Princeton Correspondents on Undergraduate Research

“With Focus Comes Depth, and with Depth Comes Complexity”

Posted on March 19, 2026March 5, 2026 by Gabriel Ascoli

A statue of a man sitting on a rock, thinking — *Le Penseur* (The Thinker) Statue, by Auguste Rodin (1904)

As I wrapped up the first of my two independent junior research papers and began brainstorming for the second (and much larger) one, I hit a familiar wall: too much possibility, with no clear direction.

This next paper is supposed to be around 30 pages. The topic is broad. My notes are abundant and scattered. Every passage and source I consider seems to open a new direction I could take. In theory, this is a researcher’s dream – I have abundant evidence, rich material, and intellectual freedom. In practice though, it can feel paralyzing. What is even relevant? How do I start this? What am I actually trying to say?

My high school English teacher gave me the most useful writing advice I’ve ever heard: “With focus comes depth, and with depth comes complexity.”

Congrats, You Got Accepted: Now What?

Posted on March 17, 2026March 16, 2026 by Shannon Yeow

Presenters and attendees at Princeton Research Day in the Princeton University Art Museum — *Princeton Research Day – Undergraduate Edition, Photo Credit: Sameer Khan / Fotobuddy*

Getting accepted to a conference can feel like the end of a long marathon. After months of conducting research and several iterations of writing, you hit submit, you wait, and you refresh your inbox until finally, the email arrives. You’ve been accepted! Now, you have the opportunity to poster at a conference and share your work with a broader research community.

First of all, congratulations! It is no small feat to get your work reviewed and accepted, and you should be very proud of your accomplishments.

After the excitement and the celebration, you might be wondering what comes next. Acceptance is not just a milestone, but also the beginning of a series of steps to actually poster at a conference. It’s now time to finalize your submission for publication, decide how you will attend, and determine how you will present your research. I hope this practical guide helps you navigate the steps after acceptance.

Dealing with Feedback

Posted on March 12, 2026March 5, 2026 by Stanley Stoutamire, Jr.

AccessAble - Your Accessibility Guide's image of entrance to Aaron Burr Hall — Entrance to Aaron Burr Hall, home to the anthropology department and my JP adviser. Photo credit: AccessAbleUSA

Whether it’s long hours alone in a lab or late nights in Firestone, research can feel like a uniquely isolating experience. The process of compiling existing knowledge and producing new knowledge invites us to dive deep into ongoing conversations that exist within our fields. These deep dives into the procedures, frameworks, and models that define research projects require a degree of focus that can narrow our view. One of the few moments in any research journey that disrupts this individual flow is the feedback process. That moment, when we are reminded that research is explicitly collaborative, is always critical and often dreaded. Having received my fair share of feedback over the years, I’ve learned just how important each step of the feedback process is. This goes beyond just receiving feedback, but instead really considering the importance of preparing for feedback too.

Of Mistakes and Bullies in the Lab

Posted on March 10, 2026March 5, 2026 by Haya Elamir

This is Dr Kang discussing something with an unidentified lab member. The ambience is meant to depict the kinds of conversations you have with supervisors about data and any mistakes you made during procedures. — *Lab members being lab members (Kang Lab)*. *Photo credit: Matt Raspanti, Office of Communications*.

Everyone knows the old mantras: “don’t be too harsh on yourself” and “everyone makes mistakes.” When I joined a lab, though, not only were those mantras pushed to the back of my head, but they also collected dust and withered. In a lab setting, when you are aware of the money and effort other people have put into the research, and when you sometimes feel less skilled as an undergrad, your mistakes can feel like grave failures.

Research in the Humanities and Social Sciences: Sophomore Research Seminars

Posted on March 5, 2026March 5, 2026 by Alison Fortenberry

The exterior of the New South Building with fall foliage. — *New South, where many first-year writing seminars and sophomore research seminars take place.*

First-year writing seminars are a rite of passage for all Princeton students, introducing you to the research and writing skills you need to craft an independent research paper. But what comes next? For many undergraduates, sophomore year is a year-long pause before you actually get to apply those independent research skills in your JP. The Princeton Writing Program’s sophomore research seminars offer an alternative.

Growing Up in the Same Lab

Posted on March 3, 2026March 3, 2026 by Angel Toasakul

Members of the Norman Lab taking a group picture together — *Norman Lab group picture*

After the first meeting of the semester with my adviser, whom I’ve been working with since my first-year spring, I looked at the list of papers I had to read for my junior independent work but chose to open the small birthday card my adviser gave me on behalf of the lab. Seeing everyone’s “Happy Birthday” made me feel, more than ever before, like I belonged.

