Graduate Student Spotlight: Brandon Araujo
My research in the MSPS program has focused on a project investigating how farmers in Sri Lanka are adapting to climate change. Recently, I traveled to the country with two others from the project to collect additional data.
During our time in the country we met with collaborators, developed and conducted a survey in two villages, and observed the difference in drought resiliency between the two irrigation systems in Sri Lanka (major and minor). Due to the ongoing drought at the time of our visit, the minor village was not able to cultivate any of their land, while the major village cultivated 100% of their land. There was also time during the trip to enjoy the beach and see some elephants!
Going to Sri Lanka and experiencing the logistics of the project enhanced what has already been an incredible experience. Working on this project has far exceeded anything I could have imagined before entering the program and I am extremely thankful to my advisor, Dr. Heather Truelove, for providing me with such an amazing opportunity, as well as the MSPS program for encouraging this type of diverse research.
While in the MSPS program I’ve been able to present my work at multiple research conferences. Most recently, I attended the 2017 annual convention for the Society of Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP) to present a data blitz during the Sustainability Psychology preconference. In the past I had only presented my research in poster format, so being able to give an oral presentation was a refreshing experience.
Although presenting research at a conference is a great way to get your work noticed, I think the most valuable aspect of conferences, especially the larger ones like SPSP, is the opportunity to learn and network outside of a classroom setting. I’ve learned about a lot of interesting topics and met great people by taking advantage of the events available at conferences: expert panel discussions, workshops to develop new skills, social events, poster and data blitz sessions, and symposiums on specific areas of research.
Regardless of the reason, I highly encourage attending a conference, and if the reason is to present research, UNF offers grants to graduate students for disseminating research, which really helps with the cost.
