CET holds workshop on research

The Center for Excellence in Teaching hosted an event Thursday to inform students about obtaining research opportunities.

The event, Now You Know: How To Get Research, featured a presentation with details on finding and acquiring research assistant positions as an undergraduate, along with a panel of students who have participated in research.

The CET is an institution that works closely with the Office of the Provost to organize events and discussions about how to improve classroom experiences for students, teachers and teaching assistants.

Carson Lam, a freshman majoring in business administration and psychology and an undergraduate fellow for CET, was one of the event’s hosts and helped organize the event so students could discover research opportunities at USC.

“I really wanted to do this event because I’ve always wondered about research, and at the end of last semester, I got the opportunity to be a research assistant,” Lam said.

“I felt like it would be really cool to just workshop with other students who want to learn about research. It’s a mystery for a lot of students that we want to demystify.”

Lam emphasized that research is not just for students interested in the sciences and that it is not necessary to be an expert in the field you want to research in.

Brenda Yang, a senior majoring in interdisciplinary studies and a CET undergraduate fellow, recommended several methods of finding research opportunities, including talking to professors, following up on help-wanted postings and emailing researchers.

“There is no formula to getting research,” Yang said. “If you work hard, if you are interested, if you are persistent, it is totally feasible to do.”

Speakers at the event also mentioned that there are many opportunities to do research in the summer, on and off campus.

Gene Bickers, vice provost for Undergraduate Programs, said involvement in research provides students with a valuable experience outside the classroom.

“[Research] is the chance to become active in a new problem,” Bickers said. “It’s an open-ended problem where there’s no known answer, and that can be exciting. It’s also the chance to work with a professor one-on-one or in a small group setting, and it’s a chance to get a lot of good experience with what you may be doing after graduation.”

Bickers also stressed the importance of taking initiative to learn about research opportunities as early as possible.

Student panelists at the event shared stories of their personal experiences in research. The session concluded with an individual question-and-answer period with the panelists.

Kathryn Kinas, a freshman majoring in business administration, said the event opened her eyes to many chances to do research at USC.

“After coming to this seminar, I fully intend to approach one of my professors in the future and get involved with the many research opportunities that USC provides,” Kinas said.

CET, founded in 1996, aims to provide leadership and support to the development of the university’s learner-centered education and is responsible for programs such as the teaching assistant program.