Presenting my research at the COEHP Honors Research Symposium

Author: Emerson Kaiser | Major: Public Health | Semester: Spring 2023

My name is Emerson Kaiser and I am in the College of Education and Health Professions Honors Program. My major is Public Health, and after graduating, I plan to apply to Physician Assistant masters programs. My research mentor is Dr. Michelle Gray at the Exercise Science Research Center. This semester, Spring 2023, I finished my research on whether education level impacts cognition differently in middle-aged individuals versus older individuals.

With a growing elderly population in the US, Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and cognitive decline are important topics in public health now more than ever. Age is the most widely accepted risk factor for AD, and higher education has been shown to delay the onset. Through my research, I wanted to see if there was a difference in the way higher education impacts the mind in middle age versus older age. While I did not find any significant differences in the way education impacts cognition between the two age groups, I found further evidence to support the ideas that separately, lower age is associated with higher cognition, and higher education is associated with higher cognition. This contributes to the bigger-picture idea that cognitive stimulation, whether through formal education or less-formal activities like brain games, is beneficial to cognitive ability.

I found my mentor, Dr. Gray, by looking at faculty profiles on the University of Arkansas website and reading about their research focuses. I saw her research interests involved older adults and cognition throughout the lifespan, so I decided to reach out to learn more. I knew I wanted to do something related to aging and dementia for my honors research, because I am interested in working with Alzheimer’s patients in my future career as a Physician Assistant. I have learned so much from Dr. Gray and my other committee member Dr. Dobbs. They have given me the guidance I needed, while also encouraging me to navigate the process on my own.

This semester, I wrapped up my honors thesis research, spent a lot of time writing and revising, and was able to present my research at the Honors College of Education and Health Professions Research Symposium. The biggest challenge I faced this semester was feeling confident in the writing I was doing. This was my first time writing a big research paper like this, and I spent many hours making sure I was fully capturing what I wanted to convey through my writing. I learned a lot through reading the existing literature and experienced gains in my abilities to think critically and problem-solve. I feel confident that in my future career as a PA, I will be able to successfully reference the latest research to provide the best care and treatment to my patients.

The Honors College Research Grant is to thank for allowing my research project to come to life. I enjoyed presenting at the symposium and showing off what I have been working on for over a year now. Since I have been doing research since my freshman year, it is a rewarding, yet sad feeling to know my time in the lab is almost over.