While December marks a return home for most students, Carolyn Weber is preparing for a two-week research session in the Peruvian Andes after receiving a national undergraduate research grant.
A student in the Schreyer Honors College, Weber (senior-sociology and marketing) received the Research Experience Grant for Undergraduates from the National Science Foundation.
The funds will allow her to continue her research work with David Baker, a professor of education and sociology.
Baker said his research focuses on the effect of basic education on people's health decisions, testing cognitive development and decision-making skills against their level of schooling.
"We're going to be doing a large data collection, and she's going to be helping and doing translation from Spanish to English," he said.
Weber, who has previously studied abroad with the Semester at Sea program, said she is excited for the opportunity to travel again.
"Things are so much different outside of the United States," she said. "I'm excited to be immersed in a new way of life and really learn from the people."
Weber, who is considering a career in academia, called the Peru trip an opportunity to do on-the-ground research and get a multi-faceted look at what it's like to be in academia. It will also help her to obtain data for her honors thesis, she said.
Baker, who nominated Weber for the grant, said he's happy she's received it.
"Carolyn's a great match," he said. "She's been working with us for a while, and we thought her skills and motivation were great."
Weber said she's grateful for the chance to continue working under Baker's tutelage -- even if she has some anxiety about the trip.
"I'm a little bit nervous because I've had eight years of Spanish, but I've never spent extended time in a Spanish-speaking country," she said. "I'll still need a translator to communicate with the people because they'll be speaking dialects."
Still, she said, it's a tremendous opportunity.
"Professor Baker has been an amazing mentor and signed me up for anything he could think of," she said. "I'm ... really thankful for everything he's done for me."
