Advice from Professors

Whether you're preforming research currently, developing an idea for a future project, or just completely lost on how to start in the first place, advice from those that have already succeeded is paramount to success. On this page we at MarSci have reached out to professors at University of South Carolina (we hope to add others in the future) and asked research related question to the people who develop ideas and preform experiments on an everyday basis.

We recently got a chance to sit down with Dr. Tammi Richardson and ask her some questions, both about her journey to professorship and general advice for research. Some have been saved for the Fall 2017 Issue but others have been posted here!

Dr. Tammi Richardson (Queen of the Phytoplankton)

(Click on the name for office and contact info)

- What is your best advice for undergraduates wanting to get involved in research?

"Keep looking for an opening, and keep asking people whose labs are already filled up, because sometimes a position opens and, honestly, if you’re in the right place at the right time, you might get lucky. Persistence is the key."

- What is your advice to undergraduates, just in general?

"Find something you REALLY love to do…and pursue it. Don’t let distractions (see my life story, above) get in your way. But, don’t worry if you need a try a bunch of different things to figure out what you do like. Every one of my life experiences taught me something and was ultimately useful in some way."

- How do you form ideas or the "the big questions" for research questions?

"Part of this comes from years of experience in a particular field, where questions naturally arise when you’re reading or thinking about something. And, many of my questions arise after conversations with colleagues. For example, when I came up with the general topic for my current grant (Biodiversity in Cryptophyte Algae, funded by the NSF), I really only knew that the cryptophytes were 1) generally understudied and 2) that they were very cool with respect to how their photosynthetic “machinery” is structured. I talked to Jeff Dudycha in Biology about this, and together we generated the specific questions that formed the grant proposal (genetic diversity vs. phylogenetic diversity vs. functional diversity)."

- What do you in particular look for in graduate students?

"I always say that I would rather have a hard-worker for a student than a genius. This doesn’t mean that I want a dumb student (ha!), but at some level the students who succeed (and who are rewarding to work with) are those who may not know everything initially, but are willing to learn. Ninety percent of success in graduate school, in my opinion, comes from hard work: reading, listening, writing, experimenting, organizing, planning – not being afraid to put in long hours with the realization that science is not a 9-to-5 job. You don’t “do” science. You become a scientist. It’s the transformation of a mindset from an undergrad mentality."

- How do you reccomend picking a graduate school after graduation?

"That’s an easy one. Often, the university itself doesn’t matter, what matters most is the scientific reputation of whoever you work with as an advisor. This means that at some point you must identify a general topic area (satellite oceanography, zooplankton ecology, fisheries ecology, etc). Then, ask your professors to help you identify key individuals in that general field. Then, send them an email. Personal contact is the key – that person has to be willing to take you on as a student, or you will not get admitted to most oceanography programs. Disciplines vary. Many medical research programs, for example, admit students first, then assign advisors later (often after a rotation among different labs), but so far marine scientists stick to the traditional early-id approach."