Civil and Environmental Engineering) will be among the new faculty mentors joining the program.

Categories
News Office of Engaged Learning Office of Engaged Learning – Research

2024 Fall Research Symposium

Join us for the 2024 Fall Research Symposium on Wednesday, October 30, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. in the Hughes-Trigg Student Center. Enjoy light refreshments and hear presentations from our talented student researchers. All are welcome—come support and celebrate student research at SMU!

Schedule

Room 120 Room 121
4:00 Regina Moreno Vera
4:15 Shriya Siddhartha Marc Pham
4:30 Alexis Schroeder Laurens Gijsbertsen
4:45 Simon Gonzalez Ashley Pitts
5:00 Sara Beth Becker Rachel Mannon
5:15 James Martin Taylor Shimizu
5:30 Genevieve Soucek Aguer Atem
5:45 Mustafa Haque Mereya Sanchez
6:00 Sahar Khan Brianna Freshwater
6:15  Vivian Thai Jane Liu
6:30 Tessa Peterson Alyssa Pfieffer
6:45 Jerry Ma

 

Presenters

Atem Aguer (McNair Scholar). Mentor: Jill Kelly. Turning Pages: Examining the Influence of International Aid on Educational Migration from South Sudan to Kenya.

Sara Beth Becker (Maguire Fellowship). Mentor: Kelly McKowen. To Be Seen: Visibility as Praxis in a Neoliberal Age and the Place of Not Knowing.

Brianna Freshwater (Engaged Learning Fellow). Mentor: Kara Sutton and Sondra Barringer. The Racialized Nature of Advanced Placement in Minority White Schools.

Laurens Gijsbertsen (Caruth Institute for Entrepreneurship). Mentor: Simon Mak. Applying Alternative Asset Investment Models to Digital Assets.

Simon Gonzales (Maguire Fellow). Mentor: Nelly Myers. Addiction, Recovery, Yoga and Kinship from Dallas to San Antonio.

Mustafa Haque (Engaged Learning Starter Award). Mentor: Janille Smith-Colin. Stakeholder Engagement in Civil Infrastructure Envision Projects.

Sahar Khan (Hamilton Scholar). Mentor: Dr. Amy Brewster. A role for complement C3 in modulating neuroimmune interactions in epilepsy.

Jane Liu (Hamilton Scholar). Mentor: Alexander Lippert. Synthesis Steps Towards Monoamine Oxidase Chemiluminescent Probe.

Rachel Mannon (Engaged Learning Fellow). Mentor: Peter Kupfer. A Voice for the Wilderness.

James Martin (Maguire Ethics Center). Mentor: Steve Long. For the Bible Tells Me So: 20th century Evangelical Epistemology.

Regina Moreno Vera (Hamilton Scholar). Mentor: Dr. Glasscock. Unlocking Genetic Potential: Investigating Discrepancies in Neurodevelopmental Disjunction within epileptic and Ataxic models.

Tessa Peterson (Hamilton Scholar). Mentor: James Hollifield. Handbook on Migration and Human Rights.

Categories
News Office of Engaged Learning Office of Engaged Learning – Research Student Academic Engagement & Success

OEL welcomes new Engaged Learning Fellows

This fall, the Office of Engaged Learning awarded 13 students the Engaged Learning Fellowship (ELF). Each student received up to $2,500 to support their capstone projects. Please join us in congratulating these recipients!

Hala Arnouk ’25
Public Response to Authoritarian Regimes in the Middle East
Mentor: Hiroki Takeuchi (Political Science)

Aguer Atem ’25
Turning Pages: Examining the Influence of International Aid on Educational Migration from South Sudan to Kenya
Mentor: Jill Kelly (History)

Na’Ni Caliste ’25
Undergraduate College Student Acceptance Rate of Bisexuality in Their Own and Other’s Romantic Relationships
Mentor: Dustin Grabsch (Assistant Provost)

Andrew Castles ’25
X Marks the Spot
Mentor: Devon Smith (Film)

Anna Foweather ’26
The Effect of Academic Lesson Structure on Learning Outcomes for High School Students
Mentor: Sarah Kucker (Psychology)

Meredith Hughes ’25
Undergraduate Students Perspectives on Anti-Obesity Medications: Awareness, Perception, and Attitudes
Mentor: Austin Baldwin (Psychology)

Katy Merchant ’25
A bigger picture of early childhood media exposure: Examining the association between media content and temperament in young children across diverse SES and family structure
Mentor: Sarah Kucker (Psychology)

Jordan Naivar ’26
Take a Break from Social Media PSA Campaign
Mentor: Mark Allen (Advertising)

