Biology

“With the smaller class sizes, I feel connected to the faculty and staff, and I know they care for my success.”

This is one of the many reasons Alejandro Ramirez chose Western Kentucky University to pursue his degree.

Ramirez, a sophomore from Elizabethtown majoring in Psychological Sciences, contributes to an area of psychological research that he says is often overlooked. At a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program, funded by the National Science Foundation, and hosted by the Department of Psychology at West Virginia University, Ramirez will be studying the effects of commonly-used psychoactive drugs on decision-making in rats.

The REU program is highly competitive and offers nine weeks of research, one-on-one meetings with a faculty mentor, weekly seminars on professional development, team-building exercises, physical computing workshops, and will end with a research symposium.

“My first semester at WKU, I was able to join Dr. Norman’s research lab and co-authored a paper published in the journal Scientific Reports,” Ramirez said. “This opportunity helped me in my application process for competitive positions such as the REU I will be attending this summer.”

Because Ramirez’s research is contributing to an area of scientific study that is not entirely understood, Ramirez hopes to help psychological scientists and clinicians better understand substance use, treatment, and prevention.

Upon graduating from WKU, Ramirez plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, studying opioid substance use disorders, their treatment, and prevention. He also said that in the near future, he hopes to design his own study and publish a paper as first author.

Ramirez recognized Dr. Amy Brausch and Dr. Farley Norman for all their encouragement and support in his academic journey. “I could not have been able to do this without them.”