A new grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) is allowing the Emerging Minds Lab , directed by Arizoan State University psychology Assistant Professor Kelsey Lucca, to expand access to research for undergraduate students and the community.
The Emerging Minds Lab explores the genesis of learning and curiosity in children, and, with this new funding, they are able to involve more undergraduate students in this work. This spring, the Emerging Minds Lab at ASU hosted a “Who Wants to Be a Researcher?” trivia night, modeled in the same format as the game show and featuring questions about psychology, ranging from neurons to Sigmund Freud. Download Full Image
The Department of Psychology at ASU has long been proud of the research done by undergraduate research assistants in its labs and has recently been focusing on how to improve access to research for students who may not feel like they can participate. These students may have time, financial or logistical barriers to entry, such as needing transportation or working multiple jobs to support their families.
The $800,000 grant is provided by the NSF CAREER Award “ Cultivating Curiosity to Promote Learning and Discovery ," which will provide funding over the next five years to promote the understanding of curiosity and its formation.
“Curiosity is so important for so many different facets of life. Curiosity leads to enhanced engagement and achievement in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, improved psychological well-being and healthy aging,” Lucca said. “Despite the importance of studying curiosity, we still have very little basic knowledge about curiosity, how it develops and how to promote it. This is because curiosity is notoriously difficult to study, especially in infants and young children”
The grant will fund research on curiosity drawing from cognitive science, developmental science and education to investigate: What are the cognitive processes involved in early curiosity? How does curiosity unfold across infancy and early childhood? What role does the social environment play in shaping curiosity? How does curiosity impact STEM learning readiness? What factors cause increases in preschool-aged children’s curiosity?
The grant also supports outreach and educational activities.
“A big part of the outreach is thinking about how we can make research more accessible to students who might not have known about it, or know how to get involved. This grant is all about coming up with new ideas and ways to engage with students, pushing the boundaries of what has been done before,” Lucca said.
This spring, the lab hosted a “Who Wants to Be a Researcher?” trivia night, modeled in the same format as the game show and featuring questions about psychology, ranging from neurons to Sigmund Freud. Lab managers Sarah Kiefer (now a developmental psychology PhD student at Brown University) and Vanessa Lazaro (now a developmental psychology PhD student at the University of Chicago) helped with formulating the first event of the grant and creating the creative material to advertise to students.
Paola Hernandez, an honor’s student in the Emerging Minds Lab and recipient of the Janessa Shapiro Undergraduate Research Scholarship, along with Jeri Sasser, ASU psychology graduate student and student representative for ASU's ENERGIZE program, which helps connect students with research experience during their undergraduate career, also played an integral role in the evening.
“We wanted to make it a special event that was not just coming to listen to a panel of faculty speak about research,” Lucca said. “We ended the night with an ice cream sandwich cart and distributed packets with next steps and tangible ways they could get involved in research if they were interested.”
Faculty were paired up with students based on their research interests, and they competed as a team in order to win the trivia night and to increase their exposure to psychology concepts.
The main purpose of the event was to reduce the barrier to entry for students who were interested in gaining connections with psychology faculty and eventually joining a research lab. The informal setting allowed students to see that they have common ground with psychology faculty who care about their interests and long-term dreams.
“Trivia is a very humbling experience. We had everyone from undergraduate students, graduate students, research staff, junior professors, tenured faculty members, to retired faculty members attend, but the questions really evened the playing field,” Lucca said. “That made it a lot of fun – everyone was laughing and smiling. That to me was a sign of a successful experience. It was fun to see faculty members getting questions wrong and showing the students that it is OK to make mistakes, to laugh and learn.”
It was important to Lucca that the students saw the faculty as approachable and for them to understand that reaching out to a faculty member doesn’t need to be a stressful experience.
“We partnered with ASU's ENERGIZE program, which has a shared goal of 'energizing' students’ interest in psychology, to design and execute the event,” she said.
After the successful event, they plan on building it to be even larger in 2023, and launch a new yearly summer internship program for undergraduate students.
“This was a great trial run, and we really learned a lot about what makes an outreach event valuable to students,” said Lucca.
This spring, the Emerging Minds Lab hosted a “Who Wants to Be a Researcher?” trivia night, modeled in the same format as the game show and featuring questions about psychology, ranging from neurons to Sigmund Freud.
Assistant Professor Kelsey Lucca introduces the event.
Psychology Lecturer Erin Lanphier shares about the ENERGIZE program to attendees.
Marketing and Communications Manager, Department of Psychology
480-727-5054 robert.ewing@asu.edu
Angel Gutierrez is all packed and ready to begin life as a Sun Devil. The first in his family to go to college, Gutierrez worked hard to get here by doubling up on classes his senior year. All that hard work paid off for him as he earned the largest scholarship available to an Arizona resident to begin his college journey studying business law at Arizona State University’s W. P. Carey School of ...
Angel Gutierrez is all packed and ready to begin life as a Sun Devil. The first in his family to go to college, Gutierrez worked hard to get here by doubling up on classes his senior year. All that hard work paid off for him as he earned the largest scholarship available to an Arizona resident to begin his college journey studying business law at Arizona State University’s W. P. Carey School of Business.
“It’s very exciting because I’ll be the first in my family to go to college. A little nervous too, because no one tells me how to be the first, but I think I’ll be fine,” said Gutierrez, from Glendale, Arizona.
The son of a single mom, he shares that it was once his mother’s dream to attend Arizona State University.
“She immigrated here and wanted to go here so I’m doing it for her — in a way, I accomplish her dreams, too.”
