- By Srihaasa Kompella (economics-statistics, physics)
When I learned about the First Experiences in Research (FE-R) program, I was most intrigued by the one-on-one aspect of working closely with a mentor. I wanted to get hands-on experience in research, but I had no idea what the work would be like so I liked that there was a lot of guidance as I got started.
I was paired with my mentor, Despina Alexaidou from the Department of Political Science on a project called “Strong Leaders and Political Parties.”
Before doing FER, I had no real idea what research in the social sciences was like, or how it was conducted. This experience allowed me to encounter research first-hand, and truly understand what it entails to work toward answering a research question.
My project studied the effects of strong leaders on future elections for their party. My job was to look at various parties and leaders from a few different European countries to find and compile lists of reputable journalists, who were later used to conduct a survey.
One of the biggest challenges that I faced while working on this project was the language barrier. Since I was researching journalists in European countries, many articles were written in their native languages. I had to adapt and interpret the articles as best as I could, relying on online translators that were not always accurate and limited information.
Now, I rely on this skill in other aspects of school, especially in a hard class where I may not understand everything entirely. I am able to better adapt to challenging material and use my resources to overcome obstacles.
After FER, I knew that I wanted to continue to research, but this time, I wanted to conduct research in my field, economics. I applied for and received the Harvey Cohen Research Prize through the Department of Economics. As a research fellow, I worked with various researchers in the Pittsburgh Experimental Economics Lab (PEEL) studying behavioral economics. In this position, I have done everything from coding data, to learning experiment design software, to doing literature reviews for future projects.
When we learn material in our classes, out of textbooks and PowerPoints, the information can seem stagnate, as though these subjects have been set in stone a hundred years ago, and there is nothing more to learn. But research brings life to every subject, and the people doing research are on the forefront of it. As an undergraduate, it can seem as though we are disconnected from the living part of learning, but research gives us an opportunity to include ourselves in the real-time growth of knowledge in our fields.