By Shahan Kamal, OUR Peer Research Ambassador
Research happens in a lab, on a bench, with a bunch of microscopes and pipettes and bottles of various liquids on the side. Right? Sounds right to me…or at least it did. Research is so much more than that. It just might take a while before you realize that.
I remember the first time I met with a professor in his lab space to discuss the possibility of joining his group. I still distinctly remember looking around and having questions. Why are there freezers and fridges? There are so many computers here. Is that an ice machine? This is so different from what I expected. “The dry lab is across the hall.” What?
When I decided to apply for an IDEA grant, one step in the process really intimidated me. That step was approaching a project mentor. In creative endeavors, finding and approaching a project mentor works a little differently than in research. While there are no publications to read or labs to shadow in, there are artist statements, studio practices, and past work to learn about. These tips can help you select the right mentor, prepare for your first meeting, and ensure that you forge a relationship that will best serve your creative endeavors. 
Are you interested in the 
The idea of “doing research” sounds so vague and pretty daunting as an undergraduate student. For people in the sciences, we usually picture a person in a white coat with a beaker doing… something. As a freshman, I wasn’t sure what those people in lab coats were actually doing. I assumed it was important but really didn’t understand it.
Every year, on the first day of school, I have high hopes for my organization. I’ll use my planner every day! I’ll clean my whole apartment every Thursday night! Healthy dinners every night? No problem! Inevitably, in the first few weeks, these lofty goals slowly start to crumble. Why? Because I do not effectively organize my deadlines. Finally, after many years, and many organizational failures I have figured out some strategies to keep me on track past the first two weeks of the semester. 
When thinking about participating in undergraduate research, we often think about our interests – whether that be infectious diseases, genetic disorders, the social dynamic of college students, or the best medium to present a beautiful work of art. I stumbled into a laboratory that is working on something that wasn’t necessarily at the top of my interest list, but I am all the better for it.
When I applied to UConn, I had no idea that I would be involved in research as a social science major, as I saw UConn as a center for innovative research in science and engineering. To be completely honest, I just simply thought of research as something that I would never be introduced to and understand.
My freshman year I received a UConn IDEA grant to complete an independent research project over the summer. My sophomore year, I received a SURF award for the next steps in my research. Although I worked in the same lab both summers, lived on campus, and had more or less the same routine, the two experiences couldn’t have been more different from each other. What changed? I did!
By: Soumya Kundu, OUR Peer Research Ambassador