how to choose a research project??

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phys36

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I'm probably going to do research at my school this fall. I talked to my Histology, Physiology and Micro professors who all agreed to be my mentor should I choose to take the research "class" credits. My question is-how do I go about looking for and choosing a meaningful project?

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I'm probably going to do research at my school this fall. I talked to my Histology, Physiology and Micro professors who all agreed to be my mentor should I choose to take the research "class" credits. My question is-how do I go about looking for and choosing a meaningful project?

Most professors give a synopsis of their research on their department's faculty profiles. If you want a more in-depth look, try and find some papers they've published recently and read over those to get an idea of what they're doing. Chances are if you're an undergrad, they'll stick you with a post doc and give you a small project that may end up contributing to their overall goals.
 
The science department websites may have synopses of research interests. If not, talk with individual professors and ask them about their research and about what other professors in their department are researching.

First, eliminate the research that sounds boring to you, or that you don't really want to do.
Second, choose who you research based on (1) whether there is an immediate opening in their lab (vs. waiting a semester to get in) and (2) how you think you'd work with the prof. and how much you'd be able to get out of their mentoring.

You have to find something that is interesting and that you'll get a lot out of.

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