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Cultivating Graduate Students: Techniques to Inspire Effective Research

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 March 2011

David Braun ,
Linda Vanasupa ,
Blair London ,
Kevin Kingsbury  and
Heather Smith
David Braun
Affiliation:
Electrical Engineering Department, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407, U.S.A.
Linda Vanasupa
Affiliation:
Materials Engineering Department, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407, U.S.A.
Blair London
Affiliation:
Materials Engineering Department, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407, U.S.A.
Kevin Kingsbury
Affiliation:
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407, U.S.A.
Heather Smith
Affiliation:
Statistics Department, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407, U.S.A.
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Abstract

Each year, U.S. institutions grant well over 10,000 bachelor's degrees in science and engineering. However, only a small fraction of those students pursue graduate study. Many who do often experience great difficulty partly due to a lack of preparation for research: the nature of research is inherently foreign to those who are accustomed to studying course material and demonstrating their mastery of it by passing an exam. Carefully involving undergraduates in research can be an effective means for inspiring students to pursue graduate study. We have found that one can create a positive research experience for the student by implementing simple techniques. In this presentation, we present these practical techniques which include: Defining a manageable undergraduate research project; marketing the project to undergraduates; enabling effective record keeping in laboratory notebooks; focussing and directing research through efficient experimental designs. Along with these techniques, we will present examples—taken mainly from our Polymer Electronics Laboratory. We will also present the inherent pitfalls associated with these techniques.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 684: Symposium GG – Impacting Society Through Materials Science and Engineering Education , 2001 , GG1.2
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2001

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References

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