FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, April 30, 2019
STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Tarleton State University senior Kayli Colpitts presented findings on how chronic pain affects decision making at the Texas Legislature’s Undergraduate Research Day in Austin earlier this month.
“That was actually the first time I’d been to the capital even though I was born and raised about an hour north of it,” said Kayli, who grew up in Belton. “It was intimidating, but it was really exciting that the things I worked for paid off and were acknowledged.”
Her faculty mentor is Dr. Amber Bozer, assistant professor of psychological sciences, faculty research fellow and graduate advisor in the applied psychology program at Tarleton.
“Kayli was a phenomenal representative of Tarleton at the event,” Bozer said. “In Austin, she had the opportunity to mingle with students and faculty from around 60 institutions across Texas.”
Kayli presented her poster titled “Alpha Band Brain Activity in Chronic Pain and No Pain Groups” designed by her, Tracy Brown, Cristian Botello, Katie Seymour and Bozer. The research is aimed at elucidating the neural mechanisms — recorded by EEG — that underlie complex decision making in people who have chronic pain.
She said this experience, like her other poster presentations, offered opportunities for learning.
“You kind of hear other people’s perspective on your research,” she said. “I got a lot of ideas about how, if we do another iteration of the study, we can make it more precise as we learn about chronic pain.”
Kayli, a psychology major who plans to graduate May 11, will pursue a master’s degree in applied psychology at Tarleton.
Most of her time on campus has been spent working in the neuroscience lab.
“It has all been very directed toward my end goal toward the field of academia,” she said. “It is very time consuming but very rewarding.”
The Council of Public University Presidents and Chancellors, the Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas Inc. and the Texas Association of Community Colleges coordinate Undergraduate Research Day.
“Texas Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol is important because it highlights the role that undergraduates have in academic research,” Bozer said.
For more information on Tarleton’s Office of Student Research and Creative Activities, visit www.tarleton.edu/studentresearch/.To learn more about the university’s College of Graduate Studies, go to www.tarleton.edu/graduate/.
Tarleton, founding member of The Texas A&M University System, provides a student-focused, value-driven education marked by academic innovation and a dedication to transform today’s scholars into tomorrow’s leaders. It offers degree programs to more than 13,000 students at Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Midlothian, RELLIS Academic Alliance in Bryan, and online, emphasizing real-world learning experiences that address societal needs while maintaining its core values of tradition, integrity, civility, excellence, leadership and service.
Contact: Phil Riddle, News and Information Specialist
817-484-4415
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