StudentHacks.org

As the Fall semester approaches, it’s time to start thinking of potential research projects to focus on this year. Here are some unconventional student research projects to get your creative mind going . . .

1. Crickets Playing Pac Man

Grad student Wim van Eck turned to crickets to add a bit more unpredictability to a game of Pac-Man, casting them in the role of the lowly ghosts against a human-controlled Pac. There’s few details about how the system actually works, but it seems that the crickets actually proved to be more worthy adversaries than your typical AI-controlled enemy: at one point, a particularly clever “ghost” decided to shed its skin, probably knowing full well that it would become invisible to the game’s color-based detection system. Watch the video . . .

2. Urine (You’re In) Control

These MIT seniors developed a game that is played when using a urinal. “The video game is our interpretation of the classic carnival game ‘whack-a-mole.’ Position on the back of the urinal corresponds to position on the screen. The player attempted to hit hamsters as they jumped from one hole in the ground into another hole in the ground. A successful hit turned the hamster yellow, made it scream and spin out of contol, and rewarded the player with ten points. The parabolic paths of the hamsters concealed the grid-like arrangment of sensors, resulting in a fluid transition between input and output. The game was programmed in C++.” See the whole project.

3. Flash Game – Flow

The addictive little flash game was posted on the USC website as part of his graduate thesis in the Interactive Media division. Within two weeks, it had over 100,000 hits – with no intentional promotion. In the game: as you grow, you can eat bigger and bigger things and survive at deeper and deeper depths. This eventually became a PS3 game. Play this addictive game online.

4. Rubik’s Cube Solving Robot

University of Michigan students Doug Li, Jeff Loevell, and Mike Zajac created a “Rubik’s Cube Solver” robot for their final project — it can solve a Rubik’s Cube in 54 seconds or less. Watch the robot conquer the cube.

5. Prototype Hand Gesture Based iPod Remote Control

Zhuan, Derrick, and Colin of Purdue University created “Handy”, a prototype hand gesture based remote control. The setup consists of a Handy box, an iPod Nano, and a BOSE Sound Dock. Watch the video to see it work.

6. Cheap Solar Power System

A team of MIT students, led by mechanical engineering grad student Spencer Ahrens, has come up with a prototype that one day could be mass-produced. The system is a 12-foot-suqare mirrored dish that concentrates sunlight by a factor of 1,000. Read the full story.

7. Star Trek Replicators and Diatom Nanotechnology

This paper helps demonstrate that silica can be replaced atom for atom without change of shape – a step towards the Star Trek replicator. Learn more about this Trekker project.

8. Using the Force: How Star Wars Can Help You Teach Recursion

The Journal of Computing Sciences in Colleges published this research article on how Star Wars can help students learn about recursion. Check out the paper’s abstract.

Any other student projects that should get mentioned here?

I’m in love with aggregator sites like Yahoo Pipes and Dapper.com.

These nifty mash-up tools allow you to hack feeds and/or search results to get the information you want as a filtered RSS feed, XML, email, or website widget.

And what’s great is that student hackers have created helpful feeds to help you research smarter without doing any work.

Here are some of my favorite filters that will email results to you:

• Google Scholar Results Extraction
• Google Scholar Paper Extractor
• Google Scholar RSS/Email Filter

Let me know of any others that you like so I can add them to the list.

Recommended Reading

• Social Networking Hacks
• Super-Sized List of Academic Databases
• 5 Online Libraries You Should Know About
  
• 101+ Web Resources for Students
• Where to Find a Librarian 24/7

I’ve probably written over 70 research papers over the last 7 years of school.

And I’ve gotten to the point where writing research papers is like second nature for me.

It’s not that I’m a better writer than anyone else, it’s just that I know how to organize information quickly.

