UMD Neurocognitive Development Lab

For my practicum, I worked as an magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) helper and lab intern in the UMD Neurocognitive Development Lab under my mentor, Dr. Tracy Riggins. I became Level 1 safety trained to help administer the MRIs. After earning my citation, I was able to assist the MRIs by explaining the process to the children coming in for scanning and assisting them by staying by their side during the process. After I did this task a few times, I was able to become more involved in the lab. I learned how to administer the mneumonic similarity task (MST), a zoom experiment in which the experimenter observes the participant's recall ability over a two-week course. This was a huge step for me, as I became responsible for administering the task alone and was able to play the role of the experimenter.

Evidence of Growth: The following link details my application to Maryland Summer Scholars, a research proposal outlining my future at the NCDL. I was lucky to win this grant, allowing me to continue my work and proposed project under funding. It serves as evidence of leadership as it details an individual project, rather than a joint goal like those of which I have been working on thus far.

My internship at the NCDL has allowed me to grow professionally and personally. I have been pushed into new directions, allowing me to assume the title of intern and experimenter. I have assumed an incredible amount of academic knowledge about MRIs, brain structure, and memory. The NCDL weekly lab meetings have exposed me to new research on topics I never would have thought to attempt to digest alone. I have also been educated on the professional world, learning in detail how to write a research proposal, how to interact with co-workers, organize and update my calendars, and stay on top of my responsibilities.