PLEASE NOTE: THIS PAGE MAY CONTINUE TO BE UPDATED UNTIL OCTOBER 30TH BASED ON NEW RESPONSES. THANK YOU.

FReshman Research Initiative

2023 unofficial student Guide

Welcome to the FRI student feedback page, presented by Catalyst Magazine! The pioneering Freshman Research Initiative (FRI) gives first-year students the opportunity to initiate and engage in real-world research experience with faculty and graduate students. Scroll or select from the index below to browse FRI streams and view feedback from your peers on their experiences in each stream. We hope this resource will help you find the undergraduate research experience that's tailored to you!


About the Information: All information is from students who took an anonymous survey about their experiences in their respective FRI streams, and is not affiliated with the FRI/TIDES office. The most recent update to this list covered the 2022-2023 academic year, and only includes ACTIVE streams. Some streams may be relatively new and have minimal data available. Responses have been edited for clarity and to ensure students remain anonymous. Opinions expressed in the guide do not represent the views of Catalyst and are not intended to represent the views of all students in each stream. Catalyst cannot ensure the accuracy of the responses represented below. We encourage you to use this guide as one information source among many. Official stream information is linked below for each section and can be found on the official UT FRI website.


Aptamers

FRI BIOCHEMISTRY STREAM

Recommended Majors: Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Human Development and Family Sciences, Human Ecology, Medical Laboratory Science, Neuroscience, Nutritional Sciences, Public Health

Similar Streams: Bioactive Molecules, Biobricks, DIY Diagnostics, Virtual Cures

Average Hours in Lab: 6-8 hours/week, 8+ hours

Skills/Takeaways: PCR, pipetting skills, reverse transcription, transcription, ethanol precipitation, gel electrophoresis, reading publications, scientific communication, gel analysis, SELEX, designing an experiment, mentorship, genetics and biochemistry knowledge

Student Projects in the Stream:

  • “This past semester, I worked on the Database Project which is now named the UTexas Aptamer Database. In this new system, aptamer sequences are compiled in a unified source with aptamer information and selection conditions. Through this project, we were able to work on creating the largest existing functional aptamer database in the world, and we were also able to work on a paper.”

  • “We had to write a lab report about our chosen target and how our aptamers will be used for either diagnostics, drug delivery, or therapeutics. We researched the targets from a list and chose one that we were interested in. It was almost entirely independent, and was kind of difficult to choose with only a little bit of guidance from the mentors/RE.”

  • “We constructed a database for existing aptamers and collected information about their binding affinities, DNA/RNA sequences, and real-life applications.” (2021-2022)

  • “The project I am currently working on is the JoVE Publication project, which aims to create a manuscript and video protocol of the SELEX method utilized in the Aptamer stream to provide interested researchers and biotech companies with an affordable and accessible protocol for aptamer selection.” (2021-2022)

  • “The main project is generally selection of a student chosen target. In my case, it was a synthetic enzyme named RTX. It's a long term, independent project that involves using the SELEX process (which is a cyclical method of selection, amplification, and purification) to select for an aptamer with strong binding affinity against RTX in the specific conditions set up during selection.” (2021-2022)

Strengths:

  • Applicability of concepts and techniques outside of stream

  • Support from mentors

  • Support from research educator

  • Work is collaborative

  • Work and learning felt impactful

  • Content and work is interesting

  • Lab community and culture

  • Skillset learned

Weaknesses:

  • Workload was excessive or overwhelming

  • Lab community and culture

  • Insufficient support/guidance from research educator

  • Lab work and concepts did not feel very applicable outside of the stream

  • Not enough flexibility

Students said…

  • “I felt like my Aptamates were one of the best parts of the stream, and seeing them in lab and in large/small group meetings motivated me to do my best work.”

  • “Aptamers is a big commitment. Each week, you have large group, small group, and 6 hours of lab (in 2, 3-hour lab blocks). It gets kind of overwhelming if you're not keeping on top of your work. Make sure to ask LOTS of questions about lab reports and notebook checks, because the grading can sometimes be ambiguous.”

  • “Amazing work environment. The mentors are amazing and the RE is always really supportive and available to help! Learned so much!!” (2021-2022)

  • “Depending on the project, you'll have a lot of freedom, which can be overwhelming and frustrating at times. Research is ultimately student-driven, so it's a learning process. In the end though, I do think that experience is valuable.” (2021-2022)

  • “The teaching method utilized in the stream is not sufficient for all students and despite constant criticism, the research educator refuses to adopt a new method that may make the concepts more understandable and less overwhelming for the students. There also needs to be more support for the students by the research educator.” (2021-2022)


Autonomous Robots

COMPUTER SCIENCE STREAM

Recommended Majors: Computer Science, Mathematics

Similar Streams: Robot Learning, Autonomous Robots, Quantum Computing, Behavioral Neuroscience, Discrete Mathematics DIY Diagnostics, Glow Worms

Average Hours in Lab: Less than 2 hours/week

Skills/Takeaways: C++, Reading scientific papers, ROS (Robot Operating System), Python, integrating hardware, how to code on robots and build systems that contribute towards the autonomy of these robots

Student Projects in the Stream:

  • “My current project involves creating an editing program to assist in training our tour robot to provide insightful conversations with guests.”

  • “The final project from FRI my group worked on was to explore having a robot find and follow a specific person through the combination of facial recognition and body tracking.”

  • “A project I did in the stream was writing a program in C++ to filter different colored cups based on their color.”

  • “I've worked on numerous projects since my freshman year. My FRI 1 project was about using the robot to go around the GDC 3rd floor computer lab and count how many people are in it and then tweet out the capacity of the lab so people can know whether there's space for them of they were to come over. I learned C++, basic linear algebra, and simple computer vision techniques through this simple but entertaining project.” (2021-2022)

  • “One project we did in our stream focused on making a robot move around in simulation, read text off of photos, and store the text along with coordinate locations. It was an independent group project in C++ that occurred over a month, including a project proposal, final paper, and class presentation. (2021-2022)

  • “My final project was a robot that provided live closed-captioning for a conversation near it. Our group used the Microsoft Azure Kinect microphone to record the audio, the Google Speech-to-Text API to transcribe it, and the Python Curses library to format the terminal screen that displayed the text.” (2021-2022)

Strengths

  • Support from mentors

  • Support from research educator

  • Work is collaborative

  • Work is independent/self-paced

  • Flexibility

  • Workload

Weaknesses

  • Lack of clear structure or structure did not feel effective

  • Pace of class

  • Workload was excessive or overwhelming

  • Not enough flexibility

Students said…

  • “A good amount of debugging random issues on lab machines, taking away time from doing the actual research.”

  • “Very much a ‘figure it out’ stream.”

