Transcript AADR NSRG Local SRG Start Up Kit

Local Student Research Group
(SRG) Start Up Kit
Presented by the
AADR National Student
Research Group (NSRG)
www.aadronline.org
What’s Included
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IADR/AADR and NSRG
What can the NSRG do for you?
Starting a local SRG
SRG activities
Writing and presenting your research
Funding opportunities
Careers in dental research and academics
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IADR/AADR and NSRG
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IADR/AADR and NSRG
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You are a member of three distinct but
related groups: NSRG, AADR, and IADR.
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All student members of the AADR are
automatically members of the NSRG.
• This includes, Residents, Graduate Students,
and Dental Students – all student members
are eligible to be officers of the NSRG!
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IADR/AADR and NSRG
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International Association for Dental Research
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The IADR was created to advance research and
increase knowledge for the improvement of oral health
worldwide by:
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Promoting oral health research through global Divisions
and Sections.
Establishing partnerships with oral health, scientific and
educational groups.
Increasing membership and participation in scientific
meetings.
Developing the IADR Global Headquarters as a
communications hub.
Disseminating and applying research findings.
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IADR/AADR and NSRG
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American Association for Dental Research
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The AADR is the largest Division of the IADR,
with over 4,000 members in the United States.
The mission of the AADR is:
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To advance research and increase knowledge for
the improvement of oral health,
To support and represent the oral health
research community, and
To facilitate the communication and application of
research findings.
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IADR/AADR and NSRG
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National Student Research Group
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The National Student Research Group is the largest
scientific group within the AADR with over 1,000
student members annually.
The NSRG’s goal is to foster an environment in every
dental school whereby students interested in enriching
their dental education through research are
encouraged to do so.
Visit the NSRG Web site at www.aadronline.org/nsrg
for more information!
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What can the NSRG do for
you?
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What can the NSRG do
for you?
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The primary purpose of the NSRG is to
promote student research.
Secondarily the NSRG seeks to:
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Promote the advancement of dental research
and careers in dental research.
Further the stated aims and objectives of the
AADR and the IADR as they relate to student
research.
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What can the NSRG do
for you?
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Promote student research
Support current student research and create new
outlets for student research opportunities.
Direct students towards funding opportunities.
Facilitate and encourage opportunities for students to
share and promote their research.
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Hinman Symposium
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ADA Conference on Student Research
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Regional Student Research Conference(s)
The NSRG Board actively seeks new opportunities to
encourage current and future dental researchers.
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What can the NSRG do
for you?
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Advancement of dental research
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Encourage quality student research and
involvement.
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Annual AADR NSRG Competitions
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DENTSPLY/Caulk Clinical and Basic Science Competition
Local SRG Contests (Newsletter, Membership and
Abstracts)
Peer review
Offer a range of student experiences to allow
students to practice with peer, local mentors, and
institutional mentors.
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What can the NSRG do
for you?
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NSRG Board Activities
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The NSRG Board meets three times a year to discuss
the direction of student research and how to best
improve the research experience for our student
members.
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Students obtain seats on the Board via an annual election.
Students are encouraged to contact Board members
with opinions and questions.
Although NSRG meetings are closed, minutes are made
available upon request.
Several students are appointed by the Board to serve on
committees.
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What can the NSRG do
for you?
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Networking
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The NSRG facilitates the collaboration of
students with common interests via Regional,
AADR, and IADR Annual meetings.
Networking events provide an environment
free of competition for students to learn from
each other by sharing their research
experiences.
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Starting a local SRG
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Starting a local SRG
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What is often required from your
University for the formation of new student
groups?
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Student interest
Constitution and Bylaws
Officers and members
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Starting a local SRG
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Formation of a Constitution and Bylaws
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The Constitution and Bylaws is essential to
define the group’s fundamental purpose and
processes as well as the organizational
structure and specific procedures of the group.
Consider modeling your Constitution and
Bylaws after the AADR NSRG Constitution and
Bylaws:
http://dentalresearch.i4a.com/i4a/pages/Index.cfm?pageID=3491
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Starting a local SRG
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Formation of a Constitution and Bylaws
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Writing your own Constitution and Bylaws
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If you do need to create your own then the general
structure should include the following (consider the
AADR and the NSRG as an example):
Name
Objectives
Organization
Government
Officers
Nominations and Elections
– Membership requirements
and eligibility
– Payment of Dues
– Meeting structure and
frequency
– Authorized Banks, and
Expenditures
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Starting a local SRG
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Members
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How will you encourage membership?
Will you have a dues structure?
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If so, how much?
What will the dues be used for?
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This should be defined in the Constitution.
**Members also join the IADR/AADR as student
members ($39 a year for 2008)**
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Starting a local SRG
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Officers
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Examples include: President,Vice-president,
Secretary, Treasurer (if you will collect
funds/dues), Webmaster, class representatives,
science officer, etc.
