Alumni Feature

We’re happy to introduce Coline Ferrant and Molly Sheridan, a URAP mentor/mentee duo from 2018/2019! These two just published their URAP work as a working paper (read here). We caught up with Coline, who is now an Assistant Professor at the American University of Central Asia in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, and Molly, who is applying to graduate programs in audiology!

Coline, please provide a brief summary of your research.
Coline: Generally, my research interests include urban & rural sociology, food & eating, ethnography, and public writing. Specifically, within URAP, our project was about barriers to participation in the WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) program and involved fieldwork in two WIC Centers, in Pilsen and Gage Park.

Molly, what made you initially interested in researching your project in particular?
Molly: 3 things initially drew me to the project: it aligned with my interests, allowed me to learn something new, and allowed me gain research experience in the process. I am extremely interested in working with children and families in the future. I have been accepted into the Doctor of Audiology program at UW-Madison and intend to work in pediatrics, which will also involve a lot of working with families. Working on this research with Coline gave me the chance to be in Chicago, implementing a survey, and interacting with families. In that aspect, it supported my future interests and goals. I could also learn for the first time about WIC centers, the barriers to family participation, and how to ease these barriers. I loved that it was such meaningful work.

What have you found the most rewarding about working with one another?
Coline: As a mentee, Molly was conscientious and responsive to feedback. As a co-author, I appreciated the maturity and concision of her writing. All along, she completed tasks rigorously and on time, and I had absolute trust in her.

Molly: I gained a lot more from Coline than just the research knowledge. Coline was a great mentor – she had trust in my abilities and gave me real work instead of just busywork. She helped me feel competent and confident in my research and writing abilities. She was always accessible for me to ask questions and walked me through the steps before asking me to do it on my own. She became a resource for me throughout our research experience, and also afterward, as she was recently one of my graduate school recommenders. I am endlessly thankful that we were able to work on this project together, and for all of her help and advice afterward as well.

Molly, how do you feel your URAP (or overall research) experience prepared you for grad school?
Molly: Coline was a PhD student during our URAP experience, so I learned a lot about what it’s like to be a PhD student and what it takes to get there. It helped me decide between getting a PhD or a Masters, and prepared me for my future decision. On my graduate school application, there was a question specifically asking about my research experience. I am confident that participating in URAP contributed greatly to my application, as I had real research experience (and a publication) that came out of it.

In addition, my future graduate school experience will involve a capstone research project. I know some of my peers are worried about that aspect of the program, but I feel confident about it after this experience.

Coline, how was your experience shifting from URAP mentor to co-author?
Coline: All smooth and organic. Both Molly and me were interested in having the project deliver. This involved transforming our working relationship from a vertical one to a horizontal one, and it happened pretty naturally.

What was it like finalizing your publication together? Anything that you didn’t expect?
Coline: The publication process took time – as usual in research. Nothing unexpected for me!

Molly: I truly did not know anything about writing a publication, choosing a journal, formatting it for submission, and revising it later. Coline involved me in the process every step of the way and I learned so much. I would never have embarked on this journey without her – it seems very daunting until you’ve done it! I would say that I was most surprised by how long the process took (Covid probably didn’t help though).

Any tips or advice you have for students similar to you that are interested in pursuing undergraduate research? What is something you wish students knew about research?
Coline: Research really is an opportunity to investigate in depth a topic or an issue you find curious or interesting.

Molly: Don’t be afraid to apply or reach out to your TA, professor, etc. Coline was my TA and I was pretty much the only one that participated in discussion, so that’s how we met. If you’re interested in something, find out who is researching that topic on campus and reach out. Many students come into these positions without past research experience, so don’t worry if that’s you. I had a few past management positions and they did not relate to research at all, but they demonstrated my ability to work independently, which was crucial for our URAP/publication experience. No matter what field you’re going into or what degree you may be pursuing next, research will always look good on a resume and support your next move. You’ll also make close relationships with those who can support you in your next step with things like letters of recommendation.

Favorite breakfast food?
Coline: Tacos al pastor!

Molly: Waffle with chocolate chips and whipped cream!