Research Coach: Lauren Okano – Canadian Undergraduate Research Network

Lauren Okano – Research Coach for CHEM 2100 Fall 2021

How did you become a Research Coach? What was that process like?

In the fall of my fourth year, my research supervisor, Dr. Kingsley Donkor, recommended that I apply for the Research Coach program. I have been involved in undergraduate research at TRU since my second year, and I thought that my experience and desire to educate others about research made me a good fit for the program. The process of becoming a Research Coach was fairly straightforward, as my supervisor had a framework in place from previous years. I had to submit a simple application and was selected alongside a partner to be a Research Coach for a second-year analytical chemistry course.

Tell us about the project that you worked on with the class, take us through the semester step by step.

We designed a two-part project for the students to gain experience interacting with various aspects of the research environment. The first assignment was a review paper that required students to find, read, and summarize the important parts of an appropriate scientific journal article. The main goals of the assignment were to teach students how to search for articles using a database and to help students understand the format of research articles. The second assignment was a poster project where students were asked to create a one-page academic poster that summarized the information in their review paper from the first assignment. Posters are commonly used to present research findings at academic conferences, and we wanted the students to simulate this in the activity. The students used Microsoft PowerPoint to make their posters, and we (the research coaches) printed them out. Both parts of the assignment were carried out in teams of two or three students. At the end of the semester, the class presented their posters in a research coach showcase where they delivered their findings to their peers, instructor, and other members of the TRU community.

What was it like to work alongside your faculty mentor? How did you collaborate?

I already had a close relationship with my faculty mentor through previous research projects, so this made it very easy to work together on the Research Coach activity. My faculty mentor provided the initial framework and goals for the activity, and we worked together to decide the best way to achieve them. I enjoyed that my faculty mentor gave us a lot of freedom to design the projects, interact with students, and organize presentations in the way we saw fit. At the same time, he was always there to support any requests or concerns.

The Research Coach program is a great way to introduce students to research in a fun and non-intimidating way. Oftentimes, research can be overwhelming, and this program allows students to explore research while connecting them with experienced peers who can point them in the right direction
Lauren Okano, Research Coach & 4th Year Chemical Biology Major

How did the students engage with research, and did anything surprise you in the process?

The students mainly engaged with research by reading journal articles, writing summaries, and presenting information on research in chemistry that was interesting to them. Throughout the entire process, the students seemed to be enthusiastic about the material and interested in learning about the research process. I was surprised by the number of students who showed up to our “help” sessions with questions about the research that went beyond the scope of the assignment. I specifically had students who wanted to know more about research and how to get involved in undergraduate research at TRU. I was also surprised by the depth of knowledge that many students had about their topic. To me, this demonstrated that students learned a lot more when they were allowed to explore a subject that was interesting to them.

How did you mobilize the students’ research?

The student research posters were put on display in a research coach showcase on the second-floor common area of the OLARA building. The students presented their posters during class time to their peers, the instructor, and us research coaches. We also left their posters on display on the second floor of the OLARA building for a week after the showcase. This is a public space, and any students or TRU staff could take a glance at the posters while passing by.

What would you like others to know about the Research Coach program?

The Research Coach program is a great way to introduce students to research in a fun and non-intimidating way. Oftentimes, research can be overwhelming, and this program allows students to explore research while connecting them with experienced peers who can point them in the right direction. I have participated in the Research Coach program both as a student and as a coach, and both experiences have helped me grow as an undergraduate.

What’s next for you in research? What are you feeling curious about?

I plan to continue doing research in analytical chemistry with my supervisor, Dr. Donkor. My next project involves investigating a class of molecules called carotenoids and their relationship to bird feather pigmentation. This topic really interested me because we know what carotenoids generally do as molecules, but we don’t know their exact relationship to producing the variety of bird feather colours that can be seen in nature. I will also continue to be a research ambassador for the Winter 2022 semester. I love this role because it allows me to work closely with students from a variety of disciplines to elevate research at TRU. One of our goals is to make undergraduate research more accessible so that more students will have the opportunity to engage in research and access its numerous benefits throughout their degree.