UROP Leader Information Submission: Submission #327

Submission information
Submission Number: 327
Submission ID: 22328
Submission UUID: 69bd0666-ba88-4645-814c-0cce4a4fd581

Created: Sun, 04/19/2026 - 09:37 PM
Completed: Sun, 04/19/2026 - 09:37 PM
Changed: Mon, 04/20/2026 - 09:47 PM

Remote IP address: 144.174.212.32
Submitted by: Anonymous
Language: English

Is draft: No
First Name Alana
Last Name Banton
Full name as you would like it to appear on the website Alana Banton
Preferred Pronouns She/ Her
Hometown, State, and Country (ex: Tallahassee, FL, USA) Miami, Florida
FSU email ab24o@fsu.edu
Please check this box if you are willing to be contacted by students interested in UROP Yes
LinkedIn URL (optional)
Major(s) Behavioral Neuroscience & Public Health
Minor(s) Chemistry & Biomedical Physics
Graduation Semester and Year (ex: Fall, 2022) Spring 2028
What is your current research focus? My UROP project was on developing a cognitive skills model to predict early indicators of Alzheimer’s disease, and it will now continue as part of my Directed Individual Study (DIS) credit. My current research focuses on individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), with a particular emphasis on spatial navigation as a sensitive and potentially early marker of cognitive decline. Our findings demonstrate that individuals with MCI exhibit significantly poorer performance on navigation-based tasks compared to cognitively healthy adults, suggesting that these assessments may detect impairment earlier than traditional memory-based measures.
Through this work, I have engaged in synthesizing prior research and analyzing study data, which has strengthened my ability to evaluate subtle cognitive changes associated with the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. This experience has also reinforced the importance of collaborative inquiry and advanced critical thinking in research, while enhancing my ability to effectively communicate complex scientific concepts to diverse audiences, including faculty, peers, and healthcare professionals.
Are there any other research related activities you participate(d) in? In addition to my UROP project, I was selected as a Global Scholar through Florida State University’s Global Scholars Program, where my research examines how healthcare providers adapt both verbal and non-verbal communication when caring for patients from diverse cultural, linguistic, and health literacy backgrounds, and how these adaptations influence clinical decision-making.
My work focuses on understanding the strategies providers use, such as simplifying medical language, incorporating interpreters or visual aids, and adjusting body language or tone, to ensure patient comprehension and trust. Through methods such as semi-structured interviews, observational analysis, and provider reflections, I analyze how these communication approaches shape care decisions, including treatment planning, patient adherence, and follow-up recommendations. In addition to Global Scholars, I am also apart of the math thinking and learning lab. I contribute to research focused on understanding the cognitive and developmental processes behind how children and adolescents learn mathematics. By examining these learning patterns across various developmental stages, our goal is to identify and inform potential interventions that can improve mathematical thinking and educational outcomes for all students. Through this work, I assist in investigating how specific cognitive factors and individual differences influence a student’s ability to process and succeed in math.
Answer one of the following two questions about being a UROP Leader or your UROP background. How do you hope to impact your students as a UROP Leader?
Please answer the question you selected above in the area provided. As a UROP Leader, I hope to create a supportive and approachable environment where students feel comfortable engaging with research from the very beginning. Having gone through the UROP experience myself, I understand how complex and sometimes overwhelming research problems can initially seem, so I aim to help students break down those challenges and build a clearer understanding of the work they are contributing to.
I also want to be someone who is easy to talk to and consistently available for questions, whether they are about research concepts, methodology, or simply how to navigate the research process. My goal is to make sure students never feel like they are expected to figure everything out on their own.
Please list any other hobbies or interests you would like to share I enjoy reading in my free time, especially mystery books, the kind where I spend half the book thinking I’ve solved it, only to be completely wrong right before the ending. I’m always open to recommendations, especially anything with good twists, unreliable characters, or a plot that makes me want to immediately talk about it with someone.
I also binge-watch shows when I have downtime, which usually turns into a full commitment I didn’t plan for but absolutely don’t regret :)
Headshot Screenshot 2026-03-12 at 5.02.46 PM.png
2026Year2026 2026
Approved No
Update URL UROP Leaders https://cre.fsu.edu/urop-leader-information-submission?element_parents=elements/headshot&ajax_form=1&_wrapper_format=drupal_ajax&token=OT7Qe6NzM6GwA3Xqfhh85B1M-edv9oHnjMSEL6Jg1W4
Years as a UROP Leader 2024-2025 and 2025-2026