  • “Lot of independence and the research we do is relevant to the field and teaches us a lot.” (2021-2022)

  • “Every group gets their own research project, nowadays with high publication potential. If you're not interested in that, you can get a project with a lower workload, but it's still intensive enough that you gain relevant industry experience.” (2021-2022)

  • "The workload wasn't excessive but it definitely can feel excessive especially for non computer science majors. Trying to learn programming while doing this stream is a bad idea." (2021-2022)

  • “I wish that the people teaching this class took it more seriously.” (2021-2022)


Behavioral NeuroscienCE

BIOLOGY STREAM

Recommended Majors: Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Human Development and Family Sciences, Mathematics, Medical Laboratory Science, Neuroscience, Physics, Public Health

Similar Streams: Behavioral Neuroscience, Microbe Hackers, Big Data in Biology, Biobricks, Fish Behavior, Gene Networks, Glow Worms, Urban Ecosystems, Bioactive Molecules, DIY Diagnostics, Practical Sensors

Average Hours in Lab: 4-6 hours/week

Skills/Takeaways: R Studio, behavioral assays, research proposal, lab report writing, reading scientific publications

Student Projects in the Stream:

  • “We did an aggression assay based on ethanol sedation to understand if males become more aggressive with alcohol!"

  • “One project we did was to determine the amount of activity demonstrated by a drosophila melanogaster organism. An activity assay was conducted, and results were analyzed using R. This was a very hands-on experience."

  • “Understand the role of genes in behavior, such as learning and memory.”

Weaknesses

  • Lack of clear structure or structure did not feel effective

  • Not enough flexibility

  • Lab work and concepts did not feel very applicable outside of the stream

  • Lab community and culture

Strengths

  • Support from mentors

  • Support from research educator

  • Work is independent/self-paced

  • Content and work is interesting

  • Work is collaborative

  • Skillset learned

  • Flexibility

  • Workload

  • Lab community and culture

  • Applicability of concepts and techniques outside of stream

  • Work and learning felt impactful


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Big Data in Biology

COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY STREAM

Unfortunately, we do not have new student response data for this stream.

all responses for this stream are from the 2021-2022 fri guide.

Recommended Majors: Biochemistry, Biology, Computer Science, Mathematics, Neuroscience, Chemistry, Medical Laboratory Science, Public Health

Similar Streams: Functional Genomics, Computational Materials, Geometry of Space, White Dwarfs, Biobricks, DIY Diagnostics, Microbe Hackers, Nano Chemistry

Average Hours in Lab: 4-6 hours/week (variable responses)

Skills/Takeaways: RNA-Seq Data Analysis, Basic Python, R, Unix, Bash Scripting, Differential Gene Expression Analysis, Reading Scientific Publications, Creating Scientific Presentations, UNIX, PCR, Statistical Analysis, Command Line

Student Projects in the Stream:

  • “A project in the stream was to bioinformatically identify differentially expressed genes between healthy individuals and patients with ALS. This involved creating an SNP caller, creating a sequence aligner, and carrying out differential gene expression analysis. The project was done using Python and was done in groups.”

  • “The mini project was to compare samples between multiple sclerosis and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. The project used many statistical Python packages. A lot of guidance was given but it felt rushed.”

  • “A project was to evaluate bioinformatic tools that call out structural variants in genetic data and compare and contrast them.”

Strengths

  • Support from mentors

  • Support from research educator

  • Work is collaborative

  • Applicability of concepts and techniques outside of stream

  • Work and learning felt impactful

  • Content and work is interesting

  • Skillset learned

  • Structure of the stream

  • Flexibility

  • Workload

  • Work is independent/self-paced

  • Lab community and culture

Weaknesses

  • Lab community and culture

  • Workload was excessive or overwhelming

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Students said…

  • “Very different from the experience I've heard about some of the other streams... very collaborative but also every opportunity to be independent or take the lead on something! A lot of support from research education and all the mentors and the timings are very flexible. Timings are self paced and the skills you learn in the stream unlock so many new opportunities for you outside of FRI.”

  • “Although the timings are flexible and the workload isn't too bad, it definitely is an intense time commitment” 


Bioactive Molecules

chemistry stream

Recommended Majors: Biology, Chemistry, Medical Laboratory Science, Neuroscience, Biochemistry

Similar Streams: Biobricks, DIY Diagnostics, Glow Worms, Aptamer, Bugs in Bugs, Gene Networks

Average Hours in Lab: 4 - 6 hours/week

Skills/Takeaways: Functional Groups, IR, TLC, Thin-Layer Chromatography, Rotary Evaporation, Infrared Spectroscopy, NMR, Liquid Extraction, Literature Review

Student Projects in the Stream:

  • “We created a series of amantadine schiff bases and modified their functional groups in order to produced a Structure-Activity Relationship profile for amantadine.”

  • “One project was to practice extracting an organic solvent from an aqueous solvent using a separatory funnel. It was a good introduction to organic chemistry laboratory techniques.” (2021-2022)

  • “We used to choose 3-4 molecules to synthesize in lab for fall semester and work on making the reactions more efficient (higher yields and more pure product) through trial and error in our synthesis reactions.” (2021-2022)

Strengths

  • Applicability of concepts and techniques outside of stream

  • Content and work is interesting

  • Skillset learned

  • Lab community and culture

  • Flexibility

  • Support from mentors

  • Structure of the stream

  • Workload

Weaknesses: 

  • Lab community and culture

  • Lack of clear structure or structure did not feel effective

Students said…

  • “This stream has a lower time commitment compared to many other streams I have heard from– I have never had to come in on a weekend or spend significantly more than the 4-6 hours weekly required time in lab. Mentors have also been very helpful.”

  • “The RE is really great, and she means the best for every student. Most of the work is independent, but the lab environment is very nice, so you don’t necessarily feel lonely.”  (2021-2022)

  • “It is a difficult stream, but it introduces you to organic chemistry very well and gives a lot of insight into medicinal chemistry and pharmaceuticals. The information I learned here was very valuable.” (2021-2022)

  • “Sometimes the instructions from the RE can be quite vague in terms of constructing a lab report and getting through experiments. However, it’s part of the learning process. There is definitely a large learning curve.” (2021-2022)


Biobricks

Biochemistry stream

Recommended Majors: Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Medical Laboratory Science

Similar Streams: Biobricks, Gene Networks, Glow Worms, Supra Sensors

Average Hours in Lab: 6-8 hours/weeks

Skills/Takeaways: PCR, Gel, Miniprep/Sterile Technique, Reading Scientific Publications, Presentation Skills

Student Projects in the Stream:

  • “The main project freshman will work on is the Purple Protein Project, which teaches students every step needed in Biobricks, from isolating and confirming a DNA sample to chemically confirming a protein structure through Western Blot Analysis.”

  • “I worked at the CDX2 protein project. The goal was to introduce point mutations to the protein to understand its interaction with ATM and MRN complex that are important players in DNA double strand break repair system.” (2021-2022)

  • “So far, I have worked on the purple protein project that included expression of the Meffcp GBR protein in E.Coli, done by DNA miniprep, agarose gel electrophoresis, transformation and induction of colonies, protein purification via affinity chromatography, SDS-PAGE gel, and western blotting. This project was mostly mentor-led to introduce students to foundational lab techniques.” (2021-2022)

  • “I worked on the CDHR3 project which was an initiative under the McClellan lab to develop a vaccine against RV-C common cold infections. The goal of our project was to increase the solubility of the protein where RV-C binds in order to allow for the structure to be imaged via c-ray crystallography so that antibodies could be developed against the structure.” (2021-2022)

Strengths: 

  • Support from mentors and research educators

  • Work is independent/self-paced

  • Work and learning felt impactful

  • Lab community and culture

  • Applicability of concepts and techniques outside of stream

  • Flexible

  • Work is collaborative

  • Content and work is interesting

  • Skillset learned

  • Structure of the stream

  • Workload

Weaknesses: 

  • Workload was excessive or overwhelming

  • Skillset learned felt insufficient

  • Lack of clear structure or structure did not feel effective

  • Inconsistent or confusing procedures

  • Untidy lab spaces

Students said…

  • “Overall Biobricks is what you make out of it. There’s a lot of flexibility in the stream for everyone’s strengths and weaknesses.”

