About the Project:

College is a period of significant transition, for both students and their parents. College is also a period of particular vulnerability for the experience of psychological disorders and other psychological stressors. Eckerd provides many resources to support students in these transitions, including the unique opportunity to live in their dorm room with a family pet, and a strong emphasis on faculty mentorship.

First-Year Research Associates will have the opportunity to assist the professor with one of several projects related to the college student experience. Possibilities include a study of the role which emotional support animals play during academically stressful situations; of the parent-child relationship across the four years of college; and an examination of what predicts a good match between faculty mentor and student. The student would participate in a variety of study-related tasks including literature reviews and planning, participant recruitment, data collection and analysis and write-ups.

Dr. Miranda Goodman is an Assistant Professor of Psychology with interests in the parent-child relationship from infancy all the way through college and the impact of mental health issues on these relationships. She is also interested in conducting research to evaluate how colleges and universities can most effectively support their students. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of California-Los Angeles and her Ph.D. from the University of California-Davis. Her previous research has explored social referencing in infancy, the development of prosocial behavior in toddlers, and preschool-aged children’s memories for traumatic events. Since arriving at Eckerd, she has completed studies looking at the impact of living with a pet on a college student stress, the role of emotional support animals on college campuses, the parent-child relationship at the transition to college, and what predicts the quality of a mentor-student relationship.

The First-Year Research Associate Program at Eckerd College honors academically outstanding students with awards of up to $1,000. The program also provides the opportunity, during the freshman year, for the award winners to work closely with a sponsor (faculty or administrative personnel) on a project of mutual interest. Associates might assist with research for faculty publication or new courses, conduct scientific experiments, work with creative artists, or develop projects related to any phase of the academic, cultural, and social life of the college. Scholars are selected on the basis of achievement in high school and on the creativity and depth of responses to items on this application.​

Online submission due no later than February 1, 2020.