<p>I see a lot of people applying to MIT have done research... I haven't</p>
<p>just wondering... what exactly have you guys done???</p>
<p>I did neurobiology research using the leech model. Got a Siemens award for it. Don't really need to worry about it. As long as you show passion in something, you'll be fine.</p>
<p>lol, tapedDuck = ducktape's clone? =D</p>
<p>I did research on scoliosis this past year, and in parasitology 2 years ago. Got deferred. It's not a deal-breaker.</p>
<p>what exactly did you do??? work with a scientist in a lab/make your own research project/join a research program?</p>
<p>at our school we have a well established "research team" that is comprised of students researching in the community. Regardless of whether people at your school do it or not you basically find a mentor who will guide you along. Most people, including me, work in a lab. It is sorta similar to the complex labs you would do in biology/chemistry except you are making up the steps.</p>
<p>I did some simulations having to do with applying a mathematical model to counterterrorism. Then I did an experiment looking at how the height of a water droplet falling into a basin of water affects the height of the splash caused by the disturbance (lol, wrote about this in my creation essay). Now I am working on some stuff related to fluid dynamics.</p>
<p>I would say, however, that research does NOT have to be mentor-guided. I kind of had a mentor for my counterterrorism stuff, but I did everything myself, including determining/choosing questions, figuring out how to answer them, and writing papers. He just sent me papers, invited me to conferences and encouraged me to write up my results in papers. Yes, he has become a great help, and really influential in my mathematical career, but with that research, I was running the shots.</p>
<p>Also, my fluid experiment was not guided by a mentor at all. It was connected to science fair at school, but my teacher did not really help - my partner and I completely devised our procedure, worked out kinks, and found ways of answering our own questions. So, for me, research has been about asking questions I am interested in, finding out how to answer them, and writing up papers about my results. It was connected to science fair, which I do for school, but has grown into a pursuit of its own, not necessarily for science fairs but just because I love the work. So... I think the nature of research varies greatly from field to field, school to school, kid to kid, etc... for me it has been largely independent work answering scientific and mathematical questions that interest me.</p>
<p>Dude, we basically have the same screen name. Was ducktape your first choice? Because I joined CC before you. Sorry if that's the case.</p>
<p>Anyways, I researched a transcription factor implicated in inflammation. I mean, for biology type stuff you pretty much need a mentor (hell, most of the equipment I used is worth more than my life) to show you lab techniques that aren't taught in the typical high school class room and supply you with the equipment you need to perform your research. Without a university lab, my project would have been neigh impossible.</p>
<p>I worked on an x-ray detector that can be used for low-dosage operations. Basically, a professor came up with an idea for the detector and patented it. I fixed its most significant design flaw using thin-films of intrinsically conductive polymers. Fun stuff, but definitely wouldn't be possible without a university laboratory. Semifinalist from siemens and we'll see about intel.</p>
<p>As a high schooler, I did a study on magnetic therapy and its alleged benefits. No mentor, university lab, or outside funding. It was a pretty good project. I also did a crypto project, trying to modernize an old, outdated crypto algorithm, which was a less good project IMO. Also with no mentor, lab, or outside funding.</p>
<p>counterterrorism models, disease research, x-ray detectors, magnetic therapy... wow, that is some really cool stuff</p>
<p>I'm regretting not doing any research projects now... I know a lot of professors at the university in our town either through taking classes with them or because they work with my dad, so I had plenty of opportunities to do research</p>
<p>I have a lot of lab experience, just not the type where you make your own hypothesis and follow your own directions - the things I have done is where you just follow directions written on a sheet of paper (it's amazing how much trouble I have doing just that - I have broken so much lab equipment... nothing extremely valuable thankfully; had to get stitches from just breaking a pipette in microbiology)... but, this spring I get to help a grad student supervise the lab portion of an introductory college biology class</p>
<p>... and yea, ducktape was my first choice and because I couldn't come up with anything better, I just flipped it around</p>
<p>I don't mean to steal this topic or anything, but did anyone who did research submit their abstract to MIT? Or did you guys just talk about it in your essays?</p>
<p>I sent in an abstract plus a paragraph to put it into the context of my academic plans/aspirations/crazy dreams.</p>
<p>Just talked about it in my essays</p>
<p>I did some research but it wasn't really on my app, I just had an additional rec from my mentor.</p>
<p>i haven't done research either...but i dont plan on majoring in engineering. is that ok</p>
<p>i haven't done research niether</p>
<p>I think all of us non-researchers will be fine</p>
<p>...wow, narcissa you have just gone on a posting rampage</p>
<p>I was going to comment on the massive posting-ness as well, but...</p>
<p>If anything, I'd think that the non-engineering majors would have more research. This is purely opinion and I have nothing to back this up, but it makes sense to me at the moment.</p>