Wish to help out in a research lab, which comp lang to learn?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the selection of programming languages for undergraduate students seeking to assist in research labs, particularly in engineering and biology fields. Participants explore the relevance of various languages in research contexts and the importance of aligning language skills with specific research interests.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Technical explanation, Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant notes that the choice of programming language is research group specific and suggests that common languages may not be universally applicable.
  • Another participant expresses that the question is too broad, indicating that without a clear research focus, recommending a specific language is challenging. They mention MATLAB, C, and R as potentially useful languages.
  • A different participant questions the relevance of the term "phyron," suggesting it may be obscure and not widely recognized.
  • One contributor emphasizes the importance of learning general computing skills over specific languages, advocating for code that is maintainable and verifiable.
  • Another participant shares that their research group utilizes MATLAB, Python, C, and C++, suggesting that prospective researchers should learn the languages used by their specific groups.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree that the choice of programming language is influenced by the specific research group and area of study. However, there is no consensus on which language is the most beneficial to learn without a defined research interest.

Contextual Notes

The discussion highlights the variability in programming language use across different research groups and the potential limitations of providing a one-size-fits-all recommendation.

Who May Find This Useful

Undergraduate students in engineering and biology looking to engage in research, as well as those interested in understanding the programming skills relevant to various research fields.

kougou
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Hello
I am a undergrad electrical engineering student. I took two courses on C before. With C, this seems to be not enough because I am hoping to help out in some engineering related research project at school.

Currently, I have no idea what type of research I am looking for. I am just wondering, out of all comp lang out there, which one is used the most in the research lab? C++/ phyron, etc...

I am looking for any advice on getting a research position or helping out in a research lab.

Thank you all.
 
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This is research group specific. I can tell you common ones, but that's not necessarily going to help.
 
any suggestion? is this question too broad or what?
 
I think the question is too broad. If you aren't sure what type of research you want to do, its hard to recommend a specific language to learn. MatLab is useful, so is C, so is R, as well as others. It'd be best if you looked around at what research seems cool and then look up what languages those profs are using.
 
kougou said:
Currently, I have no idea what type of research I am looking for. I am just wondering, out of all comp lang out there, which one is used the most in the research lab? C++/ phyron, etc...

I'm studying to be a biologist, so I was wondering what kind of chemical I should brew up in my home chemistry set in order to be the most helpful in some unspecified bio lab.

What the hell is phyron? That sounds adequately obscure that nobody will have heard of it.

What you should learn with regard to computing is computing, not any specific language. Learn how to write code that is easy to maintain, easy to verify, easy to validate. If you have that then you can pick up enough of whatever language they are using to get on with the job.
Dan
 
You should see what languages your research group uses and learn them.

For example, my group uses MATLAB, Python, C, and C++.
 

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