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Research offers experience, paid work for students
Research Experience for Undergraduates program offers opportunity, paid work
By AllisA hAstiE (Bs 20)
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I began working as an undergraduate researcher during the spring semester of my freshman year, and I consider it to be one of the most influential experiences in my career. Working as a research assistant and participating in our Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program had a dramatic impact on my personal growth, gave me the opportunity to publish a first-author paper during my senior year, and contributed to my earning a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship to help fund my graduate study at Illinois. Some of the unique benefits of the CEE REU program are the breadth of research experiences available and the option to be paid for undergraduate research. My work as a research assistant during undergrad helped offset a majority of my living expenses and reflected the value of my contribution. I’ve found that the culture of undergraduate research within our department strikes an important balance between giving students research exposure, even if it’s only for a semester, and the option to engage in long-term research experiences and mentorship with a low barrier to entry.
As a freshman at Illinois I knew that I had an interest in working as an undergraduate researcher. I was able to secure a research position with CEE associate professor Ashlynn Stillwell through the Researcher’s Initiative, which pairs students living in a Living Learning Community with research advisers. That first semester got me hooked on interdisciplinary research and the culture of research in the CEE department. As an underclassman in CEE, I felt really stuck in my intro-level classes and sometimes had a hard time seeing how the material I was learning in the classroom would translate into a fulfilling career. Research as an underclassman gave me the freedom to explore topics that interested me and had a more tangible connection to real-world systems.
After a couple semesters as a research assistant, it became clear to me that I wanted to attend graduate school after my bachelor’s degree. This shifted my goals and perspective, so instead of hunting for summer internships, I began looking for ways to continue doing research over the summer. The CEE department’s REU program was the perfect fit for me. During my summer as an REU student I began the process of turning the data and analyses I had worked on during previous semesters into an academic publication. I was grateful to have the time and space to focus on these aspects of my research without being weighed down by a heavy course load. That summer also gave me valuable exposure to what life would be like as a graduate student. Without a set schedule, I had to be disciplined in how I spent my time and map out my weeks so I could fulfill the research hours I needed while still enjoying my summer. Looking back at the work I did that summer, I can see how dedicating my time to the publication process eventually made my research paper much stronger and prepared me to work through the same processes as a graduate student.
One of the most important intangible benefits of undergraduate research is that it helped me grow in confidence and self-awareness. Being dedicated to my research meant being disciplined in how I spent my time and learning new ways to approach undefined and complicated problems in water and energy systems. Even though I had strong mentorship, it was up to me to find the data, write code and learn new software so I could understand these complex systems and communicate my results clearly. Now I have finished my first year as a graduate student at Illinois and I am working toward my second first-author publication based on a project I started as an undergrad. I was also a recipient of the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, largely due to my undergraduate research experience and ability to identify and scope a meaningful graduate research project. I’ve been fortunate to be able to work as a research assistant in a field I love and had the freedom to dedicate my time to independent research projects even as an undergraduate. i
“I research decision-making frameworks around water reuse projects and examine the criteria that make recycled water projects successful. Ultimately, my work seeks to overcome economic and policy barriers to project development.” – Allisa Hastie
