Hey! My name is Chloe Brookes and I am a rising Sophomore studying Psychology and Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of Michigan. For my summer research project, I will be working alongside Dr. Terri Conley and her team in hopes of better understanding sexuality differences as they relate to gender. Specifically, we are looking at how the anticipation of orgasm could explain a difference in acceptance of casual sex between genders. Outside of the fellowship, I will also be continuing my research with Nicole Russel Pascual–a research fellow working with Denise Sekaquaptewa– studying implicit and explicit biases against women in Engineering.
During these next ten weeks, I hope to gain relevant skills within the field involving quantitative data and become a more versatile researcher. I want to become more familiar with platforms I will see myself using in the coming years and have the skills necessary to confidently run a study of my own. Working primarily remote, my biggest hurdle will most likely be on the communication front. Having worked with Dr. Conley for months, though, we know how to best reach each other.
Going into the summer, I am very confident in my people skills–both within and outside of my research teams. I see myself as approachable and am not afraid to ask questions. Approachability will make working with new people–whether that be participants or fellow research members– a more pleasant experience for all. Being unafraid to ask questions primes me against work done incorrectly, as clarification can never hurt. I am thankful for my previous experience working with my 2 incredible mentors. They have created research experiences for me that hinge on collaboration and curiosity, allowing for a very involved relationship with my work. Excited to dive deeper into their work is an understatement! I can’t wait to be able to reflect on this post with all that I have learned.
