Travis Ray

• SOAR Position: Member
• Major: Psychology
• Faculty Mentor(s): Liz Barnes, James Loveless

Current Focus: Undergraduate Science Communication Training (Dr. Barnes) & and health literacy of young adults (Dr. Loveless)

Project Description

In Dr. Loveless' lab I'm examining the health literacy of college students via administration of a 30 minute survey & the REALM literacy test. We correlate students' health literacy with their BMI & blood pressure. In Dr. Barnes lab I'm conducting a literature review over science communication training programs/models to find trends of subpar/missing communication in certain areas/populations. I'm soon starting my honors thesis, though I'm not married to a specific topic just yet!

Why does this topic interest you?

These two topics interest me as they're very relevant to my desired career field. As an aspiring professor, science communication & literacy is very relevant to me, and are both areas that I want to become more knowledgeable in.

What are your professional aspirations?

As far as professional aspirations go, my goal is to obtain a Masters in neuroscience, followed by my PhD in neuroscience, then work in the field of neuroscience academia, hopefully as a full-time professor.

Do you have any advice for future researchers?

Get involved sooner rather than later! If you're sure that you want to do research, don't delay the process! Ask your professors for advice, they're happy to help!

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