Outline procedures for nomination and
election of officials, terms, and
guidelines/standards of SRG officers.
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Starting a local SRG
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Faculty Support
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The local chapter of the SRG will need the
support of faculty members including:
The Dean or Associate Research Dean of the
college/university.
Research faculty members.
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These individuals are needed to provide mentorship
and research experience for student projects.
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Starting a local SRG
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Selecting a Faculty Advisor
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Selection of an enthusiastic faculty advisor to
assist the student leaders of the SRG is
critical to your SRG’s long-term success.
When selecting a faculty advisor of a Student
Research Group chapter, consider the
following roles:
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The faculty advisor plays a key role in maintaining
the group’s steady momentum and continuity
during membership turnover.
The faculty advisor is a liaison to school
administration and faculty.
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Starting a local SRG
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The faculty advisor develops/mentors student
leadership.
The faculty advisor encourages active faculty
support. Faculty support and assistance are an
integral part of the ultimate success of the SRG
and its objectives.
The faculty advisor serves as a link between both
students interested in research and those
involved in research.
Faculty advisors may encourage local and regional
interaction among students through regional
meetings and research competitions.
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SRG activities
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SRG activities
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Keeping student members interested and involved
is key to the growth of your school’s SRG.
Starting a Journal club
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Journal clubs provide a forum for research articles
and abstracts to be discussed among students and
faculty.
Journal clubs bring about awareness and discussion
of current issues/research topics and also train
participants to evaluate scientific literature.
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SRG activities
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Goals of your Journal club could include:
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Introduction of research topics of interest.
Creation of an environment for discussion of
current issues.
Guidance for critical reading and interpretation
of results.
It only takes a few interested
students/faculty and a rotating discussion
leader to start!
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SRG activities
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Journal clubs could take place before or after
classes/clinics or during lunch.
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The discussion leader will select an interesting article in
advance and e-mail it to club members. (the Journal of
Dental Research is a great source for articles!)
The club discusses research done in the article:
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Project objectives
Research design, data
Major findings and result interpretation
Conclusions
Relevance to dentistry/oral health
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SRG activities
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Guest lecturers can attend journal club meetings
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They can come to discuss their previously published or
ongoing research.
The forum can serve as a recruiting/advertising tool for
students interested in working on a project or just
learning more about the research at their
school/university.
Your journal club can be held as often as you feel
necessary.
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Some SRGs host a journal club meeting once a month,
others may only have one or two a semester.
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SRG activities
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Newsletters
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Serve as a communication tool for SRG members.
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Can be detailed or simple depending on your message.
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A Newsletter can provide various information for
your SRG:
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Announce school activities
Promote membership
Highlight SRG members
Spotlight student research
Identify research opportunities with faculty advisors
Inform students of regional, IADR/AADR and NSRG awards
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SRG activities
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Questions to answer before starting an SRG
newsletter:
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Who will be your audience? (students, faculty, whole
student body)
How often will you release your letter? (monthly,
semester, annual)
What will be the contents of your newsletter?
In what form will you publish? (e-mail, hard copy)
Who will create and maintain? (SRG Board, a specific
officer, faculty advisor)
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SRG activities
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Build a foundation for your newsletter so it
can be successful for many years to come.
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Delegate responsibility to a SRG Board
member or appointee to update and maintain
the newsletter.
Apply for the AADR NSRG Newsletter award,
an annual monetary prize for the best SRG
publication!
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SRG activities
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The following are other activities that have been
organized by some local SRG chapters:
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Lunch and Learns
Table clinics
Publish annual research abstracts
Fundraising events
Hands-on workshops
SRG Bulletin Board
Social events
Annual awards for students and faculty
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Writing and presenting your
research
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Writing and presenting
your research
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How to Prepare an Abstract
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An abstract is:
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Brief description of the research conducted
Organized into specific sections
Traditionally less than 300 words in length
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Tip: look at the requirements for your conference or
competition, they will also specify length. If you exceed your
word limit, you may be penalized, or worse, rejected.
Used by readers and researchers to determine if the
topic warrants further attention or pertains to their
specific interest.
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Writing and presenting
your research
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Sections of an Abstract
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Background
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Information pertinent to the topic
Builds interest
May cite previous work in area or work leading up to this
Example: “Human beta defensins (HBDs) are cationic,
antimicrobial peptides produced by epithelial cells.
Previously, our laboratory reported an altered
expression and induction pattern in oral squamous cell
carcinoma (OSCC) when compared to normal primary
keratinocytes, suggesting an involvement in cancer.”
