Research

How to get/Where to find

Omega centauri + Pleiades joint Q&A

I know we’re late and everything's closed. but it’s good to know still!!!!

Research is hard to find!

• Competitive
• Stressful
• Hard to gauge your skills

But there are many ways to set you apart from the rest!

But you are well equipped to begin your journey!

Professors know that you aren’t going to be perfect at your job. In fact, it’s certain that you will fail many many many times. But they usually host office hours, and you have the sum of all human information at your fingertips so don’t feel underqualified!!!

Be confident and make sure you are planning your classes such that you are setting yourself up for research, if that’s what you choose.

You are learning the skills right now

Every day in class you are slowly acquiring skills, so make sure to keep up your understanding.

Professors know that you only know so much as you’ve learned

• Easy to check what you can handle through classes
• Can show passion through the classes you take

HOWEVER…

There are some skills that are pretty much essential, namely:

• Python
• “Data science”/statistics
• Plotting

There are some that are less essential but can really help:

• CMD/shell scripts
• Overleaf/LateX
• Fourier transforms/signal processing
• Simulating

How do you acquire said skills?

• Data 8/CS 61A
• I know these classes are challenging, but if you wanted a class that will set yourself up for success these are the ones for astro majors. It’s very worth if you can fit it into your schedule, I do believe for things like URAP they check the classes you’ve taken so consider it!
• Learn it on your own!
• Python is great because it’s super easy to pick up, but it does take some time to master.
• There are many great videos, tutorials and classes. Just to name a few:
• MIT Opencourseware: FREE online MIT class materials, ie lectures, problems. SO. MANY. OPTIONS.
• Khan academy: once again, I must proclaim my love for you my beloved Sal Khan and your wonderful team. Great starter resource with videos and problems to get you going.
• With the internet the world is your oyster! You just have to put the work into cracking it open

How do you acquire said skills?

These are some classes to check out:

• The Python Decal
• One of the unanimous decals to take as a astro major, maybe even THE unanimous
• I know one of the teachers (undergrad student) so I know the decal teaches a lot of important things very well! It’s a 2 unit class pass no pass so it’s a low commitment but so much info.
• They talk about command shells, git, data tables and how to use them, environments and more!
• Physics 77 Introduction to scientific programming in Python
• Easily the easiest way to get great concrete coding skills
• Learn a lot of data science things! (Monte Carlo simulation, Log Likelihoods, probability distribution functions, differential equations (?))
• It is a class class though, so it will be more work than the other options, but well worth it!
• ULAB
• ULAB offers a unique experience of participating in a research project under another undergraduate student
• They teach a multitude of things that goes into research such as: Python, matplot, CMD/shell script, Astropy, Pandas, LateX/Overleaf, LITERATURE (reading papers is super boring but super useful!!!)
• On top of the experience, you’ll present your project in front of professors so you can have a chance to show off some of your skills
• It is two semesters though so it’s a bit of a time commitment

Where to find opportunities

• URAP
• The obvious. Now I know it’s highly competitive to apply to URAP’s, however it’s not impossible. Often times they will have some URAPs open up for extended periods, apply to those if you are feeling unconfident as they will have less people.
• N3AS
• N3AS is a program for students interested in dark matter, nuclear, neutrino physics and more.
• You ARE required to have taken some quantum classes, so it may be later down the road, but keep it in mind. (you also get paid)
• Pi2
• This is for Physics majors but I thought I’d put it here as many astrophysics majors are also physics majors. I think it’s funded research and under a mentorship program like N3AS.

Where to find opportunities

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• CDSS Discovery
• Data analysis and coding research opportunities across MANY fields (Physics + Environmental sections probably most relevant, but all experience in coding is good experience!)
• Open to all majors - kind of hit or miss if not being Data or CS really helps or hurts your application
• Have to choose only one project (even if you get into more) and lasts one semester

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• EPS GURAP (no website sorry! New program)
• Mainly for interest in geology/field study topics, but there are sometimes opportunities to work on planetary science (interiors, Mars, Ocean-Worlds and Ice-Giants are hot topics)
• Generally less slots available but also less competitive

Where to find opportunities

• American Astronomical Society (AAS)
• The AAS is a great place to look for high level professional internships and research opportunities. The website linked here details a bunch of different places to look and apply. Again, you are more than qualified to try and apply for these, even though they’re very competitive, they’re great practice for writing and great places to keep trying.
• Cal NERDS
• From their website: “The Cal NERDS Student Center and Program is comprised of a suite of programs and initiatives that provide faculty mentored research opportunities, specialized tech training, graduate school preparation, career coaching, community building, and professional development to high achieving STEM undergraduates and graduate students.”
• REUs
• ​

I cannot state this enough. YOU are cool. Now show them.

