Amanda Wittemann ’25 is a neuroscience and behavior major from Claremont, New Hampshire. They are also pursuing two minors: psychology and women and gender studies. Amanda received a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship from the UNH Hamel Center for Undergraduate Research to pursue an independent research project focused on a specific aspect of undergraduate behavior.
COLSA: Tell us about your research in as non-technical language as possible.
Amanda Wittemann: I am looking at how stress and mental health impacts delay discounting. Delay discounting in simple terms is when someone is more likely to choose an immediate reward, even when the later reward is larger in value. The demographic I focused on is people currently enrolled in an undergraduate degree.
COLSA: What challenge/issue does your research seek to address?
Amanda: I was curious how impatience affects undergrads, specifically when their stress levels and mental health are impacted.
COLSA: What are you learning as a result of this experience and your research?
Amanda: Independent research is a lot more time consuming than I had imagined. Even with knowing the software used for data analysis for example, I still had to teach myself how to use all aspects of the system.
COLSA: What do you think prospective students should know about UNH?
Amanda: UNH has many opportunities no matter what kind of student you are. Within research, sciences and arts, and everything in between, there is always something for someone. There are also great resources to help you grow as a student to have the best experience here.
COLSA: What do you love most about UNH?
Amanda: Watching the campus go from day to night. Throughout the day I get to see people go back and forth to classes and on school nights, it is so quiet and peaceful.
