The project that I am associated with is a study that analyzes alpha waves during deep sleep with a focus on how such waves relate to chronic pain models. Previous studies have identified poor quality sleep patterns that occur in the presence of anomolous alpha waves in persons suffering from chronic pain, but other studies have also shown that in normal subjects the anomalous alpha waves have had no bearing on the patients quality of sleep, and most report restful and restorative sleep. This study focuses on patients with fibromyalgia - a syndrome characterized by fatigue, chronic muscle pain and poor quality sleep - and control subjects and records their brain waves over a period of three sleep nights. The waves are then analyzed by comparing the alpha readings taken at different frequencies for both fibromyalgia subjects and the control group. Students will learn to use statistical and graphical softwear such as SPSS, Excel and Axum, along with other computer programs designed to perform spectral analysis on brain wave recordings. Possible offshoot projects planned for later in the session include a study of the secretion of hormones as a possible indicator of sleep quality and efficacy, and a correlatory study of how hormones, sleep and age are interrelated.