Volunteerism: Using Your Research Skills to Help Society

Volunteering is a great way for you to use your research skills to benefit society. Often volunteering is frowned upon in some circles of society as, "working for free," meaning that you derive no benefits from it personally and should not do it. However, this is an extremely narrow-minded viewpoint as you do derive benefits (though not monetary) from volunteerism. Furthermore, you can help other people and society as a whole which in my opinion should be the main goal of any academic. This post will discuss some of the benefits to you and society of volunteering as well as suggestions on how to volunteer.

Personal Benefits of Volunteering

1. You improve your skill set

Volunteering can allow you to learn new skills and add to your skill set. Depending on what you do, you can acquire valuable skills (at no cost to you other than your time). You do not have to pay thousands of dollar to a university to get valuable skills, they can be acquired through many different avenues and voluntary service is one of them.

2. Opportunity to Practice. 

Employing your skills in service of society can allow you to gain much needed practice and experience, which will help keep them sharp. Experience will look good on your resume and the practice will help you master your research skills.

3. Networking Opportunity

The value of networking in today's competitive environment cannot be overstated. Through volunteer work, you can make valuable connections which will help you later on in life. The person volunteering with you to do research could just as easily be a potential employer or a link to a vital employment opportunity in the future.

4. Resume Padding

Voluntary service looks good on your resume or application to university. While it should not be the main goal, voluntary service can spruce up your resume because it demonstrates that you have a good work ethic to your potential employer. Many top universities also require it for entry so you may want to clear a space your schedule for volunteer work.

Societal Benefits of Volunteering

1. Allows you to help people who really need it but can't afford it. 

One of the great benefits of volunteering which allows those of us with a messianic complex to appease ourselves is the opportunity to contribute to the betterment of those in need. Altruism in its purest form can bring its own rewards (the cliched warm fuzzy feeling inside) and giving help to those in need without the expectation of anything in return is one of the purest.

2. Enables Society to be bettered.

Betterment of society should be the overarching goal of any researcher. This is one way in which you could achieve that goal. Our economic system is set up to give society what it wants which is what people are willing to pay for. Often though, there are things society needs that no one is willing to pay for. For example, no one might be willing to pay for a demographic survey of a remote village or mapping of a vulnerable coastline. This where volunteerism can help society as a whole. When you volunteer society will be bettered as a result. 

Where and How can You Volunteer?

So now that you know of the benefits of volunteering, I bet you're ready to run out and begin a crusade of goodwill for the benefit of humanity right now? While that's all well and good you need to look for specific opportunities to volunteer.

1.Corporations

Volunteering for corporation (also called unpaid internships) can allow you to get a foot in the door which may lead to a future job. Be careful though as many companies simply use unpaid internships as free labour. There was a segment on this done by TruTV's show, "Adam Ruins Everything," see the link below:

https://youtu.be/S35X8lGxGPI

Make sure you are gaining actual research experience before accepting any position and not simply fetching someone's coffee or running mail from office to office. This is probably the one instance where you might want to be selfish when volunteering.

2.NGO's

Non-governmental organisations offer good opportunities to volunteer for a good cause. You could find yourself doing research related to environmental protection or social justice should those be your forte. Be warned however that some NGO's may have an agenda to promote and may force you to compromise your integrity and bias your research to support this agenda. Be wary of any organisation that possess too much zeal for their cause. Objectivity typically goes out the window with them.  

3.Universities

Universities may look for volunteer researchers to assist on the projects being conducted by their faculty and students. This gives you an opportunity to work alongside academic researchers and gain valuable insight and experience from them. Think of these types of volunteer assignments as free university courses. They are a good opportunity which should be seized upon when able.

4.Community Organisations

Community groups may want volunteer researchers for various community projects. While it may not give you the exposure of the previous options, it can be a good avenue for an amateur researcher to get a start as these projects tend to be smaller scale and less technically complex than the others. Beware of community politics though as this can hinder your research.

Conclusion

To sum up, volunteerism can have many benefits both to the individual and the collective. In my honest opinion it is something that our society needs more of. Every geographer should be willing to volunteer as it is our duty to help understand and fix the many ills that plague society whether we are paid for that or not.

Thanks for Reading,

Barindra

References

Adam Ruins Everything - Why Most Internships Are Actually Illegal. 2015. Video. United States: TruTV.

