“So You Think You Can Do Research”

I took the opportunity to attend IA’s “So You Think You Can Do Research” panel on Monday, January 28^th; not only to fulfill my Academic event requirement but also to explore a facet of the college experience I am simultaneously intimidated and intrigued by. The panel featured several IA scholars, all of whom are second years or beyond that are involved as research assistants or conductors of their own research on campus. This event offered me a couple new perspectives (debunking some undergraduate research “myths”) as well as some larger takeaways regarding how I go about being a college student. For the first time at OSU, I was able to place names and faces with undergrad research. This experience made the idea of jumping into research far less daunting as I got to hear from undergrads who approached professors for research positions, performed research in those positions, AND lived to tell the tale! The only sources of information on research I had interacted with up until this panel had been professors and faculty, most of which had been conducting research for decades. To interact with older students who not only credited research as a defining factor of their intellectual growth but also exhibited an immense passion for their projects was incredibly inspirational. Jacob Caponi (fellow public health sociology major) and Sam Stelinski caught my interest in that both of their research projects (Jacob’s in HIV PREP research and Sam’s in economic decision theory) were attempting to answer questions that I had myself.

This panel both debunked a lot of the untruths I’d believed about undergrad research and provided me with new ways to view research’s role in my trek towards being an Epidemiologist and otherwise well-rounded scholarly person. First, I’ve come to realize through the panel that doing research is an excellent way to customize your academic experience at Ohio State. A specific point that resonated well with me was made by my previous TA, Matt, who was speaking on the possibilities of research in the humanities. Matt suggested that as a person studying humanities, immense amounts of reading are required to learn the material, and inevitably these readings will have gaps, holes or inconsistencies within them. These non-sequiturs are the areas in which you can dive into uncharted territory through research. These research questions or topics may be ideas that have never been explored on a college campus before, making your undergrad experience truly unique. I find it amazing that as an Ohio State student, I have the potential to research never-before explored facets of an endless array of topics.

Second, it’s now evident to me that research exists in literally any field that you aspire to study. Research isn’t confined to medical labs, though valuable research does occur here. Kate Greer’s exploration of German dance and cultural context is a prime example of this. Kate’s research isn’t quantitative or easily analyzed using statistical analysis, but it still counts and measures up with those that do their research in immunology and cancer labs. My statistics for sociology class has also played a role in lessening my bias about humanities research (and essentially any non-science research), as I’ve recently been analyzing qualitative information such as political leanings, religious affiliation, and popular opinions. The research I’m learning to analyze may not involve microbiology in any way, shape, or form, but it does have a profound impact in that its allowed countless people to study populations and groups in how they interact.

Lastly, I appreciated the point made by many of the panelists. Many of them stated that your research doesn’t have to tie directly-or even at all-to your intended major. They stressed the importance of truly being interested in what you’re doing, or your research project will feel like a chore or a job.