MAKING CHOICES
-ROBERT V. SMITH
指導老師：任維廉 教授
學生：科管碩一 邱弘懿
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自我介紹

邱弘懿

學歷
政治大學資訊管理學系畢業
 交通大學科技管理碩一


工作經驗
中華民國對外貿易發展協會展覽業務處
 科定企業股份有限公司

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文章出處
書名：
GRADUATE RESEARCH
-a guide for students in the science
 作者：
Robert V. Smith
-Ph.D. of Pharmaceutical Chemistry from the University of Michigan

-Vice President of CBT University Consulting up from 2013-now
-Senior Vice President at Texas Tech University (TTU) from 2009-2013
-Professor of Chemistry at the University of Arkansas
-Dean of the Graduate School at the University of Connecticut
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OUTLINE
Types of Research
 Choosing an advisor
 Role Models
 Financial Support
 Programs of Study
 Interdisciplinary VS. Disciplinary Research
 Research Problem
 Courses & Research Aids
 Thesis & Dissertation Committee Members

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TYPES OF RESEARCH

Basic Research(基礎研究)
study of fundamental properties of subjects
 E.g., 材料的特性


Applied Research(應用研究)
focus on the usefulness of subjects
 E.g., 材料的應用

Useless basic research of today may serve as a necessary
precursor to vital applied research of tomorrow!
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TYPES OF RESEARCH(CONT.)
Basic Research
Applied Research
Purpose
Narrow
Wide
Researcher
Isolation
Interaction
Career
In a limited field
Combination of goals
Equipment & Tools
May not be available
Commercially available
Time needed
More
Less
Benefit
To be evaluated
Immediate
Psychic Rewards
More
Less
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CHOOSING AN ADVISOR
Find an advisor who supports creative development
and interacts well with people
 3 types of advisors based on supervisory approaches

Collaborator type
 Hands-off type
 Senior scientist type

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CHOOSING AN ADVISOR(CONT.)
Collaborator
Hands-off
Senior scientist
Academically
Young
Mid-level
Well-established
Attention quality
Low
Mid
High
Time for students More
Less
Varying
Time allowance
less
more
Varying
others
Publications
and students
are related to
promotion and
tenure
• Field expert
a desirable masterstudent relationship
• Past glories
may be trained in
outdated methods
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CHOOSING AN ADVISOR(CONT.)
Advisor’s reputation as a scientist is important,
which can be judged by his curriculum vitae.
 Determinants

The number and the quality of papers published
(SCI/ SSCI)
 Invited presentations and consultantships during
past 5 years
 The number of grants completed
 The number of graduating students
 The laboratories in operation and the number of
professionals(<10)
 Organizational structure(hierarchical)
 Grant funds available to cover research costs

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CHOOSING AN ADVISOR(CONT.)

Choose advisors with following traits:






Demanding but caring and compassionate
Respect for individuality
Enthusiasm and personal support
Patience
recognition
How to measure: STUDENT TURNOVER
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CHOOSING AN ADVISOR(CONT.)

In summary, the choice of an advisor is based on:




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Accomplishments in teaching and research
Enthusiasm for advising students
Experience in directing graduating students
Management and organization of his research group
Reputation for setting high standards in congenial
atmosphere
Compatible personality
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CHOOSING AN ADVISOR(CONT.)

Applications:
A personal interview involving aforementioned points
 visit his current students
 Work with potential advisors on a trial basis


When an incompatible advisor is chosen:
Honest communication
 Change advisors
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ROLE MODELS

Good role models:
Departmental or program faculty
 Other researchers



complementary talents
Graduate students

Representative in different stages
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FINANCIAL SUPPORT

Supported in 3 ways:

Teaching assistantship


Find out what duties are required
Research assistantship
Better to dovetail duties and thesis or career goals .
 Choose the supervisor carefully


Research fellowship

Ideal because of complete devotion to thesis and course
work
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PROGRAMS OF STUDY
Should be flexible yet provide core knowledge
needed for performance as a researcher.
 Integrated plan



Block-effort plan


First in course work then in research
Must we choose between these two options?


Integration of course work and research
Permutation between them: taking courses involving
mini-research projects or preparation of research
proposals
Plan of study
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INTERDISCIPLINARY VS. DISCIPLINARY

Disciplinary work is a useful starting point, but the
nature of problems facing society is interdisciplinary.


Chemical-biological study
The mixing and blending of research activities lead to
new fields or disciplines.

“new” field of computer science roots in Math, engineering,
and linguistics.
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RESEARCH PROBLEMS

Points to consider when choosing a problem:
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Can it be enthusiastically pursued
Can interest be sustained
Is the problem solvable
Is it worth doing
Will it lead to other research problems
Is it manageable in size
What is its potential for making original contributions to the
literature
If the problem is solved, will the results be reviewed well by
scholars in your field
Are you, or will you become competent to solve it
By solving it, will you have demonstrated independent skills in
your discipline
Will the necessary research prepare you in an area of demand or
promise for the future
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RESEARCH PROBLEMS(CONT.)

The choice of a research problem
A highly personalized decision
 Professional opportunities after graduation


A research must be solvable in a reasonable time
and have potential for contributions to the literature:
Uncover new facts
 Suggests new relationships
 Challenges currently accepted truths and assumptions
 Provides new insights into poorly understood phenomena

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COURSES AND RESEARCH AIDS
Courses are chosen based on curricula requirements
or disciplinary objectives.
 Courses that provide tools of research are also
important.(e.g., programming, statistics)



On-line resources are available nowadays
Competency in foreign languages
Important to career goals
 Facilitate international collaborative efforts of research
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THESIS & DISSERTATION COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Master’s thesis is supervised by committee
members consisting of 3-5 field experts, including
the advisor( in Taiwan)
 Guidelines for choosing an advisor could be
applied in selecting thesis committee members
 Research problems involving a different field
significantly are advised to find the related field
expert to form the committee.

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THESIS & DISSERTATION COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Master’s thesis is supervised by committee members
consisting of:
M.S.(3-4), Ph.D.(3-6), An advisor chairs the committee
 3-5 field experts, including the advisor( in Taiwan)

Guidelines for choosing an advisor could be applied
in selecting thesis committee members
 Research problems involving a different field
significantly are advised to find the related field
expert to form the committee.

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THE END
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