This summer, my ARIA internship took place at the Biopsychosocial Examination of Eating Patterns (BEEP) Lab at 捆绑SM社区 under the co-supervision of Dr. Sarah Racine and the Lab coordinator, Lisa Zhu. I had heard of the ARIA from a previous awardee who said the ARIA was the highlight of their bachelor鈥檚 degree. At their recommendation, I began looking into it and was immediately interested in the ARIA. I was especially attracted to the prospect of a support system at 捆绑SM社区 and a cohort of like-minded students I could share the experience with. I applied as soon as I could with my fingers crossed and was over the moon at being awarded.
Throughout my eleven weeks as a research assistant, my primary duties were to prepare for and run participant sessions for two studies. The BEEP Lab is currently focused on finding the underpinnings of binge eating disorder (defined as a loss of control in eating a large amount of food in a short period of time) to better counsel and treat eating disorders in the future. The first study examined the associations between negative affect, reward processing and binge eating. For this first study, my duties as research assistant were to record negative and neutral scripts for the participant on the Audacity recording platform, run the five-hour study session with participants (including electrode attachment, interpretation of physio-psychological signals and administration of experiments through E-prime software), review diagnostic clinical interviews and extract data for the emotion and hunger ratings. The second study examined whether disordered eating patterns (e.g., purging, restriction, exercise鈥�) to control shape or weight are motivated by a desire to be thin or a fear of gaining weight. For this study, my duties as research assistant were to run the three-hour study session consisting of electrode attachment, interpretation of electrocardiogram, impedance cardiography and galvanic skin response signals and administer experiments through the E-prime software.
What interested me most at the BEEP Lab was how 鈥渉ands on鈥� the research experience was. For the past year, I have been volunteering at the Comprehensive Research Into Schizophrenia and Psychosis (CRISP) group at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute. My research there was mainly focused on pre-existing research and databases. Although the experience was invaluable and taught me much of the fundamentals I needed for the ARIA internship, I was grateful for the opportunity to try a more applied form of research at the BEEP Lab. I was especially eager to meet clinical participants to better understand their condition and personal experience with disordered eating. The highlight of my internship was undoubtedly to work alongside the participants throughout the sessions and hear their testimonies. These interactions provided me with such a rich, genuine and authentic account of eating disorders that I could hardly have obtained elsewhere.
The ARIA is also unique in that it brings people together and creates a cohort. Coming out of a two-year pandemic with most university-related courses and activities being remote, I felt the need for human connection and student interaction even more this summer. I greatly appreciated and learned so many valuable skills at all the ARIA-related workshops and meetings on campus.
This need for social support was present in the ARIA cohort and at my internship site. When I first began at the BEEP Lab, I was confronted with a battery of research-related softwares I had never used (E-Prime, E-Studio, E-Data Aid, Audacity) and the learning curve was steep. In addition to the training sessions provided by the lab coordinator, I organized extra practice sessions for the first three weeks with other research assistants. These sessions proved very beneficial as we all got to know one another outside typical lab hours and established a dynamic of support and collaboration early on. I am happy to say I made many friends this summer 鈥� both from the ARIA cohort and the internship.
The ARIA was an incredible opportunity that allowed me to confirm my future career path. I am beginning my last year of undergraduate studies in Psychology and my goal is to pursue graduate school in clinical psychology with a specialization in eating disorders. The benefits of the ARIA were three-fold; the tutelage under Dr. Sarah Racine 鈥� a prominent figure in the field of eating disorders, the one-on-one interactions with clinical participants and the lab meetings with other undergraduate and graduate students. The ARIA internship provided me with new skills, knowledge, experience and contacts that will serve me well as a clinician and researcher in the future.
I am immensely grateful to the donors of the ARIA award for their generous contribution to student success and research experience.
