Capstone Reflection

Completing a capstone project has been truly been a figurative capstone to my undergraduate education. Through this experience, I have not only been able to integrate many of my intellectual interests, but I have also learned skill that will help me in my future pursuits in education and a career. I have gained insight on how to work and communicate with other researchers across multiple locations, the general research process, and how to disseminate findings through writing and formal presentations. In addition, I have also acquired skills in new statistical models and computing methods which will be valuable to me in the future.

As a student majoring in both psychology and statistics, I am always looking for ways to integrate both of my

fields of study. Not only am I interested in applying statistics in the field of psychology, I also enjoy research on the underlying mechanics of statistical methods and ways we can use these methods to gain the most information from research data. Though I have taken many courses in both psychology and statistics, in my coursework the two subjects were taught separately with very little crossover. My capstone project, along with other research projects and honors contracts, was the perfect integration of all of my interests.

I was lucky to have began working with Dr.

Cruz a few years ago and thus I have been able to go through the entire research process with this project. I participated in every stage of this project from using past literature to formulate research questions, gaining IRB approval, acquiring and cleaning the data, creating an analysis plan, analyzing the data, and summarizing the findings. I learned the necessary skills associated with each of these stages and I know this information will be vital to me as I attend graduate school and pursue a career in research in the

future.

Because we used data from a different university, doing my capstone project also taught me how to collaborate and communicate with other researchers. Because the majority of our communication with team members from different universities was through email, I learned to be specific and concise in my communications. As I tried to understand and organize the data that we received, I also learned the importance of asking questions concerning things such as how the data was collected and recorded. This helped to prevent misinterpretations of the data.

In addition from the lessons I learned from collaborating with other researchers, I also gained a great deal from my student-mentor relationship with Dr. Cruz. Having someone to go to with my questions about the research process, statistical methods, the graduate school application process, or anything else provided me with a vital resource in navigating through academia. I appreciated Dr. Cruz's patience and guidance as I tried to meet deadlines and understand confusing theories and ideas. This taught me the importance of seeking out mentors as I continue in my schooling and career. I also learned effective ways to work with other researchers from Dr. Cruz's example.

Dr.

Cruz also helped me learn how to communicate the findings of my research. I presented four posters in connection to my research with Dr. Cruz, one being specifically related to my capstone project. I learned how to orally describe my research and to adjust this description based on the level of knowledge of those who I spoke with. I also learned important lessons on visually representing data through this experience. Though challenging, the written thesis portion of the capstone project also taught me how to succinctly summarize my ideas in a way that was understandable to others. I also learned how to use different technology to assist me in producing a quality finished product. For my thesis, I learned how to use the document preparation system LaTeX within the \textit{R} software

environment.

Of course, one of the most important lessons that I learned through my honors capstone project was how to work through setbacks and challenges. As in most research studies, the timeline of this project did not always go as I planned. Going through the IRB process, acquiring the needed data, and preparing the data for analysis was a process that took multiple years from start to finish. The analysis process was rigorous as well. Because I was knew to many of the statistical methods which I was using as well as relatively new to programming in \textit{R}, I would sometimes work for hours or even days on analysis just to find out that there was a way to accomplish what I needed using one line of code. Similarly, as I tried to find out the best methods for analyzing the data we had, I would often hours researching a potential analysis method only to find out that it would not work for our set of data. Though this was frustrating, I had to remind myself that I was learning a great deal through this process, even if I did not feel as productive as I wanted to.

The challenges and setbacks, as well as the triumphs of my capstone experience, have prepared me for my future pursuits in academia and a career. I will be attending graduate school in the Fall to study biostatistics. Working with Dr. Cruz on this and other research projects was what ultimately helped me decide to pursue further education in the field of biostatistics. I will be working as a research assistant in graduate school and I know that the research skills that I gained through my capstone experience will be vital in my success in this position. I also hope to have career in medical research in the future. My experiences in honors have laid a foundation that I can build on as I pursue further education and a career.

I feel that the honors capstone project was the perfect way to end my undergraduate education. For this project, I integrated both my psychology and statistics fields of study into one project. I also drew on knowledge and skills that I had learned throughout the course of my years at Utah State University. I am grateful for this experience and the many lessons that it taught me.