Outline:
Compared to class work or homework assignments (one day activity), research provides: (negatives of research)
- little immediate gratification (satisfaction)
- increased levels of stress
- greater workload
However, the benefits of participating in research far outweighs the negatives:
- research can improve one’s problem-solving skills (systematic approach or solution organization)
- research improves one’s self-confidence (greater sense of accomplishment by doing something that has not been done previously)
- research leads to advancing the state of the art, thus serving the profession and the society
- research is a “must” for higher academic degrees (very valuable in resume)
- a research experience with a faculty member provides the student with a “reference” who can command on his or her maturity, diligence, creative ability, communication skills and other characteristics and skills
- a research experience will provide a student with improved communication skills in professional life (research reports, reviews, conferences etc)
- a research experience results with the effective use of high technology and information technology (computers)
The students in this course will:
be acquainted with scientific methods of research
have sufficient background and practice in all types of literature search with specific emphasis on on-line methods
understand that success in research is not necessarily confined to people with high IQs ("monster minds"!), but can be accomplished by any committed individual with a positive attitude, determination, persistence, desire, the confidence to overcome failure, and the willingness to form and maintain good interpersonal relations
be equipped with the basic elements of scientific and ethical values, such as integrity, originality, and academic freedom whilst also being aware of different types of research misconduct, and their likely consequences
develop communication skills in sharing scientific knowledge by emphasizing conventions in the format, style and language of both written (informal memos and letters, formal reports, thesis and journal papers) and oral (presentations, scientific discussions) communication
be equiped with the awareness that information technology tools are likely to dominate all phases of research in the foreseeable future;
be aware of the differences in between industrial and academic research methods
be aware of research funding and learn how to write a research proposals.
Thus by successfully completing this course you will be able to:
- generate research topics
- develop good summaries of the current knowledge
- design research studies
- conduct research efficiently
- interact professionally with others involved in research
- present oral and written research reports
- be well acquainted with the use of information technology
- understand the basic elements of "being a responsible scientist"
Five common concerns of research:
- Who? (who does research? A broad array of people, and not limited to famous scientists like Einstein)
- When? (When do people start doing research? Master’s degree level or even at undergraduate level)
- Where? (Where does research take place? Not necessarily in a laboratory or it is not limited to test tubes. In front of a computer, in office etc)
- Why? (Why do people do research? To win a noble prize?)
- What? (What is research?)
Definitions of Research
There are various definitions depending on the approach. Some definitions are:
- Scientific or scholarly inquiry or investigation and the proper communication of the findings.
- The process of searching for, in a broader sense, general answers in any field of study or, in a limited fashion, a solution to just one particular problem.
- A systematic, controlled, empirical, rigorous, and precise method used to obtain solutions or to discover and interpret new information
- Scientific investigation that is performed in order to discover new information or to develop or improve products and technology (Academic Press Dictionary of Science Technology)
Types of research depending on the goals and the funds available:
- Pure research (also called basic research) – has the purpose of expanding the knowledge base and, thus, its future potential in a given area
- Applied research – fundamentally motivated by the development of a new product or a next-generation product.
Difference between research and both discovery and invention:
- research does not develop from randomly generated ideas
- but all involve “innovation” (plus some “luck”)
The essential keywords of the research:
- analysis – refers to the breaking apart of elements/data to obtain the parameters of interest for understanding the underlying process
- synthesis refers to the integration of concepts to produce or improve design and performance
Research is inherent in many disciplines (engineering, science, social sciences, medicine etc). Although the role of research in different disciplines might seem to be different, the basic elements of research apply uniformly to each discipline.
THE ROLE OF RESEARCH IN HIGHER EDUCATION
- research is a “must” for an academic career
- a dominant factor in promotion of faculty (“publish or perish”)
- enhances the quality of education with a consequence of increased value of “degree”s offered by that institution resulting with increased reputation
- Although research is mainly done by graduate students, more and more undergraduate students are becoming involved in research
Research in Graduate Education
- Master’s Degree – earned when the recipient has mastered a particular program in a specific field of study to the point at which he or she can pursue innovation projects in that field; usually completing a thesis.
- Research is more heavily emphasized at the Doctoral level (PhD).
- A PhD student needs to have a good working knowledge of all phases of the research process, and research “idea generation”.
- He should be able to independent research such that he can be hired in any higher education institution to supervise new students or researchers.
University – Industry Interactions
Funding sources of University Research:
- Government (usually pure research)
- Industry (mainly applied research)
Type of society (sector) dictated the type of research:
|
Society (sector) |
focus on as resource |
|
Agriculture (1776-1850) |
Land |
|
Manufacturing (1850-1920) |
Raw materials |
|
Service (1920-1960) |
People in manufacturing |
|
Communications / global-international society of present day |
Knowledge and information |
Knowledge and information should flow more freely for closer interaction between universities and industry.
Since the technology advances very rapidly, the half-life of knowledge is short (3-4 years in electronics industry). Therefore, professionals having linkage with industrial projects should be quick.
Motivation of companies for pursuing industry-university relations:
- recruitment purposes
- doing research that will ultimately benefit them financially
Research results completed in the University need further development and refinement before commercial application.
THE ROLE OF RESEARCH IN INDUSTRY
Technology Transfer:
it is the movement of ideas from the research laboratory to the marketplace, and it involves the introduction of existing technological knowledge and existing resources into new areas of application. It is the foundation upon which developed countries’ technologically and economically advanced society rests. A nation’s competitiveness is not necessarily depending on its natural resources. In fact, technology is increasingly thought of as a generator of wealth more powerful than the traditional elements that have effected international trade and economy.
Research & Development (R&D) Strategies
Trends: Quick results (productive research with fewer resources)
In other words, corporate downsizing and restructuring has placed emphasis on R&D speed meaning:
§ more rapid time-to-market
§ greater use of computers (faster calculations, simulations rather than expensive instrumentation etc.)
Strategies:
Commercialization of a new product takes time (up to 10 years); therefore, R&D may turn out to be an expensive and risky investment; thus small companies can not afford it. Research consortia and government labs play a significant role for those companies.
Consortia, or joint ventures among multiple organizations of a given industry, represent an internationally competitive way for industries to conduct R&D. The collaboration of consortia members on the precompetitive development of the new technology occurs until the technology becomes a prime candidate for marketplace utilization. Once the technology is proven, it becomes the property of each company in the consortium, allowing them to refine the technology to gain a competitive advantage and to compete against the other members of the consortium in the marketplace. The main advantages of such consortia are that risk is diversified among member firms, duplicated research in the industry is minimized and the overall competitiveness of the industry is maximized.
Many companies contract their work out to the consulting firms or to other companies, which helps to speed up the entry of their products into the marketplace. (e.g., Compaq does not manufacture computer components; it merely assembles them.)
The Relationship of Business Size to Research
Mid-size companies try to focus on a limited number of markets that have a good potential for their product to enter the market.
Billion-dollar corporations usually support research on their own laboratories as the source of many of their next-generation products.
Multinational corporations are the chief architects of international technology transfer.
Management of R&D Organizations:
Since the goals and priorities that are set for R&D projects could affect the company’s future survival, “management” is very important and relies on four basic elements:
- People – creative, self-sufficient, analytical and demonstrate self-confidence and persistence in themselves an their work
- Ideas – well thought out and that are successfully communicated to others
- Funds – used for maintaining resources (from equipment to talented people)
- Culture and environment that fosters creativity and innovation.