Research

April 5, 2021, Filed Under: Research

Undergraduate Research Assistantships with the Prevention Research Lab – Summer & Fall 21

The Prevention Research Lab is looking for undergraduate research assistants!

The Prevention Research Lab, led by Dr. Keryn E. Pasch in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, is searching for undergraduate research assistants beginning Summer 2021. Undergraduate research assistants (URAs) will work on one of two projects related to the marketing of unhealthy products (fast food, sugar sweetened beverages, and alcohol) during the COVID-19 pandemic. One project will audit the Twitter pages of leading companies that sell these products (e.g., McDonalds, Coca-Cola, Bacardi) with an aim of documenting how social media marketing tactics adapted to the pandemic. Another project will examine television commercials for these products, with the aim of describing how commercial marketing for unhealthy products has changed throughout the pandemic.

Additional research opportunities such as literature searching, transcribing, and data summaries may be available.

REQUIREMENTS:

Ability to commit approximately ten hours of work per week during the Summer 2021 semester.

Research lab will still be working remotely so ability to work from home. Attendance at virtual lab meetings encouraged but not required if schedule prohibits.

Prior research experience is a plus but not necessary.

Applicants who are able to commit to the summer and fall semesters (spring 2022 also available) will be given priority. However, if you are graduating in summer 2021, you will still be considered.

BENEFITS:

Hands-on experience with the research process, with an emphasis on the relationship between advertising and socio-economic disparities.

Bridging Disciplines, Nutrition, or other research credit offered if you qualify – please let us know if you are considering BDP credit or other research credit when you contact us.

TO APPLY:

If you are interested in joining the Prevention Research Lab as an undergraduate research assistant, please complete the Undergraduate Research Application found online. Please submit a completed application, along with your résumé, to Jacob Thomas at Jacob.Thomas@utexas.edu.

January 19, 2021, Filed Under: Research

Positions Available with The Daily Activity Lab – Spring 21

The Daily Activity Lab, led by Dr. Kaya de Barbaro, examines day-to-day activities and interactions between mothers and their infants in extended naturalistic home sessions (72 hours+) using a mobile sensor suite. The goal of this work is to access the basic mechanisms of early social-emotional development and to develop mobile interventions for cases of high risk, such as the transmission of risks for depression from mothers to infants.

Our lab uses wearable sensors to study how daily activities of mothers and their infants contribute to their development and well-being. We use various sensors (including some similar to a Fitbit) to access our participants’ activity “in the wild” –that is, in day-to-day, real-world settings. Whereas Fitbit helps people meet fitness goals by tracking steps, we are interested in learning about development by tracking activities that we believe matter for long-term outcomes. For example, we want to track caregivers’ mood and sleep patterns over the course a week, or playing, talking and soothing interactions infants have with their caregivers. Interested students will have the opportunity to gain experience in community-based research, participant interaction, data collection, and/or analysis of mobile-sensor data streams. We will work in an interdisciplinary team bridging developmental science, clinical psychology, computer science, human-computer interaction, and electrical engineering. All of our research activities will be virtual through Spring 2021.

We are looking for eager, motivated and detail-oriented undergraduate students with a strong GPA. Interest in the research process is essential, but prior research experience is not required. Given the interdisciplinary nature of the project we welcome students from various disciplines including psychology, computer science, human development and family studies, and electrical engineering. Fluent/native Spanish speakers are encouraged to apply! Students must commit an average 10 hours per week for three semesters, or 15 hours per week for two semesters in order to be considered. Course credit is available. If you are interested, send a copy of your CV/Resume and unofficial transcript (screenshots of online grade-viewer are fine) to dailyactivitieslab@gmail.com.