Amanda Yoho, ’07

Undergraduate research offers invaluable experience

Despite the additional workload and, at times, long hours, Amanda Yoho, ’07, firmly believes her undergraduate research experiences have helped prepare her for graduate work and, more importantly, for her future career.

“Performing research as an undergraduate gave me an unparalleled sense of accomplishment,” says Yoho. “It helped me narrow my scope of interest with respect to graduate research and also helped me form opinions about my future professional pursuits.”

Yoho, an Honors student who received a physics degree from Kent State’s College of Arts and Sciences in May 2007, began her undergraduate research as a junior. During the summer of 2006, Yoho participated in a 10-week internship with NEO Beam Alliance Limited in Middlefield, Ohio.

“At NEO Beam, I worked almost exclusively on experimental projects and had the opportunity to work very independently,” says Yoho. “Nevertheless, I felt like an integral part of the team. My ideas and data analysis were taken very seriously and were often pursued.”

During her senior year, Yoho further supplemented her first undergraduate research experience by pursuing a senior honors thesis under the direction of Dr. Peter Tandy, professor of physics.

“I greatly enjoy working with undergraduate researchers,” says Tandy.  “They bring unique curiosity and untarnished eagerness to a project, which often forces a seasoned researcher to reevaluate situations and rethink explanations.”

Specifically, Yoho’s Senior Honors Thesis focused on theoretical particle physics. As such, she was given the opportunity to further explore and utilize various physics theories and techniques, including quantum field theory, chiral perturbation theory and mathematical renormalization.

Due to the challenging nature of Yoho’s undergraduate research, she spent a significant portion of her free time researching independently and familiarizing herself with relevant journal articles and textbooks.

Although the time required to conduct research was substantial, Yoho believes she acquired skills and abilities that served her well as a student at Kent State, and will continue to benefit her in the future.

“Anything and everything that can go wrong will go wrong when performing an experiment,” says Yoho. “So, troubleshooting and problem-solving are two skills undergraduate researchers learn very quickly.”

“Undergraduate research gives students a precise sense of their true interests and provides a deeper understanding of the subject-matter being taught,” she adds. “Although it may seem like a chore to purse undergraduate research opportunities, it is ultimately a huge benefit academically.”

Clearly, Yoho’s undergraduate research experiences have served her well. She is currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program at Case Western Reserve University and, one day, hopes to perform theoretical research as a university researcher.

“When undergraduates are welcomed into research programs, they have the opportunity to actively participate in the creative pursuit of both new knowledge and its subsequent applications,” says Tandy. “It puts a human element into the equation and provides a much fuller education.”