Chemistry Invited Faculty Seminar
Friday, October 25 at 3:45 PM in HPA1 112
Please note the room
Dr. Katelyn Cooper
Assistant Professor
Biology Department, UCF
Host: Christopher Randles
Factors that Predict Student Persistence in Research:
From Lab Environment to Mental Health
Abstract
Anxiety and depression are top mental health concerns among undergraduates and have been shown to disproportionately affect individuals who are underserved and underrepresented in science. Therefore, as we aim to create a more inclusive undergraduate scientific community, we need to examine the relationship between anxiety, depression, and undergraduate research.
In this talk, I will discuss the results of a national survey of 768 undergraduate researchers majoring in the life sciences from 25 research-intensive (R1) institutions that explored students’ experiences with anxiety in undergraduate research. I will also present a national interview study of 35 undergraduate researchers with depression from 12 R1 institutions. In these two studies, we identified that students’ research anxiety significantly predicted their intent to pursue a scientific research career. We also identified factors that alleviate and exacerbate students’ anxiety and depression in undergraduate research. Finally, I will present a set of strategies to help research mentors create more inclusive environments for undergraduate researchers with anxiety and depression.