Professors have no clue who the hell you are! So standing out is the number one key to getting research.

While this does mean skills are required to stand out, it also means there are a multitude of factors that go into getting noticed.

We’ve talk about the skills in a moment. So here are some ways to stand out when applying for a position.

Talking to people

I’m making this the first section because I think people tend to forget that the best option is to get your foot in the door. Go to colloquiums, go to talks, professors and graduate students will be there to answer questions. If they remember you they automatically have a bias towards you and know you’re interested in what they do!

It’s difficult to talk to professors, I get it, so you can always try to talk to your GSI’s. Some graduate students have their own projects, or might put in a good word for you to their professors.

Go to their office hours! They legally have to talk to you there. Show that you know what you’re doing, that you have interesting questions to ask, that you’re striving to learn!

Make the opportunity yourself!

Data is all out there, so it’s not unfeasible to do a project that you’re interested in. You’ve got tons of papers, and if you choose a project wisely, tons of people talking about how to do it (other universities could have those projects as labs posted publicly).

Trying to recreate results from papers is a particularly steep learning curve, however very impressive and super duper helpful for people to see how passionate you are about doing research.

Additionally, if you have a solid proposal in mind and have a faculty member to sign you off, you can apply to get funding through means like BPURS (this specifically may only be for physics majors, but nonetheless, opportunities like this are also in the Astro department).

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Cold Emails (YUCK)

Cold emails are sadly one of the ways to get your name on their mind.

A good cold email will not overstep any boundary to scare them off, but will express your interest in learning more about the professor or person you are emailing. You’ll definitely feel really cringey, but it has worked enough times to get some very good information and research that it’s worth it.

If you are inquiring about whether the professor has any spots available on their team, consider asking for a time to talk more! Additionally consider putting some key classes that you’ve taken that you think will elevate your consideration.

To follow up or not to follow up…

Also, it’s helpful to follow up on cold emails or reach out in person! Sometimes professors/faculty do not respond simply because… they did not see your email! I am saying this from personal experience—they are often very enthusiastic to know a student reached out, but simply missed it!

Once again, this emphasizes how useful it can be to meet with the professor/faculty member in person either before or after sending an email. These people are busy bees!

Go talk to our advisors

Unfortunately, I am but a lowly undergraduate just like you. But people get paid to tell you how to best live your life!

Brad Perl, Prof. Eugene Chiang, and Prof. Courtney Dressing are all great resources for you who will be able to tell you a lot more (I am scared of Eugene though)

ALSO:

Go to events where they talk about these things, like research fairs! You’ll get a better understanding of what they do there. (But not a lot of getting to know professors or standing out)

You may ask:

Why are you so qualified to tell me what to do.

To that I say, valid. I ask myself that everyday.

I had never touched Python till the summer before second year here, where I put myself through one of the MIT Opencourseware classes. I then took Physics 77 & ULAB after not finding any research my second year.

In my third year I got accepted into research. I do microlensing research under Jessica Lu and seismology research under Taka’aki Taira

• I got the first from COLD EMAILING MY GSI to let them know I exist and then applying via URAP (see cold emailing does work)
• I got the second from applying to a URAP that was reopened for applications

Also, a note from somewhere who has been there..

Finding research is a feat in and of itself, but once you get it, researching is also a challenge! When I started out, I felt so inadequate and like they made a mistake accepting me, but at the end of the day (contrary to what some professors and people believe/may tell you…) research is ultimately an opportunity for you to learn and grow. Especially at this undergraduate stage, that should be paramount to producing concrete results or publishing (that’s a whole other issue in academia, but that’s a conversation for another time).

You may find that you like one area of research over another (I learned during my freshman year I really wanted to stay away from computation as much as possible when in ULAB, haha) or you may find something you love and it can guide you further down your academic journey/professional career! For instance, my junior year research helped me fully realize I wanted to do theory/mathematical physics and so I added a math minor!

Or, you may discover research is simply not for you, which is equally valid! Whatever the case, its your personal journey, its your life, so run with the wind. :)

Question asked:

What are some leadership opportunities that can be helpful for applying to things (like grad school or research)?

• Becoming a Cluster head or mentor or teacher is a great way to get leadership experience! Things like UAS, ULAB, Lawrence Berkeley Lab, look for people to help mentor and teach. These are great leadership opportunities in the astro field.

Quentin mentioned communication is very important for research. Being able to communicate is one of the biggest skills that is overlooked. Professors and researchers will always be looking for those who are easy to communicate with as communication will streamline things very easily.

• Learn to present your ideas in a clear and concise manner
• Learn to listen. Really well. Professors don’t want to keep answering your questions, but the research can be very difficult to follow.