Aiwen Chen recalls the importance of studying for the high school entrance exam in China, and the impact it had on her and her friends.
“That’s why I’m so interested in stress management, because I have a lot of friends who are in this same situation, very stressed, and a lot of people have health problems,” Chen said. “It became very sad.”
Chen, a Carnegie Mellon University junior with a major in neuroscience(opens new window) and one more important thing at analysis(opens new window) in the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences(opens new window)the one who got a Summer undergraduate research group(opens new window) (SURF) allowed him to conduct research on the effects of meditation on stress levels. He is part of a team working to determine the right kind of thinking a person needs for the best results.
His research is based on the “Monitor and Acceptance” theory of mindfulness training, which means that people can be trained to achieve a state of mind in mindfulness through learning the experience and looking good now, with a sense of acceptance. Participants in the study took 20 minutes of exercise every day for 14 days.
Its diverse mix of majors is possible because CMU encourages interdisciplinary learning. “It’s like multiple programs or multiple reports that are connected to each other,” Chen said. This encouragement to study in all schools helped Chen to decide on philosophy as his next major because he said he would fulfill his work in his neuroscience career.
“I’m very interested in the brain, how it works and how the physiology of the brain affects psychological outcomes in people,” he said. “I’m very interested in the problems of mind and body and how philosophers approach those questions.”
Chen said the SURF award allowed him to gain hands-on experience, the kind he hoped for when he decided to attend CMU. “I want to know how research is done, the whole process of doing research from scratch,” he said.
Her graduate mentor, Asal Yunusova, helped her learn how to solve problems and improve her study management and communication skills. Yunusova said that Chen showed great work and thought like a research scientist.
J. David Creswell,(opens new window) William S. Dietrich II Professor of Psychology, worked with Chen to design his program to provide students with informal programs, seven or 14 days, to monitor patient outcomes.
“Aiwen is developing a new research that answers the question of how much mental health training is needed for benefits, which is an unanswered question in the field. It’s a pleasure for me to work with him on this project,” Creswell said.
“Aiwen is very detailed and thoughtful when conducting her research project,” Yusunova said. “And he’s been very active in coordinating the various tests and evaluations that we serve, and he’s been very active in recruiting and running teams.”
Aiwen said she is still trying to decide what she wants to do after she finishes her undergraduate studies. She is considering whether to go to medical school to become a psychiatrist, or enter a graduate program in clinical psychology to become a therapist.
“I want to do mental health,” he said, “to better help people relieve the pain of their health problems.”