Showing their stuff
Research to be presented Saturday
Catherine Klene, Alestle News Reporter
Issue date: 2/22/07 Section: News
"You have to like research, and you have to like problem solving and trouble shooting on your own," Shaul said. "If you are one of those people who has questions, and you are inquisitive about things … that's a sign that you should go on."
Standing over an industrial sink, Shaul scrubbed excess goop off an instrument and talked about her experiences while pursuing her graduate degree.
"I do like the sense of ownership of the project," Shaul said. "I feel very self-sufficient. As an undergrad there was so much I felt I didn't know."
Shaul added that setbacks and long hours can be frustrating.
"You realize how slow of a process research really is," Shaul said. "When you're an undergrad, everything is prepared for you, everything works. Research is nothing like that."
Still, Shaul said she felt the successes outweighed the obstacles encountered along the way.
"Being able to have that sense of accomplishment when you finish a huge project like this, that's probably the most rewarding part," Shaul said.
Shavon Shegog is also graduate student working for her master's degree in speech communications.
Shegog's thesis project deals with semiotics, the study of signs and codes.
"I'm using semiotics to see how African-Americans classify blackness," Shegog said.
Shegog said many people tend to stereotype blacks based on the way their hair is styled.
"You'd be surprised at how much hair plays a significant role in identity formation," Shegog said.
Shegog said her thesis idea came from her own personal experience.
"I took my braids down, and the reaction that I got from people-both black and white-were so in my face," Shegog said. "When I had my little afro, I got a lot of stares."
Reactions toward her natural hairstyle were "extreme on both ends," Shegog said. "Either it was really positive or really negative."
Inspired by this experience, Shegog set out to see how people code black hairstyles using Jet magazine, a popular black fashion magazine.
Standing over an industrial sink, Shaul scrubbed excess goop off an instrument and talked about her experiences while pursuing her graduate degree.
"I do like the sense of ownership of the project," Shaul said. "I feel very self-sufficient. As an undergrad there was so much I felt I didn't know."
Shaul added that setbacks and long hours can be frustrating.
"You realize how slow of a process research really is," Shaul said. "When you're an undergrad, everything is prepared for you, everything works. Research is nothing like that."
Still, Shaul said she felt the successes outweighed the obstacles encountered along the way.
"Being able to have that sense of accomplishment when you finish a huge project like this, that's probably the most rewarding part," Shaul said.
Shavon Shegog is also graduate student working for her master's degree in speech communications.
Shegog's thesis project deals with semiotics, the study of signs and codes.
"I'm using semiotics to see how African-Americans classify blackness," Shegog said.
Shegog said many people tend to stereotype blacks based on the way their hair is styled.
"You'd be surprised at how much hair plays a significant role in identity formation," Shegog said.
Shegog said her thesis idea came from her own personal experience.
"I took my braids down, and the reaction that I got from people-both black and white-were so in my face," Shegog said. "When I had my little afro, I got a lot of stares."
Reactions toward her natural hairstyle were "extreme on both ends," Shegog said. "Either it was really positive or really negative."
Inspired by this experience, Shegog set out to see how people code black hairstyles using Jet magazine, a popular black fashion magazine.
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