So here is my basic process on how I write my papers step-by-step:

Research Phase: Hunting and Gathering
This is probably the most time-consuming part of the research paper. I’m a research hound, so I like to spend as much time as possible finding all the research possible. It’s during this phase that I’m doing the following:

• Refining my research subject
• Developing research questions
• Consulting librarians for their insight on my research area
• Reading journal article abstracts on the topic I’m interested in

Organizing Phase: Reading and Writing
As I’m reviewing journal articles, I’m jotting down everything I need from the article before moving on; including: citation info, potential quotes, summaries, and any referenced journal articles that look interesting. I’m also:

• Developing a potential thesis statement
• Creating a meaty bibliography
• Outlining my paper
• Inserting notes within my outline – and adding references

Drafting Phase: Writing
Once I’ve written my thesis statement and completed my outline, it’s time to begin working on my first draft. Here are the steps that I take:

• Just start writing something (I typically start in the middle somewhere)
• Make sure to cite everything (I go overboard just to be safe)
• Keep refining the thesis
• Keeping modifying the outline
• Pretend the paper is due the next day and just finish it
• Take a day off after the first draft is done – don’t look at it

Revision Phase: Editing Never Ends
Revising — as you know — means removing and adding content to make the paper better – which means nobody is ever really done. We just turn in our last and best draft. Here are my editing steps:

• Read it aloud and mark any areas that don’t sound right
• Look at all the punctuation marks – especially apostrophes
• Make sure every paragraph moves the paper along
• Eliminate passive verbs whenever possible

So that’s my strategy on how to write a research paper. I never feel completely done writing, but those steps help me get a paper finished that I’m at least happy with.

What steps do you take when writing a research paper?

Recommended Reading

• 101+ Research Resources for Students
• How to Write a Fascinating Thesis Statement
  
• How to Write Your First Draft
  
• How to Write a Great Essay in One Evening
• How to Avoid Plagiarism
• How to Proof Your Paper Like a Pro – 8 Proofreading Tips
  

I’ve been very busy these last few weeks working on a lengthy research proposal.

It’s been absolutely exhausting – but it feels good to almost be done.

The last step in any research proposal is to write a comprehensive summary (or abstract) about what you’re about to propose.

This might sound easy, but I find that this is sometimes the most difficult part.

How do you condense all your research into a brief paragraph?

It can be mind-boggling — I know.

After spending some time researching abstract development, I found these helpful tips for writing the perfect abstract:

Abstract Style

• One paragraph under 150 – 200 words
• Use related keywords that people might use to find your article
• As a summary of work done, it is always written in past tense
• An abstract should stand on its own, and not refer to any other part of the paper such as a figure or table
• Focus on summarizing results – limit background information
• What you report in an abstract must be consistent with what you report
• Correct spelling, clarity of sentences and phrases, and proper reporting of quantities (proper units, significant figures) are just as important in an abstract as they are anywhere else

Abstract Content

• Motivation – Why do we care about the problem and the results?

• Problem Statement – What problem are you trying to solve? What is the scope of your work (a generalized approach, or for a specific situation)? Be careful not to use too much jargon. In some cases it is appropriate to put the problem statement before the motivation, but usually this only works if most readers already understand why the problem is important.

• Approach – How did you go about solving or making progress on the problem? What important variables did you control, ignore, or measure?

• Results - What’s the answer? Put the result there, in numbers. Avoid vague, hand-waving results such as “very”, “small”, or “significant.”

• Conclusions – What are the implications of your answer? Is it going to change the world (unlikely), be a significant “win”, be a nice hack, or simply serve as a road sign indicating that this path is a waste of time (all of the previous results are useful). Are your results general, potentially generalizable, or specific to a particular case?

Read more about writing abstracts here . . .

Recommended Reading

• How to Avoid Plagiarism
• The Most Common Grammar Mistakes
  
• The Best APA Cheat Sheets on the Web

I’ve been spending a lot of time writing and researching this semester.

I’m actually having dreams about one of my papers – and I have so much more research to do.

Anyway, here is a list of online databases that I’ve been using to find journal articles for my lit reviews.

