This panel will offer a comprehensive overview of the key stages of research through multidisciplinary project presentations, highlighting the processes and activities at each step of interacting with research data. Fevronia revised a method for data collection via interactive online tasks to support a study on contributing factors for holding racial essentialist beliefs. Jenelle worked on collecting data this summer at Somneuro Lab at UMass Amherst through the Toddler Overnight Sleep Study (TOSS), where she conducted data collection and analysis. Amy automated a simulation process, bridging the gap between technical and non-technical researchers. Ashley completes the cycle by analyzing data and creating reports for the ACT Cognitive Lab project, applying basic data analysis skills in social science.

Moderator: Audrey St. John, Professor of Computer Science

Assessing Racial Essentialist Beliefs Through Online Interactive Tasks: Behind the Scenes on Data Collection
Fevronia Van Sickle ’25, Computer Science major & Music minor

Dreaming Big at Somneuro: Groundbreaking Research in Developmental Sleep Science
Jenelle Radzim ’25, Psychology and Education & English Double major

Data Analysis in Social Science & Internship Start-Up
Ashley Zhang ’26, Sociology major & Music minor

Formation Control: Automating a Simulation Process
Amy Le ’25, Computer Science and Physics Double major