Spring of Junior year: Time to think about my thesis!
By Mahidhar Sai Lakkavaram
Content
The spring of your junior year is always such a strange time as an Honors student. You have to start thinking about your thesis but also not? There’s not much you can do right now, but you also have to use this time to prepare for everything that’s right around the corner as you start senior year.
So, for all my fellow juniors who aren’t sure exactly what to do about their thesis right now, here’s what I’ve been doing to plan it out!
Working in a lab
If you’ve been to any of the Honors Thesis Workshops, one thing the advisors always emphasize is to start working in a lab or doing an independent study a semester before you start your thesis. This gives you an introduction to the research and helps you get over the initial hump of approaching it.
As such, I joined a lab this year! I started working in the Peyton Lab last semester as I was really interested in tissue engineering and cancer research, and was hoping to base my thesis around it. I was also interested in doing engineering education-related research for my thesis, and looking at how this can be integrated into my traditional scientific research. The Principal Investigator of the lab (Professor Shelly Peyton in chemical engineering) was open to the idea!
In the Peyton Lab, I’m working on developing biomaterials from decellularized plant matter. The goal is to decellularize (remove cell matter) from plants and then use these plant-based scaffolds to make biomaterials (like tissue and organs) viable for human or mammalian applications. Last semester, I worked on using corn to make these biomaterials, and this semester I’m testing out another plant called Amherstia nobilis. For my thesis next year, I hope to continue working on this project, and trying out different techniques to see what works best for making these plant-based biomaterials.
Working in the lab and talking to my professor has been a rewarding experience as I’m a lot more comfortable with this style of research, and am more confident about working on it next year. I also get to see a lot of cool projects all around me, and have someone I can talk to about any questions I have for my thesis.
Honors Research Grants & Honors Research Assistant Fellowships
A lot of lab materials are required for this project, so I’m also in the process of applying for an Honors Research Grant! The Commonwealth Honors College offers Honors Research Grants (HRG) and Honors Research Assistant Fellowships (RAF), which are funding sources to assist with student participation in research. This semester, I was awarded an RAF that will help me fund my hours working on this project. If awarded a HRG for next semester, that money will be used directly for lab materials and any other equipment needed for my thesis — which would be really helpful in taking this research to the next level! HRGs & RAFs have two deadlines for each upcoming semester. For Fall 2023, HRGs & RAFs applications can be submitted on CHC PATHS by April 23, 2023.
The Commonwealth Honors College offers Honors Research Grants (HRG) and Honors Research Assistant Fellowships (RAF) which are funding sources to assist with student participation in research.
Thesis Proposal
This is also a good time to start thinking about your thesis proposal. Remember, you don’t have to figure it all out by now! I was fortunate enough to work on a project that I’d be interested in for my thesis, so I’ve been able to talk to my faculty advisor and see how I can frame my proposal. However, if you’re still not sure, try talking to potential faculty advisors and seeing what would be a good fit for you.
Individually Contracted Thesis proposals (which is what I’m doing) are due by August 1, so talking to a potential faculty advisor this spring would be ideal as you can have your proposal ready by that deadline. Faculty also go on break during the summer, so it's easier to get it out of the way now before you potentially lose contact with them!
And that’s how I’m preparing for my thesis next year! As daunting as it seems, having a good foundation in advance for your thesis would benefit you in the long run. I’m no expert but hopefully working in this manner will make me more comfortable with this project next year and I’m looking forward to seeing how it all unfolds!
What tips and tricks do you have for preparing for your thesis as a junior? We’d love to communications [at] honors [dot] umass [dot] edu (hear all about it)!