Shirley Chen

  

Major: Psychology, Supplementary major in Statistics

  

Flushing, New York

 

Welcome to my ISLA/UROP page, dedicated to my current project on sleep, age and emotional memory! This project is made possible with the help of funding from ISLA/UROP, and will eventually culminate in my senior thesis project. 

When I'm not busy collecting data for my study, I'm usually at the climbing wall (at the Rock) or fiercely painting in my room for hours. You could say my interest in sleep research started with a fascination with my own odd sleep behavior (I'm a serious night owl!). Obsession with movies and TV shows definitely contribute to that oddity, but who doesn't love a good movie? I'm especially partial to Interstellar or Mean Girls! When I'm not living the Domer life at Notre Dame, I head back to my hometown in Queens, New York City. Growing up in Flushing, Queens taught me to seriously enjoy and love some good food! I miss xiao long bao's (chinese soup dumplings) the most. 

As a psychology and statistics major, I have a huge passion for research and research methods. I believe psychological research is so important for gaining a better understanding of various phenomenons that we would otherwise take for granted. I've been involved in the Notre Dame Sleep, Stress and Memory lab since I was a sophomore and have been so grateful for this continually amazing experience. I work closely with Dr. Jessica Payne and Dr. Sara Alger, along with supportive graduate students and my amazing fellow research assistants! I would not be as passionate as I am about sleep and memory research without their guidance. I hope to pursue research in graduate school after I graduate from Notre Dame next spring. Although I'm not sure exactly in which direction I'll be heading, I'm excited for my future and for the chance to continue doing what I love.