North Dakota State University Faculty

Undergraduate research assistant

I am a Junior at North Dakota State University, and last fall I had the opportunity to take part in an undergraduate research project with the physics department at NDSU.  I am working on a Physics Education degree, so when a research opportunity in that same field came my way, I jumped at the offer.  I joined Mila Kryjevskaia’s research group in January 2014.  Since then I helped analyze data related to student reasoning in introductory physics courses.  My adviser, Mila Kryjevskaia, and I combined our efforts to identify patterns in student reasoning and problem solving techniques.  The overarching goal of the project was to determine possible causes for inconsistencies in student thinking.  

After working for a few weeks on the project I was invited to present our findings at the 2014 Undergraduate Physics Research Symposium.  Along with 6 other students, I gave a 12-minute presentation in front of a number of faculty members and fellow students.  Although I was deeply nervous beforehand, the presentation was well received, and I had a blast being a part of it.  

My experience with undergraduate research was nothing short of spectacular.  It gave me the opportunity to study my favorite material from a completely different way than a classroom setting and it also gave me a unique perspective toward the career field that I am aspiring to.  My adviser was very supportive, and I had a fantastic time sharing my work with the science community at NDSU.  I would strongly recommend that anyone considering a degree in any science field take a serious look at the research opportunities available to them.