The Transportation Research Group (TRG) provides undergraduate students who are interested in research the opportunity to get hands-on experience working with participants, collecting and analyzing data, and presenting our research at local, regional, and international conferences. Research Assistants (RAs) benefit from the resources made available through UCF’s Psychology Department and the TRG lab while learning to conduct empirical research projects under the supervision of experienced human factors psychologists. Listed below are the undergraduate students currently working on projects within the TRG labs, as well as a comprehensive list of the undergraduate RAs who have been involved in the past.
Aviation & Aerospace Lab
Caroline Deck
Major: Psychology
“Hi, my name is Caroline Deck. I am pursuing my bachelor’s in psychology with a concentration in human factors. I started working for the TRG lab in the Summer of 2020. I am enjoying my experience with the lab and am looking forward to getting more involved in research.”
Sadie Hughey
Major: Psychology
“Hello all, my name is Sadie! I’m a general psychology major with a wide range of interests! Some of my favorite areas of psychology include social-personality and clinical. One of my favorite things about the lab is the exposure to a different point of view of psychology I don’t normally see with my coursework. After graduation, I plan to pursue a master’s in either social-personality or developmental psychology! In my free time, I like to read and my favorite book at the moment is either American Psycho or The Metamorphosis.”
Jeremy Kosluk
Major: Psychology – Human Factors
“Hello! My name is Jeremy Kosluk, and I am currently a Human Factors Psychology undergraduate. I have an interest in aviation as well as psychology, and am here to learn how those two worlds intercept. My dreams are to one day go to Embry Riddle for their Human Factors doctorate program, and to maybe one day work for NASA, however I’m taking things one step at a time, and am going wherever the tides take me. On a more personal note though, I love playing video games, enjoy listening to and creating music, and adore cats!”
Surface Transportation Lab
Enilda Velazquez
Major: Psychology – Human Factors
Minors: Cognitive Science & Intelligence and National Security
“I am currently a Junior seeking a B.S. in the Human Factors Psychology Track with minors in Cognitive Science and Intelligence and National Security. My present research follows personality influences on driver aggression and driver distraction. I began participating in the Surface Transportation Lab group in May of 2019. I intend on applying to a Ph. D. program in Human Factors and Cognitive Psychology after graduation, where I hope to further her research in performance optimization, and influencers of cognitive workload. I also enjoy playing piano, reading fiction novels, and playing video games during my free time.”
Kaitlin Stanford
Major: Psychology – Clinical
“Hi! My name is Kaitlin. I am majoring in Psychology with a particular interest in clinical and specific diagnoses. The Human Factors research labs allow me to take a look at psychology from a different stance than the focus of my major, and I love that both tracks can come together. Upon graduation, I plan on attending graduate school to continue research and eventually enter academia. I love spending free days relaxing at the beach and I love to dance!”
Maxwell Stolarenko
Major: Psychology
“My name is Maxwell Stolarenko. I finished my first two years of college at Valencia Community College and transferred to the University of Central Florida currently for my junior year and later my senior year. I also plan to attend graduate school here as well. My main interests of study are Human Factors Psychology and Cognitive Psychology because I like learning more about how people and technology interact. I joined this research because I wanted to both get hands-on experience with a research study and to experience what Human Factors Psychology is like in person. In my free time I enjoy games, music, and listening to podcasts.”
Neurolinguistics Lab
Eric Bellevue
Major: Health Sciences
Minor: Psychology
“My name is Eric Bellevue, and I am a junior with a major in health sciences and a minor in psychology. My research interest are primarily invested with neuroscience and hopefully I will be able to branch into other fields while going forward and eventually pursuing my doctorate. When I have free time I love to read, game, workout and look for new places to eat copious amounts of food. Fun fact: Starbucks is the way to my heart.”
Deanna Dunlop
Majors: Psychology & Anthropology
“Hi! My name is Deanna. I am a third-year dual-degree Psychology and Anthropology Major. I work for the Academic Services for Student-Athletes (ASSA) as a learning assistant. I am also a psychology peer advisor, in Psi Chi club, Psychological Society club, a UTA for multiple psychology courses, and Vice President of the American Sign Language club here at UCF. After my undergraduate, I hope to obtain my masters overseas, and work towards my Ph.D to become a professor in psychology/anthropology. When I am not doing school work, I like to travel, cook, and snuggle my dog.”