Choosing a Research Topic

Every geographer, nay every researcher will face this question at some point in their career, perhaps multiple times:

WHAT SHOULD I RESEARCH ?

This post will help you make that decision. It will offer advice to help you decide on what you should research and for choosing a good topic. Before you decide on what to research, there are some important questions which you need to ask yourself first when deciding.

Am I Passionate About this Topic?

In research, passion can be a double-edged sword. It can be a good or a bad thing depending on the amount of it that you have. Being passionate about a topic can provide you with the drive you need to navigate the often arduous and frustrating task that is a research project. Passion can keep you from going insane from the stress of completing a project i.e. the sleepless nights, delays, red tape etc.Yes passion can be a very good thing in this sense. Keep in mind that you will in some cases be dedicating multiple years of your life to this project. I have heard stories of people who have become stuck with a project they don't like and are not passionate about and this can be a very distressing situation to be in.
At the same time too much passion can be a bad thing. Being too passionate about something can bias your view on that topic. For example many people (myself included) are passionate about environmental protection but this might give you a skewed, radical view on the subject and stop you from considering other important aspects of your study such as the practicality of your recommendations.
An infamous incident where too much passion for a topic played a role was the case of Dr. J Robert Openheimer, aka. the father of the atomic bomb.  He was once forced by his adviser to study a topic that he hated (experimental physics) and attempted to murder him as a result (Gladwell 2008). Somehow he got out of it with only probation (Gladwell 2008). Please do not attempt to murder your supervisor if they stick you with a topic you don't like. As enticing as the thought may appear to you at that time, you will most likely not get out of it with only probation.

Is this Topic Worth Studying?

A second important question you need to ask yourself after you have selected a topic is if its worth studying. What is its value to the academic community and to society as a whole? YOU might be passionate about studying the diameter of Prairie Dog's toenails in North America, but that doesn't mean its worth studying. A good topic should add something of value to society and should be something that can help improve it. This is not just an egalitarian consideration, but a practical one as well. Consider the fact that you have to apply for funding of research from third parties (unless you're Tony Stark and can fund your own research). People will not just give their money to you unless they see the value in your work. It is a cold truth that not everything is worth studying, even if you may be passionate about it.

Can I Reasonably Study this Topic?

Another practical question you should ask is whether or not you could reasonably study the topic chosen. Is it within your current skillset? If not, can you learn the required skills? Never attempt to do a project which is too ambitious for you. Stick within the limits of your own abilities. If you are unable to do something, then don't attempt to. There is no shame in admitting that you have limitations. You are human after all and we all do. You may become overwhelmed by the work if you lack the ability to handle it.
However, this is not meant to discourage you from accepting a challenge. If it is a new field and you want to challenge yourself to do it and are sure that you can handle it then by all means jump right in. Challenges help us grow in life and you should not shy away from one out of fear. But at the same time, do not take stupid risks. Always remember, "Calm seas do not make skilled sailors."

Do I have the Resources to Conduct this Research?

Perhaps the most practical of all the questions you need to ask yourself when deciding on a research topic is whether or not you have the access to resources to do this project. This can be broken down into three categories:

1.Funding

Can you afford to pay for your research? If not can you source funding from a third party like an NGO or corporation? If you answered the first question yes, then you should have no problem (also call me, I think we can be friends). However if you do have to source funding from a third-party, be wary of the fact that that funding comes with strings attached. Entities like states, corporations and NGO's almost always have an agenda and vested interests to protect. You may lose control of your research and in extreme cases be forced to compromise your integrity. The Union of Concerned scientists published a report on this, link below.

http://www.ucsusa.org/our-work/center-science-and-democracy/promoting-scientific-integrity/how-corporations-corrupt-science.html

2.Equipment

Do you have access to the equipment needed to do your project? Can you acquire it? Does it exist? That last one might seem ridiculous but you should consider these questions. Without the right equipment your project will fail. For example, you may want to conduct a LiDAR survey of your country but may not have access to an aircraft equipped with a LiDAR system and may not be able to afford it. You may want to map planets in the Andromeda Galaxy, but the technology for you to do this has not been invented yet. Be realistic.

