How did you get involved?

I knew early on in college that I wanted to get involved with scientific research. My RA was also a biochemistry major, and as our floor was a STEM floor, we went on laboratory tours during our first semester. After seeing the interesting work that was going on, I knew I wanted to start research, but only after finishing my freshman year. I wanted to stay in Biochemistry because it was my major, so I looked through faculty pages on the Department website and read through descriptions of their projects. I emailed 4 or 5 professors who’s work sounded interesting and I ended up interviewing with the professor who’s lab I joined.

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What presentation/publication opportunities did you pursue?

I presented my research at multiple poster conferences at Iowa. As an ICRU fellow, I presented at both SURC (Summer Undergraduate Research Conference) and FURF (Fall Undergraduate Research Festival). ICRU was a great support system in multiple ways as an undergraduate researcher. I was able to attain funding for the summer through receiving a fellowship, and I also acted as a Student Ambassador for two years. In my Senior year, I helped to organize my senior project into figures and wrote up a few sections which I sent to my PI before graduating, which ideally will be organized into a publication in the coming months if all goes according to plan.

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Why do research?​

Research helped me to develop so many skills that are critical to what you do after graduating that aren’t emphasized in plain classroom experiences. I directly gained more knowledge about my field and techniques to generate data, but arguably I grew more from research through improving my softer skills. Things like speaking skills from presenting at lab meeting, talking about science to the public at poster presentations, and drafting an application for why your project should be funded at things beyond the science that are extremely important and transferrable to other disciplines. I especially loved presenting my work and working with younger students to start research because helping someone understand the importance of science or helping someone develop and explore their career is very fulfilling to me.

Any other advice you would give to someone wanting to get involved in research?

Explore! You may find that your first research experience is amazing, or you may feel underwhelmed and uninterested. Either way I think its good to branch out to other experiences, whether its summer research experiences at other institutions or getting involved with research advocacy. There’s so much to research that it’s important to see all the different angles to see if you enjoy something new.