<aside> 💡 Sapna is a rising sophomore in Design with an interest in minoring in physical computing. Over the summer, she did research in Dr. Scott Hudson’s DevLab under Ph.D. student Sai Swaminathan.

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🔭 What was the research project you were a part of?

I joined a project called the Computational Wood project which focuses on a concept called Ubiquitous Computing. It’s all about sensors and communication–kind of like smart devices. So what we tried to do was incorporate that into more everyday life, in the home and especially in furniture, in a very sustainable way.

🔭 Within that big project, what were you specifically doing?

I was doing a lot of Fusion modeling and laser cutting. We made a drawer, a door handle, a remote that you could twist and then we also experimented with tiles.

🔭 How did you find this project and how did you go about applying?

There was a massive HCI project spreadsheet and that was really helpful when I was looking. It said what kind of role the project was looking for, what kind of skills they want you to have, how much time they want you to dedicate. I looked at a lot of the projects there and a lot of them are more focused on UI. I was looking for more physical and hands-on work. So I found this project through that spreadsheet and emailed the PhD student conducting that project directly.

🔭 Did you pick up any hard skill or soft skill while working on this project?

I learned about communication the most. There were points in the project–especially at the start–where I was stuck on something and I'd try to figure it out myself. If I’d just asked my advisor for help a bit earlier I would have done the task a lot faster, which I think I realized 2 weeks after starting research. The advisor was willing to help, though and I think they realizes we don’t know everything–I learned how to use Fusion while doing research. My PhD student really understood that and was very accommodating when I actually asked for help.

🔭 Has this research to informed you about what you want to do in the future?

It definitely made me consider new options. My PhD mentor and I talked about me pursuing a PhD a lot, and pursuing a career in Academia honestly is really tempting. If I were to become a professor or pursue an PhD, I’d have the freedom to work on projects that I think are interesting, and have the resources to pursue passion projects on the side. I don't know yet, though. For my current practice–I think doing research has confirmed that I want to explore product design and how people interact with physical things more. And research has also developed my interest in computer science and how to bring electronic aspects into my design work.

🔭 What advice would you give to someone interested in doing research?

I would say reach out to a lot of professors and a lot of people who are doing products that you’re interested in. I reached out to one professor that I really looked up to at first–I've always thought her lab was really cool, but she told me that I should come back with more experience. After she said that, I was kind of discouraged and thought that I would try again in a semester or two, but then my brother encouraged me to keep applying. That’s how I found the project I eventually worked on. So I would say–just show that you're really passionate and that you're willing to learn. Most people doing research would appreciate an undergrad’s help. If someone was thinking about doing research, I’d suggest going in with an open mind and being willing to reach out to a lot of people even if you get denied at first.