Princeton Correspondents on Undergraduate Research

Share the News: PCUR is Hiring!

Posted on March 7, 2025March 7, 2025 by Caitlin Larracey

Group photo including Alexis Wu, Rebecca Cho, Yubi Mamiya, Angel Toasakul, Stanley Stoutamire, Jr., Virginia Cobbs, Nathan Nguyen, Gabriel Ascoli, Advik Eswaran, Ignacio Arias Philipi. — *Many of our current PCURs at last fall’s first group meeting. Photo credit: Nicole Tacconi.*

PCUR is paused during spring break, but when you’re not reading posts you might have missed during the busyness of the semester, consider applying to be a correspondent next year (or sharing the call with students you know that might be interested)!

Correspondents promote a culture of research and scholarship among undergraduates, support students through all stages of research, demystify the research process, and empower more students to get involved! We’re especially looking for students interested in writing on Engineering topics or Social Sciences topics (though all eligible are welcome to apply).

Why should I apply?

Help out your peers: There’s a lot of research possibilities out there! Be a voice to guide your peers toward exciting, meaningful learning opportunities.
Communication development: Reflect on your research experiences and goals, practice writing for a non-specialist audience, consider how to match an exciting visual to your text, and strategize how to increase reader engagement.
Networking: Connect with peers from other disciplines and class years, conduct interviews with researchers across campus, learn about programs and events designed to support research growth!
Flexibility: Largely remote, a lot of flexibility in hours, and one monthly on-campus meeting during the academic year (snacks included!)
$$$: The position pays $18.50/hour.

Who is eligible to apply?

First-years, sophomores, and juniors
ANY division, ANY concentration
Students passionate about research + sharing their experiences

What do I need to apply?

You can apply through Student Employment at this direct link.

Cover letter: Introduce yourself and describe your research path (we don’t expect that all applicants will have had intensive research experiences!)
A sample post of 400-700 words (check out the site to get started!)
A copy of your resume

When should I apply by?

We will review applications on a rolling basis, but highly encourage you to apply by March 17. You are still welcome to apply after that date.

Any questions? Reach out to Chief Correspondent, Rebecca Cho and Assistant Director of Undergraduate Research, Caitlin Larracey. We hope to review your application soon!

–Caitlin Larracey, Assistant Director of Undergraduate Research

A Guide to Reading Research Papers Like A Pro

Posted on March 5, 2025February 19, 2025 by Haya Elamir

This is a blackboard featuring some difficult concepts from a neuro class I took. I had to read research papers a lot for this class, so it partly inspired this post, hence the inclusion of this photo — *Blackboard featuring some neuroscience concepts from a neuro class taken at Princeton*

We all have to do it: read research papers. They can be jargon-y, long, confusing, and all in all an upsetting experience, but there’s no way around it.

First of all, let’s start by approaching this with a more positive mindset. Reading research papers can give us access to a bucketload of information that no other resource can provide. It is the most updated source on your favorite scientific topics, a Vogue magazine for the scientific world if you will. As such, reading them can be fun–but only if you know how. Now that we are a bit more optimistic about reading them, we can start with the first few steps.

Welcome Our New Chief Correspondent!

Posted on March 3, 2025March 3, 2025 by Virginia Cobbs

Picture features Rebecca wearing 2026 sweater posing with large sign that say "GEO" on canon green behind nassau hall.

Rebecca posing with GEO department sign on declaration day

I have had a great experience being the Chief Correspondent for PCUR for the last two years, but as my time at Princeton comes to close, I am excited to pass the torch to Rebecca Cho! Rebecca has been an outstanding Natural Sciences correspondent for PCUR for the past year and a half writing about everything from poster making to interviews about the Ph.D. student experience.

Citations, Citations, Citations: A Guide to Keeping Track of these Pesky Beasts

Posted on February 28, 2025February 19, 2025 by Advik Eswaran

*Many books in a library. Citing them all would probably take a long time. Credit: Emil Widlund*

If I have to be completely honest, dealing with citations is my least favorite portion of the academic writing process. Ascertaining what citation style I need to use, successfully figuring out how to actually format citations in that style, and managing the hodgepodge of footnotes and endnotes are all tasks that seem, to me, cumbersome. Of course, these are necessary tasks: it is imperative that if we paraphrase, quote, or utilize in any way the work of others, we should always attribute the proper credit to them. But recognizing the importance of academic integrity doesn’t prevent us from still finding the task of dealing with citations to be a chore! If you’re in the same boat as I am, I’ll try to provide some advice and tips on dealing with citations!

Computer Science Independent Research: A Conversation with Anna Calveri ‘26

Posted on February 26, 2025February 19, 2025 by Alexis Wu

Anna Calveri ’26 is a junior in the Computer Science department. On campus, she is a member of Princeton University Robotics Club, Sympoh Urban Arts Crew, and Colonial Club.

The senior thesis is a hallmark of the Princeton experience, giving students the opportunity to conduct original research under the mentorship of a faculty adviser. Every senior is required to write a thesis, with the exception of Computer Science majors in the Bachelor of Science in Engineering (B.S.E.) degree program. Instead, these students are required to undertake a substantial independent project, called independent work (IW), which can take the form of a traditional one-on-one project with an adviser, an IW seminar where a small group of students independently conduct projects tied to the seminar’s main theme, or an optional senior thesis.

In 2022, I interviewed Shannon Heh ’23 about her experience in an IW seminar, where she highlighted the structure and guidance the professor and course seminar. This year, I wanted to explore the perspective of a B.S.E. Computer Science student who pursued a different option: the one-on-one IW project.

