It's All About the Research

Well Howdy, and welcome back to my podcast called “Resilience in STEM”. This episode is going to be titled “It’s All About the Research”. So I hope everyone has had a wonderful February and a wonderful Valentine’s Day. Whether you were with someone or not, I hope you had a good time, were able to celebrate, and felt happy. 

 

Before we start this episode, I want to hit on the title of my podcast and I feel I will get a lot of questions about “Why resilience? And  “Why did I choose the word resilience?”. It can be an odd word, I guess. Well, the reason why I picked this word is that I feel in usual student success data/studies, it’s more about getting the student to the finish line and that’s it. Like reaching the bar of graduating and that’s it. It’s not really about taking the next step or going above and beyond, being a leader, or being resilient! So that’s why I chose resilience instead of “Surviving STEM”. It just adds to the point that women of color and other minorities can be successful and be leaders in this field. That is why I wanted to hit on that point first. 

 

I don't know if you guys noticed this, but when I was coming up with this title, “It’s All about the research”, I thought of the Meghan Trainor song way back when. I think it was her first hit. So it just made me think of that. I will not sing or hum it at all because it could cause problems with copyright issues (maybe or maybe not). Just to air on the safe side I’m not gonna do that. Also, it would be bad if you guys heard that. I’m not a very good singer. 

 

So let’s get started with the episode. So why am I talking about research? I say it’s all about the research, but why? Let’s just say you’re in the scenario and you're like, “Okay, I need to apply for a job. But I need to make sure I have experience in this job”. Because if you apply for a job, you are most likely going to get it if you have the experience. The same applies to graduate school. 

 

So usually for graduate schools, like PhDs, which is a philosophy doctorate, or a Masters program is most likely going to have some research in it. It may be that you have to complete your project, or you may have to write a thesis or a dissertation. You may have to carry out and execute your research project. You will have to know what research is because it/s good to know what you’re signing up for before you decide you want to apply. Whenever graduate schools, such as the application board, sees your application, they want you to have research experience because they want to know if you can handle it. They want to know if you will want to pursue a career in research because you have already had research experience during your undergrad or years before. They want to make sure you’ve had that experience before they throw you into this program so they know you can do well and end up graduating. If they admit you, the hope that is you graduate. There is no point in admitting you and then you drop out.

 

So that’s why having research experience is so important. For graduate schools, you are going to need research experience. I mean it’s strongly preferred. They are not gonna say they require it, but they're going to say it’s strongly preferred or strongly recommended to have research experience. 

 

I thought I would talk about my story and how I got involved with research as a little bit of a guide for it. So I was just coming out of high school. This was during the pandemic, and I was recently admitted to the Engineering Honors Program and the University Honors Program. Now both of these programs had a requirement that I had to complete some credit hours of research. I thought, “okay, that’s fine. I can do that”. So I decided I would rather get into a lab early rather than later. During that summer I applied to different labs by emailing professors about some advice I needed and other research-related topics. So the emails weren’t formally “I want to apply for research” emails. Instead, they were, “Hey I need some advice about this, but it has something to do with research” emails. 

 

So I emailed a bunch of professors, and one of the professors I stumbled upon was Dr. Jennifer Dulin. She works with neural stem cells and spinal cord injury. I remember looking at the website and thinking, “Wow. It would be cool if I was an undergrad in this lab. This is so cool what they do”. Back then I was interested in stem cell research and it looked at medical applications. I remember emailing and I get a response from one of the graduate students. She gives me advice on the thing I was asking for. But in that email, I also talked about my career goals and what I am interested in. In her response, she stated I would be a good fit for the lab, and if I was interested in joining. When I read that I was thinking, “ Yes! Absolutely! Yes”. My logic was if I joined the lab now and I don't like it, I can say I had the research experience and it was fine. But if I liked it, then it could be an opportunity that I didn't think about. So I joined to be part of the Dulin Lab and it changed my trajectory. When I first entered college I thought I wanted to into the medical industry. But when I joined this lab, I changed my mind. I began thinking, “Wow I can do a career in research and this is feasible. I want to be a part of this”. So that’s what led to me getting involved in research, and it changed my life. 

 

I am also involved with the Engineering Honors Ambassadors and Undergraduate Research Ambassadors. In these organizations, I have to talk about my story. I also get to talk to other prospective students, administration, and organizations about the value of research and how Texas A&M’s research culture is right now. We host a lot of science to literature research to even creative works. That’s something I didn't know until I got into these programs. It’s just showing how can shape the new research culture. So that is what I do in these organizations. 

 

But I often get a lot of questions from everyone asking, “Okay what are the misconceptions?” and,” what can I do to get involved?”. This is because it’s a huge thing. So that’s what I’m going to cover and show you guys how to get involved in research, why it’s so important, and just address some misconceptions as you are beginning your journey. 

