Tufts Blogs

When I was applying to college, I wanted to go somewhere I could be involved in groundbreaking research projects. I wanted that Black Mirror experience of working with something crazy and innovative. Have you ever seen the Black Mirror “PlayTest” episode where Cooper tests a video game that manifests his darkest fears? That’s what I’m talking about.

The first time I did research at Tufts was during the fall semester of freshman year. I wrote a paper on the Venezuelan exodus to Roraima, Brazil for my English class. Most writing classes at Tufts require students to write at least one paper on a research topic. But besides those, there are plenty of classes focused specifically on research methods. I have taken classes on Statistics and UX Research. However, I was never a big fan of writing. I’m more into hands-on lab-based research. I wanted to work with human subjects, interview them, conduct experiments, and maybe even design high-tech tools.

In March 2020, I got selected to be a Laidlaw Scholar at Tufts. The UK’s Laidlaw Foundation organizes this program that aims at developing a new generation of skilled researchers. The program includes a six-week summer research project in the scholars’ first summer and a four-week leadership development retreat in the following summer. Only two schools in the U.S. currently have this program: Tufts University and Columbia University. This is such a big deal that it goes on your transcript under academic honors!

I was super excited for the upcoming summer and even made plans of renting a room near Tufts’ campus. When COVID-19 hit, I was frustrated. Fortunately, I had support from the program’s administrators, who kept the program going remotely. At Tufts, the Office of the Provost and Senior Vice President is the organization responsible for the Laidlaw Program. But, I kept asking myself, “How am I going to have that Black Mirror experience outside of a lab?” I had never experienced anything similar.

This past summer, I worked with the Spatial Cognition Lab at Tufts on a remote research project titled, “Do Metacognitive Judgments Impact Environment Learning?” This study aims at investigating the role of explicit metacognitive monitoring judgments during environment learning. In simpler words, we want to see how your ability to judge your familiarity with new environments can impact the way you navigate spaces you’ve never been to. To do that, we use a 3D simulator, which I was responsible for designing.

My mentors, Professor Holly Taylor and Lauren Mason, sent me articles about spatial navigation and held weekly check-ins with me. I felt supported! Our main goal is to create a human-computer interface capable of simulating the decision-making process of humans when we are navigating spaces for the very first time. This study is the first step to develop more advanced technologies such as more accessible self-driving vehicles. After all, not everyone can afford a Tesla, right?

Can you imagine eco-friendly self-driving cars available for an accessible and popular price? That’s some Black Mirror crazy stuff! Now, I want to keep studying spatial navigation but with a focus on navigational aid design. If you have ever used a cardinal compass, Google Maps, or even taken advantage of street lighting, you have probably used at least one navigational aid. Fortunately, there are plenty of funding opportunities to further develop my research at Tufts. I could even use it as a baseline for my senior thesis.

As you can see, faculty members are willing to guide you through your research project even during a pandemic. They will send you supporting materials and arrange you necessary equipment and software. Tufts has a culture of offering generous grants for undergraduate students interested in conducting research projects. Therefore, if research is something you’re passionate about, Tufts with its research-driven academics is definitely a great place for you.