Scientia | Life Lessons from the Lab

Life Lessons from the Lab

Here are a few stories, told in the first person, that reflect the value of involving undergraduate students in research. Some are from UT professors who have mentored undergraduate researchers, and others are from current and former UT students who can directly trace their career choices and academic success to research opportunities afforded to them as undergraduates.

Matthew Kant

1st-year Ph.D. candidate
University of Tennessee
Current major: Engineering Science
UT mentor: Dayakar Penumadu

Beginning my junior year, I was working a job that had no relevance to my major, but I needed it to pay bills. I was looking for an internship that would compensate me and be more focused on the area in which I was studying. Through various connections I met Dr. Dayakar Penumadu [civil and environmental engineering], who paid me to do research. Undergraduate degrees can be so broad that they don’t prepare students for research, which involves exploring a specific area of interest. The most rewarding and beneficial part of being involved in research as an undergraduate was the additional education with respect to course work and problem-solving. Moreover, I realized how much I had to learn and how long it would take to become an integral part of the research community. I also learned that nothing worth having is easy to attain. The small successes I had along the way, in programming or in testing, were rewarding because of the price I paid to achieve them.

Mary Ross

1st-year Ph.D. candidate
Cambridge University
Current major: Chemistry
UT mentor: John Larese

The summer after my freshman year, I was a bit intimidated by the educational path I had chosen. I had just begun to realize how much there was to learn about chemistry, and I had no experience with specific research methods. But ultimately, doing research gave my undergraduate career a sense of purpose. During their college years, many students question the path they are taking, whether it is what they really want to do, whether they are wasting their time. Whenever I began to ask myself these sorts of questions, I realized that the research I was doing provided a solid link to the world outside of class and textbooks. Doing research made me feel as though I was accomplishing something more than studying and competing for grades. My undergraduate career would have been immeasurably poorer without that research. In fact, my research experiences with Dr. John Larese [chemistry] were probably the most valuable and enduring of all of the experiences I had at UT.

Scott Oppenheimer

2nd-year Ph.D. candidate
Northwestern University
Current major: Materials Science
UT mentor: Jan Musfeldt

Once I entered the research environment, I saw the creation of new knowledge instead of the distilled—and often very dry—end product of other people’s research. I learned to work independently on projects, carrying out high-level commands, and as part of a group, contributing to a larger goal. I learned to set the priorities necessary to accomplish a research task, while keeping in mind how my tasks meshed with those of others. That imparted a perspective that has helped in all areas of life. Publishing a scholarly paper while at UT was probably the single most important reason I was offered a first-year fellowship in my doctoral program. Beyond that, by having research experience, I stood out from the pack of other students. I also learned to relate to professors as mentors and guides, and that was a major help in other classes and in my current role as a graduate student.

John Larese

Professor
Physical and Materials Chemistry

Usually the greatest challenge is convincing undergraduate students to trust their own abilities and to use common sense. Most undergraduate students who enter an experimental laboratory that involves physical chemistry, materials science, or condensed matter physics have the prerequisite mathematical abilities but often lack the hands-on training or the skills needed to solve problems. That is, they have never used a voltmeter or used a vacuum pump or attached and adjusted a pressure regulator. So step-by-step, they get involved in small projects where they progressively develop these skills. In 4 or 5 weeks, if they’re really excited by these types of activities and ready to undertake an individual research quest, the real fun begins for both of us. I’ve worked in a research environment for more than 20 years now, with students of all levels—from high and elementary school to post-docs and even to practicing professionals. I’m always amazed at how different individuals learn and grasp new concepts in the laboratory.

Dayakar Penumadu

Professor and research fellow
Civil and Environmental Engineering

Based on my interaction with the best students in the classroom, I often get a good understanding of where they stand in their approach to independent problem-solving. I often assume that those students who have performed well academically are ready for independent research projects, but it doesn’t always work out that way, at least not initially. These students may have the right work ethic, but they are often uncomfortable at the start. But after learning how to do a literature review and develop rational thinking in the first few weeks, they become more comfortable. My personal goal in engaging these students in research is to retain them for graduate school, and that has worked very well. Many of my best students have continued their schooling after receiving their undergraduate degrees. Since these students already know how to start a research project, it is much easier for me to advise and mentor them at the graduate level, and they’ve already become productive in terms of publishing refereed papers. These students learn how to think independently and not depend on a single source of information—the class textbook for example. They also learn how difficult it is to write well.