Swarangi Potdar ’25
what remains… [art exhibition]
Mentor: Ian Grieve (Art)

Mireya Sanchez ’25
Wounds Beyond the Battlefield: The Link Between Sexual Assault and Army Stability
Mentor: Clark Fernando (Sociology)

Vivian Thai ’25
Paths to Parenthood: In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) Narratives from Quy Nhon, Vietnam
Mentor: Elizabeth Berk (Sociology)

Mahima Quazi ’25
Urban Growth and Its Impact on Surface Temperatures: A Case Study of Dallas
Mentor: Xiao Yang (Earth Sciences)

Maddie Wathanacharoen ’25
How Does the Involvement in Dance Classes Influence Self-Confidence of 2nd Grade Students, and in turn, How Does Increased Confidence Impact Their Academic Achievement on Math and Reading Tests?
Mentor: Sarah Kucker (Psychology)

 

Categories
Office of Engaged Learning Office of Engaged Learning – Research

Save the Date: Fall Research Symposium!

The Fall Research Symposium 2024 will take place in the Hughes-Trigg Student Center on Wednesday, October 30, 4-7 p.m.

Each fall, students in select research and service programs are invited to give oral presentations in a miniature professional conference. The programs include: Engaged Learning FellowsSummer Research FellowsCooper McElvaney Peace and Justice FellowsHamilton ScholarsMaguire Public Service FellowsMayer FellowsMcNair ScholarsRichter Fellows, and Tower Scholars.

Register on 360 for reminders

The schedule will be posted soon at smu.edu/fallsymposium

Categories
Office of Engaged Learning Office of Engaged Learning – Research

Lab Hopping returns October 10

The Office of Engaged Learning is hosting the annual Lab Hopping event on Thursday, October 10, 2024, from 4-6 p.m. This event lets students explore open labs and research groups across campus to see how they can get involved.

Please encourage your students to attend! Whether they’re new to research or looking to gain more experience, Lab Hopping is a great way to connect with faculty and peers engaged in scholarly and creative inquiry.

Maps for self-guided tours will be available online, with printed copies outside Clements Hall, Fondren Science, and in the Scholar’s Den. Students can also enter to win a $100 gift card by participating in the QR scavenger hunt.

For more information, visit smu.edu/labhopping.

If your group would like to participate, please contact Adam Neal at asneal@smu.edu.

Categories
News Office of Engaged Learning Office of Engaged Learning – Research

Encourage students to apply for an Engaged Learning Fellowship

Since 2012, SMU has awarded 384 undergraduate students with the Engaged Learning Fellowship (ELF), a prestigious program that provides funding and support for capstone-level projects in research and the arts. Over the years, ELF recipients have conducted innovative projects in more than 20 different countries, truly embodying SMU’s motto “World Changers Shaped Here”.

Recent highlights from the ELF program include:

  • Yvonne Yang ’24 (awarded for her senior film Speculo) is directing Egg Drop Soup, an official selection for SMU Film’s Summer Film Production project. Collaborating with fellow film producers Suniti Bhikshesvaran, Tyler Chapman, and Juan Davalos—who also received ELF awards—this team has brought their vision to life. Read more about their project in this Meadows News article.
  • Anna Kelley Zielke ‘25 created a children’s book that inspires the next generation to embrace pluralism. Watch her interview with the George W. Bush Institute where she shares insights about her project.
  • Gabriella Doan ‘25 was selected to present her research, conducted under the mentorship of Dr. J.C. Chiao, at the Biomedical Engineering Society Conference in Baltimore, MD (October 23-26). Her project, Polypropylene Paper-Based Electrodes with a Voltage Response for pH Sensing, will be showcased at the undergraduate poster session.

Each year, we welcome 25-30 students into the Engaged Learning Fellowship program. The deadlines to apply are: September 15, December 15, February 15, and April 15. For seniors graduating in May, September 15th is the final opportunity to apply.

If you know an undergraduate student working on an exciting project or who is ready to start one, encourage them to apply for an ELF! Students can go to smu.edu/elf for more information.

