Through the University Research Scholars Program (URSP), I was able to take a Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) course in Spring 2021 titled An Ounce of Prevention. This course introduced to preventative science within the Family, Youth, and Community Sciences Department. I explored the history of preventative science, different social theories and frameworks, and how to apply this knowledge to real-world scenarios. Alongside fantastic faculty mentors and two other peers, I designed a research project and presented my findings at the 2021 Spring Undergraduate Research Symposium.
Conducting Research
After sessions of group brainstorming, my research group decided to research whether variables of financial literacy were statistically significant by gender and/or ethnicity. Along with help from Dr. Larry Forthun and Katherine Vasquez, we read backgrounds on types of statistics tests and used Chi Square analysis on SPSS software. The weekly sessions with our mentors were highly interactive and allowed me to think critically, evaluating dozens of numbers, figures, and values to translate statistics into evidence-based conclusions and societal implications. Soon enough, we organized our information onto a virtual presentation board, wrote an abstract, and submitted our project to the 2021 Spring Undergraduate Research Symposium.
Presentation at the Symposium
To be honest, I was extremely nervous to present my results to the public especially among upperclassmen and professionals in the field. This poster represented my group's hard work throughout the semester that we put hours into. However, when the moment came, I confidently found myself answering every question that came my way during the Q&A session. During the symposium, multiple individuals left encouraging comments on our presentation and we received a 5/5 star rating! Reading the appreciation from first-generation students at UF for researching a topic applicable to them was inspiring and heartwarming. I look forward to my next presentation at the Undergraduate Research Symposium.
The link to our research presentation website, including our abstract, can be found here.
Long-Term Implications
Researching societal disparities was very enjoyable and represented the beginning of my academic career. This course changed my perspective of what "research" can be defined as, and introduced me to my passion for undergraduate research. I plan on continuing research next semester and expanding into the College of Medicine with Dr. David Ostrov.
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