Find Your Discipline and Interests

The most important ingredient in a successful research project is the passion of the researcher: what is it that makes YOU want to learn more?

Before you find a specific research opportunity, use your early semesters at Washington University to explore your interests and learn about different approaches to knowledge.

Take some time to think about what it is about a particular field or a burning question that interests you. Some students come to Washington University with a clear idea of what they want to study and what they want to do after earning their degree. Many students wait until the very last moment to declare a major. Most students fall somewhere in between. No matter where you are on this spectrum, the Office of Undergraduate Research can start you on a path to finding a research opportunity in a field that interests you.

While researchers in academic disciplines work to construct new knowledge based on facts, artists and designers seek to create aesthetic works of design or performance. The creation of a new work of art – whether it is a piece of music, a sculpture, a play, a landscape design, or a poem – relies on research to ground the work in the human experience, to connect it to the work of previous generations or other cultures, or to find the best design solution.

The first step for research in the Arts is to determine the subject of the project. Perhaps you want to write a novel that takes place during the Protestant Reformation, or maybe you want to design a garden for an elementary school. Then you need to clearly identify problems you will encounter: How did people speak during the 16th century? How do children interact with natural spaces? Your research project will involve investigating the answers to the questions that arise through the course of creating your work of art. Research into cultural history or interpretation will resemble research in the humanities. Research to identify the best design to address a sociological issue may require research in the social sciences.

The following timeline is an example of how you might advance through research during your undergraduate career. To develop your personalized timeline, meet with a member of the OUR staff or talk with your adviser.

Humanists study the human experience though deep analysis of cultural products. These products – often called texts – can be pieces of literature, artwork, clothing, personal correspondence, philosophical treaties, or even altered landscapes. The scholar identifies a collection of these texts to serve as sources to answer a question about the nature of humanity. Humanists typically work qualitatively, meaning they look for data expressed through language rather than numbers. Humanities research analyzes and investigates these human creations to understand the meaning individuals and groups have infused into their life experience in different places and at different times.

Because humanities research revolves around the investigation of texts, research often takes place in libraries, museums, and archives that preserve these documents and materials. A historian may read a diary to understand attitudes about daily events. A literary scholar may seek out early manuscripts of a published novel to understand how the story developed. An art historian may travel to a museum with a textiles collection to understand intersection of form and function in clothing. St. Louis is home to many archival libraries that can provide sources and assistance for your research project.

The following timeline is an example of how you might advance through research during your undergraduate career. To develop your personalized timeline, meet with a member of the OUR Staff or talk with your adviser.

Natural scientists study physical, biological, and chemical properties and processes. They use a rigorous process of experimentation to understand naturally-occurring phenomenon and human interventions in the physical environment. Through similar methodology, engineers investigate ways for humans to better manipulate the natural world. 

Many scientists and engineers work in laboratories or groups and focus on minute aspects of a larger investigation. At the university, laboratories are operated by a Principle Investigator or PI who is typically a professor with one or more grants to pursue a project that falls under a larger scientific theme. The PI may direct the work of post-doctoral researchers, graduate students, and undergraduates who take responsibility for components of the project. Students enrolled in an independent study or other for-credit option during the academic year should expect to spend 9-10 hours per week in lab for each 3 units of credit, with additional time necessary for prep work, data reduction, and reading relevant journal articles. Other opportunities to serve as a general laboratory assistant may require less time.

The following timeline is an example of how you might advance through research during your undergraduate career. To develop your personalized timeline, meet with a member of the OUR Staff or talk with your adviser.

Social science is an umbrella term covering a variety of academic disciplines that seek to explain human behavior, either from the internal perspective (psychology, economics), group dynamics (sociology, business, political science), or broad cultural forces (anthropology).

Social scientists work both qualitatively and quantitatively. Depending on the goals and methods of the research, they may seek data expressed through personal interviews or statistics. Some research may involve analyzing data from publically-available surveys. Other research may involve studying groups of people in the community. Social scientists often design a project with a control group to isolate the influence of a particular variable on individuals’ and/or groups’ behavior.

The following timeline is an example of how you might advance through research during your undergraduate career. To develop your personalized timeline, meet with a member of the OUR Staff or talk with your adviser.

• The Washington University Libraries have a thorough online guide on conducting research, as well as research guides for specific subject areas, offering research assistance, subject guides, and useful resources compiled by your friendly WashU librarians.

• Faculty and staff in your department (a favorite instructor, the director of undergraduate studies, your advisor) or anyone else in your field will have lots of ideas about new areas of research and current opportunities. Upperclassmen in your dorm, fraternity or sorority can also be a good source of information.

• Arts & Sciences hosts a podcast exploring the many ways that researchers tackle issues affecting individuals, societies, and our worldwide community. Hold That Thought provides glimpses of the work currently being carried out at WashU that could serve as inspiration for undergraduate researchers.

• If you have not yet declared a major, never fear! Take time to talk to fellow students, teaching assistants and faculty in more than one discipline to gain a full understanding of what research in their field is all about. You never know where your interests may take you as you move through your studies.

• Spend a semester having informational interviews, making connections, and gathering information. That way, when you're ready to begin looking for a mentor and planning a research project, you'll know what you're talking about.

• Come to OUR events such as the Undergraduate Research Symposium and meet faculty and student researchers in all disciplines.

• The Office of Undergraduate Research can help point you in the right direction. Schedule an appointment to come talk with us!

Once you have established your field of interest and possibly a couple of ideas about research topics, you're ready to start looking for a WashU faculty member to serve as your mentor.