Aversive stimuli decrease ethanol self-administration in male and female mice

Research was conducted in the Reward and Addictive Disorders (RAD) Lab.

Career & Self Development 

This project allowed me to develop my sense of self as a student and an undergraduate research assistant (URA). I now have a deeper understanding of the strengths, limitations, and values I bring to these roles. For example, coming into this experience, I was actively working on building my confidence and self-efficacy in these contexts. I believe this is something I have significantly developed over time, as I now feel more confident in myself, but also in my abilities as a student and an URA. As someone aspiring to pursue a career in research, this experience allowed me to develop the skills necessary to support that goal. Not only did I learn the practical laboratory skills critical for research, but I also came to appreciate the importance of the work we do as a team in our lab. The collaboration and mentorship I received from my peers and advisors were the most valuable aspects of this experience. I feel confident that these relationships will continue to support my growth both personally and professionally. 

Technology

Throughout my training in the lab, I was exposed to various forms of experimental technology that were previously foreign to me. This came with many learning curves; nevertheless, I was always eager to learn how to utilize them. I also learned the value of these technologies, as they facilitate much of the research we conduct. For this project, we used operant chamber boxes controlled via a computer program. I not only had to learn the engineering behind these boxes, but also how the programming worked. This came with its challenges, as we encountered a coding error early in the experimentation process. As a research team, we worked together to identify the error and successfully got the program running again. Although this was challenging, it was also rewarding. I was able to gain valuable skills such as patience, critical thinking, and problem-solving, which ultimately made me feel more confident in my ability to work with complex technologies.

Teamwork

During this experience, I have learned that teamwork is a vital aspect of research. Without the collaboration of the research team, this project would not have been as successful as it was. We each brought valuable skills–whether it was designing procedures, analyzing data, or troubleshooting challenges–that helped us achieve our goal efficiently and effectively. As this was my first research project, I knew I would need to take careful consideration of each aspect of the project in order to be a successful team member. I believe I did so successfully and was able to make significant contributions. However, this would not have been possible without the mentorship I received from Dr. Radke and Achintya. They were very patient and supportive and were always open to answering any questions I had. This support further reinforced my understanding of the importance of collaboration and teamwork within a research team.