Part 2 --- Some Difficulties a fresh Researcher may face
"disclaimer - i am not trying to woo anyone to do research nor am i attempting to discourage taking up a job, choosing the field is left to the individual, maybe later i will post about the research opportunities available in different streams and sometime if possible will make a comparison between job and research."
So you have chosen to proceed with Research. Nice !
Okay, now that you are a researcher - how to proceed ?...what is research ?
It is instructive to start off with a dictionary definition of Research -
Definition:
- [noun] systematic investigation to establish facts
- [noun] a search for knowledge; "their pottery deserves more research than it has received"
Synonyms: inquiry, enquiry - [verb] inquire into
Synonyms: search, explore - [verb] attempt to find out in a systematically and scientific manner; "The student researched the history of that word"
Every piece of info , formula, graphs etc., has a huge amount of stuff hidden, when u see an equation first thing you should see ......uhh...well i will take those up in detail later !
What are the initial confusions ? Here are something i felt worth noting -
1. Finding a Mentor - For any fresher, it is very crucial to find a mentor, a guide who will give you initial guidance and a preliminary idea to work on. You may be in you Sophomore Year, with a sound basics of engineering math, some classical mechanics and fundamental chemistry (organic/inorganic). At this juncture, you may not have a suitable idea or any idea at all on "what to research on". What should I do or what should I work on that will be useful, that will bring me credit, that I can complete. A guide, will initiate you into a topic in which you may not have any idea at all. But, the guide will help you to get a peek and get the feel of the topic. Then the guide will give you a topic, a hot field, in which you can work. He might give you a small part of his research work that you may start off with, or he may ask you to collect all the work done so far over the years on a particular topic (a bibliographic study) etc.,
Now, choosing your guide is important. For a fresher, I strongly suggest you approach a prof. in your department or in your school who is doing some research in a field that interests you. Tell him that you are interested in assisting him and some flattery ! Then, he will take up things from then on. You may not initially like the topic he is giving you, but its okay, as a beginning you can take it up. That will help you to understand how to go about research, how to do a survey, who are the leading personnel etc etc., So finding a mentor is the prime most important step. Choose the mentor carefully!!
2. Getting a trustworthy partner - Now, it's very advantageous if you could find yourself a friend who is interested to pair up with you in this research activity. Make sure you are able to get a very very interested and keen person. He should not drop out in the middle for some stupid reason or the other. Also, do not form a huge team, huge meaning 4 or more. I sincerely suggest you to choose just a single partner. Just the two of you !
It is not mandatory , but you might need someone to confide in !
3.When do i do it ? - Now, you are studying, you want to play, you are in lots of clubs, you want to go home, you have exams, you want to watch movies, you want to , you want to, you want to.......and you want to do research !
So, when do I do it ? How do I allot the priorities ?
Well, that is left to you, choose your priorities well. If you are seriously want to complete your research and present it somewhere and get it published, I suggest you give it a top priority amongst your other activities. Remember, once you find a guide, you are committed to him until the work is complete ! So do not get him pissed off !!!!
Try to read up stuff properly, neatly organize and do take some pains to get the necessary books etc., these things the prof. will tell, but you have to sit and read!!
4. Is it like an exam ..eh ? - RESEARCH IS NOT AN EXAMINATION !!!!
You need not, and should not do research like you sit and study for examinations. It is not about by-hearting stuff and vomiting it to the prof. NO NO NO. There is not an immediate deadline, there is no pressure, there is no schedule. You can carry out research at a slow pace, take your own time to get the basics strong - BASICS SHOULD BE ROCK SOLID. Never progress unless and until your foundation is solid.
There is no necessity to mug up complex equations, memorize definitions, practice drawing diagrams etc., The key thing is - Research is a attempt to understand the stuff conceptually. When you look at an equation, you should be able to rip it apart into its physical implications.
Read it like a novel - when you read a novel, say you are reading the 15th Chapter, and in that the author might have referred to a small incident in the 1st Chapter, but you can still sharply recollect that event and you never turn back to the 1st Chapter to see what the author is referring to.
Same thing is to read a technical book or paper. You should understand and remember the ideas , the concepts, but you can always turn back to look at an equation, that is not a problem at all. Those equations, graphs etc., will start flowing like your blood once you get some experience, so you can take it easy. CONCEPTUAL understanding is IMPORTANT.
5.Will I become a Nerd ?? - Bah !...you will become a more cooler dude !!
Again, once you get the hang of understanding stuff conceptually, your intellect will automatically start developing and reach an acme that you would have never experienced. Your thoughts, your lifestyles will naturally become more mature and neat ! You will no longer be spending time with your heads burrowed under books, rather, a single glance will make you get the stuff into your head ! You need not spend sleepless nights, abeyance lunch-dinner, -Overall, Research will be a beautiful experience and a fun filled ride!!
You will be seeing and working with stuff that none of your fellows know, none of your profs know, sometimes, you may embark on something that is so advanced that no undergrad would even know such things existed ! You will be making magic with your computer, you can scribble arbit complex equations in that carry immense power, you can thrash and rip apart any one who claims to be an expert.
Everything around you will be speaking to you, you can understand all the things and invisible stuff happening around you, in the end - you will learn to appreciate the 'Sound of Silence' - a melody !!
6. Should I neglect course work so that I can spend max time with Research? -
Definitely not, you need not bunk classes, flunk exams, forget academic work - Definitely NOT.
It does not imply that if you are doing research, you should be thinking of high funda stuff that you have no time to attend mere classes and learn some stupid basic stuff that a bloke blabbers. Never dude !..do not get that attitude and do not assume that you are doing high funda stuff !!
Research does not immediately propel you to some zenith. You are still the normal, sane person you were, just that, you are doing some research, some innovative novel work. Get a feel man, do your coursework neatly, do justice to research, play and pursue your hobbies, life is a mix of everything!!
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Well, those are some thoughts that occurred to me that a fresh researcher might face. If you are facing a confusion, learn to solve them on your own, do not take it as an hurdle, its rather a challenge !! Take some time off, sit and relax and learn to solve problems allay manner, assess all the possibilities etc etc.,
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