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Writing and presenting
your research
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Sections of an Abstract
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Purpose
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Overall goal(s) of the research
What the researcher set out to accomplish
Example: “The goal of this study was to evaluate HBD1, 2 and 3 loci for SNPs which could account for
altered expression. Additionally, restriction fragment
length polymorphism (RFLP) assays were developed for
future large-scale screening of identified polymorphisms
(SNPs).”
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Writing and presenting
your research
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Sections of an Abstract
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Methods
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Concise description of the experiments/methodology
used to conduct the research
Example: “DNA from 17 healthy subjects and 13 OSCC
cell lines were PCR amplified and the products
separated by gel electrophoresis. Correctly sized bands
were extracted and purified. Bidirectional sequencing of
the promoter regions for HBD-1, 2 and 3 were
performed. RFLP analyses for each SNP identified were
performed.”
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Writing and presenting
your research
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Sections of an Abstract
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Results
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Data obtained from performing the experiments
Includes statistical values
Example: “For HBD-1, SNPs at positions -52bp and -20bp of
the promoter region were significantly more frequent in the
healthy population compared to the cancer population (P =
0.000671 and P = 0.016) respectively. For HBD-2, SNPs at
positions -913bp, -924bp, -1028bp in the promoter region
were significantly correlated with cancer (P=0.000598,
P=0.00553, and P=0.000598, respectively). For HBD-3, a SNP
located at -445bp was significantly correlated with cancer
(P=0.0089). Unlike HBD-2 and 3, HBD-1 was homozygous in
the cancer population.”
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Writing and presenting
your research
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Sections of an Abstract
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Conclusion
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Impact of results
Do the results support or refute the hypothesis?
Example: “Our results support the presence of genetic
variation in normal and OSCC cell lines which may account
for differences in expression. Frequencies computed for the
different alleles identified a strong association between SNPs
and health status. These preliminary results suggest the
potential use of beta-defensins as markers of OSCC.
Furthermore, loss of heterozygosity combined with the
cancer associated SNPs observed for HBD-1, suggest its
potential role as a cancer suppressor gene. Future studies
are needed to confirm these findings in a larger population.”
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Writing and presenting
your research
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Common Abstract Errors
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Too long or too short
Too much detail
Hard to follow because of lack of appropriate
transitions
Failure to direct the focus of the reader
Lack of statistical evaluation or improper
statistical tests employed
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Writing and presenting
your research
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Final Abstract Tips:
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Organize the abstract into chronological order
Make logical connections between components
Transitions between ideas will help guide the reader
Avoid unnecessary details
Make sure you are using the correct and appropriate
keywords. This is how others will search for and find
your abstract and publication.
Edit, edit, edit!
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Writing and presenting
your research
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Presentations: Oral, Posters, Table Clinics, and
Competitions
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Where to Start?
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Event – Pick the event that you and your mentor determine is
the best means of showcasing your work. You may choose to
initially present your work as poster presentation and as you
gain experience and confidence in presenting, you may elect to
present orally and enter a competition.
– First look at the event that you will be presenting at.
– Examine the rules and know the expected time limitations
and performance expectations to avoid unpleasant
surprises.
– Who is your audience? What is their background in your
area of research? Direct your wording and visuals towards
those viewing to increase understanding.
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Writing and presenting
your research
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Research Topic
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Is your topic better related in a slide-based
presentation to an audience?
Is your topic better related in a small group setting
by directing them through visual representations?
The truth is that there may be an easy conversion
between the two or that either format may work,
depending on your comfort level and experience.
It is most important to fully understand your
research so that you can coherently explain it to
those who don’t.
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Writing and presenting
your research
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Is your research complete?
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Check and recheck statistics and results and make
sure you understand them to avoid an embarrassing
situation.
Never present false data or falsify your results. This
is unethical.
If your results are preliminary, what is the next step?
What is the future direction of your project?
Gather
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Collect preliminary research
Collect previous work related to topic
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Writing and presenting
your research
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Getting Started
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Map out a plan
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Map out your time line, allowing time for edits and
practice.
It is often helpful to look at others’ presentations.
Start writing
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Some start from the beginning to chronologically
sequence their steps and thinking.
Some start from the end to trace the path taken to
the end.
Some just dig in and write what they feel like.
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Writing and presenting
your research
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Getting Started
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Edit
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Remove unnecessary information or clutter.
Remove distracting information.
Proof read.
Allow multiple people to edit and proof read.
It may be helpful at this stage to give a mock
presentation to ensure content and flow.
Make sure that the presentation logically flows from
one idea to the next one.
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Writing and presenting
your research
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Getting Started
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Visuals
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Be creative.
Choose the visual that makes an impact and clearly conveys
the message.
Don’t be afraid of colors but be careful of using too many. It
could be distracting.
Many may not read or listen to every word of your
presentation. Figures and tables must be able to stand
alone.
Use tables and graphs to summarize your data.
Make sure of the acceptable resolution of the reformatted
and compressed visual files.
