Researcher of the Week: Ashley Nunghee Kwon

Tue, 23 Dec 2014 09:03:59 -0500
biological, psychology, scholar, science, ura

Meet Ashley,

She is a Biological Science and a Psychology major. She is also a URA Scholar. She is more involved outside campus than on campus. Outside campus Ashley works with elementary school students and teaches them about science. She also volunteers at the oncology department and is very active in her church. Her ultimate career goal is to become a pediatrician.

How did you find your mentor for your research project?

My mentor for my research was my academic adviser and also my professor when I took plant biology.

How did you know this was the project you wanted to do?

I knew this was the project that I wanted to do after taking plant biology. After taking that class I really wanted to do more research regarding plants.

Is this your first independent research project?

Yes, this is my first independent research

Do you get course credit for this work?

Yes, I get 2 credits per semester

How much time do you put into it?

I don’t know the exact time that I put into the research but during the semester there would be weeks that I stay in lab more than 10 hours.

How did you hear about the Undergraduate Research Award (URA) program?

I heard about the URA program through my mentor.

What academic background did you have before you applied for the URA?

When I applied for the URA I was done with my core biology classes and I was just picking and choosing to take the classes that really interested me such as plant biology and anatomy.

Was the application difficult to do?

It was not difficult to complete the application but it was a bit of a challenge because I did not know exactly how to put the experiment in words in the beginning so there was a lot of editing that needed to be done.

How much did your mentor help you with the application?

My mentor helped me a lot with the application. I also have a graduate student mentor who helps me with my project and she revised it for me 3 times before Dr. Lu got to see it and then she revised it 2 more time before I turned in my application.

What has been the hardest part about your research?

Hardest thing about my research was my lack of experience. Also, there is a lot of tedious work that goes into research and it can be time consuming.

What was the most unexpected thing?

You can never expect to get the exact result that you are looking for. There are going to be times that the result you get is not what you expected it to be and sometimes you won’t know how that result came about.

How does your research relate to your work in other classes?

My research relates to my work in other classes especially because I am done with the courses that relate to my research such as cellular biology and plant biology.

What else are you involved in on campus?

I am more involved outside campus than on campus. Outside campus I work with elementary school students and teach them about science. Also I volunteer at the oncology department and am very active in the church that I attend.

What is your advice to other students about getting involved in research?

Don’t be afraid to ask around! There are a lot of research opportunities especially on our campus so ask your professor about a research position or email professors that you feel best fit your interests. Also don’t be discouraged just because some professors say no, there is definitely a research position for those who look for them.

What are your career goals?

My career goal is to become a pediatrician.

Read her abstract here...