Dowon Seo ’27 presenting Research in Paris, France.Photo courtesy of Dowon Seo.
Princeton offers a wealth of opportunities to engage in undergraduate research. From smaller projects found in writing seminars to the ever-looming senior thesis, research is woven throughout our academic journeys. Still, outside of this mandatory exposure to research there are also unique opportunities to explore research as an undergraduate. One of the most interesting of these is the Princeton iGem team. I was able to sit down to speak with a member of this year’s team, Dowon Seo ‘27, after he returned from the annual iGem conference in Paris.
Students collaborating in a molecular biology laboratory. Photo credit: Matt Raspanti.
Many students at Princeton spend their summers exploring a research project or a lab internship in their field of interest. But what’s next? Maybe you really enjoyed your experience and wanted to continue. Then, you come across the question: should I stay in the same lab or join a different lab?
This was the question I pondered when entering my sophomore year. I had an incredible summer experience as an High Meadows Environmental Institute intern in the Sigman Research Laboratory in the summer of 2023. I worked on a project that enabled my exploration of biogeochemical reconstruction via an investigation of the marine environment during a historical mass extinction through the use of a biological proxy known as foraminifera. But, where did I want to go from there? If you’re in a similar position, here are some things to keep in mind!
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, a lot of in-person internships and research positions for students have been transitioned to remote opportunities. Last summer after my first year of college, I opted to take online classes over the summer because in-person opportunities were not a possibility. For this upcoming summer, I was hoping to gain laboratory experience in person, but my internship was also transitioned online. With only one summer left before I apply to graduate school, this left me with a looming question: will I have enough in-person research experience before I apply to graduate school?
Although this question bothered me for a while, I realized that I was approaching this issue from the wrong perspective. I feel as though many students are probably dealing with similar issues now that many summer opportunities have been canceled or moved online due to the pandemic. In this article, I am going to walk through the reasoning behind why you should not worry too much about lacking in-person research experience and also include some additional opportunities you should be on the lookout for.
In-person research positions may not be available right now, but you can still take advantage of your remote research experiences.