Anna Calveri ’26 stood out as the perfect person to speak with, not just because of her exciting research at the Princeton Vision & Learning Lab led by Professor Jia Deng, but also because she began her project during the summer as a ReMatch+ intern and built on it during the fall semester. While many students only work on their IW within a single semester, Anna’s approach of extending her research across both the summer and fall gave her the chance to deepen her research and hit the ground running with impressive progress.

Navigating Uncertainty

Posted on February 24, 2025February 19, 2025 by Stanley Stoutamire, Jr.

Photo of Nassau Hall during a winter snowstorm — *Nassau Hall in the midst of a snowstorm*

The start of 2025 has been an interesting one to say the least when it comes to research. New breakthroughs in Artificial Intelligence models are rapidly advancing our understanding of everything from ancient texts to protein structures. At the same time, they have complicated the publishing process by introducing a flood of junk to scientific journals. Turning to the federal level, years of biomedical research has culminated in the FDA approval of a new non-opioid pain medication. Developments like this are happening while major national pillars of our research structure face confusing directives amidst a clear priority shift in budget allocation. The degree of uncertainty researchers at the undergraduate level face today can feel overwhelming, but uncertainty is intrinsic to research across all disciplines. Whether that uncertainty is caused by human participants or dated lab equipment, it’s an aspect of research across the board. The unique large-scale uncertainties confronting researchers today can be faced using the same ways uncertainty is addressed during the research process.

Looking Ahead to Spring (And Summer)

Posted on February 21, 2025February 19, 2025 by Haya Elamir

This image is a picture of a pretty set of windows during the warmer months to hint towards the warming weather and provide some optimism to the stress that applying to internships can cause. — *Rocky Common Room Window, taken by Haya Elamir*

For Princeton students, it’s not premature to start thinking about summer. If anything, this post may be a little behind for some of those proactive students. Rest assured though, you are not behind if you have not started the search for summer internships (even though many students will say they’ve already applied). Opportunities are aplenty, and no, you are not behind if you didn’t start applying for research internships back in the womb.

Latin Revival: Some Approaches and Language Learning Tools

Posted on February 19, 2025February 13, 2025 by Ignacio Arias Philippi

*Detail from the façade of East Pyne, Princeton’s shield and motto. “Dei Sub Numine Viget” (Under God’s Power She Flourishes.) Photo Credit: John Jameson.*

From philosophy, theology, history, and politics to taxonomy and medicine, Latin is doubtless one of the most important academic languages in history. Unfortunately, its status as a ‘dead language’ tends to repel many, and myths of its arcane and difficult nature often discourage learners. Another problem is that this mystique is perpetuated in many Latin language classrooms: the ‘dead language’ is truly treated as such, with little to no emphasis placed on speaking or pronunciation and all stress (in both senses of the word) lying on the rote memorization of grammar tables.

However, learning Latin need not be cumbersome, nor strike fear into our hearts. Rather, noli timere (be not afraid). The Classics Department offers excellent instruction and tutoring. Moreover, since course prerequisites can and often do interfere with language study during the semester, there are also great alternatives for self-study. Online and print resources abound for this timeless language and are tailored to a variety of learning styles.

A Case for Interdisciplinary Study at Princeton

Posted on February 17, 2025February 17, 2025 by Gabriel Ascoli

Thetis in chariot with winged horses flying over the sea accompanied by the messenger gods, Iris and Hermes. — *A Terracotta lekythos (oil flask) depicting Thetis in chariot with winged horses flying over the sea accompanied by the messenger gods, Iris and Hermes, as described in the last book of the Iliad.* *Photo credit: Sappho Painter, The Metropolitan Museum of Art*.

When asked about what courses I’m taking and I share the list, I’m often greeted with blank stares or curious expressions. The response I elicit is, “Why are you making life so hard on yourself?” And no, it’s not because I’m loading up on a truckload of courses like physics, math, chemistry, and computer science.

As a classics major-turned-premed, my schedule has me jumping from subject to subject across disciplines. My days consist of learning about synthesis reactions in organic chemistry in a massive lecture hall, and puzzling over Plato in ancient Greek with a circle of 7 classmates. My head spinning with Greek letters and grammatical constructions, I head for immunology, and then back again to read Latin literature. As STEM and humanities classes are often located on opposite sides of campus, I find myself trekking up and down Washington Road multiple times a day. Aside from getting my daily steps in, what exactly do I get for doing this?

Inside the Neuroscience Lab: How Core Lab is Shaping My Research Journey

Posted on February 14, 2025February 13, 2025 by Angel Toasakul

This picture depicts the setup of crayfish dissection with the microscope positioned on top of the dissection, light source attached to the headstage on the right, and electrode coming in from the left. — *Extracellular recording of crayfish nerve*

For most STEM majors at Princeton, one of the requirements is a course known informally as Core Lab. This class aims to equip students with laboratory skills required to succeed as a scientist in the field. It is usually composed of two 3-hour labs and one lecture per week. As a neuroscience major, I am currently taking NEU 350: Laboratory in Principles of Neuroscience, a class designed to introduce students to modern methods of analyzing neural activity—from the level of single neurons to large-scale networks underlying cognition. The course covers a range of techniques, including intracellular and extracellular recordings, optogenetics, EEG, and fMRI. After weeks of conducting designed experiments, it culminates in an independent research project where students design and conduct their own experiments based on knowledge and skills learned throughout the semester.

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