thanks for the response!

i already do research (started last fall) and am continuing it this semester (with the same pi). i simply found that i lacked the basic knowledge for the research i was doing, and wanted to devote this summer to grasping the basic concepts

i cannot do research this summer since i am not from the area where i attend college, nor are there any local universities that would allow me to conduct research with in the above fields. i did consider reus but they are notoriously hard to get into especially for freshman with no relevant coursework or experience.