How I Began Independent Research (5-Step Process)
Summary
TLDRIn this exclusive video, the speaker shares his secret formula for success in science fairs and independent research, which contributed to his Ivy League college acceptances. He emphasizes the importance of narrowing research scope, engaging with various sources for topic ideas, and the necessity of deep dives into research papers. The script outlines a step-by-step guide, from identifying a specific field of interest to formulating research questions and the importance of incremental improvements in research. It also addresses the misconceptions about the 'Eureka' moments in research and the practicality of starting with accessible projects, like coding, or leveraging local lab resources for more complex topics.
Takeaways
- π§ Start with a Specific Interest: Narrow down your focus within a broad field like biology to a more specific area such as microbiology or neuroscience.
- π Conduct Preliminary Research: Use various sources like YouTube, documentaries, and news articles to get a basic understanding of your chosen field.
- π Dive Deeper with Academic Sources: Progress to more educational content like research papers and articles to understand current scientific advancements.
- π Take Notes and Save Key Papers: Document important findings, challenges, and ideas from your research to help formulate your own hypotheses.
- πͺ Embrace the Challenge: Be prepared for the initial difficulty of understanding complex scientific papers and persist through the learning curve.
- ποΈββοΈ Analogy of Building Strength: Just like working out, push through the initial struggle to gradually build your understanding and capabilities in research.
- π€ Identify Problems in the Field: Recognize the challenges that scientists are trying to address within your area of interest.
- π‘ Generate Ideas: Use your understanding of existing research to propose new ideas or improvements to current methodologies.
- π Realistic Expectations: Understand that groundbreaking ideas are rare and building upon existing research is a valid and important part of scientific progress.
- π» Coding Projects: For those without access to lab facilities, coding projects can be a highly accessible way to conduct independent research.
- π§ Reach Out to Professors: Consider contacting professors for mentorship or access to lab facilities, which can significantly enhance your research capabilities.
- π Finalize with Presentation: Complete your research with findings, and prepare to present or publish your work, potentially entering it into science fairs or conferences.
Q & A
What is the primary activity mentioned in the script that helped the speaker get into multiple Ivy League colleges?
-The primary activity mentioned in the script is participating in science fairs and conducting independent research.
What is the first step in getting involved in research according to the script?
-The first step is to do research and narrow down the scope of the field you are interested in, such as focusing on a specific area within biology like microbiology, immunology, or neuroscience.
What are some sources recommended for initial research on a broad topic?
-The script recommends YouTube educational videos, TV documentaries, news articles, and science magazines as good starting points for initial research.
What is the importance of narrowing down the research focus in the early stages?
-Narrowing down the research focus is crucial as it helps in identifying specific topics within a field that are interesting and manageable, making it easier to delve deeper and contribute meaningfully to the field.
What is the recommended approach for reading research papers in the early stages of research?
-The script suggests not necessarily reading papers from front to back, but rather reading the abstract or the results section to get a summary of the research, and taking notes on significant papers.
Why is understanding technical terminology important during the research process?
-Understanding technical terminology is important as it helps in deciphering research papers and connecting ideas, ultimately leading to a deeper comprehension of the field.
What is the purpose of identifying problems in a field during the research process?
-Identifying problems helps in forming the basis of a research question and understanding the challenges that scientists are attempting to solve, which is essential for developing a focused and impactful research project.
What misconception does the script address about the nature of research?
-The script addresses the misconception that research involves sudden breakthroughs like Einstein's theory of relativity. Instead, it emphasizes that research is a gradual process of building on the work of others.
Why is it suggested to start with optimizations in research projects?
-Starting with optimizations is suggested because it allows researchers to build on existing work, making incremental improvements that can eventually lead to significant advancements.
What are some practical tips for high school students interested in conducting independent research?
-The script recommends learning how to code, picking a science project that is accessible with reasonable materials, and reaching out to local labs or professors for mentorship and access to facilities.
What are the final steps mentioned in the script for completing a research project?
-The final steps include finishing the research, coming to some findings, and creating a paper or presentation, as well as potentially participating in science fairs, officially publishing papers, and attending conferences.
Outlines
π§ͺ Kickstarting Research with Science Fairs and Independent Projects
The speaker emphasizes the importance of science fairs and independent research in securing admission to Ivy League colleges. They share their personal strategy for success, focusing on the initial challenge of idea generation. The speaker advises narrowing down a broad field of interest to a specific area, such as microbiology or immunology, and then identifying interesting topics within that field. They recommend starting with accessible resources like YouTube, documentaries, and news articles to build foundational knowledge before moving on to more in-depth research papers. The speaker also stresses the importance of note-taking and identifying key ideas and challenges within the chosen field.
