
"What in the World is Research?"
By Manav Midha
The Oxford English Dictionary defines research as a “systematic investigation or inquiry aimed at contributing knowledge to a theory [or] topic.” We research every single day of our life - from exploring new restaurants to writing movie reviews, and many more seemingly regular things!
There are two main types of scientific research: clinical studies and bench research (basic science). Clinical studies deal with direct human interaction and data (ex. a phase III clinical drug trial looking at the effects of the drug on a large sample size). I, for example, work in clinical research at the University of Cincinnati (UC). However I am more back-office than actually dealing with study subjects. I currently look at the data collected and try to make sense of it, along with reading already published papers. On the other hand, bench research is classic lab work that does not deal with people directly (ex. pre-clinical studies on the molecular structure and function of a certain drug). This research usually happens before and during clinical studies to ensure drugs are safe for humans. Bench work is what most people think of first when they hear the word “research” - white lab coats and test tubes, etc.
I decided to enter the vast field of research because I am bad at art. Really! Artists create, and add to humanity. Creating art may as well be one of the most gratifying passions. Scientific researchers also craft projects and add to the human understanding of their respective fields. I figured that if I can’t draw and paint, I can at least try to make a contribution to humanity through research. Seriously though, researching in a field and feeling like you are making a difference in the world is one of the most rewarding feelings in the world, and I am chasing that high.
As my principal investigator (the lead doctor on a project - dubbed the “PI”) Dr. Caleb Adler says, “We attempt to stomp holes in the facade of ignorance”. Research is at times a cerebral process, and at times tedious work. This is how a clinical study psychiatric research project (using data collected for a different purpose and forming a new hypothesis), with the goal of publishing a peer-reviewed paper, usually runs:
I am currently working on four projects. Two are with a ROSE student at the University of Cincinnati (I will talk about this program later) that has been working on these projects for two years now. The topics are “functional activity and neurometabolite concentration differences between one-episode and multi-episode bipolar manic/depression patients,” with two publishable papers (one for mania and one for depression). Another project that I have contributed to is on the effects of lithium on the neurochemical composition of the anterior limbic network in adult patients with bipolar mania. I am also leading a non-bipolar disorder related project, investigating whether or not there is an innate gender bias in people when they look at emotional and neutral faces of their own and the opposite gender. The original clinical study took place in 2004 (I was 4 J), and used famous psychologist Paul Ekman’s Pictures of Facial Affect. In addition to six emotional and one neutral state picture, there are three levels of distortion in each image, so I am trying to find at what point a person recognizes an image as a human face and has an empathetic reaction in his/her brain.
My day at the office usually starts (of course) with a cup of coffee. After that, I check my email and my day planner, and what times I have meetings scheduled for that day. I typically spend five to ten minutes preparing for my meetings, basically just going over what I have already talked about and what the game plan is moving forward. I usually meet with doctors, but also research assistants, data analysts, medical students and undergraduate students. We also have standing weekly meetings for both the division and my project. During my office hours, I spend my time doing literature searches for medical journal articles to use in my papers, performing statistical analysis on my data, writing and editing/revising papers I am working on, emailing different people looking for data, and trying to learn as much as I can.
Problems I have run into during research are annoying, but ultimately I have found ways to solve them and move forward - that is what research is all about! One common occurrence is data that has not been electronically entered (all data starts out in thick three-ringed patient binders), so I have had to dig through thick binders looking for a single number. Another problem is that there may not be a lot of previous (background) information on a topic, especially if the project is cutting-edge.
Anyone can enter research; a good resource that shows high schoolers that are involved is the National High School Journal of Science (NHSJS), an online peer-reviewed journal that published student papers. An email to a local professor of the field you are interested in can go a long way, they are usually thrilled to get more young people involved in what they have made their lives’ work. Even if a professor does not offer you an actual position, they are sure to give you some well-intentioned advice.
In order to get my position, I emailed Dr. Melissa DelBello, the chair of the University of Cincinnati Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, my resume and a cover letter that I wrote with the assistance of a science teacher and the academic dean at my school. I then interviewed and filled out the HR forms, and I started working in the summer!
The feeling you get when your work is published after being peer-reviewed by the experts of your field is unmatchable by anything else in the world. As the clinical research manager of my department, Mr. Wade Weber says, “Your first ten years of research you feel like a fake, after that, you realize you know a lot more than you thought.” The rush I get when I find evidence for a new concept in an obscure paper only a handful of people have probably read, and then when I use that information to actually help people is astronomical. In the end, all of the research we do is for one main reason, and one reason only - for the people. For patients, for their families, for their friends, for humanity; doing research is one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.
