A psychology major, I worked with biopsychology professor Col. Kline on my honors thesis in the spring of 2025.

I developed an experiment to test if meditating during a lab-induced stressor could alter cardiovascular responses. Using the cold pressor test, my participants kept their feet in ice water for 2 minutes while their blood pressure and heart rate were monitored.

I conducted a series of statistical tests to determine if participants who meditated showed smaller changes in diastolic blood pressure than those who did not. Participants also filled out surveys before and after data collection to indicate the level of stress perceived by the cold pressor task.

Dylan Colbert '25

Mentor: Col. Keith A. Kline, Ph.D., Professor, Psychology
Major: Psychology
Hometown: Yorktown, Virginia