"My summer research was a continuation of the research I did during my first year within the School of Information. During the school year, a few undergraduates and I did research on the inclusion of pregnancy loss within pregnancy and fertility applications. While we researched the applications, our research mentor conducted interviews with individuals of various backgrounds who had all experienced pregnancy loss at some point in their life.
My job this summer was to take this interview data and qualitatively code it. I began writing analyses about what the larger meaning was behind a quote taken from the interview. As my last task, I wrote the first draft to the Findings section of the paper my mentor hopes to publish about this project. Through my summer research, I learned about the value in having a creative and thoughtful mindset and time management, as well as how to write with an assertive voice. When coding with qualitative data, it’s really important to think thoroughly about the relevance of the data being presented. Combined with a creative mindset, I was able to come up with codes that may not have stood out from the first read.
Second, a lot of research was done independently off campus. Due to this, I had to learn how to set aside some time each week to really focus on my work. Lastly, I was taught how to write in a manner that conveys a sense of confidence and intellect in my claims. Having never written an academic paper, I didn’t know that having a passive voice means losing authority to an audience. I think that learning this helped me reevaluate the language I used with others to make myself more heard and respected. Overall, I had a great summer working with Dr. Andalibi. Many thanks to her endless opportunities and insightful lessons from this past year!"
-Joyce Ho, MRADS Alumni Scholarship Recipient
