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Mastering Research: Achieving Balance for Effective Problem Solving

Successful research hinges on balancing various elements to tackle challenging issues effectively. This guide emphasizes the importance of finding solvable and interesting problems while maintaining a balance between challenge and solvability. It advocates for using pertinent tools and resources, and highlights the significance of both generalization and specialization. Researchers should be flexible in their approaches, embrace failure as a learning tool, and communicate their findings clearly. Ultimately, the key to research success lies in maintaining a harmonious balance in life and work.

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Mastering Research: Achieving Balance for Effective Problem Solving

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  1. How to do research Dan Simon Cleveland State University October 2003

  2. The key is balance • You can study too much, or not enough • Gain / bandwidth can be too high, or too low

  3. Solve the right problem • Find a problem that is interesting and challenging • Find a problem that is solvable • Balance challenge with solvability • Experience helps with balance

  4. Solve the right problem in the right way • Look for problem-driven solutions, not solution-driven problems

  5. Likely Payoff Difficulty Achievability and Payoff • Attack a problem that you can solve • Attack a problem that has a payoff

  6. Collect a repertoire of tools • Use the best tool to solve the problem • Use available resources • Seminars • Books / Journals • Colleagues • Internet • Library

  7. Generalize and specialize • Balance breadth and depth • A generalist knows nothing about everything • A specialist knows everything about nothing Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar (1910-1995)Nobel Prize, 1983A new topic every seven years

  8. Have a plan of attack • Follow your blueprint • Be flexible enough to deviate from your blueprint

  9. Isaac Newton 1642 - 1727 Simplify / complicate your work • Simplify your work • Solve your problem one step at a time • Apply the theory to a simple problem • Generalize the theory • F = ma • Eastern mysiticism andZadeh’s fuzzy set theory

  10. Example However, Therefore, Furthermore, Finally,

  11. Work! • A necessary and sufficient condition • Genius is 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration Thomas Edison 1847-1931

  12. Persist • Sometimes months of workpays off in a single day • Know when to change your approach  = 3.14159265358979323846264338327…

  13. Don’t be afraid to fail • “I have not failed. I have merely found 10,000 ways that did not work.” • Admit your mistakes (so you can learn from them) • Petroski, To Engineer Is Human: The Role of Failure in Successful Design

  14. Faith and doubt • Believe that your ideas will eventually work • Healthy skepticism – don’t take someone else’s word for it, convince yourself

  15. Communicate • Read and write • Speak • Write and speak with authority

  16. Progress is cumulative • Build on others’ work • Allow others to build on your work Isaac Newton 1642 – 1727 John Donne 1572-1631

  17. Independence / cooperation • Researchers need to be able to work independently • Researchers need to be able to work as part of a team

  18. Find balance in your life • Relationships, spirituality, hobbies, rest • Sabbath James Watson 1928 -

  19. Conclusion • It all boils down to balance

  20. References • http://academic.csuohio.edu/simond/courses • C. Loehle, A guide to increased creativity in research – inspiration or perspiration? BioScience 40(2), pp.123-129, February 1990 • D. Bernstein, A student’s guide to research, IEEE Control Systems, pp. 102-108, February 1999 • R. Hamming, You and your research, IEEE Potentials, pp.37-40, October 1993 • V. Li, Hints on writing technical papers and making presentations, IEEE Transactions on Education 42(2), pp.134-137, May 1999

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