Research assistants in the HDCI lab gain practical and hands-on experience that is invaluable when applying to graduate programs. Also, the individual mentorship and supervision received by HDCI research assistants helps prepare them for a career in academia or therapeutic settings. The HDCI accepts a limited number of graduate and undergraduate research assistants each semester. After one semester of volunteering in the lab, students can earn Independent Research or Honors Thesis credits for their research hours. Many past HDCI Research Assistants have presented at conferences, and some work has resulted in journal publications!
Below you will find information for graduate students, prospective HDCI Lab undergraduate research assistants and new undergraduate research assistants. In addition, you will find links to download a HDCI lab research assistant application for undergraduate students and our informational brochure.
Prospective HDCI Lab Undergraduate Research Assistants
If you would like to do research in the areas of human sexuality, gender, race/ ethnicity or health you should consider working the HDCI lab! New HDCI undergraduate research assistants will undergo an orientation, attend seminars on research design and methodology and work directly on HDCI lab studies. Clearly, working in the HDCI lab's involves much more than "volunteering"- you'll be an active part of a research team, and working on all aspects of the research process including helping to prepare a study, conducting experiments, interview transcription, data coding and analysis, SPSS data entry, assisting in the preparation of research presentations and publications, and when appropriate or needed, interviewing. Given the level of responsibility given to all team members, volunteer research assistants must:
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Students interested in becoming a part of the HDCI lab must complete the application form linked here (please note that the application can be filed out online, saved and emailed directly to Dr. Stephens). Once you have completed the application, print it off and mail/ drop off/ fax/ email to one of the addresses listed at the bottom. You will be contacted a few weeks after your materials have been received to schedule a meeting with Dr. Stephens.
New HDCI Lab Undergraduate Research Assistants
Acceptance of undergraduate students is determined by the application content, HDCI lab space at the time of application, and the quality of the interview. After one semester of volunteering, undergraduate students can earn independent study credit for their lab work; these credits can be used for the completion of an Honors Thesis. Please note that those undergraduate students earning credit will have a greater number of required weekly hours.
Student Resources
Undergraduate students working in the HDCI lab typically plan to pursue a career in the field of psychology. Going to graduate school requires careful preparation that should begin no later than the beginning of your junior year; unfortunately, undergraduate students are rarely aware of the importance of this kind of planning. See Dr. Stephens Teaching page for more information about graduate school preparation, graduate school application processes, and other research opportunities.
Human Subjects Certificate
In preparation for acceptance in the HDCI lab- or any other lab- students should complete the Florida International University Institutional Review Board’s (IRB) required Human Subjects Training. Federal regulations require that anyone directly involved in a research study involving human subjects undergo training to improve research subject safety. Student investigators, faculty, research staff and other key personnel involved in research are required to go to complete the National Institutes for Health (NIH) Office of Extramural Research (OER) on-line tutorial titled Protecting Human Research Participants. This tutorial presents common concepts, principles, and issues related to protection of human participants. It will help you understand how to protect the rights and welfare of all human participants involved in research.
All students in the HDCI lab must complete the on-line tutorial; you will be given an electronic certificate of completion at the end of the tutorial. You will be asked to provide Dr. Stephens with a photocopy of their certificate of completion; you will not be able to work on any research study if you do not submit a copy of this certificate. Students are strongly advised to keep copy of the certificate for their own records as they will need if they continue conducting research at any point in their academic careers.
For more information about human subjects policies, federal or university regulations and other related issues please visit the Florida International University Office of Research Integrity website or visit their offices in MARC 430 on the University Park Campus. Also consider visiting their FAQ page for answers to the questions most commonly asked.
Find out more about joining our research lab!