Doing research at the University of Cincinnati has definitely had its perks! One example of such is my attendance at the ROSE journal clubs every week. ROSE is a UC Medical College program that gives superior pre-medical undergraduates the opportunity to gain early acceptance to medical school and have two summers of research in a lab. The program also has a weekly journal club, where each time one or two students send medical articles out pertaining to their research and everyone gathers for Friday lunch to discuss them. I am very thankful to the ROSE program and its students, as well as Dr. Adler, for giving me this wonderful opportunity. Another amazing opportunity I was given was the ability to shadow research assistants while they administered fMRI scans to patients. Seeing a person’s brain is so cool! Perhaps the biggest perk of research is the friendships I have created this summer. Being together everyday for a summer, solving real problems while having fun, now that forms bonds!
Many people are surprised that I am doing research at my age. Especially my dad! I am routinely asked if I have faced age discrimination, being so young and working with such accomplished people. The answer is a definite “no”! I have found that if I carry myself as an adult, confident and sure, people will treat me as such. So that is what I advise all of my readers to do. Do not let your age hold you back, chase your dreams! Make a difference in the world! Because you can, and you are the future! After all, isn’t age just a number?
*Any research described or mentioned in this article is currently unpublished, and is the sole intellectual property of the University of Cincinnati Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience and/or its affiliations and partners
Siblings with a Mission is a non-profit, international organization established to serve and support siblings of individuals with special needs. All images are found on Google images and are solely used for education purposes. The stories and advice provided by Siblings with a Mission are not to be replaced by professional advice and counseling but to be considered as an additional source of support
By Manav Midha
The Oxford English Dictionary defines research as a “systematic investigation or inquiry aimed at contributing knowledge to a theory [or] topic.” We research every single day of our life - from exploring new restaurants to writing movie reviews, and many more seemingly regular things!
There are two main types of scientific research: clinical studies and bench research (basic science). Clinical studies deal with direct human interaction and data (ex. a phase III clinical drug trial looking at the effects of the drug on a large sample size). I, for example, work in clinical research at the University of Cincinnati (UC). However I am more back-office than actually dealing with study subjects. I currently look at the data collected and try to make sense of it, along with reading already published papers. On the other hand, bench research is classic lab work that does not deal with people directly (ex. pre-clinical studies on the molecular structure and function of a certain drug). This research usually happens before and during clinical studies to ensure drugs are safe for humans. Bench work is what most people think of first when they hear the word “research” - white lab coats and test tubes, etc.
I decided to enter the vast field of research because I am bad at art. Really! Artists create, and add to humanity. Creating art may as well be one of the most gratifying passions. Scientific researchers also craft projects and add to the human understanding of their respective fields. I figured that if I can’t draw and paint, I can at least try to make a contribution to humanity through research. Seriously though, researching in a field and feeling like you are making a difference in the world is one of the most rewarding feelings in the world, and I am chasing that high.
As my principal investigator (the lead doctor on a project - dubbed the “PI”) Dr. Caleb Adler says, “We attempt to stomp holes in the facade of ignorance”. Research is at times a cerebral process, and at times tedious work. This is how a clinical study psychiatric research project (using data collected for a different purpose and forming a new hypothesis), with the goal of publishing a peer-reviewed paper, usually runs:
- Met with PI, clinical research manager and contributors to iron-out details and make a plan, perform preliminary literature search for previous findings on the topic (one week/continuously throughout project)
- Find data and pre-process into analyzable format (in Microsoft Excel), usually with the softwares Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM), or Analysis of Functional NeuroImaging (AFNI) (takes about one month of constant effort)
- Analyze data with level one analysis, trying to find functional activity differences within individual subjects (it is vital to be detail-oriented in this step, because you will not know if you made a mistake, and that may lead to false findings) (approximately two weeks, full of long meetings)
- Perform level two analysis, trying to find trends among the entire sample size (one week)
- Process output of second-level analysis in Excel and prepare for statistical analysis (one week)
- Perform statistical analysis (either with Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) or Statistical Analysis Software (SAS)) - this is when you actually find out if you have discovered anything interesting (one week full of meetings)
- Outline paper and perform extensive literature searches for previous studies and references that can be used for the introduction and discussion section of the paper
- Write paper (one week)
- Edit/revise with co-authors (varies)
- Select journal to submit to
- Write cover letter to journal (one day)
- Submit
- Edit/revise from editor comments and re-submit
- YOUR ARTICLE IS PUBLISHED!!!
