Spit for Science Student Research Symposium

Undergraduate student research teams for “Spit for Science: The VCU Student Survey,” gathered to share their recent findings during a research symposium last week.

Nearly 22 undergraduate students shared their findings at the symposium based on the data collected from both fall 2011 and spring 2012 Spit for Science follow-up surveys.

While the study, which launched in fall 2011, is being led by VCU experts in psychiatric and behavioral genetics, several undergraduate research teams were created to engage students in hands-on research.

During the symposium, students gave oral presentations about their project and findings. Topics included the associations between college students’ drug and alcohol use and religiosity, parental mental health and substance use, stress, campus involvement and parent-child relationships.

The undergraduate research teams involved in the project helped with coordinating aspects of the study and analyzing anonymous data. Through this work, they were able to earn research credit by being a part of the research team.

The study investigates how genetic and environmental factors affect substance use and emotional health in students.

Participation in the study was completely voluntary and confidential for incoming students last fall. The results may be used to inform prevention and intervention programming to improve the health of college populations.

Faculty advisors included co-principal investigators Kenneth S. Kendler, M.D., director of the Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics at VCU, and Danielle M. Dick, Ph.D., associate professor of psychiatry, psychology and human and molecular genetics in the VCU School of Medicine, as well as Jessica Salvatore, Ph.D., co-instructor for the study.  The team leaders for the course include Megan Cook, James Clifford and Neeru Goyal, second-year graduate students in the Psychiatric, Behavioral, and Statistical Genetics Ph.D. program. 

For more information on the project, visit http://www.spit4science.vcu.edu.

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