The SIR department went through a transition in leadership in the 2018-19 school year, providing a fresh start from the prior leadership of three years. IMSA teachers Dr. Don Dosch, Dr. Dave Devol, and Dr. Eric Smith from the biology, chemistry, and history departments, respectively, have stepped up to be the new head directors of the program. <\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n We interviewed Dr. Don Dosch regarding his goals and struggles in directing the SIR program. The following interview has been edited for clarity, but everything printed has been approved by Dr. Dosch. <\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Q: What were the initial problems that you faced when you first took over the program?<\/b><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n A: \u201cThe first problem that I recognized was that I had no idea what I was doing. I\u2019ve been working with students in SIRs for a very long time, Devol has as well, and so has Smith, but we really had no sense of the\u2026 the overwhelming need of students. I suppose when the program is running very smoothly year after year after year it becomes more routine, and you add students as they come to you. But we did not have a lot of contacts, and so it\u2019s been all brand new.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Q: You mentioned something about the overwhelming need of students. So you don\u2019t think there are enough students involved in the program?<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n A: \u201cI do not. I think we will double it next year. That\u2019s a bold prediction!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Q: How many students are in the program this year?<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n A: \u201cI think we\u2019re running about 130-ish kids. But I\u2019m going to double it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Q: Does that count include students in internships?<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n A: \u201cNo, internships are completely separate from SIR. Although, I will say that there was been interest from the internship program to make that program much more like SIR in terms of student responsibilities. Students from last year wanted it to be on their transcripts, and for that to happen, it had to be a little more\u2026 academic.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Q: You mentioned that we didn\u2019t have many contacts. There have been rumors around campus that we\u2019ve lost contacts, and that people don\u2019t want to work with us. Is that true?<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n A: \u201cYes, that is correct. I had talked with some people who had been previously working with our students, and the sense that I get from that is that the expectations that students had under the previous leadership\u2026 could not be met.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Q: Like what?<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n A: \u201cPublishing. Publishing papers. And I can appreciate that. If a student has been working in a molecular biology lab one day a week, that\u2019s not going to lead to publication. It\u2019s just not. <\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n One of the reasons I did volunteer was because there was not enough diversity in the choice that students had. Nobody in English was doing an SIR. Even though they used to do a lot. Nobody in History was doing an SIR in the past two or three years. Even though, before, they used to do a whole lot. Very few people on the science team could work under the restrictions of having to publish. Even internally, the program fell apart.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cI understand the aim to publish. When you do science, you share your results, you share your knowledge with the community, and if you don\u2019t do that you haven\u2019t accomplished anything. However, when you\u2019re sending a 17-year-old into a lab situation, you want them to have a great experience. In science that doesn\u2019t always lead to quickly publishing. That doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s a bad experience.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Q: Have we had to rebrand after making changes to get back some of our lost contacts?<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n A: \u201cI\u2019ve had to do that. I\u2019ve contacted some of the old mentors who would always be reliable, they\u2019d take 4 or 5 kids every year. Those relationships will be born again.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Q: Has it been hard to rebrand?<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cIt\u2019s embarrassing. No, it\u2019s not hard to rebrand. I think the program is good. But. the program was not always good. You just extend your apologies, because people were insulted. The old program was not respectful sometimes. And that was unfortunate.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Q: Is there anything that the students don\u2019t know but the faculty knows that you can tell us?<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n A: \u201cIn the science department, we have talked as a team, and 6 members of the science team are offering research programs starting in the fall of 2019. Each person can take up to 15 students! Didn\u2019t I tell you I was going to double this program? We\u2019ve been talking to the history department as well, but there are spots to fill. We are starting with science and history because historically those have been the two programs of IMSA that have done the most on-campus SIRs. <\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Everyone should be in an SIR. It\u2019s ridiculous that we say no to people. And in past years, we\u2019ve said no if your interests are in an area where you can\u2019t publish.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Q: What are your plans for IMSAloquium this year?