For Janet Newberg, being part of research is a way of staying connected
Janet, an enthusiastic retired lawyer from Hugo, MN, doesn’t see participating in research as a hobby. It is a way to be directly involved in the scientific process and help answer questions that matter. Her experience highlights an important truth: clinical research depends on people like Janet stepping forward to help fuel discoveries.
A family influence that sparked her interest
Janet’s interest in research participation began with her son, who has worked in research for many years. Hearing about his work and the kinds of questions researchers were trying to answer inspired her to get involved. “He told me, Mom, you could help researchers answer some valuable questions,” she said. The idea stayed with her.
Her first step into research came when she visited the University of Minnesota’s research booth at the Minnesota State Fair, where she learned about studies seeking volunteers with normal hearing and musical experience.
Over the years, Janet estimates she has completed 40 to 50 study sessions for the University of Minnesota’s Auditory Cognition and Perception lab. She has also branched out and been part of studies with topics ranging from Parkinson’s Disease to people’s perceptions of artificial intelligence.
Janet’s message to anyone curious about research
Janet volunteers because she believes in the research process and wants to support the work behind it. She has shared study opportunities with friends and introduced her husband to studies as well, hoping others might find value in contributing.
“If you are retired and you want to help science and your broader community, and you do not play golf and you do not have a garden, get out there and do it,” she said, laughing.
She plans to continue volunteering in research for the foreseeable future. For anyone interested in getting involved, tools like StudyFinder make it easy to explore studies happening now at the University of Minnesota.