BIO111 - Lecture 2

Introduction

  • Students are encouraged to talk about themselves as a process for building community in the class.

  • One student, Riley, is graduating in the spring term and shares her academic background.

Student Background

  • Riley is a senior in aerospace physiology.

  • Work Experience:

    • Works in two labs:

    • Integrative neurophase and exercise physiology lab.

    • Omics lab for health and human performance under Dr.

    • Research is a significant part of her life and she expresses enthusiasm for her work.

  • Coursework:

    • Completed all AeroFisk classes and is currently taking Physics II and Cybersecurity.

    • Offers to help classmates with their AeroFisk classes.

Student Engagement and Mentorship

  • Encouragement to engage with peers and seniors for help and mentorship.

  • Mentorship program available for juniors to participate in, ensuring connections and support.

Overview of Research Studies

  • Riley discusses two major clinical studies being run in the exercise lab this semester.

Exercise Cholera Study

  • Duration: 7 weeks

  • Total Time Commitment:

    • 15 hours and 15 minutes over the 7 weeks, broken up into sessions:

    • Familiarization Testing: 1-2 hours.

    • Pretesting: approximately 1.5 hours.

    • Training Sessions: 6 weeks of 10-minute sessions, Monday through Friday.

    • Post Testing: about 1.5 hours at the end.

  • Participants should be able to bike for at least 20-30 minutes on a stationary bike.

  • Blood samples will be collected; participants with needle anxiety can communicate this.

  • Interested participants should email Sabrina for more information.

  • Flyers will be made available.

Breathing Study

  • Fewer requirements compared to the exercise cholera study;

    • No blood draws, no need for biking.

  • Similar time commitment:

    • Breathing testing and training sessions also 10 minutes per day, Monday to Friday.

  • Can accommodate various schedules, including mornings and evenings.

  • Participants should have no history of cardiovascular disease and should ideally be non-smokers.

  • Requires attendance during spring break.

  • Interested students should also email Sabrina regarding participation.

Clinical Research Lab Opportunities

  • Discussion on potential involvement as a lab tech in the clinical lab.

  • Participation in the exercise science research club and further information will be provided soon.

  • Riley shares her experiences with undergraduate research opportunities and offers guidance.

  • Mentions different grants available for undergraduate research and how aerospace physiology students often receive substantial funding.

Finding a Research Question

  • Professor starts a new session on how to find a research question.

  • Emphasis on curiosity and personal interest in research topics.

  • Advice to start with a broad topic, guided by personal interests.

  • Examples of broad topics include:

    • Aerospace physiology related to the human body's performance in space.

    • Infectious diseases.

    • Environmental science.

Importance of Passion

  • Explanation of how personal interest drives motivation and impacts research outcomes.

  • Encouragement to remain engaged with reading literature and collaborating with others in the field.

Identifying Specific Gaps

  • Importance of finding specific problems or gaps in existing research through literature reviews.

  • Highlighting contradictions in current theories can indicate areas for further investigation.

  • Emphasis on poorly understood mechanisms or unresolved questions in the field.

Strategies for Finding Research Gaps

  • Look for suggestions for future research in discussion sections of academic papers.

  • Identify limitations mentioned by researchers, such as sample sizes or the need for replication.

  • New technologies, such as single-cell RNA sequencing, can facilitate research into previously unexplored areas.

  • Propose new methods or technologies that may assist in addressing these gaps.

Formulating Testable Questions

  • Emphasizing the need for research questions to be testable and relevant.

  • Advice on narrowing down broad questions to specific, manageable inquiries, using templates such as:

    • "How does X affect Y?"

    • "What is the relationship between A and B?"

    • Striving for strong, specific questions rather than vague inquiries.

Communication & Clarity

  • Importance of writing clearly to communicate research ideas effectively.

  • Encouragement to avoid jargon that may alienate audiences outside of specific fields.

  • Examples of specific populations and variables to consider when framing research questions.

Constraints in Research Planning

  • Importance of being realistic about the scope and feasibility of research projects.

  • Assessment of available resources, equipment, expertise, and ethical considerations in research.

  • Understanding that research timelines imposed by grants or curricula can limit what is realistically achievable.

Conclusion and Next Steps

  • Students are tasked to identify broad topics and narrow them to specific research questions during the class.

  • Professors facilitate dialogue to guide students toward refining their inquiries.

  • Feedback is provided to assist students in developing their draft questions.