Polishing Skills for Military Research
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| Title: | Polishing Skills for Military Research | |
| Author: | Marc Taylor | |
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In the second article of this series ("The Path to Military Research"), I described my early experiences working in military research, the norms in my working environment, and how they differed from my graduate school experiences. In this third article, I will outline the skills, coursework and research experiences I attained during graduate school and how it prepared me for my work in military research. In turn, I will discuss some skills I would have focused on more given the chance to relive graduate school.
Studying Multiple Aspects of Human Performance
As discussed in the first article of this series, I studied exercise science with dual emphases in sport psychology and exercise physiology. During graduate school, this combined interest sometimes made it difficult for fellow students to understand my perspective and for advisors to know how to advise me. In essence, my scientific goal was to understand as thoroughly as possible the many factors influencing human performance. This necessitated enrollment in a broad spectrum of academic courses in sport psychology as well as physiology. Later, when I interviewed with the Navy, one of my interviewers asked me, "So, are you a sport psychologist or an exercise physiologist…?" I explained that my goal is to maximize my understanding of human performance across the full spectrum of human factors, and he seemed to understand.
Ultimately, when I began conducting research and grant writing in the Navy, it became apparent that this diverse background was uniformly interpreted as a strength rather than a weakness. In military research, multiple methodologies are often used to address a problem from many perspectives. In turn, research projects often tend to involve investigators from a variety of orientations and backgrounds.
Another, more practical advantage of having a diverse academic background is that I qualify for several different communities (called "subspecializations") in the Navy research arena, some of which include Research Physiology, Research Psychology, and Aerospace Experimental Psychology. Each of these communities has a given number of "billets" (job positions) throughout the country (and sometimes internationally). You are permitted to have up to three subspecializations, and having more subspecializations has at least two advantages. First, it simply gives you more options for job openings. Second, it also confers an opportunity for more diverse assignments throughout your career path. Diversity in job experience is highly valued in the DoD because it gives an officer more opportunities for exposure, growth, and development. This factor, in turn, is often a consideration for promotion.
Independent Review Board Experiences
Virtually all graduate students get some experience with an Independent Review Board (IRB), since it is typically a component of thesis and dissertation projects. I have found the IRB process in my current organization to be much more thorough than any other IRB experience I have ever had. This IRB requires extensive explanations of scientific background as well as methodology, sample size justification/power analysis, data collection plan, etc. My last IRB submission was approximately 45 pages long. I do not know if the IRB at my organization is representative of all military research organizations, but I'd say that it could only be beneficial for an aspiring military researcher to gain as many experiences as possible submitting protocols to IRBs or even serving on an IRB.
Grant Writing
A grant-writing course was offered in my graduate program, but I was unable to take it due to scheduling issues. Luckily, in several of my other courses, I completed grant-writing assignments. Grant writing is a fundamental skill in military research, not unlike in many medical research and academic positions. There are many grant writing opportunities in military research. A common form of proposal is called a "white paper," which is typically a 3- to 5-page research proposal. In other instances, funding agencies will first announce a call for white papers, and then will ask for full proposals (typically from 15-25 pages). If you have the opportunity to take a grant-writing course in your program, I'd highly recommend it! It is an invaluable and fundamental skill.
Leadership in Research
Under the term leadership, I include several related concepts such as research team management, interpersonal skills, and conflict management. As noted in previous articles, leadership is expected of Naval Officers as well as scientists. You are expected to develop and exercise leadership skills. To a certain extent leadership is developed during Officer Indoctrination School (OIS; discussed in "The Path to Military Research"). During graduate school, I was a project manager for a grant project with my advisor. That was turned out to be the best leadership experience I had during graduate school.
Any coursework or applied leadership experiences you can obtain during graduate school, either specifically related to the research effort or not, will be immensely helpful to the aspiring military researcher. This experience will translate beyond the research domain to collateral duties (also discussed in "The Path to Military Research"). I can't overemphasize the importance of effective leadership as it relates to all aspects of the professional life of a Naval Officer.
To conclude, there were a number of skills that I obtained during graduate school, either through formal coursework or applied experiences, which have benefited me directly during the first two years of my military research career. It was extremely advantageous, for instance, to have taken a broad spectrum of courses addressing psychological as well as physiological aspects of human performance. It was also helpful to have had practical experiences in research leadership. If I had it to do over again, I would have taken a course in grant writing, and would have served on an IRB committee to maximize my preparation for the human subjects element of military research. |
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Marc Taylor received his PhD in Exercise and Sport Science from the University of North Carolina. Marc’s interests relate to human performance in extreme environments, with special foci on brain function, stress resilience, and strategies to enhance performance in aerospace and special military operations. His has done consulting work with the National Football League, United States Olympic Committee, Navy Special Warfare (SEALs) and collegiate and high school sports programs. Marc’s recent work has appeared in Journal of Human Performance in Extreme Environments, Journal of Physical Activity and Health, and Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine. His present post is with the Naval Health Research Center in San Diego, CA, where he serves as a Principal Investigator in Department 162 (Warfighter Performance) and directs the Stress Physiology Research Core. |
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Copyright, 2007, Marc Taylor Published with permission |
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