  • “Because many of us are working on different projects, it’s a bit hard to brainstorm/can feel a bit lonely especially when things don’t work out.”

  • “Biobricks is one of the most popular and competitive streams for a good reason. Dr. Yang facilitates such a positive atmosphere that it rubs off on everyone in a good way. Coming into the lab has become a highlight of my week. The work I do feels meaningful and the people I have met are all wonderful. Highly recommend.” (2021-2022)

  • “This stream is the one part of my college career that I truly feel supported both academically and mentally! Dr. Yang is the absolute best and is very understanding and relatable.” (2021-2022)

  • “Although the workload was a little bit too much, or so it felt like that during my first semester in the stream, I did learn a lot from writing weekly lab reports. But the following semester gets much better in the workload-less reports and more flexibility in scheduling.” (2021-2022)


Biodiversity discovery

Biology stream

Unfortunately, we do not have new student response data for this stream.

all responses for this stream are from the 2021-2022 fri guide.

Recommended Majors: Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Human Ecology, Public Health, Medical Laboratory Science

Similar Streams: Behavioral Neuroscience, Glow Worms, Luminators, Microbe Hackers, Urban Ecosystems, Bugs in Bugs, Fish Behavior, Functional Genomics, Plant Pathways

Average Hours in Lab: 2-4 hours/week

Skills/Takeaways: PCR, scientific writing, proper lab etiquette

Student Projects in the Stream:

  • “A project in the stream involved DNA sequencing of salamander samples with the goal of determining the species.”

  • “Once we were responsible for creating agarose gel and running electrophoresis to distinguish between different species of reptiles.”

Strengths: 

  • Support from Mentors

  • Work is collaborative

  • Applicability of concepts and techniques outside of stream

Weaknesses: 

  • Lack of clear structure or structure did not feel effective

  • Insufficient guidance and support from mentors

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Bio-Manufacturing

BIOTECHNOLOGY STREAM

Unfortunately, we do not have student response data for this stream.

IF WOULD LIKE TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK FOR THIS STREAM, PLEASE CONTACT THE CATALYST TEAM.


Bioprospecting

BioCHEMISTRY STREAM

Recommended Majors:  Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Human Ecology, Medical Laboratory Science, Neuroscience, Nutritional Sciences, Physics, Public Health

Similar Streams: Biobricks, Gene Networks, Glow Worms, Microbe Hackers, DIY Diagnostics, Fish Behavior

Average Hours in Lab: Between 4-8 hours/week

Skills/Takeaways: PCR, Microbial Culturing, Gel Electrophoresis, DNA Extraction, Microscopy, Dissection, Pipetting, DNA/RNA Extraction, qPCR, sequencing, reading scientific publications

Student Projects in the Stream:

  • “A project I worked on in this stream dealt with Superworms. In this project, we looked at the gut biome of mealworms in order to investigate the mechanisms by which they are able to digest polystyrene which is non-biodegradable. The project was fairly independent but did involve collaborating with others working on the project i.e. for dissection or DNA Extraction.”

  • “I worked on the genetic response to stress in plants. The project required several steps of useful lab protocols and was fairly independent, but quite collaborative.”

  • “A recently added project in this stream is examining carnivorous plants and their relationship with microbes. During the first semester, we learned to research methods, background information, and analysis processes in order to create a research proposal. In the second semester, we began experimenting with culturing microbes from a variety of carnivorous plants in hopes of finding a microbe, metabolite, or enzyme that may have further implications.”

  • “I worked on isolating bacteria in the rhizosphere from the bacteria in the rhizoplane with samples from BFL.”

Strengths:

  • Support from mentors

  • Support from research educator

  • Work is independent/self-paced

  • Work and learning felt impactful

  • Content and work is interesting

  • Skillset learned

  • Lab community and culture

  • Structure of the stream

  • Flexibility

  • Workload

Weaknesses:

  • Lack of clear structure or structure did not feel effective

  • Lab work and concepts did not feel meaningful or interesting

  • Lab work and concepts did not feel very applicable outside of the stream

  • Insufficient support/guidance from mentors

  • Class lectures did not always connect with lab work

  • Workload was excessive or overwhelming

Students said…

  • “Overall, the vibe of the stream was very friendly and positive and I felt good going into lab. We have a good community with both peers and mentors. Also, the workload was not too overwhelming and I still felt as though I was learning lab skills.”

  • “BioP is an extremely close-knit family, with a manageable workload. Moreover, mentors are super experienced and always happy to help! This makes asking questions and seeking help something that is super comfortable! The RE is also super friendly and always supportive!”

  • “I enjoy how the stream follows the “figure- it-out-yourself” mindset because it teaches you how to be independent. Though we also are strongly supported by our peer mentors too!”

  • “While the first semester did have quite a structured format, I did feel as though this semester I was just thrown into my project without really any direction or background.”

  • “This stream allows students to work at their own pace, which may not work for students who prefer structure or being told which experiments to do.”


Bugs in Bugs

Biology stream

Unfortunately, we do not have new student response data for this stream.

all responses for this stream are from the 2021-2022 fri guide.

Recommended Majors:  Biology, Environmental Science, Biochemistry, Human Ecology, Human Development and Family Sciences, Public Health, Medical Laboratory Science, Neuroscience, Nutritional Sciences

Similar Streams: Biodiversity, Microbe Hackers, Urban Ecosystems, Bioactive Molecules, Behavioral Neuroscience, Glow Worms, DIY Diagnostics, Biobricks

Average Hours in Lab: 2-8 hours/week (variable responses)

Skills/Takeaways: Reading scientific publications, PCR, bacterial plating and passaging, Agarose gel electrophoresis, Sanger sequencing, spectrophotometry, insect dissection, specimen collection and curation

Student Projects in the Stream:

  • “One project we plated bacteria from the gut of a honeybee, used PCR to amplify their genetic material, and identified the species based on our own data and findings.”

  • “I am screening many species of native bees for a novel virus that resembles a virus found commonly in mosquitos. This allowed me to work independently and lead a team of students.”

  • “At the end of the semester, we had to write a research proposal that we could work on during the following semester (because we weren't able to work in a lab during the pandemic). I wrote my paper on the gut microbiota of dung beetle larvae and drew a lot of my information from the literature review I wrote earlier in the semester. The project was good practice in collecting research papers, writing introductions and methods, and presenting research, but it involved no lab work.”

Strengths: 

  • Support from mentors

  • Work and learning felt impactful

  • Work is collaborative or independent/self-paced

Weaknesses: 

  • Workload felt excessive or overwhelming

  • Lack of clear structure or structure did not feel effective

  • Skillset felt insufficient

Students said…

  • “The Bugs in Bugs Stream has perhaps the best lab culture of any stream I know of. We are all friends and collaborators that truly strive to support one another in every step of the scientific process and college experience. We have adapted together throughout the pandemic and have, by far, some of the most cutting-edge research without any of the ‘cutting-edge’ attitudes.”

