Kaylin Nolan is a 4th-year International Affairs and Modern Languages major studying resilience building for disaster management and regional science with Dr. Brian Woodall.

How long have you been an undergraduate researcher at Georgia Tech?

I have been undergraduate researcher at Georgia Tech for almost two years now.

How did you get involved with undergraduate research?

I was introduced to Dr. Brian Woodall, the professor I have been researching with since my second year at GT when I interviewed him for the Ivan Allen College’s Student Advisory Board’s Faculty Spotlight program. During the interview, he discussed the research he was working on, and I showed a genuine interest in the project and asked to read the paper after the interview. Since starting college, I knew I wanted to participate in research but had not found a project I was passionate about and was still unsure how to find the right team. We scheduled a follow-up meeting to discuss my thoughts on his paper and what his next project would look like and from that point on I have been a research assistant working on a multitude of projects with Dr. Woodall.

What are you working on?

Since the end of last semester, I have been working with a team of three undergraduate students and we are conducting a broad project that identifies spaces within regional science that can benefit from the application of Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS) theory to support disaster and resilience management efforts. This semester the team plans to look at how CAS theory can be applied to fisheries management and Atlanta transportation organizations.

What is your favorite thing about research/researching?

My favorite thing about research is the community it creates for people who are curious and value solving complex problems. Being a part of a research team, I get to immerse myself in an environment with likeminded individuals who are also passionate about improving the human condition and finding the answers to complex questions.

What are your future plans and how has research influenced them?

Researching at Georgia Tech has influenced my career aspirations and my interest in continuing higher education. I want to pursue a graduate program at a research institution and continue to have research as a focus of my life. Prior to joining a research team, I was unsure of what my future would look like. However, these past two years have taught me that research is just as much a hobby as it is a career option.