Louise Stanczak shows that age doesn't matter, though aging does

Think that scientific breakthroughs are only made in professional research labs? Think again. University students like Louise Stanczak demonstrate that effective scientific research can also be done by undergraduates.

PAUL TALANIAN/Daily Louise Stanczak won the Tanner Award for her work in biopsychology.

Stanczak, an LSA senior majoring in biopsychology, recently won the University's Tanner Award for her research on age-related cognitive decline. She said she plans to use the $400 prize to further her research. "I didn't expect to win, but it was a good surprise," Stanczak said.

Stanczak explained that her experiment involved two groups of test subjects. The members of one group ranged in age from 65 to 75, and the second group was composed of younger people, ages 18-25. The subjects were asked to perform a simple letter-matching task on a computer, and their reaction times were recorded to determine how much they slowed down with age.

Stanczak said that although she had been working on this project for a year, "I've always been interested in science. I was really just interested in science and the brain and cognitive organization."

Stanczak said she first learned of this project in a class taught by psychology Prof. Patricia Reuter-Lorenz. But she has since assumed more responsibility for the experiment. "I can spend 40 hours a week in the lab sometimes," Stanczak said. "I run the experiment by myself, and I can test subjects. ... As an undergraduate, that's unusual."

But Stanczak noted that the University tends to foster such research. "U of M has an excellent biopsychology program - one of the best in the nation," she said. Stanczak said the program is especially hospitable to women scientists. "My professor is a woman, and she's a great role model," she said.

In the future, Stanczak said, she plans to attend graduate school to earn a Ph.D. in neuropsychology, and then to continue her research on aging. "I want to look at ways to stop cognitive decline. I think that's a really practical thing to do."

If today's University students are still as sharp and computer-oriented 50 years from now, they may have Louise Stanczak to thank.

04-09-98