How to Choose the Right Research Project as an Undergraduate?

[F. Liszt]

Hi all,

I was just hoping to gather some advice for a research project. I am currently a junior, and I have asked to do some research with one of my professors for next year. The problem is that he does research in several fields, and I don't really have preference to any of them yet.

I am still unsure what field I want to specialize in. I like the looks of doing work with plasmas, like the research at the Princeton PPL, and at LLNL involving plasma confinement and fusion.

Anyway, he does work in High-order Rigorous Computation, Dynamical Systems (like modeling the chaotic orbits of asteriods), and also in Non-linear beam dynamics. I am personally leaning toward the beam dynamics, but I thought I would ask you all for some advice.

Thanks!

 

[lzkelley]

Hi Liszt,

I'd suggest you first decide what your primary goal is of this experience. Clearly its going to be some balance of learning/experience and building up your CV/applications, but which is there one or the other that is at present more important?

If that doesn't help, you might consider which project the professor seems most interested in/passionate about--that will make a big impact on the experience.

FINALLY, note that dynamical systems will ALWAYS be useful experience/information; rigorous computational experience is often useful, but getting more specific; and finally beam dynamics (whatever that is), might not be so broadly applicable--and for the same reason might be the best key to getting into specific programs of your liking.

Best of luck