Disclaimer: This club is NOT (!) part of the formal UT education program. There are no ECs attached. This is purely for fun.
Research Enthusiasts Club
An informal club of curious minds to raise scientific thinkers
The informal club was first founded by Maximilian A. Friehs towards the end of 2023. Since then the club has met every couple of weeks either in person or online, worked on projects together and wrote papers. But mostly just discussed research. For a full list of student publication from PCRS students please refer to this website. If you are a student interested in research and want to join our group then please reach out to Max and get invited to the Teams environment!*** We are open for all students from all programs; no prior knowledge or commitment required.
The Goal. A scientist is somebody with an academic mindset, that can evaluate what they are being presented and carry out systematic observations to find an answer to a question. Although usually students are not considered ‘academic staff’, in this club students are the main researchers. They are the ones asking the questions and looking for answer. Here a student can gain a guided insight into the world of academic publishing.
The Problem. In todays society in general and even in the universities people are bad at judging the soundness of academic literature and have difficulties understanding the publication process. To the outside observer all journals and all papers may seem alike, but what differentiates good and bad research? How does peer-review help self-regulate the scientific community and act as a quality control process? This also leads to an increase in scepticism in science and a devaluation of fundamental research. During their studies, many students feel overwhelmed or intimidated by the prospect of independent research.
A potential step towards a Solution. The Research Enthusiasts Club can provide a supportive environment where students can gain confidence in their own abilities; either through publishing their work, participating in discussions or joining a conference. Workshops on research methodology, data analysis, and scientific communication empower students to tackle their projects with confidence. Additionally, participation in supervised peer-review allows them to receive and provide constructive high-level feedback, a valuable skill for any aspiring scientist.
The Benefit. Ultimately this club empowers the next generation of scientific thinkers, but mainly it brings likeminded and curious people together to discuss reasearch in a safe environment. This is as much a social club as it is a research focussed endevour.
Paper Writing Power Hour
Join us for one of our meetings or drop in at our "Paper Writing Power Hour". Thesis? Revision? First submission? Blog? Does not matter – join! This is just a space in your schedule to make a concentrated writing effort. Hosted on Teams every Wednesday from 14:00-15:00 CET (Meeting ID: 374 582 094 743, Passcode: UTUJqy). In this hour we will do 2 Pomodoro sessions of 25+2mins each. Please note that Max is typically moderating this session but if he is teaching or otherwise occupied then you can still go ahead without him.
Associated Staff members
Maximilian A. Friehs (Psychology; founder)
Marcello Gómez Maureira (Human-Media Interaction)
*** You can also join directly if you have a UT account via the Teams Code "bvshat1" or click here. If this does not work contact Max.