Arielle Hershkovich, REU Class of 2020
“My experience with the REU program has been enlightening, educational, and most enjoyable. I was given the opportunity to work with Faigy Mandelbaum, an incredible research mentor who went above and beyond what was necessary for the program, and invested so much of her time and energy into research mentoring as well as offering general advice and information about applying to and being a part of a clinical psychology graduate program. From her, I got to learn first-hand what it means to be a dedicated graduate student who is not bound by anything, and who creates opportunities to learn and to contribute to the world of research. I was also privileged to learn from and work with the rest of the undergraduates in the program- eleven highly motivated, ambitious students. We took classes together and supported each other in our pursuit of research, and I thoroughly enjoyed our conversations and time spent together. The courses were enlightening and interesting as well, and provided us with an opportunity to learn from highly educated individuals, as well as to bounce ideas off one another and broaden our perspectives together. I believe that aside from these research and experiential gains, the REU program reinforced my decision to apply for clinical psychology PhD programs, since the program provided me with a true taste of the type of research I would get to pursue in the future. I am grateful to Dr. Laura Rabin for inviting me to join the program, and I hope others will continue to get the same incredible opportunity that was afforded to me, to help them along their graduate school journey.”
Linda Nisanova, REU Class of 2020
“REU gave me a unique experience and opened up the door for me into the realm of research. As I am applying to graduate schools now for my PhD in clinical psychology, I definitely think that REU gave me an upper hand. I had a chance to conduct research with my professor and saw how actual researchers work in a real-life setting. The professors from REU really helped me not only learn more about myself as a researcher, but also pushed me to conduct research worth presenting. I recently presented at the NEPA (North England Psychological Association) conference. My study was under the mentorship of Dr Yana Kuchirko. We focused on the interplay between culture and friendship formation in young children, primarily 2-year old’s. Using a data pool of African American, Mexican, and Dominican mothers, we evaluated what the mother’s assumed to be a “good” or “bad” friend for their children, as well as what actions they took to help their children make friends. Most mothers, we found, relied on daycares or schools to socialize their children. We also found that mothers emphasized that a “good” friend is one that teaches good morals and behaviors, while a “bad” friend is one that emphasized bad morals or violence. Of course, COVID made this experience harder than it should have been. It really shook up the schedule that I made to juggle classes and research time however, the output was amazing. I learned so much about coding, ethics, as well as how to use different software beyond a classroom setting! I would highly suggest this experience for anyone interested in psychological research and am proud to have been a member of the REU.“
Lilly Leggard, REU Class of 2019
“This program had many benefits like gaining first-hand research experience, learning statistics and neuroscience concepts and building strong relationships with mentors, instructors and other students. But apart from those, there is one thing I’ve taken away that is very special to me. I’ve gained so much more confidence. The idea of conducting my own research and presenting in front of judges was daunting. But after loads of hard work, learning experiences and support from everyone helping me along the way, I was able to improve my interpersonal and presentation skills. This will translate into everything I do. No matter what path I decide to take, I will always remember this. I will continue to try new things, take new opportunities, and do my best to learn, grow and remain confident.”
Ana Lakshin, REU Class of 2018
“I was part of REU’s 2018 cohort with Rose (coordinator), Alla (statistics), Zach (journal club) and last but not least, John (neuroscience). My experience was great thanks to these wonderful instructors and amazing group of peers that I would not have gotten to meet otherwise. Together we worked through the semester discovering what science is about and watching each other grow. Every week we would share what the previous one had taught us and discuss our projects’ status as well as future plans. Overall it was an unforgettable experience that provided priceless lessons and much needed insight into the world of experimental psych. ”
Zoren Degtyarev, REU Class of 2017
“For someone who was interested in pursuing a PhD degree, but had zero research experience I found REU program to be an extremely valuable experience. The program curriculum is very well organized and provides exactly the training you need to succeed as a researcher or a graduate student. The faculty in the program are not only very knowledgeable but also make the program curriculum very interesting and interactive. One of my favorite parts of the program, was attending scientific colloquiums conducted by the leading scientists in various fields of research ranging from psychological, biological, or medical. Not only colloquiums were very interesting, but also very helpful in understanding how scientific research is actually presented to the public. Once I was selected to the program I was paired with my advisor Dr. Gao and assigned to the Psychophysiology lab. With Dr. Gao’s help and close supervision I got an opportunity to work on my own emotion categorization project, which concluded in a poster presentation at the end of the program. By working closely with other research assistants and graduate students in the lab I got a sense of how a research lab is organized and how it operates. Working alongside other REU students, I also learned about research conducted in other labs. After the completion of the REU program, I was invited to stay in the Psychophysiology lab, where I currently continue to work under the supervision of Dr. Gao. I also got an opportunity to join a second lab upon my completion of the REU program, the Psychophysics lab, where I work closely with other research assistants and my supervisors Professor Alla Chavarga and Professor Israel Abramov. Because of my experiences in the REU program, I was inspired to pursue a graduate degree. Currently, as a graduate student I continue to work and advance my research skills in the Psychophysics and Psychophysiology labs as a research assistant. I strongly recommend REU program to anyone who is interested in gaining valuable research skills as well as anyone who is interested in pursuing a graduate degree.”