3.Access

Do you have access to the study site? Do you have access to any secondary data which you may need? Not having access to these critical elements can cripple your research efforts. If your study site is within a protected or secure area eg. a nature preserve or military base you may have to navigate a gauntlet of red-tape to get to it. You may even be denied permission. Some companies may not be willing to share data for various reasons (See my previous post on red-tape for hints with dealing with this).

Conclusion

A research project can probably be considered analogous to raising a child. At times it can be difficult, maddening and a huge challenge. But there are moments when it is rewarding and enjoyable and when you hand over a completed project it feels very much like handing over your baby. Just as with child-rearing, you should be ABSOLUTELY SURE that you want to do it before embarking upon the project. Hopefully this post helped you make up your mind.

Thanks for Reading,

Barindra

References

Gladwell, Malcolm. 2008. Outliers. New York: Little, Brown and Co.

"How Corporations Corrupt Science At The Public's Expense (2012)". 2016. Union Of Concerned Scientists. http://www.ucsusa.org/our-work/center-science-and-democracy/promoting-scientific-integrity/how-corporations-corrupt-science.html.

Tips for Conducting a Community Survey

As geographers, we are often required to conduct surveys in communities to gauge their views on a particular issue such as poverty, climate change or other topics. Surveys are a great way to gain insight into the views of a population and designing them was already covered in a previous post. In this post I'd like to focus on tips for conducting community surveys.

Know your Research Area:

Conduct background research on the community before going in. Use GIS software to get the layout of the community. Learn as much history and local customs that you can. Know the demographic aspects of your community. Ethnic composition, religion even the political views of the majority population can be important to your survey. So be thorough in your background research. It can go a long way in influencing your success.

Develop a Clear, Systematic Plan for Sampling: 

While in theory it may be great to use stratified sampling where you select community members to do surveys, more often than not you will find a large amount of people who will simply refuse to answer your survey, which can destroy your pre-defined sampling strategy. Additionally, it is often difficult to get information on the population of a community so it may not be possible to use a stratified sampling approach in the field as determining a representative sample will be impossible. Working from the national averages which may be available is not a good idea on the community scale as age, gender and other demographic distributions may not be homogenous throughout the country.
Quite often, we are forced to resort to simply, "taking what we can get," when it comes to sampling due to the above factors. Still there are methods to be systematic about it. Below are two of the methods I use for sampling.

Method 1:

Split the community into several, roughly equal parts and select an equal amount of participants from each of them. This is a variation on the cluster sampling technique ("Cluster Sampling" 2016) where instead of only selecting a subset of the clusters for use in sampling, one uses all.

For Example:

During a recent project I did on communities surrounding the Camden Airfield in Couva, Trinidad, I split the communities into four parts (Balmain, Central Park, Exchange and Mcbean) based on their sizes and bearing from the airfield (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1:- Map of the Survey Area Around Camden.

Now bear in mind that a lot of the times your population is unknown so therefore in order to get an amount for each cluster one should use a, "take what you get approach," in the first cluster and then use that a benchmark for the others.

Method 2:

Method two is almost identical to method one, except instead of aiming for a minimum number of participants in each cluster, you use a time limit for sampling instead. For example, you decide that you spend 6 hours maximum in each cluster. While less systematic than the previous method, it may be better to use this method if you are pressed for time (or if the sun happens to be blazing hot that day).

Try to Avoid a Skewed Sample:

Sample skewing is likely to occur if you simply take a random approach. You run the risk of skewing the sample in favour of some parameter eg. age if you collect too much names from a specific age category or gender if you collect too much from one particular gender group. You should try to keep your sample representative.
To avoid this, keep a running check on your surveys. Try to see if you collected too many or too little in a category. Compare your dataset to a previous, recent dataset for that community like a census or previous study to see how it stacks up. It should reveal whether your sample is skewed or not and allow you to take corrective action by being more discerning in your participant selection.
There is a caveat to this though in that it assumes you know the distribution of demographic characteristics. As mentioned before, this may not be the case for that community and you may be, "working blind." Attempting to equalize the sample by taking equal numbers in each category may not always be the best approach as the community may be naturally skewed and doing this may actually make your sample less representative of the community. Again, using a national census for comparison may not be the best idea either as the distribution may not be homogeneous throughout the country may not hold at the community level.
The best approach in this case if you can't source comparison data is to simply accept the possibility that your sample may be skewed. You have no way of determining how accurate it is or not. Its one of the truisms of doing research.

