iUTAH Team - Undergraduate iFellows

Gabriela Martinez

Salt Lake Community College

Mentors:

Faculty: Sarah Hinners, UU

Graduate: Pratiti Tagore, UU

Research Focus:

Research Focus Area 3

Major:

Sociology

Biography:

Gabriela Martinez has recently graduated from Salt Lake Community College, with an Associate’s degree in Sociology. She will be transferring to the University of Utah in the Fall of 2016, in order to continue her education and finish her Bachelor’s degree on the same field of study. Gabriela is originally from Argentina, is married with two children and a third one on the way. Her aspirations for the future include being able to one day conduct research on climate change and its added risks for minority groups living in the U.S.

Weekly Recap:

Week 1: May 16-20, 2016

My first week as an iFellow has been fantastic. Not only was I able to meet my mentor, Sarah Hinners, but also work next to my awesome near-peer mentor Pratiti Tagore every day at our lab. Our team is very small, which is great for me because it allows my team more time to answer all of my million questions. This week was all about brainstorming and learning more about conducting research. I was able to get started on the introduction portion of my poster project. I was also able to attend an iUTAH presentation on Wednesday and learn more about water related projects being conducted by graduate students.

I feel grateful for this amazing opportunity and the great team I get to work with. I can't wait to see what next week brings!

Pratiti Tagore and I brainstorming at the lab

Week 2: May 23-27, 2016

This week I worked on finishing the introduction portion of my poster/final paper and I got started on the methodology portion of it. I was also able to create a "to-do list" for our research that outlines everything we need to accomplish before we can start interviewing people and gathering data out in the field. Every single thing I have done this week has been a learning experience, especially when it comes to how to write and organize a real research paper. I have to be honest, a lot of what I am doing is not only very new to me, but it is also very challenging and I am loving it. I honestly feel like everything that I am learning through the program will help me become more confident in my abilities as a researcher and ultimately make me a better student.

Week 3: May 30-June 3, 2016

This week was all about finishing the introduction and methods section of my poster. I also started reading and compiling articles for my literature review. My near-peer mentor Pratiti showed me a way to organize and categorize all of the articles that I might be using on my paper, in a way that not only would allow me to understand what I'm reading better, but that it will also allow me to focus on information that is relevant to our research. I would have to say that, staying focused on only our project questions and nothing else has been the most difficult part of doing research thus far. There are so many interesting things to read about and research, that sometimes it can be hard to stay on point, or focused on our project and not let my mind wander off... When this happens, I am very lucky to have amazing mentors that take the time to guide me and reel me in when needed.

Week 4: June 6-10, 2016

Week 5: June 13-17, 2016

Who would have thought that creating a survey could be so much fun! That's exactly what I have been doing for the past week. My near-peer mentor has been great in guiding me through this whole process, and I am also very lucky to have access to the rest of the lab members and their invaluable feedback. Everyone has been so helpful, and welcoming! I am very excited to be able to finish editing our survey today, so that we can start contacting people and setting up times for interviews next week. I can't believe we only have five weeks left in the program.

Week 6: June 20-24, 2016

This last week has been challenging to say the least. I feel like I have hit a few bumps along the way and sometimes I worry I might not get everything done on time. But at the same time, I have to admit that it was heartening to see my mentor, near-peer mentor and everyone else in our lab come together as a team to help me brainstorm and find possible solutions to my research related difficulties. I am very grateful to have been placed in a lab where everyone gets along nicely and everyone is willing to take time off their own personal projects in order to help me.

Week 7: June 27-July 1, 2016

Last week was stressful, we encountered some problems with out research model and it was decided that we would start over from scratch. So this week was basically starting the process all over again, but more fun because I got to interview and survey members of the lab as a practice run for our future research. It is great to be surrounded by smart and innovative people on a daily basis that are able to see past the little bumps along the road and inspire me to do the same, and even though last week was discouraging, I feel like I'm back on track again.

Week 8: July 4-8, 2016

The last couple of days have been very exciting. We were able to finally get out in the field and interview people about their landscaping choices. Even though it was hard to get people to talk to us, the times when someone did felt amazing. I was surprised to see how much people liked talking about their yards. Even the people that would let us know from the beginning that they only had ten minutes to talk to us or were in a hurry, would open up and share very interesting facts about their lives and their landscaping choices. Although it was at times very tiring I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it!

Week 10: July 18-22, 2016

This week was all about getting my poster ready for the symposium even though I was not going to be able to present it due to some IRB issues. I was disappointed, but that's the way research sometime goes...the good news is that I was able to finish my project, print it and feel proud about my work all other issues aside.

What an unforgettable week, my little girl -and future iFellow- was born! Other than staring at her constantly I have been working on my power point presentation and my paper. Again, due to IRB issues I will not be able to present next week at the symposium but it feels good to be able to finish something I have been working so hard on for the past nine weeks!

All content provided on this iUTAH Team - Undergraduate iFellows weekly recap is unedited, updated by each participant to provide a review of their progress, and is for informational purposes only.

All 2016 iFellows