{"id":817,"date":"2016-06-14T12:59:02","date_gmt":"2016-06-14T19:59:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/faculty.washington.edu\/bjbecker\/?p=817"},"modified":"2022-03-24T12:15:26","modified_gmt":"2022-03-24T19:15:26","slug":"the-life-of-an-undergraduate-researcher","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/faculty.washington.edu\/bjbecker\/2016\/06\/the-life-of-an-undergraduate-researcher\/","title":{"rendered":"The Life of an Undergraduate Researcher"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hello everyone! My name is Katie Zentner, and I\u2019m an undergraduate pursuing my degree in Environmental Science with a focus on Biology at the University of Washington Tacoma. In winter quarter of 2016 I became an undergraduate research lab assistant, and it has been one of the greatest academic accomplishments of my college career. Even when I started I knew I had a lot to learn\u2014besides the experience gained from courses in my major\u2014and I continue to learn more to this day. The idea behind writing this blog post is to inspire and prepare future students pursuing research by highlighting what I\u2019ve learned along the way through detailing my own experiences and stories\u2014so if you\u2019re reading this, I hope to inspire the future scientist in you.<\/p>\n

5 Things I\u2019ve Learned Along the Way (So Far)<\/strong><\/p>\n

As I mentioned before, I\u2019ve learned a lot more than lab techniques and pipetting skills, so here are the top 5 lessons I\u2019ve learned while becoming a student researcher:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Never forget who helped you get where you are today, and never stop networking.<\/em> Doing anything related to your field of study, whether its going out for a quick lunch break with a classmate or going to a professor\u2019s office hours, is a networking opportunity. You never know who you\u2019re going to meet or who is going to come up in conversation that you\u2019ll want to meet, so always have your networking face on. This is easier than it may seem, especially given that most faculty and staff, especially in my case at UW Tacoma, want <\/strong>you to succeed\u2014they have all been in your shoes at one point or another, and most want to be the person they wish they had run into as an undergraduate. Connect with them by going to office hours even if you don\u2019t have any questions about the class. This is a perfect opportunity to ask them questions about their careers and gain helpful insights to guide your own path.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
      \n
    1. Do NOT fake it until you make it: always ask questions.<\/em> It is so much better to feel completely stupid for a few minutes than spend days knowing you\u2019re falling behind in class because you don\u2019t understand a fundamental concept. And yes\u2014a few days makes a HUGE difference in college time with how fast classes have to move to cover all the material. Not to mention that in real world applications, especially when working in a lab, it is often dangerous when you don\u2019t ask questions. One false chemical can ruin the experiment, or one incorrect technique can be toxic. This also isn\u2019t just beneficial for yourself\u2014professors absolutely love questions because it shows you\u2019re engaged in the material, and it also gives them a good idea of your understanding to adjust their teaching technique. Long story short, everyone will benefit from you asking questions, so don\u2019t be afraid!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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      1. Be ready to adapt<\/em>. Lab work is a series of trial and error that can\u2019t be planned. Part of being a researcher is understanding you don\u2019t know the answer, and finding one can take a lot of time, energy, and changes made to ideas you reeeally thought would work. In my case, It\u2019s all part of the process, and so if you like puzzles and critical thinking, lab research is for you!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
          \n
        1. Trust in the process<\/em>. By process, I\u2019m talking about everything you\u2019ll no doubt at one point question the usefulness of\u2014pipetting techniques, annotated bibliographies, and what seems like endless labeling of every container you use, down to the last microliter eppendorf tube, just to name a few. I\u2019ve learned to love these processes, and others like them, because as it turns out they\u2019re crucial, which explains why they\u2019re practiced in the first place. Use this time to practice it all, because I guarantee you\u2019ll appreciate the practice when a properly cited source can be what gets you that graduate degree, and that proper pipette technique is what gets you that dream job.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
            \n
          1. Have fun<\/em>. This is probably the most important lesson I\u2019ve learned throughout this entire experience so far. Don\u2019t get me wrong, responsibilities like this are meant to stress you out to help you perform at your best, but don\u2019t get lost in all the anxiety. Remember what this is: a safe learning environment to help you practice real-world application of the topics you\u2019ve learned in your classes. That\u2019s so cool! Don\u2019t be afraid to picture yourself in a CSI episode when you\u2019re running qPCR, ride your swivel chair across the tile floor in your lab coat just to grab a pipette because it looks and feels cool, and no matter what, make sure you post ALL of it on social media to show everyone else how cool you are. Don\u2019t forget to look back at how far you\u2019ve come and be proud of yourself.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            Laboratory: Expectation vs. Reality<\/strong><\/p>\n

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            • Expectation: Working with chemicals to make super cool reactions that\u2019ll puff with smoke or change color.\n
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              • Reality: Water, along with a bunch of other clear solutes that don\u2019t do anything on a macro level. Which is why it\u2019s always important to label everything!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                  \n
                • Expectation: Getting perfect results every time that prove or disprove your hypothesis exactly how you planned it.\n
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                  • Reality: Honestly, anything goes. You don\u2019t know the answer and you\u2019re not supposed to, but one way to find it is to find 1000 wrong answers first!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                    Yes, they\u2019re simple, but make sure you know them!<\/strong><\/p>\n

                    Sometimes we can get so focused on advancing our education to allow us bigger and better opportunities for success, but its so easy along the way to forget the simplest things that are so critical to fundamental knowledge because we don\u2019t put them in to practice\u2014but then we\u2019re embarrassed to ask how to do them because they should be so simple! Here are just a few simple techniques everyone needs to know, and everyone should probably brush up on:<\/p>\n

                      \n
                    • Unit conversions\u2014and powers of units<\/li>\n
                    • Significant figures<\/li>\n
                    • Diluting solutions.<\/li>\n
                    • Pipetting techniques\u2014yes, I\u2019m mentioning them again!<\/li>\n
                    • Parts of a scientific paper\u2014and what each should include.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                      All About Scholarships, Grants, and other forms of MONEY<\/strong><\/p>\n

                      Every step you take that brings you closer to your career goal, whether it be declaring your major or pursuing an internship, narrows the scope of possible applicants for specific scholarships and grants. For example, there are a ton of scholarships available that are ONLY available to those pursuing a biological or environmental science degree. There are also scholarships specifically for your standing in college. Use every characteristic and position you have or have had in the past to your advantage. Many think the task of applying for scholarships is daunting, but of course\u2014I would feel that way too if I were applying to a general scholarship with hundreds of thousands of applicants. But there are so many awards out there, including awards offered through the school, that are under applied for\u2014so what\u2019s the harm in applying, right?<\/p>\n

                      Interviews with Other Researchers<\/strong><\/p>\n

                      Here are some sample questions to get you started in talking to other researchers about their careers.<\/p>\n

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                      • When was the first moment you realized you wanted to become a scientist?<\/li>\n
                      • What\u2019s one piece of advice you wish you could tell your high school self?<\/li>\n
                      • What\u2019s the coolest thing you\u2019ve ever done in the lab?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

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