Correlations between behavioral and sex therapy, how housing prices and rents have displaced people, and the effects of caffeine on your nervous system are all topics among the research projects being currently pursued by the largest number of students the Honors College has ever seen.
Founded in 2006, the Honors College is a program that “allows students to take ‘honored’ classes,” as director Michael Overa said. Overa and other instructors give honors students access to more in-depth courses, leadership opportunities, and additional academic support for students who plan to transfer to a four-year university.
The Research Track is a 3 quarter long engagement where students are tasked to research any — yes, any topic — that they are interested in and present their findings to the campus. Afterward, select students present at the University of Washington’s undergraduate research symposium.
Luke Collins, a student researching the effects of caffeine on your nervous system, said that “the Research Track is very fun and insightful. You get the experience you don’t get anywhere else here.” Collins is researching this topic as he feels people don’t truly realize the long-term effects caffeine can have, such as withdrawal symptoms and other underlying issues.
Another student, Iris Henry, is looking into more permanent solutions for food allergies. She feels that there are too many temporary solutions for dealing with allergies, an affliction she deems both physical and mental. As she herself has food allergies, she’s hoping that she can bring this issue to greater light and find a more permanent solution.
Historically, no more than 20 people have participated throughout the research track’s 3-month duration, but the program is seeing its highest numbers of students yet this year: 24 joined last fall and 23 more this winter. Students will be working in pairs and groups of three or four rather than individually for the first time, and a total of 15 projects have been approved. With endless exciting and unique objects of research, it’s no wonder why the Honors College Research Track is gaining popularity as time progresses.
