Summer. The season of backyard barbecues, trips to the lake and a little unwinding after a busy University of Missouri academic year.
For 39 Mizzou undergraduate students, the summer of 2022 also was a period of new knowledge, discovery and expanding their research and creative achievement horizons. For nine weeks, these students — along with visiting students from around the country — immersed themselves in the MU Summer Undergraduate Research Program.
Started in 2000, the Office of Undergraduate Research program offers students in disciplines ranging from behavioral and social sciences to the physical and mathematical sciences an opportunity to explore new research and scholarly activity projects under the mentorship of a faculty member.
Sixty faculty members were involved in the program this summer, which included educational and social activities and culminated with the Summer Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievements Forum on July 28 in Memorial Student Union.
Here is what four MU students had to say about their experience.
Maggie Fitzgerald
Junior
Major: Dietetics
Hometown: St. Louis
Briefly describe your research project:
My research was on how Dining with Diabetes influences health behaviors. Dining with Diabetes is a community education program for type 2 or pre-diabetic adults and their adult family members. As a pilot project, MU Extension recently expanded this program to include basic culinary skills and a deeper knowledge of nutrition and physical activity. My research aim was to determine program efficacy to ensure the improvement of the dietary and physical activity habits of diabetic or pre-diabetic participants. My second aim was to understand participant knowledge in disease management. My results revealed improvements in general diabetic knowledge and dietary habits, including fried foods and fruit and vegetable consumption. Nutrition knowledge improved to a near statistically significant amount. There were no significant improvements in physical activity and dietary habits, including dairy, sugary sweetened beverages and baked fish consumption.
How did you get involved in this project?
I was a food safety, nutrition and health intern with MU Extension. I am interested in nutrition, so as part of my internship, I learned about MU Extension’s nutrition education programs. One of which was a pilot program, Dining with Diabetes. I wanted to see if Dining with Diabetes was effective in educating Missourians about the prevention and management of their disease.
How do you think this summer of work will make you a better researcher/student?
After working on Dining with Diabetes with my mentors Kristin Miller and Kelsey Weitzel, I have learned to write research abstracts and create a professional research poster. I have gained knowledge of Microsoft software and how to collect and organize data. This knowledge allows me to be more confident in working independently on future projects.
Are you continuing to explore this research? If so, what’s next? If not, what other research topics are you considering?
Future implications of implementing the community-based program, Dining with Diabetes in Missouri, can help participants improve aspects of disease prognosis and increase awareness of diabetic complications and disease management. In future studies, I would like to continue collecting data from across the state and combine it with the pilot data. I would also like to assist in the Dining with Diabetes class!
What are your career plans?
I plan on graduating from Mizzou with my master’s in dietetics. I am interested in becoming a pediatric clinical dietitian. I will always continue expanding my nutrition knowledge. Nutrition research is constantly evolving and as a future dietitian, I must stay up to date to give my patients the best and most relevant interventions possible.
Leah Jordan
Junior
Major: Biology
Hometown: St. Louis
Briefly describe your research project:
Missouri has had a history of racism and economic and health disparities. Missouri still faces racism today in its police force, college institutions and structurally/environmentally. More specifically the Black community in St. Louis has had limited access to resources and opportunities. Due to these experiences, there has been a rise in mental health concerns for Black emerging adults (ages 18-27). This concern is race-based traumatic stress, which is a by-product of racism. Black Americans historically have had the lowest rates of use and access to mental health services. Moreover, Black emerging adults are even less likely to receive mental health services. Using in-depth interviews, this research aims to explore how race-based traumatic stress affects the lives of Black emerging adults in the St. Louis area and how it impacts their mental health/mental health-seeking behaviors.
How did you get involved in this project?
I did a summer research program here at Mizzou called the Missouri Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation. During this program, I was paired with a mentor by the name of Dr. Kaleea Lewis, who works here at Mizzou. I had an opportunity to work with Dr. Lewis on her research project, which I presented at the research forum.
How do you think this summer of work will make you a better researcher?
Over the summer, I learned a lot of new ideas and strategies. This summer made me a better researcher by helping me to always remember to stay curious and not give up when things get hard or when I might not understand. It taught me the importance of hard work, persistence and career readiness.
Are you continuing to explore this research? If so, what’s next? If not, what other research topics are you considering?
Right now, I am not continuing with this research. I plan to keep in contact with Dr. Lewis and see how the project progresses. In the meantime, I plan to join another lab and continue to grow as a researcher.
What are your career plans?
My career plans as of right now are to go to medical school and pursue a career as an OBGYN or pediatrician.