Categories
News Office of Engaged Learning Office of Engaged Learning – Research Student Academic Engagement & Success

OEL launches pilot program First Year Research Experience (FYRE)

The Office of Engaged Learning is excited to launch a new pilot program, the First Year Research Experience (FYRE). Usually students who are interested in research get involved after getting to know professors, generally in their second or third year. FYRE is a unique opportunity for a limited number of students to get involved in research right away in their first year at SMU.
Students in FYRE will be working as Undergraduate Research Assistants all year, and taking a class this fall. They will assist on a variety of faculty research projects, such as: research on antibiotics for tuberculosis and leprosy with Dr. John Buynak (Chemistry); developing a Smart and Reslient Infrastructure toolkit with Dr. Janille Smith-Colin (Civil and Environmental Engineering); creating instruments and performances for a “dinosaur choir” with Dr. Courtney Brown (Creative Computation).
The FYRE faculty mentors include: Matthew Boulanger, Courtney Brown, John Buynak, Kacy Hollenback, Maria Langlois, Monnie McGee, Milica Mormann, Christopher Roos, Janille Smith-Colin, and Jeanna Wieselmann. Thank you to all the faculty involved with this pilot for taking a chance on these promising first-year students!
Read more about the faculty research projects
The FYRE course, taught by Dr. Jennifer Ebinger and Dr. Adam Scott Neal, will deconstruct the research process and environment. Students will work through exercises to understand their faculty mentor’s research, learn to develop research questions, and work on networking and communication skills.
Categories
Office of Engaged Learning Office of Engaged Learning – Research

Dr. Chrystyna Kouros named Faculty Fellow for Undergraduate Research

The Office of Engaged Learning is excited to announce that Dr. Chrystyna Kouros (Associate Professor of Psychology) will be our new Faculty Fellow for Undergraduate Research programs. She succeeds Dr. David Son (Professor of Chemistry) in this role.

Dr. Kouros has served on the Undergraduate Research Steering Team for several years, and received OEL’s Excellence in Mentoring Award in 2019.

Before joining the SMU faculty in 2011, she completed her B.A. at the University of Chicago, M.A. and Ph.D. at the University of Notre Dame, and was a postdoctoral research fellow at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Kouros’s research focuses on learning about how and why the family environment contributes to couples’, parents’, and children’s mental health. Some of the family processes her lab studies are: marital conflict, parental psychopathology, and helicopter parenting behaviors. Her research involves both families raising typically-developing children and children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.

As Faculty Fellow, Dr. Kouros will lead the Undergraduate Research Steering Team, consisting of faculty and staff from across campus: Brandi Coleman (Assistant Professor of Dance), Dr. Dustin Grabsch (Assistant Provost, General Education), Dr. Carrie Johnston (Director of Research and Scholarly Initiatives, SMU Libraries), Dr. Allison Kanny (Visiting Clinical Assistant Professor, Education Policy and Leadership), Dr. Milica Mormann (Assistant Professor of Marketing), Dr. Eli Olinick (Associate Professor, Operations Research and Engineering Management), and Dr. David Son (Professor of Chemistry).

Categories
Office of Engaged Learning Office of Engaged Learning – Research

A behind-the-scenes look at an SMU psychology lab

headshot of Morgan Schield
Morgan Schield, Undergraduate Research Assistant in Psychology

Written by Morgan Schield ’25

This summer I worked as an Undergraduate Research Assistant in the Health Behavior Lab in SMU’s Department of Psychology. In this lab, we explore various aspects of mental and physical health to see how they affect public health.

My job was to coordinate a study analyzing the effects of guided thinking tasks on physical activity. Dr. Austin Baldwin’s leadership helped me navigate the logistics of the study, and prepared me for future work in a clinical psychology setting. As an undergraduate studying psychology, neuroscience, cognitive science, and biomedical anthropology, as well as a competitive swimmer, I value the benefits of physical activity on brain health. I believe this study is significant to psychology research regarding brain health awareness.

My summer position was funded through the Office of Engaged Learning’s Summer Research Intensive. Through that program, I also attended weekly workshops and lectures. I learned how to generate a research question, conduct a literature review, create an elevator pitch, develop visual representations of data, and perfect resumes and CVs. I am going to be applying for graduate school for a Master’s in clinical psychology soon. These workshops helped me feel much more prepared for the application process. Moreover, hearing from experienced speakers who have undergone the research process, as well as engaging with students conducting research in various fields, enhanced my ability to communicate fascinating concepts in an academic setting.

As a research assistant, I help recruit individuals who will come to our office and do the following: walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes, listen to audio recordings intended to promote physical activity, and fill out questionnaires. The questionnaires assess how well futuristic and imagery tasks improve their motivation. For example, the audio recording asks them to visualize themselves at an event in the future. This hopefully motivates them to exercise now!

After analyzing participants’ data and feedback, we will identify better ways to foster active lifestyles. I am excited to be part of a study that advocates for the wellbeing of society.

My role as an undergraduate psychology research assistant has been inspiring because I have received hands-on experience in groundbreaking research. In a rapidly evolving world, the importance of brain health in relation to physical health is constantly increasing. SMU is dedicated to discovering methods to enhance scientific discovery in all realms. Dr. Baldwin’s research lab and the SRI program helped me be part of something bigger than myself and certainly prepared me for my future career.