Theory-to-Practice Grant, “The Relationship between Perception of Aging and Memory Performance: Comparing Older Adults in Myanmar and the US”
Learn how OWU’s Course Connections, Travel-Learning Courses, Theory-to-Practice Grants, and other programs prepare students for global citizenship and leadership and help them…Make the Connection.
Ohio Wesleyan University student Thin Nu Yee ’15 spent the summer investigating links between the cultural perception of aging and older adults’ memory performance in Myanmar. Simultaneously, similar research was conducted in Ohio. (Photo courtesy of Thin Nu Yee ’15)
Thin Nu Yee ’15
Name: Thin Nu Yee ’15
Major: Psychology
Minors: Management Economics and Chinese
Hometown: Yangon, Myanmar (Burma)
Experience: Theory-to-Practice Grant, “The Relationship between Perception of Aging and Memory Performance: Comparing Older Adults in Myanmar and the US,” May-August, 2014
Lessons Learned: “Through this Theory-to-Practice project, not only was I able to apply the theories that I have learned in my classes to practical research, I was also able to work with a diverse population sample on the topic of my interest.
“I immensely enjoyed being able to go back to my hometown and apply the skills that I have learned at OWU. While going from home to home collecting data from older adult participants, I had a chance to talk with many wise and knowledgeable older adults and learned a lot about my own culture and people.
“My passion for research, given this great opportunity, came to life. This research project is one of my most indelible accomplishments throughout my college career.
“While I was collecting data in Myanmar over the summer, Dr. (Lynda) Hall (professor of psychology) and two other OWU students, Kaitlyn Kropf ’15 and Katie Swindler ’15, were working on the same research project with participants from Ohio. We combined our data and did analysis when I got back on campus, and did a poster presentation at the Summer Science Research Symposium in September.”
At Ohio Wesleyan’s Summer Research Symposium, Katie Swindler ’15 (left), psychology professor Lynda Hall, Kaitlyn Kropf ’15, and Thin Nu Yee ’15 shared information about their memory research involving older adults in both Myanmar and Ohio. (Photo courtesy of Thin Nu Yee ’15)