  • “The research educator and peer mentors are super helpful! They all make themselves available whenever assistance is needed.”

  • “There was often insufficient funds and materials to get publishable work done.”

  • “The workload can be overwhelming at times, so I would choose it as the biggest weakness, BUT this stream is great and there a lot of options and ways to get help.”


Computational Materials

computational chemistry stream

Unfortunately, we do not have new student response data for this stream.

all responses for this stream are from the 2021-2022 fri guide.

Recommended Majors: Chemistry, Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics

Similar Streams: EvoDevOmics, Gene Networks, White Dwarf Stars, Robot Learning

Average Hours in Lab: 2-4 hours/week

Skills/Takeaways: Python, reading scientific works, research experience, machine learning skills

Student Projects in the Stream:

  • “One big portion of this stream was optimization of chemical structures of nanoparticles. At some point we were asked to recreate the method used by the cluster to optimize a system through our own Python code. This was as any coding task very challenging at first but after getting it done it felt amazing to know that everything you did was only yours to celebrate.” 

Strengths:

  • Support from research educator

  • Work is independent/self-paced

  • Applicability of concepts and techniques outside of stream

  • Skillset learned

  • Structure of the stream

  • Flexibility

Weaknesses:

  • Lack of clear structure or structure did not feel effective

  • Lab work and concepts did not feel meaningful or interesting

Students said…

  • “You can really do your job anywhere, since most of the activities are coding based. As such, you will gain a lot of computational skills that can be easily translated in a variety of settings.” 

Students said…

  • “This class is often very quick paced. It is common for students to feel lost at some lectures and key concepts.”


Discovering Signals

biology stream

Unfortunately, we do not have new student response data for this stream.

all responses for this stream are from the 2021-2022 fri guide.

Recommended Majors: Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Medical Laboratory Science, Neuroscience

Similar Streams: Behavioral Neuroscience, Biodiversity, Fish Behavior, Plant Pathways, Bioactive molecules, Biobricks, DIY Diagnostics, Bugs in Bugs

Average Hours in Lab: 2 - 4 hours/week

Skills/Takeaways: ImageJ, Reading scientific publications, pipetting, scientific communication, sterile technique, data analysis, X software

Student Projects in the Stream:

  • “I really enjoyed my experience in FRI and would apply again if I could redo my college experience!”

  • “Overall, great experience in the stream, I am a mentor for the stream now and I have thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of this stream.”

  • “I am very grateful to Dr. Clark for being committed to the lab, but also each of the student's success during their undergraduate experience. Dr. Clark has been the only professor to actively reach out to me to ask how I am doing, assuring me I could always count on him for anything.”

Strengths:

  • Support from mentors

  • Support from Research Educator

  • Work is independent/self-paced

  • Content and work is interesting

  • Lab and community/culture

  • Structure of the stream

  • Flexibility

  • Workload

  • Work and learning felt impactful

  • Skillset learned

  • Applicability of concepts and techniques outside of stream

Students said…

  • “The research educator is extremely flexible, understanding, and nice. The overall structure of this stream is very chill and not a lot of time commitment.”

  • “Dr. Clark is a fantastic research educator. He is very knowledgeable and understand how to portray info in a helpful manner, while also being understanding and flexible. The flexibility and workload are really good and the research and techniques are interesting as well.”

  • “There’s enormous flexibility in that after the first semester you schedule every step of your experiments and you get to design your own experiments (within reason).”

Weaknesses:

  • Lab work and concepts did not feel very applicable outside of the stream

  • Skillset learned felt insufficient

  • Lack of clear structure or structure did not feel effective

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Students said…

  • “The stream is very self paced and independent at times, so it can be challenging as a novel researcher to get up to speed and it takes some time to feel confident in the work you are doing.”

  • “Learned a good intro skill set for working in lab and designing experiments but did not learn PCR or more advanced lab techniques like some of my peers in FRI.”


Discrete Mathematics

mathematics stream

Recommended Majors: Computer Science, Mathematics

Similar Streams: Geometry of Space, White Dwarf Stars

Average Hours in Lab: 2-4 hours/week

Skills/Takeaways: Reading Scientific Publications, Math Language Comprehension, Writing Original Math Research

Student Projects in the Stream:

  • “We worked in groups to analyze a published paper of our choice and expand on the math present. We collaborated consistently with our groups over the course of the semester.”

  • “A project we did was to read and understand a math paper, then write a new paper on said paper as well as to give a presentation. The project was done in groups and really teaches you how to read and comprehend math papers… This is a fairly unique stream since it's one of, if not the only, math-based stream, so in a lot of ways this stream just has to do things differently. In the simplest terms, this is a modified discrete class that alongside teaching discrete, teaches how to read and write math research papers, and has a fantastic professor. Anyone who is interested in proofs or math research would find this stream interesting if not fun.” (2021-2022)

Strengths:

  • Support from mentors

  • Applicability of concepts and techniques outside of stream

  • Content and work is interesting

  • Skillset learned

  • Flexibility

Weaknesses:

  • Lack of clear structure or structure did not feel effective

Students said…

  • “There is so much experience to be gained from analyzing real math papers and expanding upon their topics. It really gives you the flexibility to choose topics you are passionate about and go to the depth that you prefer.”

  • “The projects we worked on for the Undergraduate Research Forum were very open-ended. While that did give more student autonomy, sometimes students felt a bit lost in the weeds of what they were actually trying to work on.”


DIY Diagnostics

Multidisciplinary stream

Recommended Majors: Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Environmental Science, Human Ecology, Medical Laboratory,  Nutritional Sciences, Public Health, Mathematics, Neuroscience, Human Development and Family Sciences

Similar Streams: Aptamer, Behavioral Neuroscience, DIY Diagnostics, Gene Networks, Supra Sensors, Biobricks, Biomanufacturing, Glow Worms, Microbe Hackers, Urban Ecosystems, Fish Behavior, Virtual Cures, Behavioral Neuroscience

Average Hours in Lab: 4- 8 hours/week

Skills/Takeaways: PCR, Pipetting, coding, LAMP, qPCR, website-based programming, public health, lab protocol, publication reading, incubation, culture sampling, notebook maintenance, science safety protocol, proper pipetting technique, html

Student Projects in the Stream:

  • “A project in the stream was to test the contamination of e. coli in water streams on campus. We did thus through many different techniques including qPCR to compare the skills.”

  • “Building a UTI detection device using LAMP protocol and sterilization technique.”

  • “Using LAMP to detect the bacteria that causes Syphilis.” (2021-2022)

  • “A project in the stream was to sample Waller Creek to test for E. Coli and Enterococcus. The project entailed field sampling, followed by sample processing using filtration and was a collaborative effort." (2021-2022)

  • “An independent research project detecting live/dead cells for mycobacterium bovis BCG. The project utilized both qPCR and the LAMP nucleic acid amplification techniques with propidium monoazide. A major weakness of this project is that there is little perceived practicality of a successful diagnostic. Despite the weakness of this project, it has yielded successful results and enhanced our understanding of the robust nature of the loop-mediated isothermal amplification method when paired with other chemicals.” (2021-2022)

Strengths:

  • Support from mentors

  • Support from research educator

  • Work is collaborative/self-paced

  • Applicability of concepts and techniques outside of stream

  • Work and learning felt impactful

  • Content and work is interesting

  • Flexibility

  • Lab community and culture

  • Structure of the stream

  • Workload

  • Skillset Learned

Students said…

  • “Workweeks could feel a bit overwhelming at times but adequate time management makes it possible. Some mentors could be condescending and not as supportive as others.”

