138Academics There are many places on campus that are fostering academic excellence outside the traditional classroom experience. One of these opportunities is a nationally funded research lab created by Dr. James Huff. After earning a Ph.D. in engineering education research at Purdue University, Huff returned to Harding as a faculty member and integrated researcher. His passion was examining and understanding the lived experiences of identity in engineers as they transition from schools to workplaces. In his first semester at Harding in the fall of 2014, Huff knew that he wanted to mentor and train students to conduct original research using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), that is, a systematic way to analyze text to generate psychological findings, as an advanced qualitative research approach. He approached Ronnie Clements, Miranda Kelly, and John Dawidow, three undergraduate students from engineering courses, to see if they would be interested in launching a research lab to pursue these questions while Principle Investigator Huff mentored them. With their agreement to pursue these questions, they began the Beyond Professional Identity (BPI) lab. The research is divided into four strands: academic wellbeing in engineering faculty, professional shame, quality in interpretive research and personal identities in professional settings. These sections are designed to fully understand a person in professional workplaces and prepare them to better care for themselves and others. The research is funded by a $575,430.00 grant called CAREER: Advancing academic cultures of well-being by understanding professional experiences of engineering faculty. This was received from the U.S. National Science Foundation. “Through the BPI lab, I have had the joy of mentoring Harding students, postdoctoral research scientists, and Ph.D. students affiliated with other universities--all from fifteen different disciplines ranging from accounting to art to computer engineering to psychology. While our work is anchored in applied personality and social psychology, understanding the processes of identity is an effort that is important for any major,” Huff said. The mission is to use in-depth qualitative research to advance care both for and from the whole person, beyond their professional identity, Huff said, and members of the BPI lab typically are mentored over the course of 2-3 years to conduct an original study that they lead, culminating in their honors thesis. They also contribute as paid research assistants to Huff’s research in engineering education and applied social and personality psychology. These research assistants are the lifeblood of the discovery – their hard work is building the foundation of the research. This learning also empowers the students to create long term goals for their future. Junior Chelsei Arnold is a research assistant that has benefited from the inspiration the BPI lab creates. “This lab has inspired me to conduct personal research, prepare for my future, and think outside the box. This lab has also given me the unique opportunity to be surrounded by other creative minds like Dr. Huff, Julianna, Kyle, Amelia and Olivia, who possess passion, ambition and intelligence. I’ve been so blessed to have joined such a fulfilling lab, and I’m so thankful to Dr. James Huff for the invitation,” Arnold said. Outside of professional goals, research students also learn about the importance of their chosen course of study. Amelia Slater, BPI research assistant, is a sophomore who works for the lab. Her contribution to the work has informed her of the importance of the work. “The most important part about being in the lab is learning how to honor other’s experiences,” Slater said. “We will often read through or do interviews of people within marginalized categories and the research we do is about making their experiences known and validated and being able to advance the knowledge for people and from their experiences.” Huff’s BPI lab specialized in bringing engineering students together, focusing on their identity within their profession as well as their identity in Christ. This research lab has created a community of faculty and students, learning to grow with each other. Written by Emma Weber THE LAB Students conduct interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) research through the Beyond Professional Identity (BPI) lab under the guidance of Dr. James Huff.
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