Category: Research Assistants

Hanya Irfan earned her Bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences with University Honors distinction. She was awarded Honors in the Major for her Honors Undergraduate Thesis examining the connection between health risk behavior, shame and guilt proneness, and self-esteem. Her primary research interests involve the intersection between physiology and behavior and improving public access to health and psychological services. As a member of the MIT2 research laboratory, she serves a lead research assistant investigating the effectiveness of online versus in-person vigilance testing and is passionate about studying modern human-technology interaction in the field of Human Factors.

Katrina Lashinger is a psychology major on the general track. As a previous undergraduate research assistant in the lab, she has contributed to various research projects, including collecting information on pain perception and the effects of autonomous systems on unmanned aerial vehicles. This semester, she will assist in the Online vs. In-Person vigilance study. Katrina is passionate about mental health and hopes to attain her Master’s in School Psychology. She also serves as an officer on the UCF Psychological Society executive board and is a member of Psi Chi International Honor Society and Student Professionals for Industrial/Organizational Psychology.

Britney Raymond is a psychology major on the neuroscience track and medical sociology minor. She is completing an undergraduate thesis that explores the relationship between social media usage and racial/ethnic self-presentation efforts. Her research interests are centered on the desire to explore the connection between the process of socialization and the formation of mental illnesses. Britney plans to continue conducting research as she prepares for a clinical psychology Ph.D. program.

Noelia Valencia is a biology major on the pre-health track. She envisions herself pursuing graduate studies focusing on biotechnology, aiming to learn how to manipulate organisms or components of biological systems to devise innovative solutions for pressing global challenges. Noelia is passionate about understanding how psychological aspects can be leveraged to improve healthcare outcomes and intends to contribute to this field through advanced research and education. Outside of academics, she works as a Resident Assistant, volunteers at the Orlando Regional Medical Center, and serves in the President’s Leadership Council at UCF.