I am currently working on four projects. Two are with a ROSE student at the University of Cincinnati (I will talk about this program later) that has been working on these projects for two years now. The topics are “functional activity and neurometabolite concentration differences between one-episode and multi-episode bipolar manic/depression patients,” with two publishable papers (one for mania and one for depression). Another project that I have contributed to is on the effects of lithium on the neurochemical composition of the anterior limbic network in adult patients with bipolar mania. I am also leading a non-bipolar disorder related project, investigating whether or not there is an innate gender bias in people when they look at emotional and neutral faces of their own and the opposite gender. The original clinical study took place in 2004 (I was 4 J), and used famous psychologist Paul Ekman’s Pictures of Facial Affect. In addition to six emotional and one neutral state picture, there are three levels of distortion in each image, so I am trying to find at what point a person recognizes an image as a human face and has an empathetic reaction in his/her brain.
My day at the office usually starts (of course) with a cup of coffee. After that, I check my email and my day planner, and what times I have meetings scheduled for that day. I typically spend five to ten minutes preparing for my meetings, basically just going over what I have already talked about and what the game plan is moving forward. I usually meet with doctors, but also research assistants, data analysts, medical students and undergraduate students. We also have standing weekly meetings for both the division and my project. During my office hours, I spend my time doing literature searches for medical journal articles to use in my papers, performing statistical analysis on my data, writing and editing/revising papers I am working on, emailing different people looking for data, and trying to learn as much as I can.
Problems I have run into during research are annoying, but ultimately I have found ways to solve them and move forward - that is what research is all about! One common occurrence is data that has not been electronically entered (all data starts out in thick three-ringed patient binders), so I have had to dig through thick binders looking for a single number. Another problem is that there may not be a lot of previous (background) information on a topic, especially if the project is cutting-edge.
Anyone can enter research; a good resource that shows high schoolers that are involved is the National High School Journal of Science (NHSJS), an online peer-reviewed journal that published student papers. An email to a local professor of the field you are interested in can go a long way, they are usually thrilled to get more young people involved in what they have made their lives’ work. Even if a professor does not offer you an actual position, they are sure to give you some well-intentioned advice.
In order to get my position, I emailed Dr. Melissa DelBello, the chair of the University of Cincinnati Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, my resume and a cover letter that I wrote with the assistance of a science teacher and the academic dean at my school. I then interviewed and filled out the HR forms, and I started working in the summer!
The feeling you get when your work is published after being peer-reviewed by the experts of your field is unmatchable by anything else in the world. As the clinical research manager of my department, Mr. Wade Weber says, “Your first ten years of research you feel like a fake, after that, you realize you know a lot more than you thought.” The rush I get when I find evidence for a new concept in an obscure paper only a handful of people have probably read, and then when I use that information to actually help people is astronomical. In the end, all of the research we do is for one main reason, and one reason only - for the people. For patients, for their families, for their friends, for humanity; doing research is one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.
Doing research at the University of Cincinnati has definitely had its perks! One example of such is my attendance at the ROSE journal clubs every week. ROSE is a UC Medical College program that gives superior pre-medical undergraduates the opportunity to gain early acceptance to medical school and have two summers of research in a lab. The program also has a weekly journal club, where each time one or two students send medical articles out pertaining to their research and everyone gathers for Friday lunch to discuss them. I am very thankful to the ROSE program and its students, as well as Dr. Adler, for giving me this wonderful opportunity. Another amazing opportunity I was given was the ability to shadow research assistants while they administered fMRI scans to patients. Seeing a person’s brain is so cool! Perhaps the biggest perk of research is the friendships I have created this summer. Being together everyday for a summer, solving real problems while having fun, now that forms bonds!
Many people are surprised that I am doing research at my age. Especially my dad! I am routinely asked if I have faced age discrimination, being so young and working with such accomplished people. The answer is a definite “no”! I have found that if I carry myself as an adult, confident and sure, people will treat me as such. So that is what I advise all of my readers to do. Do not let your age hold you back, chase your dreams! Make a difference in the world! Because you can, and you are the future! After all, isn’t age just a number?
*Any research described or mentioned in this article is currently unpublished, and is the sole intellectual property of the University of Cincinnati Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience and/or its affiliations and partners
Siblings with a Mission is a non-profit, international organization established to serve and support siblings of individuals with special needs. All images are found on Google images and are solely used for education purposes. The stories and advice provided by Siblings with a Mission are not to be replaced by professional advice and counseling but to be considered as an additional source of support