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 AmbassadorFor me, summer has always been the most productive time for making progress on research. Without the regular worry of upcoming deadlines for coursework or responsibilities tied to extracurricular activities, I had the freedom to devote all of my attention to my research projects during the past two summers. However, summer doesn’t last forever, and often, work on the research project continues through the semester. Research during the semester can be much more challenging, especially if your plate is already full with classes and other commitments. If you find yourself in this situation, here are a few tips that can help you: Continue reading
Congratulations to the 40 UConn undergraduates who have been awarded UConn IDEA Grants in the spring 2018 funding cycle! 26 of the award recipients will be completing individual projects, and 14 will be working on collaborative group projects.
The award recipients represent a variety of disciplines, from graphic design to history, animal science to biomedical engineering. They will conduct independent research, create art exhibitions and short films, design prototypes, and develop programs that engage the University community.
Click here to view the full list of spring 2018 UConn IDEA Grant award recipients.
Special thanks to the faculty and staff that supported student applications to the UConn IDEA Grant and to those who will be mentoring the award recipients as they complete their projects.
The UConn IDEA Grant program awards funding to support self-designed projects including artistic endeavors, community service initiatives, research projects, prototyping and entrepreneurial ventures, and other creative and innovative projects. Undergraduates in all majors at all UConn campuses can apply. Applications are accepted twice per year from individuals and from small groups who plan to work collaboratively on a project. The next application deadline will be in December 2018.
By: Ariane Garrett, OUR Peer Research AmbassadorIn my last blog post, I wrote about navigating the mentor-mentee relationship and the baseline expectations you should have for your mentors. These expectations can include setting a reliable schedule, obtaining the necessary training to use equipment, and receiving the appropriate credit for your work. However, many professors go above and beyond the minimum standard and provide truly excellent mentorship to their students. This can play out in many different ways, from fostering a community within the lab to encouraging you to apply for opportunities that seem out of reach. Below I lay out some of the qualities that make for great mentors, along with some tips on how to transform your research experience from good to great! Continue reading
By: Emily Saccuzzo, OUR Peer Research AmbassadorWhen I first started at UConn as an undergraduate I had absolutely no idea what I wanted for my future career. I came in undeclared with only a vague idea that I knew I loved science in high school. I first started taking chem classes and realized that this was something that maybe I could see myself making a career out of but still I didn’t know what I wanted that career to look like or even what a career in chemistry could look like. I decided to join chemistry club in my sophomore year and quickly learned from other students about the undergraduate research that they were doing. Continue reading
By: Kavita Sinha, OUR Peer Research AmbassadorComing into my freshman year of college, research wasn’t even a blip on my radar. I knew that I wanted to attend medical school after I graduated, and research didn’t factor into my thoughts on how I would get there. Even after I watched my friends send email after email to professors, anxiously seeking a lab position, I had no interest in doing the same. It wasn’t until my parents asked that I find something to keep myself occupied over the summer that I started to look into research positions. Now, less than 50 days away from graduation, I am coming up on three years in my lab and am writing an Honors thesis on the work I have completed there. So, for those of you who ask the same “Why Research?” question that I once did, here are some of my answers. Continue reading
By: Priscilla Grillakis, OUR Peer Research AmbassadorOne of the aims of a research project is to learn about or create something that can be used to help others, and often times this could involve aspects of community outreach. Last year, after seeing a need for an improved emergent bilingual program, three of my peers and I applied for an IDEA grant.
We found a specific school to conduct our research in, and hoped that through our developmental stages of the research we would be able to help the current students. We had many steps to our project to ensure we could create the best possible program, with our end goal being to market the program to various schools and organizations to try to help as many emergent bilingual students as possible. Due to coordination and scheduling difficulties with the school we were working with, we had to adjust our project. Continue reading
By: Maya Schlesinger, OUR Peer Research AmbassadorWithin the first few weeks at UConn, I think many of us learn how expansive this community is. Many of us come from Connecticut and Storrs isn’t too far from home; but some of us come from farther away and Storrs is a new, scary experience. As an out of state student, I fell into the latter category and I had to certainly learn how to thrive on my own—making new friends, taking initiative in classes and extracurriculars, even eating on time and the right foods. Continue reading
Finding Inspiration – Don’t Get Bogged Down in the Everyday
On a day-to-day basis research can appear to be daunting, monotonous and full of long days with lots of setbacks. So, what makes you keep going? The answer might vary, but likely everyone has some kind of inspiration that motivates them. It’s hard to be optimistic when you’ve been pipetting for what seems like an entire day, or a month of experiments still don’t work. But, I would like to share some suggestions I have for staying inspired. Continue reading
As with anything in life, research and creative projects are wrought with setbacks, surprises and even failures. No matter how carefully you plan, schedule or prepare, bumps on the road are inevitable. What’s most important is how you handle these setbacks, and what you learn from them.
When things deviate from the original plan, it can feel overwhelming and defeating. It’s important to have skills and strategies in place ahead of time in order to move past these challenges and be triumphant in your research or creative endeavors. Here are strategies that I’ve learned through my creative process that have helped me recover from setbacks and be successful in my project. Continue reading