Research is a key Honors learning outcome, and these courses start students on the path to scientific, social, humanistic, artistic, and other forms of discovery that put learning into practice. These research courses can start students on the path to Honors Mentoring Agreements and Capstone Projects—and they can open up possibilities for future work.
HONR 2100 (H)
Honors Research I
Instructor: Dr. Gregory Madden
In-Person, R 3:00-4:30 plus arranged lab
CRN: 47456
Enroll in a small, honors-only, hands-on mentored research experience in the NIH-supported Behavioral Economics Lab at Utah State University. In the lab, we employ preclinical models to study behavioral-economic mechanisms of impulsive decision-making. Our research is focused on developing interventions with clear biomedical relevance (e.g., reducing substance use, increasing medical treatment adherence). Each week you’ll join a 90-minute, journal-club style meeting to dissect a chapter or peer-reviewed article. In the lab (~6 hours/week), you’ll receive training and then help run humane, rewards-based animal (rat) behavior experiments. Students will maintain rigorous protocols and help graduate students to analyze/graph data. Students can continue in the experience by taking HONR 2200: Research II: Laboratory Experience in Behavioral Economics in the spring semester where they can take on greater responsibility, propose new studies, and present findings at scientific conferences.
