Reflections

Faculty Advisor Dr. Amy Dao,  “CPP Students Vs. Technology”, McNair Research Program

"I was introduced to research through Dr. Dao’s ANT 4900: Anthropology Methods and Theory class in Fall 2019. The paper that I have submitted to Bronco Scholar stared off as a 3-month semester assignment, but we as a group enjoyed so we took it further and presented at RSCA on March 7, 2020. That was the first time I saw the culmination of my efforts and hard work be appreciated by others. That was where my passion for research started. When my group mates graduated, I took it upon myself and my faculty mentor Dr. Dao to complete this project to the best of our abilities and have it published as an undergraduate. One of my “Aha moment” was when I had a breakthrough in my theory. I struggled with this portion a lot. When I took this group project and turned it into a solo mission after my fellow group mates graduated, it was a lot of hard work on my own. Theory became the biggest obstacle and the most vital in my study. A day after the RSCA conference this year, my mentor and I had a conversation on the topics we received in the Q&A session and when we realized that agency could be shared through humans and inanimate objects while influencing culture. That moment was amazing! Nothing could describe the way Dr. Dao and I became so excited to put it on to work. We became even more determined to have a perfect product. I am at the moment looking into more theories to narrow it down to 100% perfection of my work. I am a part of the McNair Scholars Program, and this program has allowed me to take my time to complete my already started project. The faculty have been extremely supportive, and their guidelines and deadlines have kept me on track to complete this project. A “learning moment” in my project would be the application of the theories, I wanted to truly understand the theory before placing it in my project. When I first putting down, my mentor asked me to explain it to her and our long conversations throughout these times have truly allowed me to understand theory application. If I could not understand theory, then I could not expect for the reader to understand my application. 

Learning this was a very important moment in my fledging research career. Identifying patterns was a learning moment as well. Research as I have experienced is about the big picture created through small and delicate details like that of a 1000-piece puzzle.

My research experience here at Cal Poly Pomona, has made my time at the school so valuable and extremely enjoyable to me. I have had the opportunity to enjoy academics in a way I have not even dreamed about. My connections and relationships that I built with my mentor and other faculty has been an amazing form of support in this time and it is an irreplaceable gift from the university to me that I am forever grateful for. Conducting this research in this time, during a global pandemic has been amazing. It has kept me busy and engaged with the school and my faculty, instead of allowing me to be apathetic. I intend to continue research in the future. It may not be in the field of Anthropology, but I intend to carry out an interdisciplinary outlook and application on any form of research that I will do. This research opportunity made me truly want to enter graduate school and expand my place in academics to a deeper level of significance. It has and will continue to be one of my most precious and rewarding experiences of my college career."

Faculty Advisor Andrea Bonisoli-Alquati,  “Oxidative Stress in the Seaside Sparrow (Ammospiza Maritima) Following the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill”, Biological Sciences 

 "I chose to participate in research once I learned about Dr. Bonisoli-Alquati’s focuses and the details of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill project. I was drawn to the applicability of physiology and toxicology in explaining the implications of man-made disasters in wildlife, specifically birds. While I knew that research concerning a complex event as the DWH oil spill in a natural ecosystem, a Louisiana saltmarsh, would be difficult, I was excited by the potential of contributing to the understanding of this event’s effect on wildlife 10 years later. Dr. Bonisoli-Alquati helped me develop the questions we set out to answer while giving me autonomy over the approach. I was also able to attain prestigious scholarships and grants with his support and help with applications. I am a proud recipient of the 2018-2019 Mentoring, Educating, Networking & Thematic Opportunities for Research in Engineering and Science (MENTORES) Grant, the 2019-2020 President’s Scholar Scholarship, and the 2020 Rachel Carson Environmental Science Scholarship awards at Cal Poly Pomona.

In addition, I was awarded a competitive graduate research grant from a local chapter (Southern California) of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. These awards and grants not only helped me fund the research I did over the years, but the experience also writing proposals and narratives about my work helped develop my writing, a valuable attribute that is directly translatable to my future career."

Faculty Advisor Dr. Shayda Kafai,  “Embodied Narratives: Bodymind Resistance Through Storytelling”, McNair Research Program

 "Three years ago, I saw academia as a necessity to obtain a degree. I envisioned myself as a therapist who had the ability to counsel clients who used sign language to communicate. Anything beyond this goal seemed like a pipedream and one that belonged to someone else. Today, I am an accepted graduate scholar in the department of community psychology at the University of New Haven. I received the Dean’s Scholarship and have been considered for a research associate position at the Yale School of Medicine. I will continue to study the effects of storytelling within marginalized communities in McNair’s Summer REU and intend on extending the investigation in my future doctoral studies. As a scholar, I recognize my role and responsibility to society. I know that my unique experiences offer valuable perspectives and that who I am at my core has purpose within academia. My transdisciplinary research will contribute to a more equitable world and expand into the minds of developing scholars. 

 For those discovering their own identities, I will offer knowledge, compassion, and guidance and I will offer it with this story I share with you."