KAYLA STORY NCUR 2022 Spotlight

Kayla Story

Junior, Middle Level Teacher Education for Science and Math major and Theatre minor

Research Mentors: Drs. Lin Xiang, Molly Fisher, and Jennifer Wilhelm

I enjoy research because.... "It allows me to engage in something that is outside of my major yet still applies to my future. All this work we are putting in could be beneficial to many people, and that’s really cool to see. "

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

"Dr. Fisher came to one of my classes as a freshman! It sounded really interesting, so I applied."

How long have you been engaged in undergraduate research?

"I’ve been doing research since the start of the 2021-2022 school year."

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

"It’s been really exciting seeing the research turn into our own. When my partner and I started out, I had the mindset that we were just there to help out our mentor. Since then, we have been given the space to come up with our own research questions and see the results from that. It’s also exciting when the results start coming in and you and your team start making all these connections you had never thought of before. Then those thoughts spark new research questions, which spark new thoughts, and so on."

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

"Take the literature seriously. It can seem daunting and tedious at first, but it truly is one of the most important parts of the whole research process. It lays a solid foundation to build your research off of."