Andreia Madeira Costa

Please provide a brief summary of your research.
Through URAP, in the MyCog project, I had the gratifying opportunity to be directly involved in the research and creation of mobile tools that allow early diagnosis of cognitive decline in an efficient and timely manner

What made you initially interested in researching your project in particular?
My interest in cognitive health research is driven by my family’s first-hand experience with Alzheimer’s disease. Witnessing a close loved one’s rapid cognitive decline due to late diagnosis sparked my passion for Cognitive Neuroscience and motivated me to volunteer at Alzheimer’s Portugal Organization for over three years. There, I co-led dementia prevention workshops and facilitated memory games for over 50 individuals with dementia. Naturally, the MyCog project particularly excited me given its aim to identify early markers of cognitive decline, helping individuals and families like mine avoid the devastating effects of late-stage diagnoses. Being able to contribute to research on such a topic was incredibly rewarding!

What made you interested in pursuing (interdisciplinary) research more broadly?
My passion and curiosity for pursuing research began in high school when my biology professor brought homemade kombucha to class and mentioned the numerous fun and innovative studies on the properties of the SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast). I remember him bringing up how it was being used as a resistant fabric, tested for anti-bacterial properties, etc–everything sounded so exciting and ignited my desire to be involved in research at university, in some shape or form

Describe your experiences with research thus far. Was it tricky? What skills do you think you’ve gained?
Under Stephanie’s valuable mentorship, I was able to conduct extensive literature reviews independently, be actively involved in all big steps of research (poster and slide designing for conventions, aiding in the writing of grant proposals, learning to use specific research tools and R as a tool of data analysis etc) and how to efficiently to work as a team in a big multi-task project. I learnt numerous technical skills as a researcher and teamworker, but perhaps even more crucially, I learnt to be more confident in the work I poured my time and effort into delivering, which helped me tremendously in my path as a beginner researcher

Any tips or advice you have for students similar to you that are interested in pursuing undergraduate research?
Be confident in your potential and ability as a researcher, even if you had 0 experience before pursuing undergraduate research!! I was initially very insecure about my work. Even though Stephanie gave me autonomy from the start and trusted my abilities, I couldn’t help but constantly question and underestimate the quality of the work I was producing. Stephanie, as a great mentor, reassured me that I should be confident about my work and that regardless of prior experience, I had what it took to contribute meaningfully to the team. What I mean with all of this is: I know it can be intimidating and the imposter syndrome might creep up at times, but remember you absolutely have what it takes to become a great researcher 🙂 Don’t be scared, it’s really rewarding, I promise!

What was a memorable interaction that you had on campus this week?
The lady in the kitchen of the Sargent dining hall complimented my shirt and asked for my name, saying it was such a pretty name. It made my entire day 🙂 Shoutout to all the amazing sweet staff and faculty of our beautiful Northwestern community!!