The Power of Scientific Thinking: Reena Randhir Will Discuss Curiosity, Logic, and Learning from Failure at MassURC 2026
By Leila Metres
Content
Dr. Reena Randhir, associate professor of biological sciences at Springfield Technical Community College, will kick off the 2026 Massachusetts Undergraduate Research Conference on the 11th floor of the Campus Center. Her keynote presentation, The Power of Scientific Thinking, will cover learning important lessons from scientific thinking, embracing setbacks in the scientific process, and extending these lessons into areas of life outside the classroom. In advance of this inspiring talk, Randhir answered a few questions about her keynote and MassURC.
What do you want students to take away from your talk at MassURC?
What I want students to take away from my talk is that scientific reasoning and logic are powerful ways of thinking that can lead us closer to the truth. The more we practice them, the more natural they become, until they begin to shape how we see the world. To me, that is the gift of science: it transforms the mind. It pushes out fear and replaces it with curiosity, hope, and courage. It teaches us to learn from mistakes, not be defeated by them, and to keep moving forward.
As Marie Curie said, “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood.” I would love students to leave with that spirit. Scientific thinking does not just change what we know; it changes who we become.
How does scientific thinking impact the way you see the world?
It must have started during my undergraduate research days in the beautiful rice fields of India when I first had the opportunity to test if fertilizer helped with the yield of rice for a class project. This is when scientific thinking first became real for me. I realized that nature and the world do not respond to what we hope is true. They respond to what is true. This is powerful. Over the years, this mindset evolved, and now it feels like second nature. As Louis Pasteur said, “In the fields of observation, chance favors only the prepared mind.” That quote has stayed with me, because scientific thinking sparks curiosity, pushes me to ask better questions, and helps me make decisions based on evidence rather than assumption. That idea has stayed with me from those rice field days to where I am today.
What does failure mean to you, now or when you started your career?
During my doctoral research at Purdue University, I spent four years searching for a gene in a fungal species, only to discover that my hypothesis was wrong. At the time, it was devastating. I felt like a big failure and kept thinking that I had made a mistake.
That experience taught me one of the most important lessons of science: failure is not the opposite of discovery. It is often the path to it. Science does not reward us for being right all the time; it teaches us to be honest, to follow the evidence, and to let go of what we hoped was true when the data tells us otherwise.
How do you define success after years in your field?
Success has meant different things to me at different stages of my career. Early on, it was about getting a degree, publishing, and securing a title. Those things still matter, but now, I define success differently. Once I dedicated myself to student success, I found an even deeper sense of purpose. I find immense joy in watching students have fun as they explore, ask questions, and learn the process of scientific thinking. When students grow in confidence and begin to feel that they truly belong in science, that is success to me.
What are you most excited about for MassURC?
What excites me most about MassURC is that it gives our students across Massachusetts a chance to experience the true spirit of scientific inquiry.
Students leave with the realization that they have a place in science and that they belong in the larger world of discovery. They find courage, build confidence, learn from their peers, and return to their campuses inspired.
That, to me, is the true power of MassURC: it transforms research from an assignment into an identity.
What is it like to watch your students present at MassURC?
It is one of the most rewarding facets of being an educator. On paper, you see the abstract, the drafts, the revisions, and the preparation. But at MassURC, you see transformation. Students who may have doubted themselves now speak with authority about their findings. In past years, I have had the privilege of mentoring students at MassURC. Watching them present is a moment of pride, but also a moment of gratitude, because you can see learning becoming identity. My students have shared that this experience was transformative, because they began to see themselves not just as students completing an assignment, but as young scholars contributing to a much larger conversation.
If you could go back to being an undergraduate, what advice would you give your younger self about research and/or life?
If I could go back to my undergraduate self, I would say: do not be afraid. Embrace uncertainty. Celebrate it, since this is the driver for meaningful growth. My own journey was anything but linear. It took me from undergraduate research on salt-tolerant rice cultivars, to doctoral work at Purdue in fungal molecular biology, to postdoctoral research at UMass Amherst on gene elicitation, and eventually to finding my true calling at Springfield Technical Community College as an educator and student mentor. It has truly been an adventure.
So, I would tell my younger self and you to nurture curiosity, seek mentors, and never shy away from a challenge. Most importantly, I would say: do not fear uncertainty. Looking back, I now understand that all my failures shaped who I am today. When we practice scientific thinking long enough, it becomes a way of living. It is only common sense: to ask, to observe, to question, to learn, and to keep moving forward with humility and hope. In the end, that mindset makes us braver and wiser.
Join us on Friday, April 17, at 9:15 a.m. to see Dr. Reena Randhir’s keynote on the 11th floor of the Campus Center, kicking off a transformative day for young researchers! All are welcome to attend.
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Leila Metres