Chart a Designated Route:

Use maps or GIS software to plot a route for you to follow throughout the community. This will help you make sure you cover it in its entirety and prevent you from getting lost. It might be a good idea to mark out points where you have passed as you go along to avoid back-tracking. You might want to keep a sketch map of your route on you, or your Google Maps open on your phone if you have access to data or wi-fi.

Safety First:

BE SAFE! Before venturing out into the field make sure you locate the nearest police station, hospital and fire station. Have a fully-charged cellphone with sufficient credit on you at all times should you need it. Know emergency contact numbers by heart (should you lose your phone). Make sure that at least one other person knows that you are out in the field and is able to maintain contact with you at all times. If possible, get a friend to accompany you, two heads are always better than one (plus you have someone to help carry equipment). Maintain situational awareness at all times and be wary of distractions and anything out of the ordinary. Don't like something about the area or feel threatened by someone? LEAVE!!! Research is not worth compromising your personal safety!

Clearly Identify Yourself:

Make sure to carry proper identification on you at all times. This may seem obvious but is often overlooked. Proper identification would give any respondent you meet some sense of security and will make them distrust you less (not trust you more as people are typically distrustful of strangers randomly approaching them with clipboards). If you are conducting research as part of a university course, then carry your student ID. National ID such as driver's permit may also be appropriate in lieu of this.
Identification will also help you out should you be stopped by law enforcement and questioned for skulking about and area in a suspicious manner. You will be able to almost instantly legitimize your presence there.

Be Polite:

One would be surprised as to how far being nice to people will get you in life. Be polite to your participants. Greet them first, do not launch into the purpose of your research immediately. This will make you seem like less of an impersonal robot. Remember these are people you are dealing with, not lab mice. Aside from being the nice thing to do, being polite to people can pay off as it may actually sway them into responding to your survey.

Respect Local Cultural Norms and Customs:

This tip is more applicable if operating in a foreign country. Respecting cultural norms is not only good manners, but it stands to reason that if you offend your participants in any way you may not get the co-operation you need. Diplomacy is an asset to any researcher. That being said, there are limits to what you do to accommodate local customs especially if they contradict your ethical mandates as a researcher . For example, some tribes in South America require you to drink alcohol as part of any greeting. Ethically, you should not be drinking while conducting research so you may not want to respect that particular local custom.

Conclusion:

To summarize, community surveys can be complicated affairs. There is no one standard formula for conducting a community survey and every situation is unique and presents a different set of challenges. You cannot prepare for every scenario and you may have to rely on your intuition in the field to make split-second decisions demanded by a situation you did not anticipate.

Thanks for Reading,

Barindra

References

"Cluster Sampling". 2016. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cluster_sampling.

Red Tape and Bureaucracy: Dealing with these Barriers to Research

Research can be a rather rewarding way for you to give back to your community, country or society. It allows you to employ your skills in the service of others and to help make the world a little better place in your own way. However, what happens when your offer of help is refused? What happens when you can't get access to information you need to conduct research due to red tape? This topic was not taught explicitly in any of the research methodology courses I have attended and an inexperienced researcher may find themselves at a loss when dealing with it. This post will attempt to provide some sort of comfort to them by dealing with this topic is some detail. It will cover the reasons organisations may give for doing this and strategies for coping with it as a researcher.

Reasons for Bureaucracy:

The reasons for blocking access to information can be varied and this list is by no means exhaustive. An organisation may have a completely legitimate reason for blocking access to its information. At the same time you may be stonewalled because your research may reveal some unscrupulous dealings on the part of members of the organisation that they'd rather no one know about. This list is in descending order of rationality. 

1. They may be bound by legislation

Bear in mind that it may not necessarily be the organisation's fault they are blocking you. They could want to share the information with you, but may be bound to keep it confidential by external regulation. Military and intelligence organisations which are involved in national security are prime examples of where this might occur. There is little that can be done in this case by either party so it is best to just accept it and move on. 

