Faculty Spotlights
Faculty Spotlight: Michael B. Wolfe, Psychology
What are your undergraduate research mentor experiences?
I have been involved with many students as a faculty advisor over the years. We have co-presented at numerous regional, national, and international conferences, and co-authored journal articles. My students and I have presented at Student Scholars Day a number of times as well. This summer I am working with my third S3 student, John Hessler.
Would you briefly explain the focus of some of the most recent research you have mentored students in?
We are trying to understand what happens when students read scientific information about disputed scientific topics such as media violence effects on actual violence. We have three focal questions: How do students comprehend information that they agree with and that they disagree with? Under what situations do students change their beliefs when they read information they disagree with? Finally, when students change their beliefs, do they accurately remember what their previous beliefs had been?
Why is mentoring undergraduate research an important component of your work?
Mentoring undergraduates is a critical part of research because each generation of scientists has to train the next generation of scientists. Many of us recall vividly the mentoring we received from different people along the route we travelled to get where we are. It is also just a lot of fun to discuss ideas, work on data analysis, and be involved with students in the many other aspects of research. Each of us who mentor students have chosen our fields because of a deep passion for the work, and to be able to share it with interested students is one of the best parts of what we do.
If a student is interested in your field of research, what are some suggestions or tips you might share with them to help them get more involved and/or better prepared to engage in this type of research?
Be proactive. Contact professors and see if they are willing to have you come in and discuss research. But before you do that, do your homework on who they are and what they do. Students might be surprised by how much they can stand out from other students by reading the professor’s research before talking to him or her.
Who are some of your previous mentees, and what are they doing now?
Andrew Taylor just received his masters in cognitive psychology at the University of Illinois, Chicago. Shawna Tanner received a Masters in biostatistics at GVSU and is beginning a PhD program in psychology at Wayne St. next year. Joe Mienko works in Army intelligence.
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