Most of these databases require a student ID and password, but I’m listing them here because it’s quick access if you’re in a school library:

• ABI/INFORM Complete Pro Quest
• ACM Digital Library
  
• AccessScience
• AgeLine Database
• Alternative Press Index
• America’s Historical Newspapers
  
• ArtStor
• Business Full Text (Wilson)
• Communication Abstracts
  
• CQ Researcher
• D&B Million Dollar Dabase
• Dissertatations and Theses [ProQuest]
• Gale Virtual Reference Library
  
• EBSCO Online Research Database
• Emerald Full Text
• JSTOR
  
• LexisNexis
• Reference Universe
• Oxford Reference Online
• Sage Journal List
  
• World Cat

If you ever have any research trouble, you should seriously consider contacting a librarian.

They can cut your research time in half – and help you find exactly what you need.

And you never need to visit a library to talk with them.

Simply chat with them online with one of the following online services:

Amherst College Librarians
Amherst College librarians are available to chat through ICQ, Yahoo, MSN, Trillian, and AIM. Check out their website for details on how to contact them.

Ask a Librarian
The Memorial Hall Library allows you to email one of their librarians or call them at 978-623-8401 x31 during their library hours. I’ve never tried emailing them, but their websites says they’ll respond within 24 hours.

Ask Here PA
Ask Here PA is a library service based in Pennsylvania. They promise to answer your question within 15 minutes.

Brown University Librarians
This library chat service is intended for students at Brown University, but I’m sure they’ll help you out if you’re nice.

Cornell University – Ask a Librarian 24/7
Cornell librarians are available to chat 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can also email them with any questions you might have.

Florida Ask a Librarian Service
This website connects you with Librarians in Florida. This online chat service is available until midnight (Eastern Standard Time) Monday through Friday. They are also available to chat with you on Saturday and Sunday until 5 p.m.

Internet Public Library
The Internet Public Library allows you to email your question to a librarian. The only problem is that it takes about 3 days to get a response.

Library of Congress – Ask a Librarian
Librarians at the Library of Congress can also assist you with your research. They promise to respond by email within 5 business days.

MassAnswers.org
MassAnswers.org allows students to chat with a librarian online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. After you’re done chatting, they’ll email you a transcript of everything you’ve discussed. I found this service very helpful.

People’s Network
The People’s Network will hook you up with a librarian in the United Kingdom. They have a real-time chat and email system to help you answer your questions.

Princeton University Library
Chat with a Princeton librarian on AOL, Yahoo, MSN, or ICQ. They aren’t available 24/7, but you can catch them online during the day.

Seattle Public Library
The Seattle Public Library also provides a 24/7 online chat program to help you with your research. They’re chat system is connected to librarians across the country.

Please leave a comment if there are other library websites people should know about.

No professors or teaching assistants want to read a boring paper. They want to read a paper that engages them; a paper that is compelling and clearly articulated.

So how do you write one of these papers?

Well, the most important part of writing a fascinating paper is to develop a great thesis statement.

You see, your thesis statement is the spine for your entire paper. It’s the glue that holds your paper together. The more complex, specific, and interesting, the better your paper will be.

So here are some steps to breathe life into your next thesis statement:

Get Excited About Your Topic
No matter what you have to write about, you should try and get excited about it. The more interest and excitement you put forth, the better your paper will be. Even if your paper topic bores you, this is your opportunity to get creative and think of a way to make it exciting. That’s your challenge – and you can do it.

Develop A Strong Opinion About Your Topic
Writing a great thesis statement means you need to develop a strong opinion about your topic. This is how radio talk show hosts keep their audiences – they spew strong opinions that attract listeners and phone calls. If you’re not sure how to form a strong opinion about your topic, start reading through journal article abstracts. Check out Google Scholar and read through thesis statements pertaining to your topic. Jot down any strong opinions that look interesting to you.

Use Exciting Adjectives to Spice up Your Thesis
Don’t just say that something is good or bad, empower your nouns with exciting adjectives that describe what you really think. Adjectives like oppressive, tyrannical, and bloodthirsty are powerful because they portray a strong point of view about something or someone.

Focus Your Thesis On One Main Idea
As mentioned in the introduction, your thesis is the glue for your paper. Make sure your thesis doesn’t divert into different directions. Stay focused on one main theme to keep your paper organized and your reader on topic.