2. They may be obligated to protect their clients' privacy

Particularly applicable to microdata ("OECD Glossary Of Statistical Terms - Statistical Microdata Definition" 2016) (i.e. data on individuals like names, addresses etc. ) the organisation may not want to share the information requested with you because they are ethically obligated to protect their clients' privacy. For example, a department store may not want to share sensitive information about its customers like items the purchased or spending habits with researchers because this can be considered a breach of confidence. 

3. The information requested may be proprietary  

Trade secrets are closely guarded by organisations, particularly if they are perceived to give them a competitive edge in the market. Organisations such as Coca Cola ("Coca-Cola Formula" 2016) and KFC ("KFC Original Recipe" 2016) guard the secret recipes to their products rather astutely, some companies may not be willing divulge aspects of their manufacturing process and the list goes on. While they are within their legal rights to do so, the ethics of this decision occupies a bit of a grey area. This doesn't apply so much to fried chicken or soft-drinks, but what if the information requested is the formula for a life-saving drug required to save millions? Unfortunately, you as a researcher do not have to power to fight this, so you will just have to live with it.

4. The information requested may show evidence of improper conduct 

Corruption is a societal constant anywhere on this planet. It can be as simple as giving a friend a job they are not qualified for or as complex as altering survey results to fit a political agenda. Despicable acts like these are an unfortunate mainstay of human nature. Should you request information that may reveal corruption or improper conduct on the part of a person or organisation, your request will probably be denied. Generally, people who have been involved in such activity do not wish to be caught and as such, will not be willing to release the information to you if this could potentially lead to them being caught.

Dealing with Bureaucracy:

So what can you do? Your research has been blocked by some gaudy bureaucrat with a god complex. How do you proceed from here? Well while you may be limited in terms of power, there are several strategies which you can employ to get around issues such as these. Each of them however have some drawbacks and it is up to your personal judgement which to select.

1. Change your research methodology

This may be your only option, changing your research methodology to omit the data you cannot obtain. While this could be disappointing in that you will not be able to get all your intended research done, you will at least have something at the end of the day, which can help you if you have to publish something  such as a thesis or research project. However, this course of action tends to increase in difficulty the further along in the research process you are. Additionally, if your research topic is highly specialised (eg. A study centred on a particular organisation or community) this may not be an option.

2. Invoke freedom of information requests

Some countries (such as the US ("The Freedom Of Information Act: U.S. Department Of State" 2016) and my very own T&T ("GORTT-Freedom Of Information Unit" 2016)) have a legal mandate of freedom of information and one can possibly use this route to gain access to the required information. Be warned however that given the legislative particularities this may not be applicable to the organisation. Some organisations are immune to freedom of information requests and the process can be so drawn out and tedious that it becomes impractical.

3. Obtain the required information through alternative methods

You can try to use alternative legal and ethical (this does not include bribing a clerk to give you the information or kidnapping someone's spouse to extort information out of them or similar acts which may get you thrown in jail) methods of obtaining information. For example, can't get access to a compound or area to do geotagging? Try using a publicly available GIS software like Google Earth or Openstreetmap to give you a layout of the area instead. It may not be as precise, but it will be better than nothing. You should also be okay legally as the information is in the public domain and hypothetically accessible to anyone. Unfortunately, there may not be alternative channels available to you and you would have to do without.

Conclusion:

Speaking from personal experience, not being able to access the information needed for your research can be a disappointment. However, you need to bare in mind that there may be good reasons for this information being withheld from you and as a researcher you have to respect an individual's or entity's right to do so, despite your personal views on the matter. In an ideal world, information would be freely accessible to all, but we do not live in an ideal world. We live in one complicated by red-tape and bureaucracy which as a researcher you will need to learn to navigate.

Thanks for Reading,

Barindra

References

"Coca-Cola Formula". 2016. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca-Cola_formula.

"KFC Original Recipe". 2016. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KFC_Original_Recipe.

"GORTT-Freedom Of Information Unit". 2016. Foia.Gov.Tt. http://www.foia.gov.tt/.

"OECD Glossary Of Statistical Terms - Statistical Microdata Definition". 2016. Stats.Oecd.Org. https://stats.oecd.org/glossary/detail.asp?ID=1656.

"The Freedom Of Information Act: U.S. Department Of State". 2016. Foia.State.Gov. https://foia.state.gov/Learn/FOIA.aspx.