And I was growing up.

I was energized, ready to take on a new responsibility. Since the conversation I had with my PI over the summer, I had been excited to get started. Coming into Princeton interested in memory and potential ways to manipulate unwanted or negative ones, getting to use eye trackers to exert top-down control over what people look at and induce forgetting by weakening the activation of the related pathways based on the eye gaze pattern seemed like a sci-fi movie coming to life. I couldn’t wait to feel ownership over my own project and contribute to the kind of work my lab cares so much about.

After two years, I started to feel like I was equipped to excel on all fronts at Princeton.

But reality… hit.

You Don’t Have to Be an Expert to Start Research

Posted on February 26, 2026February 26, 2026 by Aishah Shahid

My final research poster at the poster presentation — *My final research poster at the pos*ter *session*.

Last semester, as a sophomore in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, I completed my first independent research project as part of the Sophomore Independent Work (ECE 298) with Swan Labs, a lab that works on next-generation wireless systems by combining electromagnetics, signal processing, and system-level design to build fast, intelligent, secure, and adaptable wireless technologies. While I had done research in high school before, this was my first time engaging in research within a truly structured academic setting. The experience felt fundamentally different from anything I had done previously, and it reshaped how I understand what research really means.

Welcome Our New Chief Correspondent!

Posted on February 24, 2026February 22, 2026 by Rebecca Cho

It has been incredible serving as the Chief Correspondent for PCUR this past year. I am so excited to now hand over the role to Angel, who has been a Natural Sciences correspondent for the past year and a half.

photo of Angel on Dec Day — *Angel on Declaration Day!*

Not only does Angel write about her research experiences—like her time in Germany— but she also loves interviewing her scientific mentors and bringing their stories to life. She is equally passionate about sharing the self-learned lessons she has gained about balancing academic pursuits with personal happiness and health.

Originally from Bangkok, Thailand, Angel is currently a junior majoring in neuroscience—and a fellow Forbesian! At Princeton, she is conducting her Junior Paper in the Computational Memory Lab, advised by Professor Ken Norman and Dr. Augustin Hennings, where she has been a research assistant since her first year. Her research uses eye-tracking methods to develop strategies for suppressing unwanted memories.

When she’s not writing for PCUR, Angel serves on the leadership team of Princeton Peer Nightline. She also works as an Academic, Learning, and Life Consultant with the McGraw Center and UCA for NEU350. This summer, she will be returning home as a John Bogle Fellow, doing a civic engagement project focused on neuroeducation and improving intrinsic learning capabilities among Thai students.

For fun, Angel loves drawing her friends’ faces as cartoons on random whiteboards wherever they study, talking about recent movies she’s watched or books she’s reading, and saying yes to spontaneous side quests with friends around campus.

Welcome to your new role, Angel!

— Rebecca Cho, Chief Correspondent Emeritus

Returning to Roots: Sadat’s Summer at the Muslim Interscholastic Tournament

Posted on December 18, 2025December 4, 2025 by Aishah Shahid

As a first-year, Sadat Ahmed—now a sophomore majoring in Electrical and Computer Engineering—returned to a community that had shaped some of his most defining high school experiences. For Sadat, the Muslim Interscholastic Tournament (MIST) had always been more than a competition. It was where he discovered leadership, formed lasting friendships, and learned to believe in his own potential. Coming back as a Software Engineering Intern gave him the chance to reconnect with the program in a new and meaningful way.

Sadat Ahmed holding MIST trophy. — *Sadat (right) holding the winning MIST trophy. Photo credit: Sadat Ahmed.*

Navigating Deadlines

Posted on December 17, 2025December 8, 2025 by Stanley Stoutamire, Jr.

Student wearing headphones works in on the first floor of Firestone Library — *A student working in Firestone Library*. *Photo credit: Denise Applewhite, Princeton Department of Communications*

If someone asked me to describe my experiences with research in a word, I’d probably end up at a loss. My research experiences have been exciting, tiring, and fulfilling all at once. Research is endlessly multifaceted, with each experience being unique. Still, a few constants remain, and deadlines are certainly one of them. No matter the methods, no matter the discipline, every project eventually comes to an end. As that moment creeps closer, it often feels more and more inconveniently insurmountable.

Despite this, deadlines are important. They not only help with the goal-setting process, but also force us to abandon the appeal of endless revisions in the pursuit of perfection. Deadlines ensure that, at some point, there will be a final product. Meeting those deadlines, however, is a different story and one that can present real challenges.

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