Meet undergraduate researcher Josephine Zdun

How did you get interested in undergraduate research?

During my freshman year of college, I started volunteering in a stroke research lab, and from there, my curiosity about research ignited. As I progressed through my undergraduate career, my research focuses changed, but my love of research remained constant.

What was the nature of your research project?

The aim of my project was to better understand how the presence of alcohol and consent affected people's perceptions of reporting sexual assault on Wayne State’s campus. I received funding from the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) and used a survey experiment to examine how students’ perceptions of sexual assault are affected by the nature of consent and the presence of alcohol. My research shows that students are more likely to perceive an incident as a sexual assault when consent is ambiguous and alcohol was not involved but surprisingly were more likely to report the incident to campus authorities when consent was ambiguous and alcohol was involved. The research shows that more work needs to be done to educate students about affirmative consent.

Where have you presented your results?

I was lucky enough to present my project at the North Central Sociological Association 2023 meeting in Grand Rapids in March. Following that, I presented my results at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Research Symposium and won first place in the social science division.

What advice would you give to students interested in doing a research project?

My best advice would just be to reach out to people! If you took a class you really enjoyed, reach out to your instructor to ask if they would be interested in helping you out with your own research. They could also connect you with someone they know who could help you as well. Faculty members are pretty excited to see undergraduates interested in their life’s work. They will be more than happy to assist you.

What are your plans for the future?

I am hoping to apply to a master’s program in occupational therapy!