Psychology major with a minor in biology from Rogers, Ark.

Undergraduate research project

Feedforward regulation of the exercise ventilatory response under conditions of normocapnia and hypocapnia with Dr. Henderson and Elizabeth Krug '14

Human subjects were used to examine the changes in end tidal CO2 between two trials of exercise. In one trial, the subject started exercise with no changes to regular ventilation. In the other, the subject hyperventilated prior to exercise. By examining the two trials, we looked to see if the arterial CO2 pressures (which are reflected by end tidal CO2 values) were significantly different between trials due to the feed-forward nature of the exercise ventilatory response.

How did you find out about this opportunity?

I heard about the opportunity through a friend.

How does your project fit with your interests and your professional plans for life after Hendrix?

Although I am a psychology major, I am on the pre-med track and quite interested in how the body works. Doing research in the kinesiology department has allowed me to work with human subjects, and get more insight into how the respiratory system works.

What has been the most eye-opening or valuable part of your experience so far?

The most valuable part of the whole research experience has been learning to be flexible and troubleshoot problems that may arise unexpectedly. Our research was at the mercy of our software, which took a lot of fine tuning before we could conduct any research.