36 Research Reflection by River Tobias

Faculty Mentor: Yan-Ting Shiu (Biomedical Engineering, University of Utah)

I have learned a tremendous amount about research and education from my time in the vascular access lab during my undergraduate education. I was able to take concepts I learned in classes and apply them in research. Additionally, the scope of a single project was massive compared to the homework assignments I was used to, which gave me more insight into how to budget for such a large project, and it gave me insight to the scope of research overall and how much work goes into a single paper. Additionally, I was able to develop soft skills such as teamwork and effective communication that I would not have experienced otherwise, as coordinating a project by myself required working with many lab members. Learning about my project only increased my curiosity in academia, and I learned skills to assist with that, such as how to be precise and consistent, and how to properly think about statistics in research. Finally, I was able to form a significant relationship with my mentor. Dr. Shiu guided me to become independent as a researcher and helped to prepare me for a future in research, by having me practice presenting and performing literature research, and offering constructive criticism throughout my undergraduate journey.