What is your full name?
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What is your VCU email address?
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What is your date of birth?
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Today M-D-Y
Are you a United States citizen?
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I choose not to answer
What is your country of citizenship?
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What is your US Permanent Alien Resident Number (if applicable)?
What is your US Work Visa Type (if applicable)?
(If you are a citizen of a country other than the United States you must have a visa to work in the US. Please tell us the name of this visa.)
What is your US Work Visa Expiration Date (if applicable)?
Today M-D-Y
What was your semester GPA for Fall 2019?
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What is your current, cumulative GPA?
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What is your major(s)?
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What is your minor(s) (if applicable)?
When did you first enroll at VCU?
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Today D-M-Y
Did you enroll at VCU as a freshman?
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No
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When is your anticipated graduation date?
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Today M-D-Y
What is your sex assigned at birth?
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Male Female Intersex Other I choose not to answer
Which best describes your current gender identity? (Please mark all that apply.)
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Note: "Transgender" is term used to describe people whose gender identity differs from the sex the doctor marked on their birth certificate. "Cisgender" refers to people whose sex at birth and current gender identity are aligned. "Genderqueer" and "non-binary" can refer to those who have sex-gender incongruence, or may not experience gender as either woman or man. "Gender nonconforming" refers to gender expression that does not match the gender norms of the gender they are perceived to be by society. "Questioning" is the process of exploring and discovering one's own gender identity or gender expression.
Which race category do you most closely identify with? (If more than one race, please select all that apply.)
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What is your race?
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Which category best describes your ethnicity?
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Hispanic or Latino Not Hispanic or Latino I prefer not to specify.
What is your Country of Origin?
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Cuba Mexico Puerto Rico South or Central America Other Spanish culture or Origin I prefer not to specify.
Are any of your major life activities (your ability to see, hear, or speak; to learn, remember, or concentrate; to move about or navigate independently) limited in any way because of physical, mental, or emotional challenges?
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Yes No Don't Know I choose not to answer.
Do you use any assistive technology, ancillary devices, aides (whether human, dog or other) as reasonable accommodations?
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Yes No Don't Know I choose not to answer.
Should you be accepted into the program, do you wish to have accommodations and do you have an accommodations letter (an official document from our Student Accessibility and Education Office [SAEO])?
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Yes and I have a letter. Yes but I do not have a letter. No. I choose not to answer.
(We ask this question for planning purposes; this will NOT alter your chances of being accepted but may help us help you.)
Did you know we have an office that can help if you wish to receive reasonable accommodations? If you wish to speak to someone about this, please call either VCU's Student Accessibility and Educational Opportunity office at 804-828-2253 (academic accommodations) or if an employee, Equity and Access Services at 804-828-8532.
Did you complete a FAFSA application to determine your eligibility for financial aid?
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How are you paying for your education? (If in doubt, please select "other" and then explain what you receive.)
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Please briefly explain how you are paying for your education.
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This is about a person who functioned as your parent in your house growing up...How far in school did they go?
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Eighth grade or less High school/GED Went to college Graduated with an Associate's Degree Graduated with a Bachelor's Degree Graduated with a Master's Degree Graduated with a PhD, MD, DDS or equivalent I don't know. There was no one who functioned as a parent in my household. I prefer not to answer.
This is about a second person (if applicable) that functioned as a parent in your house growing up...How far in school did they go?
Eighth grade or less High school/GED Went to college Graduated with an Associate's Degree Graduated with a Bachelor's Degree Graduated with a Master's Degree Graduated with a PhD, MD, DDS or equivalent I don't know Not applicable I prefer not to answer.
If you feel comfortable doing so, please briefly explain any factors that have impacted your education, challenges or obstacles your family faced while you were growing up, and/or if you experienced any form of social, economic, or educational disadvantage?
Below, you will find information on GREAT faculty mentors, the research question (or a list from which to choose) you would work with that faculty member to investigate, and additional opportunities/roles/responsibilities associated with that mentor. If you want more information about each faculty member, click on their name and you will be sent to their VCU webpage.
