Summer Research Fellow Spotlight Eliot Bradshaw

Sexual assault (including rape) on/around college campuses is a major problem. The purpose of my project is to extend the current body of research about the impact of victim consumption of rohypnol (“date rape” drug) on legal decision-making involving a rape case. This study will investigate an additional factor (i.e., relationship between the victim and defendant), and will use new analytic techniques (i.e., mediation, semantic network analyses) to better understand the mechanisms influencing legal decision making in rape cases involving rohypnol.

Q: How did you first get interested in undergraduate research at UK?

A: "Dr. Haglund was looking for undergraduate research assistants to help with her research and I thought her project was really interesting so I applied. "

Q: How long have you been engaged in undergraduate research?

A: "Three semesters."

Q: Describe what a typical day of remote summer research activity looks like for you. How does this differ from your pre-COVID research activity?

A: "My typical day of remote research includes me on my laptop, editing a Qualtrics survey and reading more background information for my project. It really doesn't look that much different that it would have without COVID. "

Q: What has been the most exciting aspect of your research so far?

A: "Finding the right wording for each condition has been the most exciting aspect so far. Participants in my project are given a vignette, so it's been a challenge to make sure each condition gets the point across without being leading or too obvious. When I finally do find the right wording it's very rewarding. "

Q: What advice would you give to other UK students thinking about doing research?

A: "I would tell any UK student who is interested in doing research to talk to their professors and to not be afraid of asking to participate in research. Professors will never know you're interested if you don't express interest. "

The UK Office of Undergraduate Research's Summer Research and Creativity Fellowship program provides undergraduates with the opportunity to study in a wide variety of disciplines while doing intensive and self-directed research or creative work under the supervision of a faculty mentor.