Search and Research: How Can you Get Involved?
Research is an integral part of academia
Without research, where would new ideas, products, and methods come from?
What is Research?
We talked a little bit about research during the grad school talk.
Research is doing something in a way that no one else has ever done before (and making it work!)
The Nature of Research
Research is rarely linear.
You normally do not start at point A and go directly to point G (the end point).
This is why it’s called research and not just search.
You do it again…and
again…
and again...
How does Research fit Into Undergraduate Life?
Without research, there wouldn’t be anything for you to learn in your books
Every topic you cover in your science courses has come out of someone’s Ph.D. from the past.
Example from chemical engineering: the heat exchanger (it’s like the coils on the back of your refrigerator or the radiator on your car - it moves heat from one place to another)
The Heat Exchanger
Chemists needed to make a lot of pure fuel for jets for the world wars. So, they just scaled up what they knew how to do on the benchtop
This led to explosions and fires and other problems.
Mechanical engineers and chemists set out to find out what factors were important to heat transfer. Between them, they spawned a new field - chemical engineering!
Factors important for Heat Exchange
Type of material used for building the heat exchanger
Type of fluids flowing in the heat exchanger
The phase of the fluid, does it change phase?
The temperatures of the fluids
The amount of turbulence in the pipes
The amount of heat lost to other sources (radiation)
The flowrates of the fluids
etc., etc.
This involved many, many, many Ph.D.’s and the creation of a new discipline
What happened to all that Knowledge?
Now chemical engineers spend about 8 weeks learning all of that knowledge in heat transfer
That cutting-edge research from the past is now standard knowledge that all undergraduates need to master in order to graduate.
So, the research of the past becomes the standard methodology of today.
The research of today will become the standard techniques of tomorrow.
How do you find a Research Position on Campus?
There are a few different ways to look for and find a research position on campus. We will discuss each one and how you can do them most effectively.
Methods:
random approach
networking approach
brown-noser approach
seeking approach
unified approach
The Random Approach
You happen to be in the right place at the right time when a professor decides they need to hire an undergrad
There is no good way to do this approach.
It is all luck on whether you’ll be there at the right time
Networking Approach
In this approach, you meet and talk to senior students from your discipline (a good place to do this is at the student organizational meetings)
You mention that you are looking for a position. Often, professors ask their leaving seniors to recommend a younger student and that would be you if you’ve networked.
This also gives you a chance to learn from the senior student what they do and whether they like it or not...
Brown-Noser Approach
Professors like to hire the best and the brightest because they can have higher expectations from these students
So, do really well in your courses and become noticeable to the professor.
Talk to the professor before and/or after class
Visit them in their office or send them email
Ask them about their research
Let them know you are looking for a position
(Become the star student they can’t live without)
Seeking Approach
Professors often post openings that come up in their labs
These postings will generally be near the offices of the faculty, the main office, or on bulletin boards in other science buildings.
You can also check the departmental web sites to see if anything has been posted there (this gives you the chance to find out more about the research topics, too)
The Unified Approach
You do a little bit of all of the approaches until something good happens.
You don’t want to become a nuisance, but you do want to be the most noticeable of all the students being considered.
It may take a while to find a position, but it’ll be well worth it if you can
(In chemical engineering, 60% of all of our graduates have done research!)
Are there Benefits of Doing Research as an Undergrad?
You can earn money in some labs.
We pay $7 an hour to sophomores in chemical eng.
You can earn credit in some labs.
These credits count as technical electives so you can graduate sooner
You always get invaluable experience!
The Experience
While research can be frustrating, you will gain experience that will help you later
You will see if you would like to do research as a graduate student - if you absolutely hate research, do NOT plan on enjoying graduate school for 3 to 8 years after you get your B.S.!
You will get to see how equipment works, how people think, how academics interact, how money flows in a research lab, how new ideas are generated and tested, etc., etc.
But There’s More!
By doing research, you will get an excellent letter of recommendation who knows your work very well.
When you are looking for a job or grad school position, you will need up to four letters of recommendation from professional people, i.e. bosses or professors.
Your research professor can write you a glowing letter that will open many doors for you (as long as you’ve actually done fairly good work for them…)
Other Ways to Be Involved
Sometimes, a research idea is highly chancy at the outset
The professor doesn’t really want to throw a lot of $ at the project, but would be willing to let a volunteer work on it to see if it will work.
If you absolutely can’t find a position for pay or credit, talk to the professors about working as a volunteer on a project for a while.
This may open up new avenues for you (as a last resort).
Dangers of Doing Research as an Undergrad
Make sure you do your other work too! Don’t let research dominate all that you do or your grades and social life will suffer.
Work the amount of hours that you agreed to work but do not go overboard and work 40 hours a week even if things are going excellently.
This can be challenging if the professor is very excited about your progress…You may have to tell them you just don’t have time right then to finish everything
What do you do if you find out you are overwhelmed?
If everything piles up and you find that you don’t have time to do as much research as you thought, let your professor know.
This will show them you are mature enough to realize when things don’t happen they way you hoped.
This will allow the professor to find a replacement if the research is critical.
Do not just stop going and think that you’ll be able to make up all the lost progress later on (i.e. during finals!)
Dangers of Research
Safety in the lab is extremely important
Make sure you know how to protect yourself:
eye protection, preventing chemical spills, etc.
Make sure you have been trained on all equipment:
lasers can blind you, mechanical equipment can injure you, etc.
Make sure the lab environment is adequate for what you are doing
Make sure you research the hazards of what you’ll be working with
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