A core goal of the Center for the Advancement of Students and Alumni (CASA) at Georgia State University is to advance the education of any student who walks through its doors at 55 Park Place, Suite 320, in Atlanta, GA. Throughout the year, CASA staff plan professional development workshops, offer mentoring support, and recruit qualified students into the CASA’s paid research opportunities in STEM and the humanities. Recently, one of CASA’s summer research assistants showed the power of hard work and the role that CASA played in her educational plan. Former Perimeter Summer Research Assistant, and now CREST-DMAP scholar, Emily Smith, has received the prestigious Barry Goldwater scholarship. The CASA reached out to Smith to discuss her recent scholarship, career challenges, and the benefits of her summer research assistantship at the CASA.
Please share why being awarded the Barry Goldwater is so important to you. How do you plan to use the scholarship?
As a non-traditional student, diverting from my original career path and returning to school hasn’t been without its challenges. Being awarded the Goldwater is confirmation that I am making the best decision for my future. As the scholarship is meant to be applied to tuition, I plan to use it accordingly.
Explain the career challenges that you faced during COVID and how you ended up in neuroscience and research?
Prior to the pandemic, I had a well-established career teaching a method of exercise called Gyrotonic and I owned a successful wellness center in New York City. Government regulations required me to close my facility for six months, which was financially devastating for me. I ultimately decided to close permanently and relocate. In considering my next steps, it was important to me that I continue to help people who are struggling to recover from injury, so I enrolled at GSU with the intention of learning the academic understanding of movement. Neuroscience was a natural fit. Research appeals to me because, as anyone who has been in a class with me knows, I am always asking questions. I love the idea that I could make a (new) career out of it.
Can you discuss what you worked on during your summer research assistantship within the CASA?
I studied the acute effects of a single session of exercise on attention in young adults.
How has the CASA supported you during your summer research assistantship?
I cannot overstate the importance of my affiliation with CASA in both my research experience and my Goldwater application process. Dr. Sherri Briggs was an invaluable resource when I had questions about my project and Dr. Kyle Frantz has given me great advice and helped me find more research opportunities. I am looking forward to doing a CASA internship again this summer.
After graduating from GSU, what are your next academic or professional steps?
I am preparing to apply to graduate school where I plan to research neural mechanisms of motor learning and recovery.