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The Interview:

Karen: Tell me about the research you're involved with on campus. How did you first get involved?

Ronan: I knew as a freshman that I wanted to get involved in research right away. I started going to the National Society of Black Physicists meetings, and a graduate student that I knew there brought me to the experimental nuclear physics meeting. I then started attending these meetings as well, because I found the projects to be very interesting. A postdoc that I connected with at one of the meetings introduced me to a project, and shortly after that I was invited to work with Dr. Abhay Deshpande in the QCD Spin Group. The first project I worked on involved designing boxes to transport gas electron multiplier detectors to Jefferson Lab. Since then, I’ve picked up another project working with Dr. Dongwi Dongwi where we look at meson decays and analyze CERN ROOT data files.   

How difficult was it for you to jump in and get started as a freshman with no prior research experience?

When I first was introduced to the group, I was concerned that I didn’t have that much knowledge or skills. Imposter syndrome was something I struggled with in the beginning. But I was told right away, “That’s OK. We’ll teach you.” And everyone there does a great job with mentorship and making sure the undergraduate students have exactly what they need to move forward in this project. It did involve doing a large amount of reading about the experiments, as well as learning how to code in a new language, C++. But all of the postdocs I was working under were always available to answer questions I had, and I was pleasantly surprised with how accessible it was, and how I was able to have a role within that group. I really enjoy the projects I am working on and I’m just so thankful that I got the chance to get started early on in research.

Did you continue to do research the summer after freshman year?

Yes, I ended up applying to several REU programs, and participated in a Math REU program at Indiana University, Indianapolis where I was assigned to a project in biophysics, which is one of the topics I was interested in learning more about. That project was under the joint mentorship of Dr. Horia Petrache and Dr. Nicanor Moldovan. We worked on cellular and molecular dynamics and examined its applications to both tumor biology and biofabrication. I’ve been able to continue the projects with them working virtually here at Stony Brook; and recently I was able to present our work at the International Society for Biofabrication this past November, at a meeting in Fukuoka, Japan.

Congratulations! What was that experience like for you?

Oh, it was so incredible! The opportunity presented itself because one of the co-mentors, Dr. Moldovan, was not able to go this year; and so because I was first author on the abstract, they decided to send me. With the help of the mentors at the REU, I was able to apply for and get a travel award to attend the meeting. Dr. Kehinde Cole, the research advisor with the Simons STEM Scholars program, has also been such an amazing mentor. She’s always pushed me to aim high with my research and career goals and was a huge help in getting the travel award.

The conference itself was amazing. I gave both an oral and a poster presentation. And I was asked to co-chair a speaker session. It was very humbling just to be in that room, as an undergraduate.  But even though I felt like I had the least amount of knowledge in the room, I was able to ask questions, guide the speakers, and gain confidence as the session went on. And I was able to make a lot of new connections at the conference.

I also learned a lot from the process of putting together the presentations.  It was a humbling experience, learning the difference between science research and science communication. I hadn’t initially anticipated that working on the presentations would take up as much time as it did, but it was a valuable learning experience.

That’s wonderful that this all stemmed from your participation in the REU summer program.

Yes, I feel very fortunate to have had that experience. And the experience was transformative because it was the first time where I was able to focus my energy all on research, and to get a sense of what a career in research would mean. Even though I was the youngest student in the program, it was helpful to connect with all the undergraduate students who are a bit farther along in their paths. My project partner, Daniel Nykamp, for example, was able to teach me how to be a more efficient coder. …and overall, I would highly recommend the experience of participating in a summer research program, and taking the opportunity to work on any research project that piques your curiosity. Before the summer, I wasn’t 100% sure about pursuing biophysics or the field of biofabrication. But my resolve to pursue it as I gain more knowledge about the field has only increased since that experience.

Is there anything particular about the mentoring styles that has really resonated with you through the research experiences you’ve had so far?

With all of the mentors I've had, I value that they not only consider what is needed for the project but they also consider the context of what my journey is, or what my goals are. When they integrate that into the mentorship, it adds another dimension.  Dr. Dongwi, for example, who works closely with Simons STEM Scholars, does a lot of outreach to younger students and is able to give his mentees a lot of perspective around the field. He's constantly sending me things to read. He cares about my goals  and is there to support me as a researcher, as a student, and as a person. Dr. Deshpande too is incredibly experienced: he’s seen a lot of undergraduate students take a lot of different career paths, and he's been very supportive of me as well.

I am also super grateful for the mentorship I receive from Drs. Petrache and Moldovan, who continue to guide me virtually. Whether it's giving direction to my research or feedback on my presentations, they make sure everything is in top shape.

What advice would you give to other undergraduates about research?

My biggest piece of advice is to talk about your research interests, whether it be with peers or graduate students that you meet, or professors. Go out of your way to talk about your interests! You really never know where it's going to take you. People have different connections to various labs, and may be able to point you towards an opportunity that will allow you to pursue things that you're curious about. So do share what your interests are; be actionable about your research goals.

 What do you most like about research? 

I love the collaboration, the ability to meet new people through research and how that will open new doors. Whether you're at a conference or reaching out to someone for help with software, being able to connect with collaborators and establish mutually beneficial relationships is a really great aspect to doing research—the interpersonal side of the process.

When you’re beginning a project, you really don't know if your work is going to be good enough, or if it's going to even be relevant by the time you get it done. So there’s a lot of uncertainty and that can be daunting. But it can also be exciting, being able to work through that and get to your results….and then being able to present what you’ve done. I love the problem-solving aspects of research and I'm fascinated by the idea that you can go out there and create new knowledge.