π Deepening Understanding and Identifying Research Problems
Building upon the foundational knowledge, the speaker discusses the next steps in the research process. They highlight the need to delve deeper into the chosen topics by reading research papers and articles to understand current scientific advancements. The speaker encourages taking notes on significant papers and organizing observed problems and challenges in the field. They use the example of leukemia to illustrate how one might identify and formulate a research question based on existing challenges faced by scientists. The speaker also dispels the myth of instant breakthroughs, comparing the gradual process of research to building up strength at the gym, and emphasizes the importance of persistence and incremental progress.
π‘ Idea Generation and Practical Approaches to Independent Research
The speaker transitions into the phase of idea generation, where they discuss the misconceptions about research perpetuated by media and emphasizes the reality of incremental scientific progress. They advise that initial research goals should be realistic, such as optimizing existing methods or technologies. The speaker also addresses the practical aspects of conducting independent research, suggesting that coding projects are highly accessible and can be adapted to various fields of study. For those without coding skills, they recommend learning to code or choosing a science project that is feasible with accessible materials. They also suggest reaching out to local labs and professors for potential mentorship and access to resources, setting the stage for more formal research involvement such as science fairs and paper publications.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Ivy League colleges
π‘Science fairs
π‘Independent research
π‘Narrowing scope
π‘Research papers
π‘Abstract
π‘Terminology
π‘Research question
π‘Optimization
π‘Coding projects
π‘Mentoring
π‘Science fairs
Highlights
Emphasizing the importance of science fairs and independent research in gaining admission to multiple Ivy League colleges.
Highlighting the challenge of coming up with a research idea and getting started.
Advising to narrow the scope within a field of interest (e.g., microbiology, immunology, neuroscience) for effective research.
Recommending starting research by exploring accessible sources like YouTube, educational TV, documentaries, news articles, and science magazines.
Suggesting to gradually shift from broad, entertaining sources to more educational, focused content.
Encouraging to read abstracts and results sections of research papers to grasp essential information without getting overwhelmed.
Advising to take notes and save significant papers to identify key challenges and popular ideas within the chosen field.
Emphasizing the iterative process of learning terminology and understanding research papers over time.
Focusing on identifying specific problems and challenges in the chosen field, rather than seeking immediate solutions.
Using leukemia as an example to illustrate the process of identifying research questions and potential areas of improvement.
Clarifying that research builds on incremental advancements by scientists, rather than sudden breakthroughs.
Suggesting coding projects as accessible research options, especially for those with limited resources.
Recommending reaching out to local labs and professors for mentorship and access to research facilities.
Encouraging students to mass email professors to find opportunities to work in their labs.
Outlining the final steps of completing research, publishing findings, and participating in science fairs and conferences.
Transcripts
so outside of being deviously handsome
there are several core activities that
got me into multiple Ivy League colleges
now the number one activity on that list
for me was science fairs and independent
research by far the hardest part of this
activity is coming up with an idea and
getting started you guys have requested
this video so here it is I'm going to
tell you exactly how it's done this
video is strictly for my subscribers I
really don't care about how it performs
the views my goal here is to give out
the sauce this is exactly what I used to
do in high school and how I was able to
win like crazy top level national awards
in science fairs I don't want any NPCs
watching this I cannot be bothered by
their comments the first step is to do
research some of you guys come to me
with emails talking about you know
prathik I want to get involved in
research in biology where do I start I'm
telling you right now if you have an
idea like that like I want to get
involved in biology where I want to get
involved in chemistry research that is
way too broad there is nothing that you
can do with that and nothing that I can
do with that as well what you need to do
is narrow your scope work within biology
do you like is it microbiology is it
Immunology is it Neuroscience that's
what I liked in high school you need to
focus your scope now we're not done yet
but we are laying the foundation your
next step once you find a specific field
is to find topics within that field that
are interesting a pretty logical
question is where do I research these
topics YouTube educational TV
documentaries news articles science
magazines all of these are great places
to get started some people think that
you have to get knee deep into these
like 50 page elaborate Publications just
to get an understanding of how a field
or a topic works that is by no means
necessary start by doing things that are
a little bit more interesting for you
just to get yourself kind of excited and
motivated to keep going with this
research but I will say that certain
sources are more prone to giving you
better topics to further do research on
than others like for example you've
probably seen kurz Gazette videos on
YouTube where they take some like
general science topic and make it super
entertaining those sources might be
better for step one where we're doing on
more broad research but as you get into
step two and we proceed with this
research you want to try to narrow down
