Studio Lab: Where Students Learn the Research Ropes
Prof. Sarah Sokhey of CU Boulder and Creator of Studio Lab
Dr. Sarah Wilson Sokhey is the Associate Professor of Political Science & Studio Lab Director at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
Why Studio Lab?
Prof. Sokhey was inspired by the fact that there are a lot of college students who are interested in connecting with the Faculty and doing research, and collaborating on research.
But, they don’t know where to get started!
And so Prof. Sokhey thought it would be nice to have a system in place for students to say, “I want to do research? Can you help me do it?”
What is Studio Lab?
Studio Lab started out in the Department of Political Science with the goal of giving students research experience.
It was intended for students who may think, “Well, I don't know what I could do. I'm not sure what my skills are.”
So, if they really want to do research, then they should apply!
The students apply to the program, they can get paid to work as a research assistant or they can get paid to do their own research, and a faculty person serves as their mentor!
How Does It Work?
The Studio Lab gets faculty proposed research projects;
It vets the student applications it receives before admitting them, and learns about their interests;
Matches a Student with Faculty proposed research projects;
The student is paid to be a research assistant;
Students are admitted in cohorts for an academic year. The idea right now is to get new cohorts and so that lots of different students can get the opportunity to be a research assistant;
And finally, offers a lab community with social events and training events.
A Big Hit!
Prof. Sokhey started Studio Lab in her own department, the Department of Political Science with small internal grant from the department to do a very limited trial.
It was it was such a hit that the Dean asked Prof. Sokhey, “Would you like to take this to the Divisional level and do it for all of the Social Sciences?”, and Dr Sokhey said “Sure!”
That was a Big Hit, and the Humanities Department wanted to get in on it.
Now, Studio Lab is operating at the College of Arts and Humanities level!
Benefits
Prof. Sokhey is certainly very pleased to see how Studio Lab has done, but she believes that:
It's even bigger than just research, because many of those scholars do creative works like theater, dance, or other things;
It's about connecting faculty and students to work together;
Offering Experiential learning;
That's what inspired all this: There was this demand from students that was not being met before!
On with the Podcast
Prof. Sarah Sokhey joins us on our podcast to talk about the Studio Lab, How it is Helping Students Get Started with Research, Scaling Studio Lab, Success Stories, and finally the Advice for high schoolers.
Hi-Fives from the Podcast are:
Why UG Research?
What is Studio Lab?
Why it works?
Studio Lab Timeline
Advice for High Schoolers
Listen to the Podcast with Prof. Sarah Wilson Sokhey of CU Boulder on the Studio Lab. (34-Minute Listen).
Have a Great Week.
Venkat