1)
Dr. Jessica Salvatore: Research questions: Are people with a family history of alcohol problems more likely to become involved with romantic partners higher in substance use? Is the association between romantic partner substance use and one's own alcohol consumption higher for those who have a family history of alcohol problems? Do these associations differ as a function of race/ethnicity and sex?
What to expect when working with Dr. Salvatore: Fellows in the Examining Development, Genes, & Environment Laboratory (EDGE lab) will join a large, collaborative group with expertise across clinical, developmental, and quantitative psychology, human and molecular genetics, and statistics/mathematics. They will be invited to lab and journal club meetings and in addition may: assist with literature reviews for manuscripts related to genetic/environmental risk factors for substance use and mental health; contribute to group efforts to translate research findings for public consumption; and assist with data cleaning for a longitudinal and university-wide research project.
2)
Dr. Bee Coston: Research questions: What is the relationship between sexuality/gender identity and alcohol use in college? Are LGBTQ+ college students more likely to use alcohol to cope with stress (e.g. what is the relationship between stress and alcohol use)? Does time in college impact LGBTQ+ alcohol use (e.g. the longer one is in college the more/less likely they are to use alcohol to cope)? Does participation in wellness-based activities and/or interaction with campus wellness resources impact alcohol use among LGBTQ+ college students (e.g. lower rates of use/lessen maladaptive coping)?
What to expect with working with Dr. Coston: Summer 2020 lab tasks may include: facilitating participant recruitment (via social media campaigns, graphic design materials, website build out), coordinating data collection (e.g. administering and collecting survey data, conducting unstructured interviews and/or transcribing interviews), developing resilience and peer-advocacy curriculum in conjunction with research team and expert facilitators (for instance, creating questions, activities, and/or resources/materials on key resilience themes).
3)
Dr. Chelsea Williams : In the EMPOWER Youth lab, VCU GREAT fellows will work with Dr. Williams and PhD students in the lab to craft an interesting research question from possible topics below: Cultural measures: ethnic-racial discrimination, ethnic-racial identity, positive and negative conversations about race, childhood familial ethnic-racial socialization, language (monolingualism, bilingualism, multilingualism), and ethnic-racial composition of childhood neighborhood). Outcome measures: substance (alcohol, drugs, etc.) use and dependence, social support, anxiety, depression, etc.
VCU GREAT fellows will have two primary research responsibilities in addition to their own research question and resulting poster. First, they will assist with data collection and data entering for a new project focused on Kindergarten through 5th grade children and their parents' positive cultural, academic, health, and psychological development. Second, they will work with Dr. Williams and PhD students in the lab on existing papers and projects (e.g., helping with literature reviews, writing sections) that are focused on risk and resilience among ethnic-racial minority individuals. 4)
Dr. Joshua Langberg : Research questions of interest: Is there a relationship between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and alcohol use (including alcohol-related consequences and/or risky drinking behaviors)? Do individuals with ADHD have an earlier age of onset for alcohol use/alcohol-related problems? Does socioeconomic status influence the relationship between ADHD and alcohol use/alcohol-related consequences?
What to expect with working with Dr. Langberg's: Research focuses on improving the behavioral and academic functioning of children, adolescents, and emerging adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and on disseminating evidence-based interventions for youth with ADHD into school and community settings. To learn more about the specific research projects we have completed and are on-going please visit the Promoting Academic School Success (P.A.S.S) lab website - https://pass.vcu.edu/. Fellows may be involved in learning experimental methodology, helping to clean data, processing participants, and analyzing results. 5)
Dr. Elizabeth Prom-Wormley : Research questions of interest: What is the relationship between alcohol use, tobacco use and mental health in college students? Do alcohol expectancies (someone's beliefs regarding drinking) correlate with alcohol use/alcohol-related problems? Do these influences differ across sex and race/ethnicity?