 

The first misconception is that it takes too much time. That’s true I would say because whenever you first join a lab you’re shadowing someone or completing training. For me, my first semester I was basically (well it was during the pandemic so I wasn't allowed to go into the lab) completing all of my training. Then in the spring when I was allowed to go into the lab, all I did was shadow my graduate student. It's probably going to be a combination of that during your first semester or year. Also, I never worked more than 10 hours each week. Usually whatever I do know it’s only 10 hours a week at most. If it’s more, then that’s on me. The professor and the graduate will not make you work for over 10 hours a week. But that is also dependent on what research lab you get into. The 10-hour rule is for my lab, but in another lab, it could be 6 hours, it could be totally up to your availability, or it may be a weekend commitment. Each research lab works on a different thing, and they may have a different timeline or requirements. But it should never overtake your schedule because they know you are an undergraduate, you are also a student, and you have a life. They are not going to keep you in the lab 24/7 and not make it the biggest stress in your life. Overall, they just want to show you the research culture and what they are working on. 

 

Second misconception: you only have to pursue a research or academia-based career. An academic career means you are wanting to be a professor or lecturer and you work at a university. That’s not true because I know people who want to go to medical school, policy, or consulting. They don't even consider pursuing a Ph.D. or academia, but they want to join the research. The reason why is that you have to learn how to communicate and write your ideas. So let’s say I go into an industry job and I need to test the quality of something or a device. I test it and I need to write a report so I can present it to my boss to prove that this device works. The thing is, I have to learn how to write that report. Doing research will give me tools to express myself quantitatively and qualitatively. Quantitative means numbers. Whereas, qualitative means observations. It's a great avenue. In addition to that, research can help you express your ideas better. By expressing my research story, I would not have been able to do that during my freshman year. I also would not have been able to present to an organization. That would have never happened. But having the research experience to go present my research at conferences, posters, or just talk at lab meetings. That’s helped shape the way I am. It also helps you become a better overall student. Even if you want to go into consulting, you want to have a good knowledge of the field. So joining a research lab is a great opportunity because you get to know how the field is advancing. You also get to see what tools are needed and how you can communicate that. That’s so important. If you want to go to policy, you also should have a good idea of what your policy is about. Let’s say (I’m very engineering-focused so my examples may be very engineering-heavy) I want to work on cardiac policy. So I want to do research with cardiac prosthetics and see what the advancement in the field is. That’s a great way to get context and become a better advocate for this policy. So that’s a great way to get involved in research. You don't have to go into a research career. It just makes you a better and more well-rounded student. It also helps you to think more critically and independently or how to communicate. It has helped me in so many ways instead of just knowing the facts. Yes, I know how to do my research, but I also know how to communicate and write it. 

 

The third misconception is that only upperclassmen can participate in research. That’s also not true because, in my research story, I said I started my journey straight out of high school. I wouldn't say it's super common, but it’s possible. Even some professors like having underclassmen, such as freshmen and sophomores because they haven't totally learned all of the curricula and they have not made a lot of assumptions about the research field yet. So it’s a lot easier to teach underclassmen because they know very little about the field and you can help mold them. That’s a weird way to say it, but you can mold how they think about this research and you don't have to consider all of the assumptions. 

 

Lastly, another misconception is that professors are scary. Yeah uh, that’s not true. If you reach out to them for research the worst they can say is no. They're not going to publicly humiliate you. That’s okay. But you may think “oh my gosh, this professor has so many publications. I just researched them, they have this whole list of experiences, and they have been working in this field for decades!”. They may seem super intimidating, but they are human. It's really good to talk to them and get to know them better. My professor sometimes makes jokes and she’s just a normal person. Yeah, she’s knowledgeable in her field, but outside of that she’s herself and that’s fine. That’s how all the professors are too. They have their home lives and personal lives too. They are not always in a strict academic mindset all the time. They are people too. 

 

So that sums up the biggest misconceptions I get. Usually, by now, I get questions asking, “Okay you've told me the misconceptions, you told me why research is so important and how it can help people in any career path, but do I get started?”. So there are multiple ways to get started. If you’re an undergraduate there is one way. But if you've come to the situation where you realize, “Research is what I was meant to do. It makes so much sense now.” but you realize it's your senior year of undergrad. So you think, “well I can’t apply to graduate school because it's too late”. There are programs called postbaccalaureates. So there are two main ways to get involved. 

