Randolph student lands internship with Boston College's Cooperation Lab

Grace Hart ’23

Grace Hart ’23 has been selected for a summer internship with Boston College’s Cooperation Lab, which studies the forces that shape and sustain cooperative societies.

The lab’s summer research assistants gain experience in all stages of the research process, including recruiting families, collecting and analyzing data, and discussing results. They work on a main project throughout the summer and also attend weekly meetings to discuss ongoing and key research in the field of psychology.

Hart, who is double majoring in psychology and philosophy, doesn’t know which project she will be working on yet, but said she expressed interest in the lab’s Virtue Project, which looks at the psychological value of commonly promoted virtues like forgiveness, altruism, and fairness.

“I love being in the lab,” said Hart, who worked as a research assistant to psychology professors Holly Tatum and Elizabeth Gross this year. “I love conducting research and answering philosophical questions, like ‘How do we become more virtuous?’ I see philosophy and psychology as inextricably linked, and working in this lab will allow me to prepare for a career that I hope to devote to exploring that intersection.”

Hart will either start her internship in July or postpone it until next summer, depending on what happens with the coronavirus pandemic.

Her ultimate goal is to become a clinic psychologist who implements philosophical concepts into treatment.

“Gaining experience from as many researchers as possible will only help me grow,” she said. “I hope that after this internship I will be able to come back to Randolph and be a better research assistant in our psychology department if that opportunity continues for me.”