What to expect when working with Dr. Prom-Wormley: My lab is interested in genetic and environmental contributions in the etiology of substance use, chronic mental health and medical conditions. I am also passionate about translating the current understanding of the role of genetic and environmental influences on these outcomes into innovative approaches for enhancing the adoption of best practices in the community, clinical practice and public health. Summer fellows will be involved in lab meetings, work with other lab members on community health-related research projects, and have the opportunity to learn R. 6)
Dr. David Chester Research Question: How does alcohol make people more aggressive?
What to expect when working with Dr. Chester:The SPAN Lab studies the psychological and biological mechanisms that cause and constrain human aggression. We use brain imaging and genetic techniques to understand these processes. Students in our lab can expect to get first-hand experience with brain imaging techniques, research study design, data analysis, and presenting research findings.
7)
Dr. Elizabeth Do: Research Question: What is the relationship between problematic drinking and tobacco use? Does the relationship between problematic drinking and tobacco use differ by tobacco product used? Does the relationship between problematic drinking and cigarette use differ from the relationship between problematic drinking and electronic cigarette use? Do these associations also differ as a function of race/ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation?
What to expect when working with Dr. Do: My research primarily focuses on tobacco prevention and control within adolescents and young adults through the identification of risk factors associated with tobacco and electronic nicotine delivery system use behaviors, which have long-term health consequences into adulthood. In addition to addressing their own research questions and presenting a poster for VCU GREAT, fellows will work with Dr. Do's collaborators and team with literature reviews and data entry, management (e.g. processing, cleaning, and coding), and analysis, where appropriate. 8)
Dr. Marcia Winter: Research questions that a VCU GREAT fellow might ask during their time in the CHAMP lab include, but are not limited to: How does exposure to stress in childhood contribute to risk for substance abuse and poor mental health outcomes in college? Are some youth - for example those raised in more impoverished environments or exposed to racial discrimination - more vulnerable to the effects of stress than others? How might processes in the family or other contexts protect youth from these effects?
What to expect when working with Dr. Winter: The CHild & fAMily Perseverance (CHAMP) lab at VCU conducts research on the effects of risk factors or exposure to stress on child mental and physical health outcomes. We are interested in how individual (e.g., temperament) and contextual (e.g., family) VCU GREAT fellows will work within the CHAMP lab team (Dr. Winter and graduate and undergraduate students) to derive a research question and develop it into a poster presentation. In addition, fellows will work on other aspects of research (e.g., data collection, transcription, entry, or analysis) depending on their areas of interest. 9)
Dr. Karen Chartier A research question that a VCU GREAT student in Dr. Chartier's lab might ask includes, but is not limited to: What risk and protective factors contribute to racial/ethnic group differences in high-risk drinking and drinking related problems?
What to expect when working with Dr. Chartier: This research considers both individual- and social-level factors, including those from genetics and family history to social stigma, immigration status, and culture. Students can expect to gain experience with data analysis, working with large datasets (including college student and U.S. population samples), literature reviews, and presenting research findings.
Are you interested in graduate school, or continuing your education after you graduate from VCU?
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How will this experience help you in the future? For example, how will this experience assist you with your future career or graduate school goals.
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Why are you are interested in this program? 250 words, maximum.
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Please tell us about a challenge you have faced and how you overcame it. 250 words, maximum.
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If you were to be accepted into the program, you would be involved in weekly professional and career development opportunities. What topics would you be most interested in? What questions do you have about research or navigating VCU? (Optional.)
Before you submit you application we ask that you review the following requirements that you would be held to if accepted into this program.
The Summer 2020 program will take place between May 11- July 10. Please check each of the boxes below to indicate you agree with these terms. Failure to agree may result in you becoming ineligible for the program.
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Please upload an unofficial VCU transcript.
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You can access an unofficial transcript via eServices. Go to the "Student" menu and then "Student Records" and "Academic Transcript." You can copy and paste into another document, or go to the Print menu and save as a PDF
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