Dionys Beck, a senior at Roanoke College majoring and physics and minoring in math, travelled to Coastal Carolina University in Conway, South Carolina over the summer to conduct research. During his 10 weeks at Coastal, Dionys assisted a graduate student’s research project. The project studied the dispersion of rainwater runoff through an offshore outfall into the ocean front.
“I first had to study up on the theory behind the research, which was a lot of fluid mechanics. During the time I was there the project was in the experimental design phase. I was responsible for testing instruments that would later be used for the experimental deployment. Testing the instruments resulted in a lot of data being collected, so it was my job to learn how to use various computer programs (MATLAB mostly) to organize and plot the results of the tests.”
Dionys’ favorite part of the program was going out in the marshes and testing the salinity and temperature of the water.
“It was important to get accurate measurements because my data was used to ensure that the instruments would get quality readings during the month long deployment. It was exciting to see the end result of my work actually making an impact and being used to further the research project.”
Dionys’ advice to incoming and current students is to get involved in undergraduate research.
“If your plan is to attend graduate school or go into a science related field, there is nothing else you can do to better prepare yourself. Not only will it look great on a resume, but it will let you apply the knowledge you have learned at Roanoke College to real life situations.”