  • “The structure of the lab is meant to encourage students to learn skills that are useful inside and outside of the lab.” (2021-2022)

  • “The teacher is really good at establishing workload and making sure your work is being done properly.”(2021-2022)

Weaknesses:

  • Lack of clear structure/ too much flexibility

  • Skillset learned felt insufficient

  • Getting started can feel confusing/overwhelming

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Energy Analytics

interdisciplinary stream


Unfortunately, we do not have student response data for this stream.

If you would like to provide feedback for this stream, please contact the catalyst team.

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Evodevomics

COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY STREAM

Recommended Majors: Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Environmental Science, Mathematics, Neuroscience, Human Ecology, Public Health

Similar Streams: Big Data in Biology, Energy Analytics, Geometry of Space, X-Plants, Behavioral Neuroscience, Bioactive Molecules, Fish Behavior, Autonomous Robots

Average Hours in Lab: 4-8 hours

Skills/Takeaways: R/R Studio, general biology analysis

Student Projects in the Stream:

  • “A project in the stream was to analyze wrangle and transform a dataset using R.”

  • “We looked into thermosensor genes on ants in different locations across Texas. We applied what we learned about graphing in R to the gene dataset to try to find any correlation. It was a group project effort which was helpful.”

  • “Genomic analysis on Poison Dart Frogs”

Students said…

  • “I think I mainly just didn't like how much detailed coding there was and how fast we went through it. It was overwhelming because I had no prior experience. I also felt like since it wasn't a wet lab the research didn't feel impactful.”

  • “Workweeks could feel a bit overwhelming at times but adequate time management makes it possible. Some mentors could be condescending and not as supportive as others.”

Strengths:

  • Support from mentors

  • Support from research educator

  • Work is independent/self-paced

  • Skillset learned

  • Work is collaborative

  • Flexibility

Weaknesses:

  • Lack of clear structure/ too much flexibility

  • Skillset learned felt insufficient

  • Lab work and concepts did not feel very applicable outside of the stream

  • Lab work and concepts did not feel meaningful or interesting



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Fish Behavior

biology stream

Unfortunately, we do not have new student response data for this stream.

all responses for this stream are from the 2021-2022 fri guide.

Recommended Majors: Biology, Biochemistry, Environmental Science, Human Ecology, Neuroscience, Medical Laboratory Science, Public Health, Computer Science

Similar Streams: Bioactive Molecules, Biobricks, DIY Diagnostics, Behavioral Neuroscience, Urban Ecosystems, Bugs in Bugs, Gene Networks

Average Hours in Lab: 4-8 hours/week

Skills/Takeaways: R-Studio; Reading, interpreting, and discussing scientific journals; Handling fish and collaborating with peers on research projects; Setting up and designing real trials to test real-world behaviors; Cowlog application; Image-J; Ethovision

Student Projects in the Stream: 

  • “We worked on a project studying fish learning ability in a detour maze. The project utilized R-Studio and was fairly collaborative. Great support from the research educator and even the PI!”

  • “One experiment we worked with dealt with female tendency to shoal as a result of harassment or competition. The females were raised in various environments with a different number of males and females; we wanted to see if the environment which the female grew up in resulted in learned behaviors to avoid  harassment from other male or female fish.”

  • "One project in this stream was to look at an assay called "Detour" to analyze fish social motivation and spatial cognition. The project utilized live recording and hand score skills."

Strengths:

  • Support from mentors

  • Support from research educator

  • Work is collaborative

  • Work is independent/self-paced

  • Applicability of concepts and techniques outside of stream

  • Work and learning felt impactful

  • Content and work is interesting

  • Skill set learned

  • Lab community and culture

  • Structure of the stream

  • Flexibility

  • Workload

Weaknesses:

  • Lab work and concepts did not feel very applicable outside of the stream

  • Insufficient support/guidance from research educator

  • Lack of clear structure or structure did not feel effective

  • Skill set learned felt insufficient

  • Workload was excessive or overwhelming

Students said… 

  • “This stream is amazing! Mentors are very nice and will always help out if needed and the labs are very fun to set up and run! The research investigator is also very nice and hardworking. :)”

  • “If you’re interested in animal behavior, this is the stream for you!”

  • “Great, approachable RE.”

  • "This lab provides great opportunities for undergraduates to develop their own research ideas and independent project."

  • "Fish behavior is great, it teaches so many skills and has very flexible hours!"

  • “Live animals are a bit more difficult to work compared to graduated cylinders of chemicals, but it is also very rewarding to name all of the fish, watch them swim and solve difficult tasks given to them!”

  • “If you aren’t planning on working with fish, then it’s probably not super applicable. But we learned how to use R to analyze data and that might be more broadly applicable to other labs.”

  • "Sometimes you get wet from carrying water! But after a while, you get much better at avoiding spills"


Gene Networks

biochemistry stream

Recommended Majors: Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Medical Laboratory Science, Neuroscience, Public Health

Similar Streams: Aptamers, Behavioral Neuroscience, Big Data in Biology, Biobricks, Bioactive Molecules, DIY Diagnostics, Functional Genomics, Plant Pathways, Virtual Cures

Average Hours in Lab: 6-8 hours/week

Skills/Takeaways: PCR; Molecular structure modeling; Reading, writing, and presenting scientific literature; Reading scientific papers; Writing research proposals; Grant writing; Megaprimer synthesis

Students Projects in the Lab: 

  • “A project in the stream was to determine the effects of protein interaction on mutated genes. The project was fairly independent, unlikely to be completed within a semester (or 2) and required a lot of PCR. “ (2021-2022)

  • “Goal was to describe which amino acids in the RNA-recognition motif (RRM) domains of RNA-binding proteins (RBM) were essential for binding to spliceosomes via attraction to U2AF homology motif (UHM) domains. We used 3d modeling software (Chimera) to simulate and analyze dipeptide bonding and worked in groups of 6-8 overseen by mentors and often met with the RE.” (2021-2022)

  • “A project in this stream was to create a megaprimer with mutated DNA and introduce it into bacteria cells. The project utilized PCRs and bacterial transformations and was independent.” (2021-2022)

  • “I studied the RBM5 protein and how mutations potentially lead to cancerous growths.” (2021-2022)

Strengths:

  • Support from mentors

  • Support from research educator

  • Work is independent/self-paced

  • Applicability of concepts and techniques outside of stream

  • Work and learning felt impactful

  • Content and work is interesting

  • Skillset learned

  • Lab community and culture

  • Structure of the stream

  • Flexibility

  • Workload

Weaknesses:

  • Insufficient support/guidance from RE

  • Lab work and concepts did not feel meaningful or interesting

  • Workload was excessive or overwhelming

  • Lack of clear structure or structure did not feel effective

  • Lab community and culture

Students said…

  • “Mentors are great. Al [RE] also has a lot of knowledge. “ (2021-2022)

  • “We do a lot of group work which counts as participation and extra credit but we're graded primarily on individual end-of-the-semester project-size assignments (i.e. grant proposal draft, scientific paper draft, etc.). The flexibility of assignments and due dates makes the stream essentially self-paced too.” (2021-2022)

  • “Except for a few times in the spring, you schedule your own lab time/blocks. Also, lab is open until 8 M-TH so it usually helps when you have to be in lab for longer protocols.”

