Updates on my project:
April 2022:
This month I have been finalizing my research and compiling my research into a brochure for the READY Center at Emma Willard. In this brochure, I have information on what exactly TBI is, what brain areas it affects, statistics explaining the dangers of such injuries, as well as resources from the CDC for these injuries. After approval from Ms. Delgado and Mr. Calos, these will be put in the READY Center for those seeking more information on this topic. March 2022:
This month I have been moving onto the application of my research. I met with Mr. Calos and Ms. Delgado about constructing an informative brochure about TBI and concussions, the risks they pose, and prevention methods and resources for such injuries. Ms. Delgado found this idea to be an interesting addition to the READY Center (wellness center) and is looking forward to bringing this information in, and keeping it years to come. My next step is to finish constructing the brochure so that can be approved by the heath center and then installed in the READY Center. February 2:
I found this interview very informative as I now have more areas of the brain to look into and more references to follow up with. Because Ryan Daley has done a lot of work with morality and aging, he had a lot of information about the parts of the brain that would be associated with a change in morality or proper decision making, which is vital to my research. Additionally, he will refer me to other people in the Boston College law school to talk to about the court and more crime related aspects of. my project--how brain injury is factored into court decisions. I think this will be an important piece of my project as well, and am grateful for Ryan's contribution to the neuroscience aspect of my research from an expert perspective. February 1:
I had my first interview with PhD student Ryan Daley. It was a very informative interview and I learned a lot about the different parts of the brain that contribute to morality, decision making, and what parts are most fundamental and dangerous if damaged. Some quotes I found interesting from the interview: "...looking at this from a crime perspective, every crime committed is weighing some form of cost and benefit. Benefit to the individual who commits the crime, versus the cost of potentially not getting away with it." "Inhibitory control is how well you can block out information so you can focus on a task, cognitive control is just the ability to focus on a task, keeping multiple things in mind at once. It turns out as we grow older, the brain areas we associate with inhibitory control and cognitive control break down...these brain reasons are really important for self-control." "One of the hallmark brain changes associated with CTE is a tear in the septum...connections between self control and the breakdown of this region could be an interesting avenue for [your research]." January 2:
This month I reached out to people to interview, and was referred by a professor at Boston College to a peer of hers, who has done similar research to what I am pursuing. I plan on connecting with that referral as well as reaching out to other potential contacts this month. I am also working towards an application of my research, and how I want to organize my findings--something to present to the community to represent what I have found. January:
This month I am focusing on my interviews. I have reached out to a few potential people to interview (professors and researchers) who have experience doing similar work. I am waiting for responses from those people currently. I am also planning questions for the interviews, and planning what I want to get out of these interviews. I hope to get feedback on the proposals I have for potential solutions, focusing on the prevention and resources for help after brain injuries occur. December 2021:
This month I am moving toward focusing on the interviewing aspect of my project. I am hoping to talk to those who have conducted similar research, focusing on the impact that brain injury can have on criminal behavior. After creating a short list of possible people to interview, I will attempt to get in contact with them and conduct interviews to expand my knowledge on this topic. I will add my findings from interviews to my research as a whole, and use it as supporting evidence. November 2021:
This month I have continued my research. While still focusing on learning how structural differences in the brain compare, as well as research on CTE and TBI, I have also began to more deeply consider the "so what?" part of my project. Through my research I have become aware of two main problems: a lack of prevention of injuries like CTE and TBI and immediate attention to the injury, and also a lack of resources for those who have the injury, and who's behavior is affected by it - for example, people who commit a crime as a result of a brain injury receive minimal support upon prison release, and are therefore more likely to repeat their mistakes. If these injuries are prevented from the start, it can have a significant impact on the reduction of crime. Additionally, if rehabilitation, therapy, and better resources are given to prisoners with such injuries, it could simultaneously reduce crime by eliminating a possible second offense. |
October 2021:
This month I have been mainly focusing on research. My research has been focused in two areas: structural differences in the brains of criminals deemed psychopathic, and different studies done on brain injuries like CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy) and TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) relating to prison inmates. This research has given me a much better understanding of my topic and helped me narrow my project into looking at how these injuries affect crime rate, and also has made me more strongly interested in preventative measures for these injuries as a means to minimize crime as a result. September 2021:
This month I have created my poster, and this website for my project. I have began to conduct my initial research, which began research the specific part of the brain that controls decision making, how risk and reward are considered in the brain, and more general anatomical research. I have also begun to look at specific cases where criminal behavior has been credited to a recent brain injury and change in brain structure. I am going to continue this research in the next month to look at more cases of this, and how specifically damage to the brain changes these fundamental aspects of the brain. |