By Zoe Friese
For adventurous students seeking answers to global questions, conducting research abroad is an exciting learning opportunity. Nothing is more rewarding than bringing your knowledge from the classroom into the field. Through university grants and scholarships, students can travel across the world to investigate questions in the humanities, social sciences, hard sciences, and beyond. With a little planning and creativity, hopeful researchers can design almost any project to expand their academic and cultural education.
The personal and professional benefits of doing research abroad cannot be overstated. While designing their research plan, students learn how to create realistic goals, build a budget, and apply for funding. Then, during the experience itself, the researcher will engage unfamiliar places and people, practicing their patience and adaptability. Finally, after returning to Tulane, students usually produce a research deliverable—like a paper or thesis project—that exhibits their new learning. Each of these steps helps undergraduates develop independence, maturity, and problem-solving abilities that prepare them well for the future. Employers and graduate schools look for these qualities in their applicants, and demonstrating them through a research project will make you stand out!
As incredible as research abroad sounds, many students find the concept very intimidating. It’s hard to know where to start, and big questions loom over interested students: Where will I go? How will I prepare for the experience? Most importantly, how will I fund the experience? Tulane faculty and advisors can support prospective researchers through these questions, but hearing from other students can also be reassuring.
As an Environmental Studies major and Chinese minor, I wanted to investigate a global question that combined my interests in sustainability and cultural exchange. I’ve always cared deeply about issues like climate change, and I also enjoy practicing my language skills with native speakers. To help me develop a research question, I began reviewing online articles about environmental advocacy in Taiwan, searching for topics that piqued my interest. After developing some ideas, I reached out to Tulane faculty with related experience to ask for their feedback. Even when I had no previous relationship with a professor, they often responded to my emails and offered to help. Through discussions with these mentors, I refined my research question to target environmental activism against Formosa Plastics Group, a Taiwanese petrochemical corporation. I wanted to learn and share with others: how do American and Taiwanese environmental activists cross borders and cultural barriers to form alliances against the company?
In the spring of my junior year, I planned out my research proposal and started applying for grants (see takeaway #3 for some tips!). Because my study involved interviews and participant observation, I also needed to submit my study for IRB approval. The IRB, or Institutional Review Board, reviews Tulane research to ensure they follow ethical protocols in the treatment of study participants. These steps took a few months to complete, and then I was ready to start collecting data during the summer. Before my travel, I asked professors and friends to help connect me with people in Taiwan who may take interest in the study. Before long, I met fellow researchers who could introduce me to potential study participants. In July, I flew to Taipei, Taiwan for four weeks to interview activists in person. I also attended museums and field trips with other student researchers interested in petrochemical companies. Now, after two semesters of reflecting and writing, I am ready to publish an honors thesis about my findings.
After completing this process, I have a lot of advice to share with future student researchers excited to go to the field. Based on my experience, these are my three greatest takeaways for how to navigate research abroad:
- Undergraduate research is a learning experience.
Most of us aren’t good at things the first time that we do them. Research, like other skills, takes practice to do with confidence and accuracy. As an undergraduate researcher, students should recognize that they won’t get everything right the first time. The true value of the experience is the learning process, not the final product. If you need to alter your approach or manage a mistake, your faculty advisors can help you chart a new path. Recognizing your position as a learner will allow you to be flexible and open-minded as well as deeply value input from others. Be humble, and you will achieve the greatest growth!
By focusing on the learning process rather than the final deliverable, students are also better positioned to take risks. While I was planning my research project, I originally planned to stay in New Orleans and find an easier topic to study. I was worried that my Mandarin Chinese wasn’t good enough to navigate Taiwan alone or talk with locals. However, a faculty advisor insisted that I would never “feel ready” for this big step—I simply had to take the leap to know that I was capable! By taking risks, we accept that challenges and failures are inevitable. I experienced many misunderstandings and miscommunications while using my second language, but patience with myself and others allowed me to manage them with grace. Consider how you can embrace your role as a learner and take risks while in the field!
- As a researcher, make sure you contribute as much as you take.
When visiting another country as tourists, exchange students, or researchers, we must acknowledge how our identities influence our positionality. As American college students, we are very privileged in comparison to others that we may interact with overseas. As members of higher education, we have access to institutions and generous funds that allow us to travel virtually anywhere. These kinds of connections should not be taken for granted. Student researchers must be especially cognizant of power balances when traveling to places in the Global South. The United States has an uncomfortable history of perpetuating war, political strife, and imperialism in other world regions, which has implicitly benefitted American citizens. By recognizing this reality, we can approach global relationships with sensitivity and prevent additional harm.
With the U.S.’s extractive history in mind, student researchers should strive to benefit the communities they visit abroad. Researchers reap all kinds of advantages from their work, including professional skills, academic enrichment, and worldly experience. Study participants, however, will often receive no benefit or even experience harm. To avoid taking more than you give, ensure the research question reflects the desires of the related community. Seek the expertise of advisors and community members about what project would be helpful to them. In addition, consider how study participants can be compensated for their time—for example, I reserved grant funding to provide small gifts to participants. Be sure to express appreciation for their time before and after you meet. Finally, share the study’s final product in a language and format that is accessible to the people who contributed to your work. These simple steps can help you execute a responsible, socially just research project that distributes the benefits of your work more evenly.
- Scholarships and grants are everywhere!
Cost is usually the greatest barrier for undergraduate students considering travel. Luckily, at a private research university like Tulane, students have many pools of funding at their disposal to complete a research project. The Office of Study Abroad’s website is a great place to start—students can click here to view an extensive list of grants and application deadlines that fund international experiences and research. Notable funding sources include Newcomb Institute grants, Taylor Center awards, and Newcomb-Tulane College scholarships. Before submitting applications, students should check that their project meets any eligibility requirements that may exist for that funding source.
In addition, students can request support from their academic departments and organizations to make research experiences possible. If you plan to complete a project relating to your major, your major advisor or department chair may have resources to assist you, including funding. Special programs like Altman Scholars, Newcomb Scholars, and College Scholars can also fund research opportunities. Even national organizations, such as professional groups or Greek Life, may have scholarships for ambitious members. Be ready to advocate for yourself—after all, you’ll never know if you don’t ask!
I hope these guidelines help demystify the process of doing research abroad. While planning and conducting research is undoubtedly challenging, I encourage interested students to embrace this challenge with an open mind. When equipped with the right intentions, students will positively impact others and deepen their undergraduate experience in ways they could not have imagined.
