Tanvi Garneni ('27), a Chemistry major, conducted research with Dr. Allyson Mackey (Department of Psychology) on the relationship between ADHD symptoms and daily activity. This research was supported by the Penn Undergraduate Research Mentoring Program (PURM).
Last summer I studied the relationship between reports of adolescents’ ADHD symptoms and wearable sensors which track the intensity of their movement throughout the day. Unlike other measures of daily activity that only consider the mean activity levels, temporal data from wearable sensors granted us unique insights into the relationship between adolescent ADHD symptoms and day-to-day variability in activity. Since I’m interested in education, adolescent mental health, and disparities in the healthcare system, the potential of sensor data was particularly exciting to me. Because teacher and parent reports are subject to interpersonal biases, using the wearable sensors as a supplement to other measures of attentional problems could help us remedy disparities in the rate of ADHD diagnoses in historically under-diagnosed groups like girls and Black youth.
The relationships I formed this summer with my mentors and peers helped me realize the value of a research team with wide-ranging interests and levels of expertise. While some team members were able to offer their knowledge of existing methods or findings in their fields, newer research assistants were able to provide feedback on a more detailed level about interacting with participants and working firsthand with the data. Everyone in my lab cultivated curiosity by creating a comfortable space to ask questions and try new things. Outside of research, PURM gave me the chance to get to know other people spending the summer in Philly and explore West Philly and Center City more than I did during my first year at Penn!
This experience was also a great way to see what it’s like to be a part of a collaborative scientific space — learning how to communicate with a team, take feedback, and ask questions. Research is valuable not only for people interested in research careers. It can help you figure out if you’re interested in a field, get mentorship, or learn more about pathways in higher education. Personally, I learned a lot about how research can be an important tool in science communication. I’m interested in going into healthcare, and while healthcare workers can influence people through individual interactions, research can be helpful to address aggregate issues on a broader scale. This summer inspired me to incorporate more research experiences into my pathway to working in healthcare.
Interested in reading more first-hand accounts about undergraduate research? Check out the other experiences featured on our Student News Page and Social Media!
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