WHY WOULD ANYONE WANT TO DO RESEARCH

Featuring...  Dr. La’Tonya Rease Miles (“LT”), Director of McNair Research Scholars Program and AAP Mentoring Programs Research is B-A-N-A-N-A-S!

Research I Institutions  Offer a full range of baccalaureate programs  Are committed to graduate education through the doctorate  Give high priority to research  Award 50 or more doctoral degrees each year  Receive annually $40 million or more in federal support

Public Research I Schools –University of California, Berkeley –University of California, Davis –University of California, Irvine –University of California, Los Angeles –University of California, Riverside –University of California, San Diego –University of California, Santa Barbara –University of California, Santa Cruz

Private Research I Schools –Stanford University –University of Southern California –Claremont Graduate University –California Institute of Technology

Welcome to UCLA  State funding now provides less than 23 percent of UCLA's operating budget.  State funding now provides less than 23 percent of UCLA's operating budget.  UCLA received $785 million in research funding in and ranked sixth in federal research support.  That’s more than Berkeley!

“Not doing research at UCLA is like going to a taqueria and not getting a taco!” ~unknown

Benefits of undergraduate research  Looks good for graduate school  Develops independence  Conferences  Building relationships with mentors/advisors  Publishing  You can get paid to do it!

Research 911  “I am an English major but I really, really like Hip Hop.”  “I can’t find a faculty member who is doing exactly what I want to do.”  “I am going to law school.”  “But I want to make a difference in the community. How is research going to help anybody?”

Introductory Research Life and Physical Sciences  Apprentice-level  Lab-oriented  Experimental  Work in teams Humanities/Social Sciences  More independent  May be collaborative with faculty mentor  Focus on originality or creating new knowledge

Examples of introductory research projects  Directed readings  Annotated bibliography  Timelines/chronology  Pre-interviews  Fact-checking  Data input  Data analysis

Mmmm!

Why are carne asada fries prevalent in San Diego???  Why aren’t they in LA?  Why are they prevalent in southern San Diego?  How does this delicacy impact the local economy?  Is this a form of assimilation?  Is this a form of cultural resistance?  Or both?

Why are carne asada fries prevalent in San Diego???

Research Methodology QQQQuantitative –S–S–S–Statistical procedures –K–K–K–Known variables, tests a theory –E–E–E–Established guidelines QQQQualitative –I–I–I–Interpretive –B–B–B–Builds a theory –F–F–F–Flexible guidelines –I–I–I–In-depth study

WHO CARES????  NUTRITIONISTS  BUSINESSES  HISTORIANS  TOURIST INDUSTRY  THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS!

Is it a good research topic? No one has done it before No one has done it before No one has thought about it the way that you do No one has thought about it the way that you do Leads to new way of thinking Leads to new way of thinking You want to read/think/talk about it all the time You want to read/think/talk about it all the time You are excited about it You are excited about it

WHY WOULD ANYONE WANT A PH.D.????

PhD: Los Angeles

The Tenure-Track Professor  PhD, molecular toxicology, Stanford University  Assistant professor, University of Illinois  Published one book  Regularly attends conferences in his field  Teaches three courses each academic year

Tenure-Track Professor  Ph.D., Political Science, UCSD  Assistant Professor, Asian American Studies, CSULA  Teaches 9 courses a year

The Community Activist  PhD, History, UC Berkeley  Writes several journal articles  Has an essay published in major publication  Works full-time as a researcher for a labor union, NYC

The Academic Administrator  Ph.D., English, University of Virginia  Adjunct professor at UVA  Teaches undergraduates only—about four times a year  Oversees several programs for undergraduate research research

Ph.D. Skillz  Critical thinking  Problem solving  Persistence  Teaching  Oral Communication  Written communication  Confidence  Self-motivation  Patience  Analyze and interpret data (research!)

Added benefits  YOU can influence students like yourself  You can contribute to current scholarship  You can change the way others think about a problem  You can have a comfortable lifestyle

EMBRACE YOUR INNER NERD!

Your Research Resources AAP Mentoring Programs –1202 Campbell Hall URC for Humanities and Social Sciences –A334 Murphy Hall URC/CARE for Life & Physical Sciences –2121 Life Sciences Building