Our “Project CHROMA Personnel” series in Archways highlights the key researchers behind the Rice ARCHES Initiative.

Russell Ku

This month Dr. Melia Bonomo from the Department of Bioengineering interviews our Project Coordinator for Project CHROMA.

Last week I had the opportunity to speak with our Project Coordinator, Russell Ku, about his background and involvement with Project CHROMA in the Biobehavioral Mechanisms Explaining Disparities BMED Lab. Russell is local from Katy, TX and graduated from Rice University with his B.A. in Psychology in December 2021. He started as Project Coordinator this past July, but Russell isn’t new to the BMED Lab — he’s been a research assistant for Project CHROMA since Spring 2021.

As Project Coordinator, Russell handles the administrative duties of the project and oversees the day-to-day activities. He’s also in charge of training new new research assistants and delegating tasks. On the recruitment side of the project, he distributes flyers, organizes community recruitment events, explains the study details to potential participants, and screens for eligibility. For participants that are recruited to the study and confirmed eligible, Russell helps to prepare for their study visits, run their visits, and take care of the logistics and supplies for the music class that participants in the intervention group attend for 6-weeks.

As the coordinator, he is also responsible for communicating with the team and collaborators about study updates. Finally, he helps with data management, which includes organizing, cleaning, and preparing data for future analyses.

When asked about his favorite part of being Project Coordinator, Russell said that it’s seeing how much participants enjoy their experience in the music classes, especially those who were initially hesitant about it. Participants really support each other and work as a collaborative team throughout the class. He’s also glad to work with such a friendly and supportive team at the BMED lab, especially the amazing, dedicated undergraduate and graduate researchers of Project CHROMA!

Our “Project CHROMA Personnel” series in Archways highlights the key researchers behind the Rice ARCHES Initiative.

Vincent Lai

This month Vincent Lai, who previously worked with Project CHROMA as the Project Coordinator, reflects on his experiences as part of the team.

Before joining Project CHROMA, I had been part of the BMED Lab for about two years. I first stepped into Dr. Fagundes’s lab as an undergraduate student, unsure about what “doing research” entailed. I was excited and nervous to explore that side of my academic journey, and those same feelings resurfaced when I started with CHROMA.

I joined CHROMA in the summer of 2021, and it was a pivotal time for the study. During this time, we resumed regular study activities, including in-person visits with our participants. Despite being nervous at first, I found that I was able to quickly got into the flow of things. I met and worked with an amazing team of undergraduate and graduate researchers. We got to work closely with members of the Houston community who were passionate about our work and helping others. Most rewarding was seeing how much our participants learned and grew during the music class.

I will be returning to the BMED lab as Dr. Fagundes’s graduate student, and while there will be many more projects and research directions to explore, Project CHROMA will always have a special place in my heart. My time with CHROMA taught me so much about the ins and outs of doing research and allowed me to work with and support so many wonderful people.

Whether you’re interested in taking part in the study or someone looking for research experience, give us a chance! If you’re looking for a supportive and collaborative environment to explore your interest in psychological research, then the BMED lab might just be the place for you.

Our “Project CHROMA Personnel” series in Archways highlights the key researchers behind the Rice ARCHES Initiative.

Kristi Parker, M.Ed.

This month Nyla Vela from the Department of Psychological Sciences interviews our Lab Manager in the Biobehavioral Mechanisms Explaining Disparities (BMED) Lab.

Earlier this week I got to sit down with our very own, Kristi Parker, the Lab Manager here at the BMED Lab, and she gave me the ins and outs of what its really like to oversee the incredible projects we have here.

Kristi, a California native who got her master’s in education at the University of Southern California, found herself drawn to the BMED lab due to her interest in Psychology. She says that she is very fascinated with the work the lab is doing regarding connecting the mind and the body.

Before we were lucky enough to have her however, she actually worked as a paralegal for 5 years!

Further, she began to tell me about what her job entails. In her words, she takes care of a lot of administrative work. From scheduling and working with grants to overseeing progress made by all the different projects under the lab’s wing, Kristi could be seen as the glue that keeps this lab together. Serving as an immediate liaison between Dr. Christopher Fagundes, our primary investigator, and the rest of the lab, we are always well informed and on top of our immediate goals as a team.

When asked about what she enjoys about her job, Kristi told me that she really enjoys the participant interaction aspect of the lab. She detailed a story about one participant who, when Project Heart was still doing home visits, would bake cookies and tell stories every visit.

Evidently, Kristi is a caring and hard-working figure here at the BMED Lab. If it weren’t for her, our lab would simply fall apart, so we are very grateful that her interest in learning about others landed her here with us!

Check out Kristi’s bio on the “People” page!