  • Paraphrased Student Response: Student expressed that RE had made insensitive comments towards them, and that student and peers had found RE to be “sarcastic and condescending.” (2021-2022)

  • “Focus of the lab is GPATCH proteins. The functions of them are not well known and I never really understood what we were actually doing.” (2021-2022)

  • “Lab culture was very cliquey and toxic at times. RE was extremely rude to students on multiple occasions and was unprofessional- not a comfortable space to learn.” (2021-2022)

  • “There are times when there are several assignments due within a specific time frame. But deadlines are usually soft, so it takes off some of the pressure.”


Geometry of Space

multidisciplinary stream

Unfortunately, we do not have new student response data for this stream.

all responses for this stream are from the 2021-2022 fri guide.

Recommended Majors: Astronomy, Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics

Similar Streams: Big Data in Biology, Quantum Computing, Robot Learning, White Dwarfs, Autonomous Robots

Average Hours in Lab: 2-4 hours/week

Skills/Takeaways: Python, Astronomy, Reading scientific publications, stellar evolution, data analysis, SQL

Projects in the Stream:

  • “We plotted the stars from the Yale Bright Star Catalog on an HR diagram using python and pgAdmin database software. This was an independent project but you could ask peers, etc for advice or help.”

  • “We did a project on extracting data from a file and then writing a script to output a graph of the data. It was simple yet it touched upon many facets of data science.”

Strengths:

  • Support from mentors

  • Support from research educator

  • Work is collaborative

  • Applicability of concepts and techniques outside of stream

  • Content and work is interesting

  • Flexibility

  • Workload

Weaknesses:

  • Insufficient support/guidance from mentors

  • Lack of clear structure or structure did not feel effective

  • Lab work and concepts did not feel meaningful or interesting

  • Lab work and concepts did not feel very applicable outside of the stream

  • Workload was excessive or overwhelming

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Students Said…

  • “I wouldn't allow students with no computer science background into this stream. I had no experience, and I found it to be extremely difficult with little support from the professor. He expected base knowledge that I didn't have and refused to teach me it.”

  • “This stream is very interesting but if you want to maximize the experience, you'll have to do a lot of learning outside of class.”


Glow Worms

biology stream

Unfortunately, we do not have new student response data for this stream.

all responses for this stream are from the 2021-2022 fri guide.

Recommended Majors: Biochemistry, Biology, Human Development and Family Sciences, Human Ecology, Medical Laboratory Science, Neuroscience, Public Health

Similar Streams: Aptamer, Big Data in Biology, Bioactive Molecules, Biobricks, Functional Genomics, Virtual Cures

Average Hours in Lab: 2-6 hours/week

Skills/Takeaways: PCR, CRISPR design strategy, bacterial transformation, reading scientific publications, reading genomes, gel electrophoresis

Student Projects in the Stream:

  • “One project we worked on was designing our CRISPR strategy for our gene of interest. We used several online programs and softwares and the work was mainly independent with some help from the mentors.”

  • “Coded my own gene and inserted homology arms, made mutations, etc.”

  • “My independent project was to choose a gene, create a successful gene strategy through online programs, then conduct wet lab techniques to inject my plasmid 1 and plasmid 2 into worms to analyze its expression.”

Strengths:

  • Support from mentors

  • Support from research educator

  • Work is independent/self-paced

  • Applicability of concepts and techniques outside of stream

  • Content and work is interesting

  • Skillset learned

  • Lab community and culture

  • Structure of the stream

  • Flexibility

Weaknesses:

  • Insufficient support/guidance from mentors

  • Insufficient support/guidance from research educator

  • Work is very decentralized

  • Lack of clear structure or structure did not feel effective

Students said…

  • “I felt very supported by my research educator and mentors while learning, especially when I was going through some rough times. The workload is not too much, but enough to understand the material and be interested.”

  • “Glow Worms has a semester-long, on-going competition between houses (yes like in Harry Potter) where students are sorted into Houses and compete each semester for a prize. It's absolutely amazing and shoutout to our RE Ryan and all the mentors for putting it together!”

  • “Since the stream is new, there’s a lot of ways input from students can really shape the way things work.”

  • “I think another asset to the stream is the collaborative and fun stream culture. We have competitions, socials, and a house cup!”

  • “Sometimes it is hard to keep track since it is self paced but it teaches good time management skills.”


i GEM


ARI BIOCHEMISTRY STREAM


Unfortunately, we do not have student response data for this stream.

If you would like to provide feedback for this stream, please contact the catalyst team.

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Magnetic Matter

PHYSICS STREAM

Unfortunately, we do not have new student response data for this stream.

all responses for this stream are from the 2021-2022 fri guide.

Recommended Majors: Astronomy, Chemistry, Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics

Similar Streams: Quantum Mechanics, White Dwarves, Discrete Mathematics

Average Hours in Lab: 2-6 hours/week

Skills/Takeaways: Reading Publications, MATLAB, NMR, Labview, Python, synthesis

Student Projects in the Stream:

  • “Using Fiber Optic Interferometry to measure small oscillations in a membrane due to pressure.”

  • “I worked on a coding project to create a program which extracting relaxation times during NMR experiments. The project utilized MATLAB and was independent.”

  • “A project in the stream was to create a superconductor using a rare earth metal. The project was mostly done in the laboratory and was collaborative.”

  • “A project in the stream was to synthesize a high-temperature superconductor called YBCO. The project utilized basic skills required in materials synthesis like stoichiometry. The project pacing was fairly independent and flexible.”

Students said…

  • “Sometimes the lab won't mention why our work matter to the broader context of the world”

  • “The stream may be overwhelming for freshman or students who have not already completed coursework in physics. Coding experience helps significantly.”

Strengths:

  • Support from mentors

  • Support from research educator

  • Work is collaborative

  • Work is independent/self-paced

  • Work and learning felt impactful

  • Content and work is interesting

  • Skillset learned

  • Lab community and culture

  • Structure of the stream

  • Flexibility

  • Workload

Weaknesses:

  • Lack of clear structure or structure did not feel effective

  • Lab work and concepts did not feel very applicable outside of the stream

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Materials in Color

chemistry stream

Unfortunately, we do not have student response data for this stream.

If you would like to provide feedback for this stream, please contact the catalyst team.

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Microbe Hackers

biochemistry stream

Recommended Majors: Biochemistry, Biology, Medical Laboratory Science, Neuroscience, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Nutritional Sciences, Public Health

Similar Streams: Aptamers, Behavioral Neuroscience, Biobricks, Nano Chemistry, Gene Networks, DIY Diagnostics, Plant Pathways 

Average Hours in Lab: 2-6 hours/week

Skills/Takeaways: PCR, gel electrophoresis, sterile technique, writing lab reports, reading scientific literature, micropipetting, virtual PCR and plasmid design, bacterial transformation concepts, creating cultures, plating, teamwork, gene device design 

Student Projects in the Stream:

  • "I worked on the EvoStab project, which was to investigate the effect of specific types of sequences on the evolutionary stability of genetic devices." (2021-2022)

  • “A project in the stream was to evaluate the evolutionary stability of genetic devices with short repeat sequences using fluctuation tests.” (2021-2022)

  • “My project uses Cyanobacteria communities to detect for water pollutants. It uses synthetic biology and genetic engineering”

  • “A project I am working on includes using cyanobacteria as a biosensor.”