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Writing and presenting
your research
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Putting it together
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Create a logical flow of information that guides your
audience through your topic in an efficient and
intelligible fashion.
Don’t overwhelm your audience.
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Keep slides or panels simple.
You only need to put the main points because you will
be explaining the rest.
Reflect on your presentation to make sure you
haven’t lost focus of purpose and audience.
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Writing and presenting
your research
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Product
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Practice, practice, practice…
The more comfortable you are with your topic, the
better you will be at explaining and sharing it.
Get excited! Hopefully, during the process, you’ve
had a chance to reflect on your research
accomplishments and you fully understand the work
it requires. If you don’t show your audience that you
are excited, why should they be?
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Writing and presenting
your research
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Presentation
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Keep multiple copies of resources.
Familiarize yourself with equipment and atmosphere.
Rehearse prior to presenting.
Get enough sleep, eat and don’t overdo the caffeine.
Make eye contact and engage your audience.
Speak slowly and project your voice.
Encourage questions and acknowledge sponsors or
funding sources.
Provide contacts for those interested in further
discussion.
When it is done, be proud of your accomplishments!
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Writing and presenting
your research
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Important points to remember
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Know your research well.
Create a presentation that flows logically.
Don’t try to put too much material in your
presentation.
Practice several times.
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Funding opportunities
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Funding opportunities
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In order to have the most productive research
experience, it is helpful to have some financial
support. This will depend on many different
factors and local environmental issues, but there
are some consistent themes.
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In general you will see funding at several different
levels.
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Local funding
AADR awards
IADR awards
NIDCR: Individual fellowships and training opportunities
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Funding opportunities
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Local Funding
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Many schools have summer student research fellowships, workstudy programs, training grants, and faculty-sponsored research.
Local dental associations or AADR Sections may have awards.
AADR awards
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AADR Student Research Fellowships.
AADR NSRG Specialty Group Awards are available in Pathology
and Fixed Prosthodontics.
AADR NSRG IADR Scientific Group Awards (proposed).
AADR/ADEA Academic Dental Career Fellowship Program
(ADCFP).
AADR Hatton Awards Competition.
AADR Block Travel Grant: An NIDCR-sponsored travel award that
funds AADR NSRG students to travel to present their work at the
IADR Annual meeting.
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Funding opportunities
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IADR Awards
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IADR Hatton Awards: Qualified AADR Hatton
recipients will compete in this IADR
competition.
IADR/Colgate “Research in Prevention” Travel
Awards.
IADR Scientific Group Awards (some for
students).
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Funding opportunities
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NIDCR: Individual fellowships and training
opportunities
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There are many incentives and opportunities to pursue
both short-term research experiences and long-term
research training. The following is just a brief list of
examples. For further explanation, please see:
http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/.
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NIDCR Summer Dental Student Award
Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Research Scholars Program
Postdoctoral Fellowships
Loan Repayment Programs
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Funding opportunities
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Formal training and PhD programs
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In order to pursue research and academics as a career, some
students augment their dental degree with formal research training
resulting in a PhD.
In some cases, students can combine their DDS training with PhD
training and receive stipend support and tuition remission
throughout the process.
These programs are variable depending on the institution(s) that
sponsor the degrees. A survey of available dual-degree programs
was published in the Journal of Dental Education in 2006.
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Roger, JM A survey of dual-degree training opportunities at US dental
schools. J Dent Educ. 2006 Sep;70(9):909-17.
Information about NIDCR-sponsored programs (not all dualdegree programs are NIDCR sponsored) can be found at:
http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/.
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Careers in dental research and
academics
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Careers in dental research
and academics
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Careers in dental research and academics are in
high demand.
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More than 250 academic positions are currently
unfilled (Chmar et al) and there are decreasing
numbers of those interested in pursuing research
and academics.
Approximately 75% of the available academic
positions are found in clinical sciences whereas 6%
are in the basic sciences.
Of the remaining positions available around U.S.
dental schools, nearly 12% can be considered
‘academic-track’ research positions (Herzberg et al).
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Careers in dental research
and academics
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In addition to academics, there are positions available within
industry and dental laboratories around the nation.
Detailed reports and surveys regarding the increasing vacancies
in dental academics and research have been published in recent
years.
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Chmar JE, Weaver RG,Valachovic RW (2006). Dental school vacant
budgeted faculty positions; academic year 2004-2005. J Dent Educ
70:188-198.
Herzberg MC, Griffith LG, Doyle MJ (2006). Driving the future of
dental research. J Dent Res 85(6):486-487.
Therefore, students interested pursuing these tracks have many
options available to them.
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SRGs can match interested students with mentors in your school
who can help them to pursue this track.
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Questions?
Comments?
Contact the AADR National
Student Research Group (NSRG)
[email protected]
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