<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n A: \u201cI think some things we agree on are students presenting with posters. We agree that presentations are important. We agree that the freedom to visit your friends in their presentations is a good thing. How that all comes together? That\u2019s where we still have to talk. IMSAloquium is an expensive day. We have to do it well, but we need to do it with an eye toward maintaining control over the total product. Printing is the most expensive part. Each poster costs $20.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Q: What are some of the most difficult challenges you\u2019re facing right now?<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n A: \u201cMaking the contacts is difficult. There are not enough people involved. We need to have someone to run the room here. We need staff. Between the three of us, we have other responsibilities. I\u2019m half-time here. I have a class I need to teach. I have a responsibility to the science team. But I spend all of my time working on this stuff. But it\u2019s okay! We wouldn\u2019t do it if we didn\u2019t think it was important work.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Students\u2019 Frequently Asked Questions <\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Q: Mandatory assignments have been very restrictive in the past years. You had to pass phase 1, phase 2, complete concept maps, etc. is that going to change?<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n A: \u201cThe phases were fantastic. It describes the scientific process. We like concept maps because we want you to engage fully in the experiment. The only way you can do that is if you understand the field. The one phase that we have difficulty with is requiring phase 5 – requiring publication.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Q: There have been complaints about buses. What are the problems?<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n A: \u201cMoney. It costs $550 to send one bus off campus. Doesn\u2019t matter where it goes. We have six buses. It\u2019s the reality. I wouldn\u2019t mind spending on another bus\u2026 but we have to get more sites. There are 12 different sites, and some of these sites have 1 or 2 people on it. I can\u2019t afford to spend $550 to send one child. So we have to make a loop with several stops. And that makes the bus long sometimes.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Q: Could trains be another option. <\/span> Q: Why?<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n A: \u201cSafety. It\u2019s my name! EleMENT no longer puts students on trains either. We do not want students running around in Chicago looking for a train or bus. SIR is a school-sanctioned activity. Trains put the school in harm’s way. The school bus company takes responsibility for you once you leave the door. It\u2019s a safety factor. The safety of IMSA students leaving this building is a serious control, and we will always run school buses. You are minors after all! And we have assumed responsibility for your safety.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Q: There have been some rumors about Fermilab. Can you clarify?<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n A: \u201cFermi is a national laboratory. Access is restricted. They\u2019re going to control who gets on campus and who doesn\u2019t. The people who work there have jobs! And IMSA students are not their jobs. However, they like working with IMSA students – within reason. It\u2019s unfortunate that there are students who want to work at Fermilab, but there are no positions – we don\u2019t all get our way. I\u2019ve been sending resumes over there, Devol\u2019s been sending resumes.<\/span> Written by Devika Prasad & Caitlyn Castillo Since 1989, IMSA\u2019s Student Inquiry and Research program has been guiding students in research, both on and off campus, with the goal of \u201cincreased knowledge, deeper understanding, and skill development\u201d. IMSA\u2019s inquiry-based academic philosophy results in students only<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":568,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-608","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-imsa"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.imsa.edu\/hadron\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/608","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.imsa.edu\/hadron\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.imsa.edu\/hadron\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.imsa.edu\/hadron\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/568"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.imsa.edu\/hadron\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=608"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sites.imsa.edu\/hadron\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/608\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":707,"href":"https:\/\/sites.imsa.edu\/hadron\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/608\/revisions\/707"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.imsa.edu\/hadron\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=608"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.imsa.edu\/hadron\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=608"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.imsa.edu\/hadron\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=608"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"post\"](\"https:\/\/twentysixteendemo.files.wordpress.com\/2015\/11\/post.png\")
<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
<\/span>A: \u201cI would not put a student on a train.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
But on the other hand, there are <\/span>thirty <\/span><\/i>students working there as of right now. You should see them coming back. They\u2019re so tired, their eyes are all so heavy because all they do is code! But damn, their smiles are huge\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"