 

So first I’m going to go over the undergrad way, which is how you get involved in your institution. The first step is you have to find a lab. I recommend looking at a few different labs. You can look at your departmental website and lab website. But don’t just look at your department. Also, look at other related departments. In my case, I am a Biomedical Engineer. So I also looked at the department of Biology or the College of Medicine that had research labs. Let’s say you’re a computer science major. You could look at the department of computer science, but you could also look at the math and physics department. So even though these labs may be in different colleges, it doesn’t prevent you from getting involved in research. Just find something you’re interested in. You could also look at advisor emails. The advisor may send an email out stating, “Hey this professor is working on this project and he wants undergraduates. Send me your resume if interested.” You can also Google Search. Let’s just say you’re interested in machine learning or quantum physics. So I go to Google and I would type “quantum physics, Texas A&M research”. After hitting enter, I can find articles or certain professors' profiles, and I can see if they have research labs and the projects they are working on. That is a great option. Lastly, (this may depend on each institution) but there may be a database of research opportunities available. So just take a look at what research opportunities are available if that exists for you. I think looking at your department website or looking at related department websites to your major or interest, and then looking at the lab websites. 

 

Alright, you’ve looked at those lab websites and thought, “Okay I found 3-5 labs that I would reach out to”. So the next step is reaching out to the professors. I think an email is a great way to do that. I would email a few professors by finding their contact information on the department website. This is what you should include in your email: your name, your background (major/classification), the reason for interest (mention lab projects/recent publications/things from the lab website), career goals, contact information, and potentially a resume. The reason why I mention the reason for interest point a little more in detail is that when you sent that email out and talk about the specifics of the lab or the projects, it shows you care and the professor values that. They want someone who is motivated, cares, and is excited about participating in their research. This is because they want to mentor you and prepare you for your future career. If you show you’re interested and mention those specifics, then that’s good. 

 

Let’s say you do all of that and you get a response. The worst the professors may say in these emails may be that you’re not ready yet or they don't have room for undergrads. You may get some no’s and yes’s and that’s great. If they say, they may ask for an interview. This is often optional. It’s usually either they invite you to the lab or they set up an interview. Usually, these interviews are more of a casual conversation between the professor, the graduate student that may be working on a project you're interested in, and you. In this interview, you should talk about your background, and it’s a great way to get to know the people in the lab better and see if you’re a good fit. Just some advice on this, you don't need to know everything or the specifics of the research. When I joined my lab, (we do stem cell research) I didn't know there were different types of stem cells. That did not even occur to me. I thought there were just stem cells and that’s it, which is not true. I was able to learn that there were different types of stem cells and the basics of neuroscience. You just have to show a willingness to learn, you’re motivated to learn, and you’re interested in the lab. It's a great opportunity to see what the time commitment would be and how the lab environment is. You may see that there are a lot of undergrads, you could get paired with a graduate student or the professor, or just how the lab generally looks. Overall, it's a great way to get to know the professor better and see if committing to the lab fits into your schedule. 

 

Those are the three steps for an undergraduate to get involved in research. I know for my university, Texas A&M, we have the Aggie Research Program. It's a great way for you to get matched with a lab by applying. By participating in the program you get a certificate and it allows you to continue being part of the lab after the program. So that’s another route you can take for getting involved in research if you’re in Texas A&M. If not, the step-by-step guide is also good.

 

Now let’s go into the second scenario where you want to do a post-bac program. I know how to spell it, I just cannot say the word. There is a lot of information and lists for post-bac programs. The Association of American Medical Colleges has a huge list of programs. But there are also post-bac programs for other programs. So if you don't want to do something that is medical-based (totally fine), other programs have those opportunities. My biggest suggestion is that you find a university or institution that you want to do research with, and then see if they have a post-bac program. So if I search for “Brown University post-bac program” on Google, it can help me see if that university has a post-bac program and how I can apply. You can also definitely look at the list from the Association of Americal Medical Colleges, see what information they have, and how would that look for your career goals. They also have different focuses. So if you’re different in cancer research then you can add those filters. So I think it’s a great opportunity to get involved. That way whenever you apply to a master's or Ph.D. program, the admissions committee won’t question if you’ve had the experience because you can show that participating in these post-bac programs has helped you develop these skills and create a strong foundation in this field of research. So you know you are dedicated and can complete the research by participating in their program. It also reinforces that you’re interested in this research and you spent time. Postbac programs are usually a one-two year fellowship. It is partnered with the university/institute and you do research under a lab to gain the research skills you want. So that’s what it usually ends up being. But it’s more situations where if you want more research experience, you feel you’re not ready for graduate school, or you want to boost your research resume. I think it’s a great option. These programs do have a GPA requirement ranging from 2.5 - 3.0 GPA. So I think it's something worth taking a look at. 

 

So my biggest parting advice in this episode is that it's never too early or late to start getting involved in research. There are a lot of resources on how to get involved. I just wanted to give a quick synopsis of what you can do. I know this was more of an advice episode instead of a super data and information-heavy episode. But I want to show the importance of research. If you want to pursue these graduate programs, you need to know what the research culture is like. It’s good to know what research is available to you. It’s also good to have the tools that will propel you to succeed in these graduate programs. So that’s why graduate schools harp on getting involved in research for all of these benefits. I would say it’s a great opportunity, even if you don’t want to go to an academia-based field. You can learn so much more than just the knowledge of the research. You can apply it anywhere.

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