The UCLA Career Center hosted the “Transfer Research Kickstart” on behalf of the Undergraduate Research Centers, or URCs, event Monday, Nov. 10 at 2 p.m. for undergraduate students interested in getting started in research. Mauricio Gutierrez, program coordinator, coordinated the event on behalf of the Transfer Student Center, in room 200 of the Strathmore Building.
Several students arrived, looking for answers to their questions and an overall urgent consensus to learn more about research involvement. Dr. Monica Gonzalez Ramirez, assistant director of the URC-Sciences, was there to answer their questions. While presenting resources and opportunities available to students, she delivered and aided students in their endeavors and questions regarding the research process. She emphasized that students interested in research in either humanities, arts, social sciences and behavioral sciences, called HASS, or life sciences, physical sciences, mathematics and engineering, called STEM, have resources available to them.
The URCs’ mission is to “promote, develop and celebrate undergraduate research” at UCLA. They offer several research prep programs, workshops, boot camps and research practice courses available to students intrigued by the many facets and opportunities of research on campus.
The presentation gave a convincing argument on why students should get involved in research. Dr. Ramirez stressed the invaluable well of opportunities for advancement that research could provide for those in any field and explained that research is an important skill to learn if they are interested in getting hands-on experience in their fields or continuing to graduate school. “Grad school will want to see that you have participated in research, and it would be fantastic if you have already published.”
Further, building a meaningful relationship with staff and mentors is an invaluable part of collaboration through research. She said, “this allows students to work one-on-one with faculty members,” expanding their opportunities and showcasing to graduate programs the extent of the skills and techniques learned.
Through contract courses, including SRP 99 courses for either HASS or STEM, students can utilize course credits toward their degree. Under the supervision of faculty or mentors, students can engage with research experience.
Students with the experience of research become a more competitive choice for continued education and employment, explained Dr. Ramirez. This is especially the case for research done at UCLA.
As a research institution, UCLA offers a one-of-a-kind opportunity to all proactive students. UCLA offers the only program with two Undergraduate Research Centers in the nation. These research centers, URC-HASS and URC-Sciences, go hand in hand and offer UCLA students of all majors an opportunity to invest in high-level research programs. With such a broad array of opportunities in both fields, UCLA distinguishes itself as the only research institution in the country that provides students from both sectors with an indispensable opportunity to take part in a nationally ranked research institution.
In varying capacities, the opportunity also extends to non-traditional students, including transfer, undocumented, permanent residents, AB540, DACA and international students. This gives disadvantaged students access to participate and lead research projects in any field.
With over 4,000 undergraduate students participating in research and creative inquiry and over 1,400 students completing a senior thesis last year, UCLA boasts its whopping statistics of student involvement.
However, student participation may differ based on which Undergraduate Research Center they conduct research under:
In the Sciences, research is coordinated in lab settings with a supervising faculty member known as Principal Investigator or PI. The PIs run the research project and inquiry to determine the content of the research. Newer students are often supervised by postdocs or graduate students for smaller components of projects.
The HASS center, on the other hand, operates on more self-driven procedures. Students self-initiate projects under the guidance of mentors or faculty. The main types of projects include the arts, humanities and social and behavioral sciences. They can involve a wide range of topics, such as creating physical art or media or conducting investigations of society and economics.
Dr. Ramirez also outlined the process for getting started with research, which begins with finding a mentor. This step may require some patience, and it can be done by cold emailing professors, browsing online faculty profiles, visiting labs, going to office hours and talking to professors and TAs. It is important to note that cold emails should generally include who the student is, their interests, contributions and availability for a scheduled meeting. The next step is to enroll in a research contract course based on the student’s topic and weekly commitment, after which their research project can be presented and published. Research can be published in student-led journals like Aleph or the Undergraduate Science Journal.
Getting started in research can be daunting, but several research scholarship programs ease at least the financial burdens of commitment to research. URC-HASS offers six programs with awards between $3,000 and $17,000, and URC-Sciences offers 11 programs with awards up to $21,000. Some of the more notable programs include McNair, Mellon Mays and UFRP.
Although research may be daunting, its benefits evidently showcase the invaluable experience that students gain. Through mentors and guidance, students have the opportunity to take part in ground-breaking change in their respective fields. Whether you’re a STEM or Humanities major, you have a place at UCLA’s Undergraduate Research Centers. To get further involved, explore URC-HASS and URC-Sciences.
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Featured Image Photographed by Asher Nee/BruinLife
