Dr. Jane Harbaugh Research Experience Award

Breanna Evans is a sophomore at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in exercise science and psychology. She is the Peer Mentor for the Health Residential Living Community on campus. She has also been involved with research in the Undergraduate Research Program (UTROPS). She has experience with coding information within interviews and conducting a secondary analysis. These skills have been applied to a recent study concerning food insecurity and its perception in parents who live in rural Southern Ethiopia. Over the past year she has incorporated a discourse analysis of the interviews that were conducted and transcribed from the participants and parents alike in this secondary analysis study. Breanna plans to attend graduate school for Occupational Therapy to help patients return back to their lives as they lived before injuries or procedures by using adequate rehabilitation methods.

Alexis Nelson is a Junior at UTC studying political science and economics. She has competed in two economics competitions for her research paper analyzing the effects of women's empowerment on infant mortality. She found success in winning one of the competitions, but this gave her an opportunity to hone her presenting skills. She’s completed research on various topics like infant mortality, cryptocurrency, and the war on drugs, along with others. Her current focus is researching how redlining affects generational wealth, this ties in her interests with the inequalities minorities face. Following graduation, Alexis plans to attend law school or complete a JD in law and economics. She plans to pursue a career in civil rights and wants to dedicate her career to serving minorities and giving them a voice. 

Luke Wiley is a Brock Scholar in the Honors College at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in psychology. Currently, he is the Managing Editor for UReCA: the NCHC Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities.  He has also been involved with research in multiple fields of psychology, including research into episodic future thinking and prospective memory, character development and intergenerational dialogue, surveying bias in dating apps, and stress and burnout within the legal profession. A fourth-generation union member, he has also begun working in collaboration with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) on his thesis that will examine whether feeling supported by one’s labor union can help buffer against the negative impacts of job demands (e.g., stress and burnout). Luke plans to attend graduate school for Industrial-Organizational psychology or industrial relations to help workers lead happier and healthier lives while also having more power within their workplaces.