On Monday. January 28, in Smith Steeb’s glass classroom several students who are performing research as undergraduates were kind enough to form a question and answer panel on what undergraduate research really is. The panel answered questions like “What is research?”, “How do I begin research?”, “Is it difficult to balance classes and research?”, and many more. I think this was a very beneficial event to have especially as research is becoming more and more common for undergraduate students. I personally have considered research, but never knew where to begin. One important thing I learned from the panel is that research can be done on any topic and does not have to relate to your major. In fact, because of the time consumption of research it is imperative that the topic is something you’re genuinely interested in and not just doing as a resume filler. For example, if a biology major wants to do research in fashion, that is acceptable. Moreover, unless your major requires it, you should not feel like you have to do research as an undergraduate. Research can be very extensive and again, time consuming, so one should have a good reason to do it. I, personally felt this way and was intending to join any research project I could find. After hearing the panel I’ve taken more consideration into what exactly it is that I want to do. As far as how to start research, many said it could be as simple as reaching out to a faculty member whose work you are interested in and asking if any opportunities are available. Rejection is common with this type of thing, so it shouldn’t be taken as discouragement. I also found it very interesting that you may ask any faculty member at Ohio State about research opportunities. I was initially under the impression that I could only ask professors whose classes I had taken. This greatly extends the opportunities present for me to do research. Taking the knowledge I’ve gained from this session, I’ve began looking into different faculty research topics and getting ideas. Though I am not ready now, I hope to be doing research in my third year here at OSU.