Esther Legiste
Major: Psychology
Minor: Spanish
“Hello! I am currently a junior here at the University of Central Florida and majoring in psychology with a minor in Spanish. I love learning new languages, roller skating, and watching killer whale videos! I have always been super interested in learning languages and being able to communicate with people from different backgrounds and experiences, and I intend on pursuing a graduates degree with research particular to the cultural influences on cognitive processes and capacities!”
Nia Ngo
Major: Psychology – Clinical
“Hello, my name is Nia Ngo. I am majoring in Psychology-Clinical Psychology Track. I have a strong interest in the brain, I am always curious about how the brain works and what leads us to make a certain decision. My goal is to become Physician Assistant. I love nature and always down to go hiking, camping, or kayaking.”
Trucvy Nguyen
Major: Health Sciences – Pre-Clinical
“Hello, my name is Trucvy Nguyen and I am currently an undergrad pursuing a Pre-Clinical Health Sciences degree. I am originally from Vietnam and immigrated over to the United States in 2006. As a bilingual, I was very interested to learn about the difference in which monolinguals processes language compared to bilinguals. In the future, I plan to take the MCAT and pursue a career in medicine specializing in cardiology. In my free time I love to read, practice yoga, paint, and try out new café shops.”
Raajsria Thoppay
Major: Biomedical Sciences
Minor: Psychology
“Hello, my name is Raajsria Thoppay. I am a senior majoring in biomedical sciences with a minor in psychology. I aspire to be in a career field where I can drive my passion towards helping others through healthcare as well as integrating my love for the sciences. I am excited to be a part of the research involving neurolinguistics and have a research interest in neuroscience. In my free time, I really enjoy running, crocheting and have a passion for the arts such as painting.”
Daniela Velez
Major: Health Sciences – Pre-Clinical
“Hi! My name is Daniela Velez and I am an undergrad pursuing a degree in Health Sciences Pre-Clinical. I was born and raised in Puerto Rico and transferred to UCF from the University of Puerto Rico in Spring 2018. As a fluent Spanish-English bilingual, I was very eager to enter the Neurolinguistics lab and learn about how bilingualism affects language comprehension. I am currently the Secretary of Pre-Med AMSA and am preparing to apply to medical school in the upcoming year with the end goal of specializing in Pediatrics. In my free time, I love going to Disney, creating content for my Instagram account, and spending time with friends and family.”
John Finelli
Major: Biomedical Sciences
Minor: Psychology
“Hello, my name is John Finelli. I am an undergraduate student pursuing a degree in Biomedical Sciences with a minor in Psychology. After graduation I plan on continuing my education in medical school, potentially in the field of pediatrics. I enjoy Biology and I also have a special interest in Psychology as I find all its various topics fascinating. There is always more to learn and find out about how we function as human beings. In my spare time I enjoy hiking and running; I’ve ran several half marathons and one full marathon!”
Former Research Assistants
Special thanks to those who have helped with our research over the years:
Maickel Accladios
Andrea Alfonsi
Chelsea Ameda
Emily Asaro
Eagle Bui
Haylee Breitinger
Sofia Cannavina
Andrew Carleton
Stephanie Castelin
Sophia Cawthorn
Naomi Christy
Logan Clark
Caroline Clayton
Michael Corbisiero
Vitor Da Costa
Elizabeth DeLuque
Mayan Derhy
Tiana Diaz
Lauren Dobrie
Dania Fadhli
Zamira Feliz
Gabriella Fiorino
Carolina Geiman
Miranda Gener Betancourt
Anna Guidubaldi
Melanie Hernandez
Jesssica Hoang
Ian Hughes
Tasneem Islam
Perla Jimenez Herrera
Isabel Hoffman
Stephanie Jimenez
Denitsa Kaneva
Yaqub Kassoo
Swathi Krishnan
Matthew Lawlor
Paola Luigi
Natallia Machecha
Marcelle Mehu
Makayla Mench
Edgar Metke
Daniela Miele
Salim Mouloua
Alexandra Olafsson
David Oswald
Ana Parez
Mackensie Parliment
Zachary Peart
Isabelle Perez
Rebecca Pharmer
Marcos Pimentel
Gabriella Prieto
Mery Ramirez
Gabriella Rousseau
Lane Sager
Stephanie Scott
Cole Sebastian
Joshua Thomas
Samantha Van De Ven
Juliana Voelker
Juan Manuel Alzate Vanegas
Memona Zafar