Fox Friday: Rebecca Kolb Studies Whether Dog Ownership or Marriage Prevent a Decline of Cognition

Fox Friday is a series that highlights the accomplishments of students districtwide. We hope to regularly feature the incredible things our students are up to — whether they are excelling academically, athletically or are quietly impressive.

To start, we are highlighting a few students in Fox Lane High School's Science Research Program and the extraordinary projects they have been working on.

Today’s Fox Friday focuses on junior Rebecca Kolb, who studied whether or not dog ownership or marital status can affect cognitive decline.

Can you explain your project?

I investigated the correlation between stress on cognition with dog ownership and marital status. I wanted to see if dog ownership and marital status buffered stress to stop the worsening of cognition. Also, I compared dog ownership and marital status in males and females.

What led you to study this topic?

I was interested in cognition and the many different factors that affect it. I wanted to see what factors prevent the decline of cognition and promote healthy aging. 

How did you find your mentor? What has that experience been like?

My brother was applying to Binghamton University, and I decided to see which topics professors were researching there. My mentor’s research piqued my interest because he was investigating how different factors affect brain health by either protecting against or promoting the risk of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. My mentor has been very responsive and taught me the statistics that I used in my study.

I’ve learned so much in Science Research and have benefited from the constant support of my mentor, Dr. McDonough, and my Science Research teacher, Mrs. Pirro. Recently, I was able to visit my mentor’s lab and learn more about the technology they were utilizing to conduct new research about brain health.

What did the research process look like for this project?

I used my mentor’s pre-collected data for this study. I analyzed my mentor’s data through multiple regression (when the relationship between a dependent variable and several independent variables is analyzed) and I found probability values (or p-values) to see if the correlations were statistically significant.  I looked at three-way and two-way interactions involving stress, cognition and marriage or dog ownership in males versus females.

How could your research benefit society in the long term?

My research could benefit society in the long term by helping to find correlations between specific animals, people, and/or situations that could reduce the worsening of cognition.  My future goal is to conduct more research involving brain scans, genes and proteins, and blood flow to better understand ways to reduce stress and reduce cognitive decline in individuals with Alzheimer’s and dementia.  

Did you learn anything unexpected during the process or from the course in general?

I was surprised to become so familiar with reading journal articles and then writing a research paper. This was very overwhelming at first, but Mrs. Pirro’s guidance and constant support helped me to become confident in my ability to write a research paper.

Do you have any advice for students considering the Science Research program?

I would advise students who are considering the Science Research program to be willing to research many different topics of interest and to not have their mind set on just one. Some projects may end up looking different from what students were initially researching.

This program requires dedication, time management, and perseverance. The work will be challenging, but from my experience, a love of science and the desire to learn more will make this course worth taking.