Lewis & Clark College

Student Researcher

May - August 2022 • Portland, OR

What I liked

Nice research team, hybrid model with high flexibility (temporary COVID measure), weekly presentations with other research teams, lots of hands-on experience on your own and with the research team.

What I wish was different

Some more direction, but this is somewhat impractical given the nature of research.

Advice

Be ready to adapt on the fly based on the outcome of experiments; they'll change how you view and perform research!

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Curatorial Assistant

May - August 2018 • Portland, OR

What I liked

I chose my own hours and had a lot of autonomy about what project I was working on, how to get things done, etc.

What I wish was different

I was the only person employed to do this job for a lot of the summer. It would have been nice to have someone else to work with.

Advice

Be disciplined about when you work and how you break up your time so you can get more done.

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Cybersecurity Research Assistant

May - September 2018 • Portland, OR

What I liked

I really enjoyed the opportunity to do my own research with the guidance of a professor.

What I wish was different

I wish there had possibly been more structure.

Advice

Its okay to get overwhelmed, you are doing great!

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Student researcher

May - August 2018 • Portland, OR

What I liked

I loved doing hand-on research work and the collaborative efforts between my research mates, professors, and me. I felt like the research we were doing was meaningful and could have important applications for improving earthquake resilience in Portland.

What I wish was different

A lot of time was spent waiting for IRB approval. I’m not sure if there would have been a good way around this, though, since designing the experiment was done collaboratively with the professor and thus couldn’t be decided (and proposed) ahead of the program dates. It ended up limiting our time for data collection and data analysis.

Advice

Really prioritize your to-do list. If there are things that might cause any kinds of delays (IRB proposals or lack of a full schedule of experiment participants), start doing tasks related to those early. You can always do more contextual/background readings and research in the midst of your own new research, but you MUST leave enough time for data collection and analysis.

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Research Assistant

April 2017 • Portland, OR

What I liked

I got hands-on experience collecting, analyzing, and presenting data with a fun group of passionate colleagues.

What I wish was different

I wish I could have collected data in other locations besides OMSI to get a more representative sample.

Advice

I recommend getting research experience with a knowledgeable and supportive PI like I did!

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Tour Guide

June - August 2018 • Portland, OR

What I liked

I loved being able to show prospective students why Lewis & Clark College is a fantastic learning environment. Our campus is beautiful, and I have enjoyed my experience in college. I was proud to be a representative for my college.

What I wish was different

I would have liked a clearer scheadule. My shifts were dispersed throughout the day making the commute and planning my own schedule difficult. Additionally being "on" was difficult.