<p>I really want to do research at the local university. So far, I have a sponsor, and the only thing holding me back is the most important component: the idea. I have no idea what to research into. I'm looking to doing something biology related. Any ideas? I could really use your help guys.</p>
<p>I still don’t understand this research everyone loves to do. So you go to the library and take out a few books and write a few pages about it? And then you’re guaranteed a spot at Harvard? What am I missing here?</p>
<p>@ CSIHSIS Research as in testing a hypothesis through experimentation. Not browsing the web for information on a topic. Is your sponsor your research mentor (like does he run a lab)? If so, he should design an experiment for you to run. Otherwise, try to get in touch with one of the heads in the lab who can set you up on a project.</p>
<p>Guaranteed a spot at Harvard? HAHAHA well maybe if you are in RSI or an Intel finalist… And if you read those papers, you’ll understand that they really are a bona fide as far as top-flight academics are concerned.</p>
<p>@CSIHSIS I’m not doing this for college admissions; I am a freshman for crying out loud. Rather, it’s more for the experience.</p>
<p>@dblazer To a degree, yes, he will help me get the ground going for the research. The thing is, we cannot progress without an idea at hand. And that is where my dilemma is. There is so much to do, but it is so broad. I don’t want to screw up.</p>
<p>Thanks for the responses guys. Any others? This is pretty important to to me, and any input would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>bump10char</p>
<p>LOL. Getting a good idea is like 30% of the road. The rest is determination and commitment.</p>
<p>PS: High School Life (hint hint) probably will not help you much.</p>
<p>If he’s not giving you an idea he probably isn’t taking you seriously as a collaborator. Most of the time when students work with professors the professor gives them a project and a general direction in which to proceed. The project is usually one the professor is already invested in. If he’s just letting you pick your own project it means you are not useful to him and you should probably find a mentor for whom this is not the case. At your level, it is impossibly difficult to do research without direction.</p>
<p>Propose an idea and consult with your professor. That’s how mine was started.</p>
<p>That is what I want to do, but my there are so many things. Also, I wouldn’t know if my idea was stupid or not plausible.</p>
<p>It’s good that you’re starting this as a freshman. I’m a senior now and have done 3 summers of research.</p>
<p>Your mentor should really give you ideas/suggestions. There is no way you would really have a good idea. What is he working on now? Most students work on a subset or tangent of their mentors projects? Are there grad students in the lab? Maybe you could work on one of their projects.</p>
<p>While the project and the work will be your own, research comes slowly, builds over time. You will not have an original idea.</p>
<p>And there is a lot of work that goes into research. The Siemens competition is due on Monday, so I have to finish my 20 page paper. Its hours of preparing, reading articles, working, learning new techniques, analyzing data, writing papers, and presenting in competitions. Not something to be taken lightly. But worth it, in the end. A great experience. However, it can become tedious, especially in the beginning when you may be learning basic techniques or not fully understand the material yet.</p>
<p>Wow! Thank you for the post waitingforivy! I’ll try asking my sponsor for ideas tomorrow. By the way, what is your research about? You must be very dedicated if you are submitting it into Siemens! Also, good luck. I hope you go far.</p>
<p>My research is about a genetic disease. I’m sorry, but I don’t want to give away to many details online. It’s easier than you might think to get a project good enough to submit to Intel. Hope you get an answer tomorrow! 000001’s point is very good - your mentor should be suggesting and helping you.</p>
<p>What? No “thank you” for me? What was wrong with my post? O_o</p>
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<p>Thank you for the acknowledgement :)</p>
<p>I’m a Junior whose doing research this year, and I was wondering, how much does it help with college admissions?</p>
<p>@oremed4 - You can send in a research abstract if its good, and you’ll have a strong EC. If you’ve won competitions, you’ll have some awards to put on your resume. And its a great topic for certain essays/interviews.</p>