As Gutierrez joins his fellow students for the start of the fall semester on Thursday, he will be part of a record number of Sun Devils: 140,759 undergraduate and graduate students are registered for classes this fall, an increase of 5,871 students compared with fall 2021.
Highlights of ASU’s projected record enrollment include:
79,232 students will be enrolled across ASU’s campuses and other locations, compared with 76,765 last year — an increase of 3.2%.
61,572 students will be enrolled through ASU Online, compared with 57,573 last year — an increase of 6.9%.
29,933 graduate students will be enrolled in on-campus and online degree programs, compared with 28,121 last year — a 6.4% increase.
13,374 international students from 158 countries will be enrolled in on-campus and online degree programs, compared with 10,821 last year, a 23.6% increase.
One in three students enrolled at ASU are first-generation college students.
“ASU is growing because there is high demand for knowledge and a need for creative and effective solutions to the challenges facing our nation and our planet,” said ASU President Michael M. Crow. “Students who are ready and eager to expand their intellect and to make a positive impact have a place at ASU. We welcome learners of all backgrounds, perspectives and interests, and we look forward to helping them thrive.”
Among the total number of students enrolled at ASU this fall, nearly 1 in 3 are new to the university. In total, 40,746 new first-year, transfer and graduate students enrolled this fall will be beginning their ASU journey in a campus or online degree program. Among them are a record on-campus, first-year student class of 15,115 students, with an additional 2,721 new first-year students beginning their ASU journey enrolled online.
Highlights of the projected on-campus, new first-year cohort include:
8,750 Arizona residents, the largest Arizona new, first-year cohort representing nearly 60% of the class.
5,315 students from out of state, an 8.9% increase from the record set in fall 2021, including 1,510 students from California, a 1.5% increase from last fall.
1,050 international students from 79 countries, an increase of 44.4% from a year ago.
A class that is one of the most academically prepared to join ASU, with an average weighted high school GPA of 3.88.
Nearly 7,000 new first-year students who identify as being from underrepresented populations, representing 46% of the cohort.
A contributing factor to ASU’s growing enrollment is the increase in international students joining the university this fall, with growth in enrollments from countries including Brazil, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Mexico and Vietnam.
One such student is Kushagra Dashora, a new Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering undergraduate from Udaipur, India, who will study robotics.
“I am looking forward to starting my journey with ASU, and I am sure that I will be able to fulfill my aspirations and goals,” Dashora said. “As ASU is known for innovation, the knowledge I gain will positively impact the world and society. I want to utilize my hidden potential to bring out solutions to day-to-day issues faced by humankind through the right use of technology, innovation and solution-based approaches.”
The growth in international enrollment is the result of a considerable enrollment outreach effort that did not slow down during the pandemic, as well as ASU's growing academic reputation abroad.
“ASU’s reputation as a top global university has grown considerably around the world over the past years, particularly in India,” said Matt López, associate vice president of Academic Enterprise Enrollment and executive director of Admission Services. “Once international travel opened up this past year, members of our university leadership team and faculty in our business, design and engineering programs traveled abroad to continue to tell the ASU story.
“We also have admission staff living around the world building relationships with schools, parents and prospective students, and a number of virtual experiences for students who cannot travel to visit our campuses. This personal and technology-enabled approach is critically important, especially for families and students who make the decision to travel across the globe to achieve their academic and career goals.”
Another highlight of the new first-year cohort is the record number of Hispanic students. More than 3,900 new first-year campus students identify as Hispanic/Latino — representing a quarter of new first-year students joining ASU on campus. This record comes on the heels of ASU being named as a Hispanic-Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education in June.
For Gutierrez, one of the reasons he chose ASU was because he felt at home.
“I felt ASU was always promoted, and I see how inclusive it is with the Hispanic community,” he said, adding, “There’s lots of resources.”
Nancy Gonzales, executive vice president and university provost, said the university is excited to welcome Sun Devils to the classroom, both on campus and online.
“It is inspiring to see so many students starting or returning to their academic journey this week,” Gonzales said. “And it’s humbling to work alongside the dedicated faculty and academic staff who, year after year, demonstrate a steadfast commitment to the classes they teach, the research they conduct and the services they provide to our enrolled students. It’s because of their work that ASU is prepared to have another successful academic year. Students, the entire Academic Enterprise welcomes you to ASU — we are here to support you throughout your academic journey.”
That journey begins with a week’s worth of welcome activities designed to build community among new and returning students. The activities range from job fairs to carnivals.
Sun Devil Welcome and InfernoFest Tuesday, Aug. 16 7 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.) Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe campus
Passport to ASU Wednesday, Aug. 17 4–9 p.m. Memorial Union, Tempe campus
Sparky’s Carnival Wednesday, Aug. 17 6–9 p.m. Civic Space Park and A.E. England building, Downtown Phoenix campus
Sparky’s Day of Service Wednesday, Aug. 17 9:30 a.m. breakfast; event runs 10 a.m-noon Student Union (check-in and breakfast) Cooley Ballroom and Garden Commons, Polytechnic campus
Westfest & Rock the Rec Thursday, Aug. 18 5–9 p.m. Sun Devil Fitness Center, West campus
Echo from the Buttes (Update: Canceled due to weather) Saturday, Aug. 20 8–10 a.m. “A” Mountain (College Avenue and Fifth Street), Tempe
Find more events at eoss.asu.edu/welcome/events and the ASU Events website.
Nikai Salcido, Gabriella Kemp and Kevin Kovaleski contributed to this article. Top photo: (From left) Qamar Outley, Neha Satish, Olivia Radack and Masen Barnes — all first-year students from Arizona — take a stroll on Palm Walk on Monday. Photo by Armand Saavedra/ASU