  • “We use synthetic biology to genetically engineer an endosymbiont called ‘Snodgrasella alvi’ to identify the function of bee genes. This is a part of the “bee project”, one of four big projects in the stream.”

Strengths:

  • Support from mentors

  • Applicability of concepts and techniques outside of stream, Skillset learned, Lab community and culture

  • Support from research educator, Work is collaborative, Work and learning felt impactful, Content and work is interesting, Structure of the stream

Students said…

  • “You definitely learn a lot in this stream, and the hard and soft skills you develop are really good for your professional future. The mentors are all very helpful and knowledgeable, while still being cool people.”

  • “I truly believe that microbe hackers has the best mentors. In addition compared to other FRI streams, microbe hackers seems to have a stronger community among students. In addition our RE is much more present than other streams.”

  • “There was a lot of work in the beginning when we were in person which was more than I expected on top of my class load.” (2021-2022)

  • “Love this stream but a massive time commitment and a lot of work!” (2021-2022)

  • “You reap what you sow with this lab. It is by no means an “Easy A”, but so long as you put in the work to earn the ‘A’, you will gain all the mental, academic , and professional benefits you deserve.”

Weaknesses:

  • Not enough flexibility

  • Workload was excessive or overwhelming

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Plant Pathways

biology stream

Recommended Majors: Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Nutritional Sciences, Public Health, Biochemistry, Human Ecology, Neuroscience, Medical Laboratory Science

Similar Streams: Bioactive Molecules, Biodiversity, Supra Sensors, Biobricks, Functional Genomics, Luminators, Biodiversity, Bugs in Bugs, Fish Behavior, Gene Networks, DIY Diagnostics 

Average Hours in Lab: 2-4 hours/week 

Skills/Takeaways: PCR, Benchling, Colony PCR, reading scientific publications, genetic cloning, reverse genetic engineering, sequencing DNA/RNA purification, gel electrophoresis, pDONR manipulation, etc.

Student Projects in the Stream:

  • “The project that I worked on was to identify the role and function of the gene, IP5P2, in Arabidopsis Thaliana. We used PCR and plasmid cloning in order to identify this function. We plan to grow mutant seeds once we are allowed back in the lab.” (2021-2022)

  • “A project I worked on was isolating a specific transcription factor and attempting to create a transgene that could be inserted into a model organism to observe the effects of the gene on biological pathways.” (2021-2022)

  • “My project is to study the pathway of a protein that controls the overexpression of phenotypes in Arabidopsis. use the pathway to engineer a promoter and gene pair to overexpress a certain physical feature that shows a change in environment.”

Strengths:

  • Support from mentors

  • Support from research educator

  • Work is collaborative

  • Applicability of concepts and techniques outside of stream

  • Work and learning felt impactful

  • Content and work is interesting

  • Skill set learned

  • Lab community and culture

  • Structure of the stream

  • Flexibility

  • Work is independent/self-paced

  • Workload

  • Applicability of concepts and techniques outside of stream

  • Skill set learned

Students said…

  • “Tony is very supportive and no one would get left behind. There are common lab techniques used in almost every lab introduced in this one.” (2021-2022)

  • “Dr. Gonzalez is a fantastic instructor, and although I wouldn't necessarily recommend the stream to majors outside what I listed, I am a physics major and I LOVE this stream.” (2021-2022)

  • “This stream is structured differently than most. Whatever work you put in, you will get out. For some students, this method can be difficult as it requires an intrinsic approach to the research.” (2021-2022)

Weaknesses:

  • Lack of clear structure or structure did not feel effective

  • Insufficient support/guidance from mentors

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Practical Sensors

ARI CHEMISTRY STREAM


Unfortunately, we do not have student response data for this stream.

If you would like to provide feedback for this stream, please contact the catalyst team.

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Quantum Computing

computer science stream

Unfortunately, we do not have new student response data for this stream.

all responses for this stream are from the 2021-2022 fri guide.

Recommended Majors: Computer Science, Math, Physics

Similar Streams: Magnetic Matter, White Dwarfs, Autonomous Robots, Energy Analytics, Luminators, Microbe Hackers, Robot Learning, Big Data in Biology, Computational Materials

Average Hours in Lab: 1 - 4 hours/week

Skills/Takeaways: Python, knowledge of algorithms, some skills in quantum mechanics, Quantum Math, Reading Scientific Publications, linear algebra, experience with new software.

Student Projects in the Stream:

  • “We were told to implement the BB84 protocol, which is a real quantum cryptography algorithm in use today. This was really cool because we were doing something that was literally discovered less than 40 years ago. We also attempted to ‘hack’ each other's implementations of quantum cryptography. Some of the newer algorithms we have worked on were invented as late as 2010.” 

  • “Built my own simulation of a quantum computer in python. Also implemented cool quantum computing algorithms like Grover's search algorithm and Shor's factoring algorithm.”

  • “One of the first projects was a paired assignment to simulate quantum key distribution with either Java or Python. My partner and I chose Java to develop our data encryption and decryption protocols. The project also had a second phase where we created an adversarial program to try and hack another group’s protocol.”

Students said…

  • “It is very difficult to learn quantum computing on your own. The field itself is so new that the teaching materials available on the web are generally just not adequate enough. The support and curriculum offered by the TA's and instructors is invaluable.”

  • “Concepts are often introduced at a high level and can be very difficult to grasp at first.”

Strengths:

  • Support from mentors

  • Support from research educator

  • Work is collaborative

  • Work is independent/self-paced

  • Applicability of concepts and techniques outside of stream

  • Skillset learned

  • Structure of the stream

  • Content and work is interesting

Weaknesses:

  • Lab work and concepts did not feel very applicable outside of the stream

  • Weak lab community and culture

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robot learning

computer science stream



Unfortunately, we do not have student response data for this stream.

If you would like to provide feedback for this stream, please contact the catalyst team.

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Supra Sensors

chemistry stream

Unfortunately, we do not have new student response data for this stream.

all responses for this stream are from the 2021-2022 fri guide.

Recommended Majors: Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Medical Laboratory Science

Similar Streams: Biobricks, Gene Networks, Glow Worms, Microbe Hackers, Virtual Cures, Aptamer, DIY Diagnostics, Functional Genomics, Virtual Cures

Average Hours in Lab: 2 - 6 hours/week

Skills/Takeaways: Peptide synthesis, LDA and PCA, differential sensing, creating sensors, creating an assay, writing a lab report, Reading & Writing Scientific Papers, XCMS, HPLC, Common Lab Skillsets (Titrations, etc.), spectroscopy, UV-Vis, LCMS

Student Projects in the Stream:

  • “The goal of my team in our lab was to create assays and do differential sensing of different types of wine. We worked as a group to perform the assays and then we used PCA and LDA to analyze trends .”