Get Extremely Specific in Your Thesis
A generic thesis statement weakens a paper because the reader isn’t clear exactly what you’re going to be arguing about. However, if your thesis includes specific details about your argument, it will prepare the reader for what’s ahead. It also helps you stay on task as you argue your points with specific examples.

Keep a List of Interesting Thesis Statements
Just as copywriters have a swipe file of powerful headlines, you should develop your own list of powerful thesis statements. Whenever you come across a thesis statement that intrigues you, add it to your list. The longer your list of thesis statements, the more ammunition you’ll have when you need to craft your own.

Here are three examples of thesis statements to get you going:

Weak Thesis:
The North and South fought the Civil War for many reasons, some of which were the same and some different.

Average Thesis:
While both sides fought the Civil War over the issue of slavery, the North fought for moral reasons while the South fought to preserve its own institutions.

Strong Thesis:
While both Northerners and Southerners believed they fought against tyranny and oppression, Northerners focused on the oppression of slaves while Southerners defended their own right to self-government.

Recommended Reading:

• How to Write a Great Term Paper in One Evening
• What Steven King Can Teach You About Writing Essays
• 7 Websites to Help You Write Your Research Paper

If you’ve ever procrastinated like I have, you’ve probably had to research and write an entire term paper in one night.

It’s not the ideal way to write, but I’ve been able to write some of my best papers during this time. I’m not sure if it’s the adrenaline or what, but writing things last minute seems to be the muse that I need.

Anyway, if you ever find yourself staring at a blank word document at like 10 p.m. – and your paper is due the next day – this blog entry is just for you.

I’ve included an approximate time length for each step below. These are just approximations that will obviously fluctuate with your particular assignment. The purpose of setting times for each task is to quickly move your paper along.

Step 1: Relax Your Mind (15 Minutes)
Before you get started on this paper, I want you to relax your mind. This doesn’t mean grabbing a beer. It means calming yourself down and focusing your mind on the paper topic. You have one night to finish this paper, and you can do it. Turn on some classical music if it helps you stay relaxed and focused.

Step 2: Develop a Great Thesis Statement (45 minutes)
Alright, once you’re relaxed it’s time to focus your attention on writing a great thesis statement. Your thesis statement is what will keep your research and writing on topic. This is the most important part of your paper. Spend some time reading thesis statements in Google Scholar or whatever journal article database you have access to.

Use whatever you find as a springboard for writing your own argument. Make sure to save citations and quotes from any relevant journal articles you find.

Step 3: Write a Killer Introduction (15 minutes)
The way to start your paper with a bang is with a great introduction. You need an introduction that not only grabs the attention of your professor, but focuses the paper on the topic at hand. You should have one or two intro sentences, and then jump right into your thesis statement. If you can’t think of an introduction, simply use your thesis statement.

Step 4: Defend Your Thesis in a Brainstorming Session (30 minutes)
You should brainstorm a bunch of reasons why your thesis statement is true. Brainstorm for 30-minutes and think of every reason why your professor should be convinced of your claim. Write down the key arguments because those become your supporting paragraphs. Each argument is a mini-thesis that helps you support your paper.

Step 5: Start Your Research to Defend Your Thesis (2 hours)
Professors sometimes will give you a minimum number of references they want to see in your bibliography. That should be your minimum too, so make sure to list more than what’s required. Log into your college’s library database and start researching your topic.

This is the part that most people wast time, so give yourself just two hours to copy and paste your citations into your paper. Try to organize the quotations within an appropriate argument (from step 4). More than likely, you’ll find more arguments for your topic when researching. So add these arguments to your list.

Step 6: Time to Write (4 to 5 hours)
Select your best arguments (with supportive references) and use them as the introduction for your supporting paragraphs. Convince your professor that your thesis is true with strong arguments leading each paragraph. Write as if your professor was right there, and make sure to think of possible weak spots in your argument. You want to write a flawless paper, so keep your argument tight.

