The Social Work integrative Research Lab (SWiRL) was established in Spring 2015. SWiRL provides graduate and undergraduate students the opportunity to participate in various social work faculty research projects, while also developing mentoring relationships with one another and with faculty in the social work department.
No prior research experience is needed to join SWiRL! Any student with an enthusiasm for learning and the ability to work as part of a collaborative research team is encouraged to apply for a Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) or Undergraduate Research Assistant (UGRA) position. SWiRL provides GRAs and UGRAs with the training and mentorship needed to learn how to conduct innovative social work research. With support from faculty mentors, GRAs and UGRAs work together to complete research tasks such as literature reviews, transcribing audio recordings, coding and analyzing data, and participating in data interpretation and dissemination. GRAs also gain the opportunity to develop their leadership skills by mentoring UGRAs in this work.
SWiRL projects span both qualitative and quantitative methodologies and address a wide range of topics, including:
- health and mental health inequities,
- substance use disorder assessment and intervention,
- advance care planning,
- juvenile and adult criminal legal systems,
- child welfare,
- positive youth development,
- interpersonal violence,
- non-pharmacological interventions for individuals living with dementia and their care partners, and
- kinship care
SWiRL also holds regular seminars so students can learn about various research topics, methods, and approaches.
SWiRL received a Project Scholarship Development grant from Mason’s Office of Student Scholarship, Creative Activities, & Research (OSCAR) for the 2016-17 academic year. The grant allowed the lab to expand into the summer months and provided future opportunities to become a self-sustaining research collaborative. A 2017 original article describing the features and benefits of participation in SWiRL is available in the Journal of Social Work Education.
Faculty involved in SWiRL areLi-Mei Chen, Michelle Hand, Denise Hines, Emily Ihara, Megumi Inoue, Keiana Mayfield, Anna Parisi, Lucas Prieto, Sunny Shin, Cathy Tompkins, and Melissa Villodas.
Positions are available for the next academic year! Applications are accepted year-round, but for full consideration for the following academic year, apply by March 31 to become a SWiRL GRA or UGRA.