Basic Research Training
The goals that the lab sets for our students are:
- acquisition of the facts and principles of the subject matter;
- development of critical thinking;
- growth of the skills and the understanding required for research careers
- personal development.
The lab has set several personal goals based on its understanding of how students learn and the appropriateness of the goals set for them. The lab seeks to:
- create an open, respectful, and supportive environment;
- encourage independent, critical, and creative thinking;
- stimulate interest;
- provide the skills, tools, and knowledge necessary to understand the material at hand and thrive in the scientific/academic world; and
- inspire as a mentor and lead by example.
Clinical Training
When training students, the lab views the scientist practitioner model as key to imparting the necessary values and competencies. The ABS lab believes that training students in pediatric sleep problems is valuable because intervention in any individual patient requires:
- use of scientific tools (documenting sleep patterns)
- application of scientific thinking (development of a hypothesis on the nature of the problem)
- and specific knowledge (on sleep physiology), while considering familial, emotional, and developmental factors
Research Environment
The lab offers a variety of opportunities for student participation. It encourages presentations, discussions, data collection, and the development of independent research projects. Frequently students start with relatively little knowledge and go through a process of self-discovery and skill acquisition that allows them to develop a broad range of refined research skills.
The ABS lab also creates learning situations in which students are encouraged to apply the theoretical knowledge they have acquired throughout their undergraduate and graduate educations in applied settings.
