A few years ago, I created a series of workshops designed to help students unfamiliar with the research process to learn how to get started. The workshops were a “big” success – we had a couple dozen students. However, it made me aware of how many weren’t there, including those who wanted to attend but had a conflict. So I went to my boss, and I told him that I wanted to make a comic web series about how students could get started in research. After making sure that I didn’t have a fever, he told me I could pursue it. I worked with some other units to secure some funding from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, and I got started writing scripts. I began to collaborate with the incomparable Dee Lee at NUAMPS, and we spent the summer shooting and editing.
The final series is called “The Adventures of Grant Man!” It follows three students in different fields as they try to develop projects for funding for our Summer URG program. It goes through a lot of the core problems students experience, like being nervous to reach out to professors, figuring how to develop an idea, and how to write a grant proposal. We think it provides a ton of useful information that can make the process of getting started less daunting and, dare I say, more fun!
Now, there have been rumors over the years that I am, in fact, Grant Man, and while the comparisons are certainly flattering (who doesn’t want to be compared to a super hero?), I clearly am just a guy in a tie trying to help students through the day. We have been seeking our Grant Man’s true identity for years, but he is a mysterious lad. Perhaps you can figure it out?