July 15, 2011 –
Featured at this week’s SURF-IT seminar series: voices from the past.
For the first time in the program’s seven-year history, a group of SURF-IT (Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship in Information Technology) alumni were asked back to share their experience and advice with current participants.
The alumni panel included Spencer DeBrosse (’10), Phillip Haralson (’07), Lauren Lewis (’08), Jeremy Roth (’06), Roger Shih (’06) and Andrew Zaldivar (’08).
Two of the former Fellows work in industry, two are in graduate school and two are finishing up their undergraduate studies. All six said SURF-IT was instrumental in helping determine their futures.
Zaldivar, now a third year doctoral student in cognitive neuroscience, had just transferred to UCI when he was chosen to participate in the program. “I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do research but SURF-IT provided me the opportunity to test myself and it worked out big time,” he said.
“I’m now doing research full time, not just in my lab but I’m also collaborating with other labs and it all started here.”
Roth, currently a mechanical design engineer with Alcon Laboratories, credits SURF-IT with his decision to seek a job in industry. “It was my first opportunity to work on a project full time and get paid for it,” he said.
Haralson, a Western Digital test engineer, referenced the valuable new experiences the program provided. “I learned that I did enjoy doing research.”
The SURF-IT alumni shared personal insights as well. For Lewis, who participated the summer following her freshman year at UCI, the program was transformative. “It was an experience like nothing I had in high school. It was a great way to learn how to be self-driven and made me feel more confident about my skills,” she said. “You learn to work on your own, without supervision.”
DeBrosse, who is poised to begin work on his senior thesis, also mentioned the increased self-assurance he gained from the program. “SURF-IT made me more confident to work with my professor and start my thesis,” he stated.
Other benefits mentioned by the alumni include improved presentation skills, an ability to better understand research across disciplines and the abundance of networking opportunities. Roth, who received seven job offers upon graduation, credits three of them to relationships he made as a SURF-IT Fellow.
The panelists’ advice to the current crop of Fellows? Have fun, work hard and get support from your peers. In addition, they advised, don’t worry if your research veers off course. Two of the panelists’ projects changed direction midway through the summer, and they urged their audience to take that possibility in stride. “The project at the end may not be what you started with; it may change completely,” SURF-IT director Said Shokair said in summing up the panelists’ remarks. “But that’s okay. Change can be good.”
After a couple of the current Fellows disclosed concerns to the alumni about failure, they were reassured that fear was to be expected but shouldn’t be allowed to impede their progress.
Lewis, who admitted to “being terrified,” urged the undergraduate researchers to look beyond their panic. “It’s okay if you’re scared as long as that doesn’t stop you from trying. You have to be able to say, ‘It’s all right, as long as I continue to work hard and try my best.’”
In closing, Zaldivar told the undergraduates that the summer was theirs to shape. “This is an amazing opportunity,” he said. “It’s up to you to decide how you’re going to approach this and what you’re going to take out of it.”
— Anna Lynn Spitzer