The collaborative environment and freedom to develop the app
What I wish was different
More time to work on the app
Advice
Don’t be afraid to ask your team or the profs when you get stuck!
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Undergraduate Researcher
May - July 2020 • Istanbul, Turkey
What I liked
I worked with Professor Jason Gallicchio on JPL's Deep Space Quantum Link Project where we proposed a Bell Test in the Moon-Earth scale and also calculated the effects of general relativity on hyperentangled particles (entangled in both polarization and time). During the process, I learned a lot about quantum mechanics theory/history and general relativity! I also got a chance to use my special relativity skills, which was really cool.
What I wish was different
I worked remotely, so I missed the more experimental aspect of the job. I wish I had the lab experience, but I hope I'll have it in the future!
Advice
Don't be discouraged by how much you don't know! It only means if you work hard, you'll learn more than you imagine. :)
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Physics Research Intern
May - July 2020 • Claremont, CA
What I liked
I loved being able to really focus on one topic for the summer. I felt like I got to know the experiment really well, and got to make some real contributions.
What I wish was different
I wish it would have been possible to be on campus. I felt like I was missing some of the community that would normally come with summer research. That being said, we did still have some fun activities among the research groups!
Advice
Talk to profs as much as you can! It shows that you're genuinely interested in their research and let's them put a face to your application.
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Research student
May - July 2020 • Claremont, CA
What I liked
I liked being able to work on my own schedule and make my own decisions as to where the research was going. My group was so great to work with and we had daily meetings to push each other in the right direction.
What I wish was different
Due to COVID, we were unable to travel as planned so I wish I had been able to be away from home this past summer. For the safety of myself and others we all stayed put where we were.
Advice
I would share that joining a research group can seem intimidating because as a newbie you have so much to learn. Join a group that you can see yourself as a part of and taking on a full time research position in the summer won't seem so stressful!
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Physics Research Intern
May - July 2020 • Claremont, CA
What I liked
I have a better understanding of what physics research can be and I also know more about particle physics.
What I wish was different
This year research was online which was very difficult.
Advice
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Lab Researcher
June 2020 • Claremont, CA
What I liked
Learned about new experimental circuits; learned the ropes of HSPICE simulation, including good organizational practices.
What I wish was different
Well it's 2020, so I missed out on in person experiences.
Advice
Profs. can help you get started even if you haven't taken fancy upper-divs yet.
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IOTTA Trace Repository Maintainer
June - August 2020 • Claremont, CA
What I liked
I learned lots of skills and attended my first conference.
What I wish was different
I would have liked to work more closely with my colleagues rather than always taking separate tasks.
Advice
Dive in as quickly as you can, even if the code is scary.
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Research Student
May - July 2020 • Claremont, CA
What I liked
Meaningful work and open ended project.
What I wish was different
In person research.
Advice
Explore outside the explicit project scope!
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Research Associate
January 2020 • Claremont, CA
What I liked
I liked being able to work remotely on a project I was interested in.
What I wish was different
Maybe having the opportunity to do in-person work, but I totally understand the circumstances restricted such action.
Advice
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Student Researcher
June - July 2019 • Claremont, CA
What I liked
It's nice to be on campus over the summer because you get to experience Harvey Mudd, Claremont, and the LA area with a LOT less stress. Most of the research positions at Mudd offer positions for credit over the school year. It's nice to be able to delve deeper into research over the summer because there isn't too much time to work on it during the academic year.
What I wish was different
There were a lot of people in my lab, so I had quite a bit of downtime this summer (as compared to summer 2018). I wish that I had more to do during the work day some days.
Advice
Live with friends off campus or just live on campus! I was very bored living off campus with people I didn't know. :(
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Undergraduate Research Assistant
February 2019 • Claremont, CA
What I liked
I enjoyed having the opportunity to perform research with a real application and effect in the real world. I was able to experience hands-on what it meant to work in a lab and perform research that could be published. I was also able to collaborate internationally while we worked in Paris, and see how international and inter-collegiate research was beneficial to collecting more data.
What I wish was different
I wish that I had spoken the language of the country we were working in!
Advice
Be open to new ideas and adventures!
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Researcher
May - July 2019 • Claremont, CA
What I liked
I love research in general. It's one of my favorite activities.
What I wish was different
I wish I'd taken steps to deal with my mental health sooner, which would have made it a better experience overall. But that has little to do with the job.
Advice
Have fun with whatever you end up doing.
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Biomedical engineering research intern
August 2018 • Claremont, CA
What I liked
I loved being able to work on a team of my peers to discover new things about myself and how I work in a more professional environment.
What I wish was different
I wish that one team member had not been on the team as he was very mean and rude to most people in the lab.
Advice
Don't be afraid to fail as research is composed of a lot of failures, eventually, you will get something that helps you in the future.
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Biology Research Assistant
May - August 2019 • Claremont, CA
What I liked
I loved having the chance to conduct independent biological field research and feel that I greatly benefited from one-on-one time with my research advisor concerning procedure design, data analysis, and result presentation.
What I wish was different
Advice
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Computer Science Researcher
May - July 2019 • Claremont, CA
What I liked
The amazing, inquisitive community--interdisciplinary and diverse in views. It challenged my intellect and my love for others and their various perspectives!
What I wish was different
That I had been more open to God's calling for me, and less caught up in my own self, so I could witness better to these people. But I wouldn't trade much of the experience for the world!
Advice
Be prepared to be challenged! Fight for thought, struggle through questions, and open your ears, so you can learn to love every person, every perspective, and every impossible question.
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Research
June - August 2019 • Claremont, CA
What I liked
Flexible hours, tight-knit department, guidance from faculty, personalized mentorship, utilizing various skills in programming, quantum physics, mathematics, and optics.
What I wish was different
I wish I connected more with other teams' research projects. I didn't really know what they were working on.
Advice
Be prepared to communicate in a team and have patience with unexpected problems that arise in your project.
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Researcher
May - July 2019 • Claremont, CA
What I liked
I liked being part of a lab research team
What I wish was different
I wish Mudd wasn't in LA
Advice
Make sure you have planned activities on the weekend as the campus is dead.
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Research Student
May - July 2019 • Claremont, CA
What I liked
Getting airplane work experience
What I wish was different
A/C in the hanger
Advice
Be ready to get down and dirty
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Biochemistry Intern
May - August 2019 • Claremont, CA
What I liked
Gaining wet lab experience, working through problems
What I wish was different
Difficult to socialize with peers because they all knew each other outside of the lab
Advice
Research has a lot of frustration, but when things go well it is a great feeling.
