What is PURE?
Sabancı University Program for Undergraduate Research (PURE) is intended for undergraduate students from all domestic and international universities who would like to pursue guided research projects. Undergraduate students at all levels can apply and they will be selected according to projects’ requirements and the background of the applicant. The goal of the program is to introduce undergraduate students to real research problems early in their studies.
Basic Steps of Research Process
Identify a research problem
pose a question: asking good questions is of critical importance
Literature review
check out if other scientists have done a similar research – i.e. read papers
Formulate a hypothesis
put forward a tentative assumption that can be tested
Design experiments to validate/falsify the hypothesis
falsifying the hypothesis is also valuable, finding impossibilities, negative answers are also of interest!
Carry out the experiments and collect data
survey, lab experiment, coding, etc.
Write a report
to disseminate the research findings
Analyze the data
organize and visualize the data to be able to draw conclusions
Types of Research Projects
Basic Research
The aim of this type of research is to add to the wealth of fundamental scientific knowledge in a discipline, or provide a more in depth understanding of a research subject. Researchers do not seek to apply the knowledge gained right away or have any immediate plans for commercializing it beyond expanding our knowledge base. No inventions result from basic research. The researcher is simply curious about his or her environment or universe, and asks how and what questions. For example: How did the universe begin? What makes leaves change color in fall? What are atoms made of?
Applied Research
This type of research aims to invent or produce new products, or improve upon existing ones, and to address real problems confronting society. Researchers may seek to improve processes or services for the benefit of industry and eventually society. How can we extend the shelf life of fresh produce? How can we increase the yield of corn? How can we improve the picture quality of TV sets? How can we cure chicken pox? Applied researchers draw from the work of basic researchers to invent new things or improve upon existing ones. The two branches or thought processes in scientific research work together.
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