By Oreoluwa Olowe, Peer Research Ambassador

I got started with research the second semester of freshman year. As a Mechanical Engineering major there are activities organized to allow students to get a better understanding of research or come up with ideas they wish to pursue. This was where I was introduced to my first research experience.

I decided to work on improving or developing knee braces for athletes with my fellow engineers. It was an amazing experience working with 5 other mechanical engineering students for Professor Jason Lee. I was able to develop relationship and technical skills outside of my classes.

After this experience, I wanted to learn more about research and what I can do to make more of an impact. I looked online for topics of interest and what department supported that particular topic. The one thing I learned about research is that you don’t have to be restricted to your school of learning. I was able to find a subject that was of great interest, which was supported by the Biomedical and Mechanical Engineering departments. In my junior year, during the first week of the fall semester, I reached out to the faculty members involved with that particular topic explaining what attracted me to the type of research they were involved with. Faculty appreciate the effort you put into understanding what they do, and it also helps you build rapport during your first meeting. I went through a presentation-type interview to demonstrate my understanding of key software programs used for that particular research. I was accepted to work in the Tarakanova Lab under the guidance of a graduate student on protein modelling using computational software.

I have learned so much from every member of my research lab and I hope that everyone has an opportunity to experience research and the soft skills that come with doing research.

Oreoluwa is a senior majoring in Mechanical Engineering. Click here to learn more about Oreoluwa.

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