Prior to this summer, I considered Oklahoma to be the definition of a flyover state. After spending two months in Stillwater working with the REST Lab at Oklahoma State University, my opinion has rapidly changed. This past summer, I completed a research internship focused on sleep health in children with autism. The REST Lab’s primary study examined the experience of families raising diagnosed children. I proposed a project in extension to this, examining what kind of safety concerns caregivers experience, and whether the content or intensity of these concerns differed between demographic groups.
As an undergraduate psychology student, in-lab research experience is rather difficult to come by. However, my time this summer granted me an excess of hands-on training. I learned how to create, revise, and submit an IRB application, design models of participant recruitment, and code the questionnaires families would take. This was an invaluable experience, as I was both able to apply the theoretical concepts from my coursework and foster hard skills that are only learnable in a lab environment. My responsibilities also pushed me well out of my comfort zone. I had significant autonomy in completing tasks, allowing me to work at my most efficient pace. This freedom also enabled me to design and execute the research proposal according to my vision. However, I soon realized that my ideal approach to a research project isn’t always entirely feasible and often requires compromise. This necessitated plenty of patience and a willingness to accept excessive feedback; both skills that I am very grateful I got to deepen.
My experience at Oklahoma State University has prepared me for my senior year and will be invaluable as I shift my focus toward graduate school. Ideally, I will carry this work directly into my senior psychology project, continuing to collect data with the assistance of the REST Lab. I may also extend recruitment within the state using the same methodology. This would allow me to conduct and present a research project that is much more complex and larger in scope than a traditional capstone. Having this intensive in-lab experience places me in a highly advantageous position as I apply to graduate programs worldwide. With few psychology students graduating with significant research experience, my time with the REST Lab will certainly be a strong point on my application. Through the Dill Fund Grant, I have made exceptional steps to complete my goals, and Oklahoma has become a place I called home for a short time.
