Emily Horton plans to spend part of her summer working on research about human emotions thanks to a competitive Research Experiences for Undergraduates program.
Emily will spend about two months at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where scientists are studying emotion using data recorded about the facial expressions research subjects made while watching films.
A Westover Honors student, Emily originally planned major in biomedical science, but her mathematics classes revealed a new knack for and interest in math. Her professors helped her look for a research opportunity that would combine the two topics.
Emily looks forward to collaborating with other students as the faculty members working on the summer project. She also thinks she will enjoy reconnecting with the Knoxville area. She grew up not far from Knoxville, and her mother — LC public service librarian Jenny Horton — earned her master’s degree at UT-Knoxville.
Funded by the National Science Foundation, the Research Experiences for Undergraduates program provides summer research programs for students who want to participate in additional, in-depth studies over the summer.
Emily said the Westover program has helped her broaden her horizons through unique classes. The faculty members in the program played an important role in motivating her to seek the research experience this summer, too. “I have some really great advisors in the Westover program who pushed me to apply for REUs and think about what I want to do next,” she said.
Emily also is a participant in University of Lynchburg’s Bonner Leader program.