Strengths:

  • Support from mentors and research educator

  • Work is collaborative

  • Content and work is interesting

  • Lab community and culture

Weaknesses:

  • Skillset learned felt insufficient

  • Workload was excessive or overwhelming

  • Not enough flexibility

  • Lab work and concepts did not feel very applicable outside of the stream

Students said…

  • “I think one of the strongest aspects of this stream is the team and people involved. The group communicates really well together and ensures every student has the best possible learning environment.”

  • “I think one of the only drawbacks to this stream is it does require a large amount of time and work. However, this does help the student have a more in-depth learning experience.”

  • “Sometimes the stream lacks updated assignments/information that make it confusing for students.”


Urban Ecosystems

multidisciplinary stream

Recommended Majors: Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Environmental Science, Human Ecology, Public Health 

Similar Streams: Biodiversity, Bugs in Bugs, DIY Diagnostics, Fish Behavior, Microbe Hackers, Virtual Cures, Glow Worms, Luminators, Aptamer, Bioactive Molecules, Biobricks, Discovering Signals, Functional Genomics, Gene Networks, Supra Sensors

Average Hours in Lab: 4-6 hours/week

Skills/Takeaways: Reading scientific publications, data analysis,  communication and presentation skills, designing research projects, Analytical chemistry, growing/working with bacteria, field science, PCR, Javascript, DNA extraction and analyzing, pipetting, centrifuge

Student Projects in the Stream: 

  • “My project is FIB/MST where it focuses on determining the fecal bacteria level and identify the source. We use IDEXX to determine the levels of fecal bacteria then we perform qPCR where it identifies if it’s human or dogs. This is a very group based, everyone works together to gather the data needed as well as teaching the skills to help the student grow.”

  • “Looking at the effect of urbanization and the Waller creek diversion tunnel on Waller creek ecosystem function”

Students said…

  • “They are VERY flexible. On weeks where you are busy and can only do one hour of research, you can make it up in other weeks. You can choose to come to the lab anytime, even at 3am. RE and TAs will reply to any questions you have and get on a Zoom call with you to help, even at midnight.” (2021-2022)

  • "I have been able to make great connections with my REs. They are always helpful and willing to give advice even if it doesn’t directly relate to science and research. Urban eco is a newer stream (this is the 4th year) so people are very connected. It is still on the bigger side because there are 3 teams within the stream but there is not a huge amount of hierarchy which promotes a welcoming environment." (2021-2022)

  • “RE is super supportive, they’re always willing to help students out with research and personal life. The mentors are wonderful they teach you the skills needed and how improve to prevent mistakes. In research, mistakes often happen but our lab normalize it and use it as an opportunity to grow from it instead of shaming the students from making mistakes. I love the community that we have in our lab, everyone knows each other and is willing to help each other out. There’s a balance between work and socializing in lab.”

  • “I had the opportunity and freedom to pursue a project and work independently which has prepared me for graduate school”

  • “What you get out of this stream is really what you put in. There are long-term research projects that students can get on to work towards publications. However, the students in these types of projects are putting a lot of hours in." (2021-2022)

  • “I think it is just the separation into 3 different groups, Team Algae, Team Biology, and Team Chemistry. It made it difficult to connect with everyone." (2021-2022)

Strengths:

  • Support from mentors and research educator

  • Work is collaborative

  • Applicability of concepts and techniques outside of stream

  • Work and learning felt impactful

  • Content and work is interesting

  • Skill set learned

  • Lab community and culture

  • Structure of the stream

  • Flexibility

Weaknesses:

  • Sometimes there was a lack of organization

  • Workload was excessive or overwhelming

  • Insufficient support/guidance from research educator

  • Lack of clear structure or structure did not feel effective

  • Stream size

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Virtual Cures

biochemistry stream

Recommended Majors: Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Medical Laboratory Science, Public Health, Neuroscience

Average Hours in Lab: 6-8 hours/week 

Similar Streams: Aptamer, Big Data in Biology, Bioactive Molecules, Biobricks, Functional Genomics, Microbe Hackers, Nano Chemistry, Geometry of Space, Luminators, Magnetic Matter

Skills/Takeaways: Virtual Screening, Recombinant DNA methods, HPC skills, PCR, reading scientific publications, gel electrophoresis, GOLD/Hermès, PyMol, protein expression and characterization, SDS-PAGE,

Student Projects in Stream: 

  • “A project in the stream was to use a combination of PyMol virtual analyzing and protein characterization using PCR to determine the location of protein targets for drugs that fight bacterial infections such as bubonic plague.” (2021-2022)

  • “A project in the stream was to select a target protein to work on where we would follow both Virtual and Wet lab procedures. Various tools were utilized to successfully complete the project. It is much more useful and elaborate to view old stream posters as that provides the gist of what is done in the stream.” (2021-2022)

  • “A project in the steam was to express, purify, and characterize a protein. The project utilized a nanodrop spectrophotometer, and Gel electrophoresis.” (2021-2022)

  • “One project was to determine what Ligands can bind to a specific protein. This project used pymol protein visualization software and used the gold system to determine which Ligands were the best. It was difficult to use the software at first but the project had lots of help sessions with mentors!”

Students said…

  • “Scope of this course would be very limited if you only stick with "required" work and always work with mentors who may not be more capable of research than the student. I would definitely recommend reaching out to RE directly in this stream to expand yourself. Best decision I made in this stream.” (2021-2022)

  • “The RE was super flexible and accommodating, and the content of the lab, especially during COVID-19, was very applicable and impactful!” (2021-2022)

  • “Some mentors lack confidence and decision skills in carrying out lab tasks (often stopping to doubt very trivial problems while often not being able to catch some problems that should be obvious and really worth rethinking about).” (2021-2022)

  • “There was a heavy workload and lab time requirement compared to other streams (sometimes up to 8 hours/week)” (2021-2022)

  • “Lots of hours in lab throughout the semester compared to other FRI streams”

Strengths:

  • Support from mentors and research educator

  • Applicability of concepts and techniques outside of stream

  • Work and learning felt impactful

  • Content and work is interesting

  • Lab community and culture

  • Flexibility

  • Work is collaborative

  • Structure of the stream

Weaknesses:

  • Insufficient support/guidance from mentors

  • Lack of clear structure or structure did not feel effective

  • Workload was excessive or overwhelming

  • Lab work and concepts did not feel very applicable outside of the stream

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White Dwarf Stars

astronomy stream

Unfortunately, we do not have new student response data for this stream.

all responses for this stream are from the 2021-2022 fri guide.

Recommended Majors: Astronomy, Physics, Computer Science

Similar Streams: Geometry of Space, Luminators, Magnetic Matter, Nano Chemistry

Average Hours in Lab: 2-4 hours/week

Skills/Takeaways: Python, Data Analysis

Student Projects in the Stream: 

  • “A model for galaxy age and metallicity in python”

  • “Aperture Photometry”

  • “A project in our stream was to reduce noise on astronomical images in python. It was pretty independent and taught us the basics of python in a practical way.”

Strengths:

  • Work is independent/self-paced

  • Content and work is interesting

  • Structure of the stream

Weaknesses

  • Insufficient support/guidance from mentors

  • Insufficient support/guidance from research educator

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x-plants

biology stream

Unfortunately, we do not have student response data for this stream.

If you would like to provide feedback for this stream, please contact the catalyst team.

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