where we go from more entertaining to
more educational content that's going to
serve you better here step three is
arguably the most important because this
is where everyone tends to tap out let's
say you've picked a particular topic
maybe it's Alzheimer's disease maybe
it's encryption maybe it's Quantum
Computing doesn't matter what it is you
have to learn more about that field you
now have to do the uncomfortable work
the unsexy answer is that once you have
these topics around you you need to
learn as much as you can about those
topics and familiarize yourself with not
just what's going on right now but what
exactly scientists are working to
advance in that field this is when you
start reading research papers and
research articles to truly understand
what scientists are doing you don't need
to read papers fully from front to back
a lot of times just reading the abstract
is enough if they do a good job giving a
summary or even just skipping down to
the results section and seeing what
happened but what you absolutely should
be doing is taking notes and saving any
really really good papers that you like
actually enjoyed or furthered your
understanding of a certain topic or
maybe they were just very novel like a
lot of other papers are citing this
particular paper through these notes
you're going to start organizing what
particular problems and challenges
you're seeing like what things
scientists are tackling what's standing
out to you and then also what kind of
ideas seem popular is there a particular
type of Alzheimer's treatment that
people are working on one particular
strain of some bacteria that they're
testing with what are those key ideas
that are you know you're taking away
from doing all of this research the
reason that people fail here is because
when you go to read your first paper I'm
telling you right now you're going to
open it up and it's going to make no
sense you're going to read the title
it's going to be some crazy fancy words
that you don't know you're gonna go read
the abstract and nothing is going to go
into your head that's just how it goes
I've had people ask me if there's a way
to make this part easier and here's the
way I tend to think about it okay
imagine you're going to the gym right we
have a 10 pound dumbbell here and you're
doing your bicep curls right you're
going to keep doing these curls and
you're going to start to feel a little
bit of a burn in your arm now imagine if
you look at me dead in the eyes while
you're doing your curls and you ask
pratik is there a way that I can get my
bicep gains without feeling the burn the
better way to look at it is that if you
keep doing these bicep curls today you
push to failure you're only going to be
able to do 10 but then you come back
tomorrow and now you can do 15. you can
like the next day now you can do 20 and
boom before you know it you're an
amateur researcher in a field you are
very familiar with what's going on and
you are equipped to enter the next step
a bonus tip I have for you guys once you
run into terminology that you don't know
even if it's three words in a sentence
go look it up understand what means and
then make some notes about it as you
keep learning more and more terminology
more technical jargon and you start to
understand what these words mean how
they connect to one another and what's
generally going on in these papers as
you continue doing your research it
becomes easier eventually you get to a
point where you actually have enough
understanding of what's going on very
technically speaking that you can truly
decipher a paper front to back you
understand what's going on and once you
get to that stage that's when this
research process actually becomes fun
step four is the implementation this is
where the research that you probably
imagined in your head when you clicked
on this video actually begins what you
need to do is start identifying the
problems in a field that scientists are
attempting to solve you don't need to
come up with any solutions here yet just
start listing out the different
challenges that you see the good news is
if you're already following this pathway
and you're on step three this should
just come naturally yes you're going to
run into some papers that are like
literature reviews or they're very very
introductory just kind of getting you
into the material but most of the papers
you read at this stage should be very
technical very focused on some
particular goal or some research they're
doing something that they're trying to
improve those are the papers you want to
use as inspiration to try to come up and
see with what these scientists are
actually working on what is interesting
and relevant to them and their eyes and
what can you make notes about let me
give you an example to make this super
clear let's say you're interested in
leukemia or blood cancer one of the
challenges that I noticed that
scientists face when they're working
with patients and people who have
leukemia is that diagnosing the disease
is very very difficult especially until
leukemia has spread a lot further in the
body there are a ton of other issues
with leukemia in regards to relapses
during remission or issues with
treatment that you as a student
researching leukemia definitely should
have made note of but let's just say
this diagnosis part was what stood out
to you now you can start to form the
basis of a research question is there a
way we can improve the diagnosis speed
of leukemia or perhaps the variable that
you want to explore is accuracy so can
we improve the accuracy of current
methods or maybe you want to explore
false positive rate which is basically
the rate at which people are
accidentally diagnosed with leukemia or
maybe not at all there's so many
different Pathways you can go down here
and notice that you know me personally I
am no expert on leukemia I just looked
into this for the video and I came up
with this many ideas in just a day there
were so many directions that you can go
down I hope you're starting to
understand now why we focused so much
earlier on narrowing your search it's
because even when you get down to a