Maya Baldwin, REU class of 2017
“Just over a year ago I decided to leave my 10-year career in arts administration to become an experimental psychologist. I enrolled at Brooklyn College as a second-degree student and dove into my classes, not only to fulfill prerequisites for grad school applications but also to learn as much as possible. I knew I wanted to be a scientist and I was making strides, yet I still felt like I was posing. I didn’t feel like a part of the scientific community and I struggled to believe in the reality of my new career path. It seemed like there was some crucial information that everyone else knew but I couldn’t access. My whole outlook changed when one of my professors recommended that I apply to the REU program and I got in. Suddenly I was amongst peers who were incredibly smart and engaged, and also struggled with uncertainty about how to advance to the next level. Through the REU seminars we learned not only about neuroscience topics, neurobiology, social psychology, and statistics, we also learned about ethics, the state of psychological research in general, and how to get into grad school. I attended scientific colloquia and felt a sense of purpose while being there. I was welcomed into a lab and received training in running experiments and data cleaning and analysis. I was trained in HD-tDCS and stimulated people’s brains! Ph.D. students from my lab gave presentations on their own research and I learned about their experience in academia. All that invaluable information combined with the various opportunities to present research myself was the crucial information I was searching for. An added bonus from the program was learning from and getting to know the instructors and my fellow REU students. We had a great time, which helped alleviate the stress from all of the work involved. The challenging yet supportive atmosphere of the program has given me clarity and confidence that I am thankful to have as I prepare to go to grad school in the fall.”
Kayla Talbot, REU Class of 2016
“As an REU scholar, I worked diligently throughout the semester with my mentor, a Brooklyn College psychology professor, Dr. Jacob Shane. Through Dr. Shane, I explored a new area of research, lifespan development. He allowed me to put my own spin into the research we conducted. As a pre-med student, I am very interested in people’s health, and how it is affected and changes across the lifespan. Dr. Shane and I put both of our interests together and looked at how engagement with health and perceived control over health impact overall health quality. At times the workload made my head want to explode; learning about multilevel modeling and how to code in order to use the statistical program STATA, and sifting through thousands of questions in order to create a statistical model that best fit our research question. Despite these tribulations, I learned so much. All of the work was worth it when the final poster was printed and I was able to stand up at Brooklyn College Science Day proud of the work my mentor and I had accomplished. I recommend that all students apply to an REU program of their interest because you are bound to learn more than you can imagine.”
Rose Bergdoll, REU Class of 2016
“I am grateful for the opportunity I was given to participate in this transformative program. In just a few months, I gained research and professional skills, confidence, and a sense of belonging in the science community of Brooklyn College. As an REU student, I took courses taught by graduate students, which increased my knowledge of statistics, neuroscience, journal article reading, research ethics, and APA writing. The classroom environment was relaxed, and supportive, more like an intimate colloquium than a lecture. I actually looked forward to my classes, where we would discuss course content, research ideas, issues, and anything else psychology/neuroscience/biology/statistics related. Our teachers/mentors made themselves available to answer questions and help with all facets of research. All students received constant feedback from peers and mentors, which made me feel like I wasn’t alone in the daunting world of neuroscience research. I loved being part of such a small and driven group where I was treated like an adult and trusted to work independently on assigned projects. One of the most important skills I learned was how to create and present a scientific poster, an art form and necessary research skill that I look forward to refining. I worked closely with my mentor, Dr. Laura Rabin on a study examining relationships between academic self-efficacy, academic achievement, and possible related factors in undergraduate statistics students. I presented our findings at Brooklyn College Science Day. Dr. Rabin also allowed me to work on other projects of interest in her lab, including a study involving gamification of an undergraduate statistics lab, an intervention intended to increase academic motivation and interest in psychology statistics. I was allowed to help create another poster and present with my team of graduate students, at CUNY Graduate Center Research Day. Like many REU students, my mentor has allowed me to continue working in her lab where I am constantly developing new skills that will make me a stronger candidate for a graduate program in clinical psychology.”
Amanda Baladi, REU Class of 2015
“Like many students in the CUNY system, my college career path was anything but linear. I took two years off and worked full-time in order to support myself through school. As soon as I returned, I realized that I had previously done myself a disservice by not taking advantage of every opportunity that college had to offer. Oftentimes I was not even aware of the opportunities available. My return to school involved a new me: a student who actively participated in class discussions, met with professors to discuss concepts and concerns during office hours, attended panel discussions, signed up for notifications from advisement offices, and applied to competitive and challenging scholarships.
I realized that the most important lessons to be learned while in school are not necessarily in the classroom during a lecture. Students gain the most through active participation. When I received an email from my school’s service board (that I had thankfully registered with!) regarding the Brooklyn College Neuroscience REU program, I knew I had to apply. The program promised to provide intensive course and lab work under the guidance of a mentor within the psychology department, and the program did not disappoint.
The program allowed me to begin working with Dr. Cheryl Carmichael in January 2015. We met to discuss the nature of a study design, my level of comfort with it, and ways to improve upon it. I was able to perfect my own working protocol for my study, update questionnaires for my study, and run study sessions through the semester. With the guidance of my mentor and my own desire to fully embody the role of researcher, I was able to seamlessly transition into a study coordinator. The beauty of the REU program at Brooklyn College is that it allows for individual growth and development with a sturdy foundation of support from your mentor, peers, and the REU coordinators.
Now that the program is over, I am eternally grateful for all that I have struggled through, all that I have overcome, and all my accomplishments. Growth truly does come from overcoming challenges, and I am glad that this program provided the push necessary for me to adapt to a new role. The REU program is a welcome challenge for all undergraduate students who wish to discover what the role of researcher entails, and how a graduate class setting operates.”
