Smart & Savvy

Study. Eat. Sleep. Repeat. For many college students this is an all too common cycle marked by too few hours in the day and a constant desire to escape all the pressure. What if you were told that there were ways to escape the vicious cycle? More so, that there were ways to make this cycle more efficient and rewarding. Professor of psychology Dr. June Pilcher and her Creative Inquiry team, Brain Tips (a.k.a. Smart and Savvy Students), worked to make this a reality.

Members of this team are responsible for identifying articles in popular press on a broad assortment of topics, ranging from mental health, technology, exercise and study habits. Many of the selections contain information about the human brain and how it affects human functioning. After reading the popular press articles in magazines or on websites, students are challenged to find more scholarly, scientific journals that either supports or refutes the claims made in popular press. Not only does this challenge students to learn more about their health and ability to function, but it also encourages them to think critically about everything they read. By doing so, students learn far more about their own health, while further developing research skills and understanding what types of sources should be trusted and which types should not.

Pilcher emphasizes the importance for students to be better informed about the topics covered by this Creative Inquiry project when she said, “Students, in fact most humans, are unaware of how their brain impacts their choices and their lives. We want to share information with college and high school students that can help them make better choices, choices that can have a long-term, positive effect on their lives.” The goal of Smart and Savvy Students is not only to increase the team’s knowledge, but also to share this information with other students in Clemson and nationwide. This is achieved through posting on social media sites, such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, which allows the information to disseminate through platforms which receive a lot of student traffic. Additionally, the posts on Twitter and Instagram contain various hashtags about the articles, which allows the information to reach the greatest audience possible. Each social media site has a specific page dedicated to the team’s posts, which are a “snapshot” of the scientific article and include an eye-catching photo. These posts are no more than a paragraph long, but they include links to the popular press and scientific articles if readers desire to learn more.

Although the team was created recently, the results and feedback from students have been astonishing. Dale Palmer, senior psychology major, explained, “My entire life has changed for the better. Brain Tips inspired me to be the best person, the healthiest person, the most efficient student, the best friend, and the best researcher I can be,” Dale Palmer, a senior psychology major, said. As this team continues to grow, the scope of the topics discussed will continue to expand and the audience will build. Brain Tips will be able to make the most impact possible by helping students break the ongoing cycle of study-eat-sleep-repeat by being better informed and making better choices.