2 answers
shania
Student
Manchester, Connecticut
6
Questions
Asked
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If I do research with a professor how can I use this purpose to make a greater impact ?
I am doing research in stem and I want to make an impact with the knowledge I learn, what are some ideas I can lean on to, which will reach a greater audience specifically? any advice and guidance will be appreciated!
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2 answers
Peggy Garate
Technical Support Management
1
Answer
New York, New York
Updated
Peggy’s Answer
It's awesome that you're already exploring ways to have an impact with your work! What a cool question. Stem is a great area to be in if you want to have an impact.
Science: Researching, conducting experiments, and publishing your findings is foundational to everything else. Just by doing research with your professor and supporting the publication of this work, you'd be contributing to and expanding the 'knowledge' of humanity. That's a major impact. The first audience here is mostly other academics and folks in stem who will read and build on that work with future studies. That said, other fields rely heavily on scientific publications and data. For example, companies that design medicines need data from medical trials to understand if a medicine is safe for people to take. Lawyers and Policy makers need to rely on scientific data to make decisions about public health, environmental conservation, land use, energy. Even AI needs to rely on scientific papers and evidence in order to surface legit results to people.
Tech & Engineering: These people build stuff to solve complex problems. Think of the rocket scientists who got astronauts to the moon, and how inspirational that was for generations. Tons of cool industries like air travel and robotics need Mathematics-focused people. On a different scale but an important one, the engineers who first designed household items like dishwashers definitely improved quality of life for so many people in a meaningful way. Tons of cool industries like air travel and robotics need Mathematics-focused people.
From any of these focus areas, I think a cool minor would be Communications, to help break down the concepts you learn to a different audience (people who aren't in stem). You could build this muscle with classes like public speaking, or even get creative and do theater. Some people communicate through art. Or you could be a Teachers Assistant and help out this professor. Teaching others is a fantastic way to make an impact.
It may help to pick a topic that motivates you, and try to make a difference in that area. What issues in the world tend to grab your attention? What makes you angry or sad to hear about when things go wrong (diseases without a cure, degradation to the environment, crumbling infrastructure, stagnant/poor performing tech)?
Science: Researching, conducting experiments, and publishing your findings is foundational to everything else. Just by doing research with your professor and supporting the publication of this work, you'd be contributing to and expanding the 'knowledge' of humanity. That's a major impact. The first audience here is mostly other academics and folks in stem who will read and build on that work with future studies. That said, other fields rely heavily on scientific publications and data. For example, companies that design medicines need data from medical trials to understand if a medicine is safe for people to take. Lawyers and Policy makers need to rely on scientific data to make decisions about public health, environmental conservation, land use, energy. Even AI needs to rely on scientific papers and evidence in order to surface legit results to people.
Tech & Engineering: These people build stuff to solve complex problems. Think of the rocket scientists who got astronauts to the moon, and how inspirational that was for generations. Tons of cool industries like air travel and robotics need Mathematics-focused people. On a different scale but an important one, the engineers who first designed household items like dishwashers definitely improved quality of life for so many people in a meaningful way. Tons of cool industries like air travel and robotics need Mathematics-focused people.
From any of these focus areas, I think a cool minor would be Communications, to help break down the concepts you learn to a different audience (people who aren't in stem). You could build this muscle with classes like public speaking, or even get creative and do theater. Some people communicate through art. Or you could be a Teachers Assistant and help out this professor. Teaching others is a fantastic way to make an impact.
It may help to pick a topic that motivates you, and try to make a difference in that area. What issues in the world tend to grab your attention? What makes you angry or sad to hear about when things go wrong (diseases without a cure, degradation to the environment, crumbling infrastructure, stagnant/poor performing tech)?
James Hanson
Pediatric Intensive Care Physician; Consultant
266
Answers
Oakland, California
Updated
James’s Answer
You are off to a great start. It usually takes years of working with research mentors to develop your own research goals and to obtain funding (grants). Depending on the type of research that interests you, you can consider going for a PhD or MD/DO degree. In the latter, you would be using your research to help patients directly while your research helps them indirectly. There are certainly also nurses that do research, should that be of interest. Getting more education never burns bridges - it only opens up more possibilities.