It’s easy to get stuck when you first begin to write, so don’t worry much about your sentence structure and argument process. Focus more on getting all your ideas down on the page. Just start writing, and use your main arguments as writing prompts.

Step 7: Think of Critics Would Say About Your Thesis (1 hour)
If you have time, make sure to cite what critics might say about your arguments. By responding to what critics say, you’re strengthening your paper by revealing that you understand other points of view. This shows you’ve spent some time thinking about the topic, and are prepared to answer objections.

Step 8: Summarize Your Thesis At the End (30 minutes)
When you’ve completed your paper, wrap it up by restating your thesis (with some support). Make sure to leave your professor with something to think about at the end of your paper.

Step 9: Cut the Fat (1 hour)
When you’re ready to edit, it’s time to eliminate everything that doesn’t support your thesis. Cut out passive verbs (to-be) and rely on action-oriented words whenever possible. Eliminate any sentences or paragraphs that slow down your paper or weaken your main argument. Make sure your arguments are clear and easily understood.

Recommended Reading

• What Steven King Can Teach You About Writing Essays
• How to Write a Fascinating Thesis Statement
• How to Read Long-Winded Journal Articles Quickly
• 7 Websites to Help You Write Your Research Paper

Since we’re disappointed with the Firefox Campus Edition plug-in list, we’ve decided to make our own. These Firefox plug-ins are designed to help you research and use the web more efficiently when studying.

Customize Google
The Customize Google plug-in allows you to quickly move from your Google search results to Yahoo, Ask.com, MSN, Technorati, Wikipedia, etc. This can save you a lot of time when you want to quickly switch between search engines. You can also change the preferences so that you don’t see any annoying PPC ads. This plug-in is also cool because it removes image copying restrictions in Google Print. There are many more benefits for this plug-in–so just install it.This is a definite must-have for any student.

WorlCat Search Plug-in
Need to quickly find a book, download an audiobook, or video? WorldCat will instantly find these resources for you at a library near you (based on your IP address). This handy plug-in allows you search for these items anytime, right from your browser window.

Online BookMark Manager
Get access to all of your personal bookmarks online–instead of leaving them on your main computer. This plug-in will allow you to add, edit, or delete bookmarks wherever you are. And this bookmark manager will automatically sync your bookmark list no matter where you’re editing it from. This is very helpful, especially if your researching a topic and need to keep track of dozens of websites.

Zotero – Research Plug-In
Zotero is a must for anyone writing a research paper in APA, MLA, or CMA style. This plug-in lets you instantly save website citation information with a click of your mouse. Once you’ve clicked the Zotero button, the website data is saved and can be easily exported into whatever style format you need. Zotero also allows you to save pdfs and notes about whatever website you’re studying. That can come in handy the next time you need to save a journal article pdf. We highly recommend Zotero for any researcher.

We’re sure there are many others that we missed, so please leave a comment and let us know about your favorite Firefox extensions.

We love The Student Room (the United Kingdom’s largest online student community) website.

They have a cool wiki project with students posting tips and advice on a variety of subjects—everything from anthropology to veterinary medicine. The wiki project just launched, and were excited to already see students submitting helpful content.

Anyway, they have a great collection of tips on how to deal with test stress.

Here are some of our favorites:

• If your mind goes blank, don’t panic. If you worry and panic, it will make it harder to recall the information. Focus on some deep breathing for a few minutes. The information is there, you just have to get to it. If after relaxing for a few minutes, you still can’t remember the answer, move onto the next question and come back to this one later.

• Don’t try to be perfect. We all want the best possible grades that we can get, but sometimes it just doesn’t work like that. If you think that ‘anything less than an A means I’ve failed’, then you are just creating unnecessary mountains of stress for yourself. Try to do your best, but remember that we can’t be perfect all the time.

• The night before your exam, make sure you have a relaxing evening, doing as little revision as possible. Get a good night’s sleep, and try your best not to worry; you have already done all your revision anyway! On the day, make sure you have plenty of time to get ready, have a good breakfast and arrive at college or school in plenty of time.

Check out the rest of the test taking strategies to reduce stress.