Name: Allie Mann

Internship, Co-op or Research Site: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Minority Health Disparities REU

Position Title: UNL SRP Scholar

Major(s)/Minor(s): Psychology, Gender and Women's Studies

Expected Graduation Year: May 2017

Briefly describe your internship, co-op,  or research opportunity, including your day-to-day tasks, responsibilities, and assignments.

The Summer Research Program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has given me the opportunity to work on my own independent research project for the summer with my mentor, Dr. David DiLillo. At the start of the summer I took a seminar-style class on Exploratory Social Network Analysis for two weeks, and for the remaining eight weeks I worked with my mentor to apply this methodology to my field of psychology. My final project used this new methodology to explore relationships between clusters of risk factors for sexual victimization. At the end of my experience I will have presented my research at the UNL research symposium. Aside from my own research, I had the opportunity to work closely with several graduate students on their own ongoing studies, some of my tasks included data coding, data cleaning, and attending lab meetings.

Describe the process of obtaining your internship, research, or co-op opportunity.

I started my search for a summer research experience on the research page on myUMBC. From there I started an extensive internet search and compiled a list of about 20 programs that I could apply to. The materials I needed in my application included a resume, personal statement, and unofficial transcript. I used the career services center to help me review my resume, and I recruited a professor in my field to help me draft a personal statement. There was no interview required for the program at UNL, but several other programs on my list did require a phone interview.

What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization/company?

I have really enjoyed the opportunity to work independently and really get involved in the research process. I want to pursue a career in research, so this was really a good taste of what that is really all about. Also, the program did a lot of preparation for graduate school, which makes the daunting process of applying seem more attainable! 

How do you believe you have made an impact through your work?

Sexual assault is an epidemic in the United States. My research was about understanding the relationships between symptoms of sexual victimization. Understanding these relationship can have serious impacts on treatment and intervention for survivors. The relationship that I found has stirred discussion about more thorough research in the lab in the future, which will help women and men who have survived various forms of sexual assault get the help that they need.

What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience?

Start early! Don't be intimidated, all types of students can get these experiences.

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