Spotlight on SURE: A Great Time for Questions

As a member of the SURE 2007 cohort, Keon-young Park did her research project on molecular rotational dynamics with Emory University physics professor, Dr. Keith Berland. Our intern at the time, Pearl Young, sat down with Keon-young that summer for some timeless advice on doing undergraduate research, how to choose a research mentor and the value in asking lots of questions.

by Pearl J. Young

A physics major, music minor, from Korea, lived in Paris, studying for the MCAT, doing research… as we chatted and laughed over lunch I realized what makes Keon-young Park a fantastic friend and a wonderful lab partner – she simply must take advantage of the best life has to offer her. Always willing to sacrifice petty concerns for lofty goals, she has dedicated herself to maximizing her potential in every arena. Yet she’s not too absorbed to take a moment to smile or share her story.

“Right after high school,” Keon-young recalls, “I did research in cardiovascular pharmacology at the University of Michigan Medical School. That was totally random. I just thought I would try research over the summer.” Keon-young was already interested in cardiology, especially since her father is a cardiologist in Korea. While at the University of Michigan, Keon-young heard about the MD/PhD programs and realized that it might be the right combination for her. It would offer her the opportunity to combine research and medicine in one career.

Now at Emory as a rising senior, Keon-young has continued doing research for the past two years with Dr. Keith Berland in the Department of Physics. “I am doing biophysics research, specifically studying the molecular dynamics of fluorescent molecules using a fluorescent correlation spectroscope or FCS. What I’m trying to do is to excite fluorescent molecules using polarized light,” Keon-young explains. “Polarized light is oriented in only one direction. It only excited molecules that are oriented in the same direction. It’s important to deliver the polarization that you want to the sample so that you know how many molecules are oriented in a particular direction.”

This summer, Keon-young has been doing preliminary work, trying to establish a set-up that will allow her to deliver the proper polarization of light. Because a mirror in the light’s path distorts the polarization, she is trying to adjust for that distortion. “If I know how much it’s going to be distorted after passing through the dichroic mirror, then I can deliver the light with that amount of distortion,” she says. After that, the light’s direction will match what she actually wants.

“It’s fun to be able to discover new things,” Keon-young confides. “Another big thing about research is that you actually can apply what you learn.” Plus, it’s a great opportunity to find out what other people are doing. “There are pretty fascinating things out there that you wouldn’t read about if you weren’t in the research field.”

Learning new things is not the only selling point of undergraduate research. Other perks include having a professor as a mentor and working with more experienced graduate students. “Dr. Berland pushes you in a good way to think harder and do as best you can. So I like working with him,” Keon-young says. “Plus, he’s very supportive. Since my knowledge of physics in general or biophysics or even just FCS is so limited, I can ask my professor or the graduate students questions all the time. Also, I can ask them questions about graduate school and being a graduate student. I like it a lot.”

“When you start research,” Keon-young advises, “don’t be afraid to ask any questions. That’s the best time to ask. If you’re new, you’re not expected to know anything. I think sometimes I feel dumb asking so I try not to ask, but there are things that you might have to spend hours trying to figure out whereas your PI or a graduate student might just know the answer.”

“In terms of finding research mentor, you should read and find out which area you’re interested in. But definitely email a lot of people. When I was looking for research lab in Michigan, I think I emailed ten different people. Only few of them got back to me. If you don’t get answers for a while, then email some more.”

Once you begin, “if the research is really slow, that’s just how it is. So don’t get too discouraged,” Keon-young advises. “Seriously, it never goes as fast as you want. Not only for me, but I think for graduate students, too.”

Atlanta and Emory have provided the perfect environment for Keon-young as she pursues her dreams. “I grew up in the city – a city bigger than New York, so I’m a city-person. I like the city and everything that the city has to offer – nice restaurants, nice coffee shops, a nice symphony, and nice museums. I like going to art museums. For religious reasons, Atlanta has a lot of good Catholic organizations. I also like the fact that if you get away from the center of the city, there are so many trees. There are so many parks and places that you can just walk.”

“I like Emory a lot actually,” she says emphatically. “The reason I was tour guide was because I liked it so much that I wanted to tell people: ‘it’s really good school, so you should come.’”

Links:
Pearl Young is currently a senior at Emory University, placing the finishing touches on degrees in both physics and history.

View Keon-young's SURE 2007 research poster
Investigating Molecular Rotational Dynamics with Fluorescence Fluctuation Spectroscopy

Read more about our Spotlight on SURE series.