Name: Jared Stevens
Hometown: Omaha, Nebraska
Major/program: Quantitative, Qualitative, Psychometric Methods
Graduate assistantship: CYFS’ Nebraska Academy for Methodology, Analytics and Psychometrics
Anticipated date of graduation: 2019
Educational background: Bachelor’s degree in psychology and sociology from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Describe your CYFS graduate assistantship and how it fits with your research goals.
I’m really interested in evaluation methodology, instrument development and mixed methods. A lot of work I do with CYFS is evaluation work, and I’m also getting practical experience in instrument development through the 4H project.
What is your primary research interest?
I am primarily interested in the measure of non-cognitives, such as character, grit, resiliency, and self-efficacy. I have received a lot of experience in this area through my assistantship. I also have an internship right now with Milwaukee Brewers baseball team in their analytics/statistics department. In my role with the Brewers, I am helping develop the survey they give to potential draftees that measures non-cognitives like grit, character, and teamwork. I would love to do something with sports analytics in the future; that’s my main interest and where I see myself going. I am also interested in evaluation methodology.
What motivated you to pursue this research field?
Researchers tend to use language that isn’t approachable; I want to help make statistical analyses more approachable and easier to understand. And I love sports, so when I got my internship with the Brewers, I thought, ‘This is what I want to do.’ For example, my project with the Brewers focuses on teamwork and grit. A lot of academic research has been done on teamwork, but there hasn’t been much focus on the intersection of academia and the sports world. I’d like to bring newer facets of academic research into sports analytics.
What do you enjoy doing outside of school?
I enjoy both playing and watching sports. I play basketball with Seth Teager (CYFS web and graphic designer) and a group of other CYFS/UNL affiliates every week. I also can’t wait to spend time with my niece Evelyn, who was born Nov. 16. And I love to travel, both internationally and domestically. Next on my travel bucket list is a road trip of National Parks – and, specifically, I have a great desire to hike down the Grand Canyon!