particular topic there are more angles
to explore and to research into than you
will ever have time to do pick something
and then think about how you can Target
that problem what are all of the
different angles that you can come from
99 of creators would just leave you here
feeling good like you really like
learned and did something and you're
about to go out there and achieve the
world but I'm in the one percent we're
still not done here I copy time hey jobs
not done I jobs not finished step five
now is when we enter the phase where
we're actually coming up with the idea
generation the crazy idea that shows up
on the news and wins the 75 000 cash
prize at isaf this is where that happens
there are two things that I am now going
to say if you truly want to succeed in
this field I'm going to need your
undivided attention for the next couple
of minutes first movies social media and
terrible College admissions advice have
completely warped your reality and
understanding of what research actually
is you can put a thousand hours into
staring at your computer screen and
Einstein's theory of relativity is just
not going to hit you out of thin air
that is not how this process works
research works by scientists building on
each other imagine that we have 10
different Labs each working on one
particular topic if each lab is able to
progress the field forward by one
percent two percent three percent
eventually that effort those efforts of
the scientists Compound on one another
and we lead to the entire field as a
whole moving forward and getting to some
big breakthrough that is how science
works when you first start research your
goal can absolutely be to optimize what
is currently out there to build on the
backs of what scientists are doing if
you can take an experiment recreate it
and then maybe make some encryption
algorithm for instance five percent
better or take smoke alarms that are out
there and make them two percent more
effective at half of market cost that is
totally a valid way to get started with
research it is just like starting a
YouTube channel in order to get to a
million subscribers one day you have to
get to a thousand subscribers first keep
making optimizations keep making
advancements and eventually you will get
to a stage where you get your big break
you come up with some smart idea that
takes your project to that next level
second we need to be real for a second
you are probably not some
multi-millionaire with a full-size
biology lab in your basement you'll
probably like how I was in high school
dead broke some topics just lend
themselves a lot easier to Independent
research than others coding projects are
by far the most accessible of any type
of science project you can do even if
you are interested in some very very
Niche engineering or medical field or
even some crazy economics or history
field you can make a coding project out
of it the tricky part here is if you
don't know coding and if that's the case
I'm going to give you the full pipeline
for what you should do let's keep it
simple if you are a freshman in high
school or younger learn how to code it's
just worth it even if you are not going
to go into CS in the future if you were
a junior or older and you hate computer
science you don't want to learn it I'll
talk about a couple alternatives for you
in a minute and if you're a sophomore
it's up to you just flip a coin the
other option is to pick a science
project where it's not that hard to get
access to the materials that you need
when I was in eighth going into ninth
grade I did a science project that
involved sourcing like scrap in raw
solar panels which are really not that
expensive it was literally like 25 bucks
to get the materials that I needed and
for a lot of science projects within
like a reasonable budget you should be
able to get the materials that you want
you can even ask your high school if you
can borrow things from them and usually
they're very open to letting you use
things like little instruments or little
like chemicals or resources that they
might have in the lab can also reach out
to local labs this is a super valid idea
and it's way more effective than
actually reaching out to get an
internship or something because most
professors are willing to help you out
if it's your idea the tricky part for
them is that if it's their research now
they have to teach you a bunch of things
get you up to speed it's like they're
doing you a favor when they offer you an
internship but if you have your own
independent project and you're reaching
out to them saying hey would you be cool
with you know maybe mentoring me or
allowing me to use you know the
expensive research facilities that they
have they're usually very open and happy
to it because they're College professors
they want to be able to work with
students that's their job they enjoy it
what I want you to do if this is the
pathway you want to go down is just mass
email professors ask them if they're
willing to let you work in their lab and
then at some point someone will give you
a chance this is fantastic because if
something does eventually work out you
might have access to like a multi
hundred thousand dollar or million
dollar lab facility at your fingertips
there's so much research you can do
there and some wonderful people that
you're being surrounded by step six is
technically to just finish your research
come to some findings and make some
paper or presentation you know the Vibes
following this that's when you're gonna
start getting involved in things like
science fairs officially publishing
papers going out to conferences all that
good stuff I would be more than happy to
make videos on some of these specific
topics like science fairs and Publishing
papers because I've done like crazy work
here in high school but just let me know
in the comments if there's something
you're interested in and I'd be more
than happy to talk to you guys like this
video if it was helpful and to boost my
YouTube algorithm stats thank you all so
much for watching this has been pratik
peace
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