any advice to a student new to research?

[mbe]

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i'm starting research in a lab this summer. does anyone have any advice for me? 🙂 i want to get a good LoR so obviously i'll work hard, but what does working hard mean? read up extra papers? also i've got a meeting with the PI soon, what will he want to talk about? someone pls help me 🙂

 

[lorenzomicron]

Work hard. be careful and not arrogant, even with other students. keep in mind that science is forging order out of chaos. it's frustrating and difficult. just keep in touch with the PI and learn to do things the right way.

 

[map37692]

Your PI should tell you what he expects of you when you meet.

 

[PeachyPhd]

Ask questions! As someone who works in a lab full-time, I would much rather answer seemingly simple questions than fix a big mishap. Introduce yourself to everyone in the lab and get a feel for everyone's role in the lab. Ask about what hours people keep in the lab, where people eat/store food, access to the lab, what equipment is fair game and what shouldn't be messed with. Read publications that the lab has produced. Ask about how the lab keeps notebooks and/or digital data storage. You should also ask if you need any special training (animals, humans, radioactivity). Show curiosity and ask or research on your own how each assay or experiment you perform works. This is one way to help get a good LOR. Hope this helps!

 

[TheSimple]

Ask questions! As someone who works in a lab full-time, I would much rather answer seemingly simple questions than fix a big mishap. Introduce yourself to everyone in the lab and get a feel for everyone's role in the lab. Ask about what hours people keep in the lab, where people eat/store food, access to the lab, what equipment is fair game and what shouldn't be messed with. Read publications that the lab has produced. Ask about how the lab keeps notebooks and/or digital data storage. You should also ask if you need any special training (animals, humans, radioactivity). Show curiosity and ask or research on your own how each assay or experiment you perform works. This is one way to help get a good LOR. Hope this helps!

The research on your own part is key. It looks 100X better if when you are going to talk to your advisor/post doc/grad student about an assay or research direction that you have put forth the effort and time towards doing your own research. Even if you don't completely understand it, the effort and passion that you display towards the research topic and the lab will not go unnoticed.

 

[illegallysmooth]

Keep a good notebook. Be prepared to find out exactly how much you don't know, and take the initiative to educate yourself about the topics that the lab is studying.

 

[IveyGirl]

Try to cultivate an interest in the research topic you're assigned. Think of it as attempting to discover something that no one else knows. Remember this thought and keep a firm grasp on your motivation... because sometimes, lab work simply sucks. Be prepared to repeat experiments, make sure you ALWAYS have controls, and record everything carefully. Listen carefully to what your PI tells you and do lots of active research on your own. Ask your PI questions about what you've read that's relevant to your research topic. Take notes during your meetings if necessary, and if you don't understand something - ask. This is much better than pretending to be a genius and epic failing shortly afterwards.

Good luck!

 

[SweetRain]

It also depends on who you're working with. If you're working with a junior faculty, you'll have a lot of interaction with him. Most of the time undergrads spend their time with a postdoc or a grad student.

 

[bannie22]

quit

 

[mubaby]

Realize that you're going to make mistakes. That was probably the hardest lesson to learn, and I was so frustrated when I first started because I made so many mistakes. Just learn from them and don't do them twice. By the way...look at the labels on levers and make sure if you want gas, you don't pull the water. I'm speaking from experience. 😛 Thankfully the grad student that usually works on the bench behind me wasn't there when I did that. Write down personalized protocols for yourself with little notes. When you make a mistake, put it in big letters "DO NOT___"

Keep a good notebook! The person you're working with might tell you exactly how they want it. But DO NOT organize your notebook chronologically. Organize it by experiment. Maybe that's common sense, but I didn't know. You can organize your experiments chronologically if you can, but don't keep a running notebook that's organized just on dates. It won't work very well when you start running multiple experiments that are seemingly unrelated.

Enjoy your experience!

 

[mbe]

wow thanks everyone for the response. that notebook keeping one is a good one! i'll try my best!

 

[ryno]

I do synthetic organic research and I was initially introduced to the motto: "an hour of research (literature) saves a week in the lab"
Thorough research of the literature will not only impress your PI but make you more efficient as well.

 

[Kip]

1. Work your ass off.
2. Be friendly.

x infinite