Best way to go about research participation?

[ngowings]

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Hello all!

I am transferring to a 4 year uni in the fall (junior status), and i would really like to participate in research ASAP! The hard part is that I don't know, and have never met any of the professors in my major department. I have emailed one, and she told me that she did not have any openings for the fall semester. I will have 3 years left of school once I transfer, and I am hoping for at least a poster (pub being the dream). Does this all sound possible? Is there a specific good way of getting involved with faculty mentored research? I realize that I will have to start off as an assistant who cleans test tubes and whatnot, and I am fine with that. I just don't think mass-emailing my faculty department is the best choice lol.

 

[JeetKuneDo]

Hello all!

I am transferring to a 4 year uni in the fall (junior status), and i would really like to participate in research ASAP! The hard part is that I don't know, and have never met any of the professors in my major department. I have emailed one, and she told me that she did not have any openings for the fall semester. I will have 3 years left of school once I transfer, and I am hoping for at least a poster (pub being the dream). Does this all sound possible? Is there a specific good way of getting involved with faculty mentored research? I realize that I will have to start off as an assistant who cleans test tubes and whatnot, and I am fine with that. I just don't think mass-emailing my faculty department is the best choice lol.

I'd actually think mass emailing would be a good idea to get your foot in the door. The first research position might not be your most desired, but you can always switch and find another lab if you want. Some labs might even require some previous experience.

 

[Kickback]

Mass-emailing will get your foot in the door, but actually approaching professors is what you need to do. Although I don't have a research position yet as a freshman (not enough useful skills for research in my major- biocomputing engineering. And the recession has more people who wouldn't normally doing research applying for positions), I have talked with 3 professors about my willingness to do research with them, and now they know that if they ever need cheap, willing labor, I will be able to help them out.

 

[Caprica6]

I didn't do research as an undergrad and I highly regret it because it was very difficult to find research opportunities once I graduated (eventually I did through mass e-mailing). I'd suggest speaking with the department you are interested in doing research with to see if they have a list of faculty who are taking research students. At a four year university you can usually take a certain number of research credits, and these opportunities usually allow you to do more than just wash test tubes. Find out about different faculty member's labs and if what they are doing is interesting to you, let them know you would be interested in working with them and why. Do you have a place on campus that posts job opportunities? Also, there are many programs around the country that offer summer research opportunities, but you have to apply to them, look into these as well.

 

[sully677]

Mass-emailing is the way to go. I did that, and it turned out great for me. Don't be worried if most of them turn you down, all you need is one opportunity! Or just dress up, take a resume, and go over to the labs and introduce yourself and tell them you are interested in doing research. Do not tell them that you want a publication right off the bat tho. That can come later if you do actually get a job.

Good luck!

 

[BozoSparky]

If your major is a basic science, you can arrange to meet an advisor who might also point you in the right direction...

 

[Carlin]

Do you have a faculty advisor? This would be a great question to ask him/her.

When I wanted to go into research, I e-mailed the chair of the chemistry department and asked him how to get involved. He directed me to the head of undergraduate research in the chem department and he told me which professors had openings in their labs and how to contact them.

 

[Siverhideo1985]

What I did at first was look at all the professors in the department I was interested in and pick out 5-6 of them that I thought were doing the coolest things and then I read up on their last 3-4 publications.

Then I wrote them an email telling them that I might be interested to do research in their lab and I included some small specifics about their research: i.e. "I think your approach to surface science using phage displays would be a highly interesting research area to get involved in" or something like that.

This shows the professor that you are doing your homework, you are interested, why you are interested, and that you are willing to put in some work.

By the end I had 3 offers for a research position (unpaid of course, but still) and I was able to pick and choose my favorite.

Mass email...especially if it is made obvious might come off as desperate...but I guess since it worked for other people here it would also be a route to go.

Just sharing my experience 🙂

 

[JeetKuneDo]

Mass-emailing is the way to go. I did that, and it turned out great for me. Don't be worried if most of them turn you down, all you need is one opportunity! Or just dress up, take a resume, and go over to the labs and introduce yourself and tell them you are interested in doing research. Do not tell them that you want a publication right off the bat tho. That can come later if you do actually get a job.

Good luck!

I agree. One of my bio professors actually said we should spend time reading some of the researcher's papers and getting to know the research. I guess you could do that, but the risk is that you could spend that time and energy and still get rejected. Mass emailing, you'll probably get a ton of rejections (I know i did ), but there's also the chance that someone will take you.

 

[saveourpens]

I mass emailed, mass called, and met a bunch of researchers. I was eventually able to find a spot.

 

[horo1988]

I just mass emailed once ! I got the chance to meet my old professor, and she offered me a chance to work in her lab. !!

yes, mass email is so random, but it is a good idea haha.

 

[byurazorhog]

So I gather from these posts that mass emailing is the way to go. But where do you get the email list from? From the department faculty directory?

More importantly though, is any substantive science knowledge required of lab volunteers? I will be starting my basic science pre-req's in the fall and so won't know anything significant (or at all) right off the bat. What's the average science background of the other posters here who were lucky enough to get offers?

Research or bust!

 

[UCLAzy]

u need to have basic bio for most bio labs. I got into a lab first year with no bio experience but i worked in a lab at nih during highschool so that was enough for him. c'est la vie

 

[Red Leader]

I'd actually think mass emailing would be a good idea to get your foot in the door. The first research position might not be your most desired, but you can always switch and find another lab if you want. Some labs might even require some previous experience.

In other cases I'd agree with this, but the OP is going to be a junior and you don't have time to "Switch labs" so to speak.

At this point you probably won't get any publications out, so just find a lab, do work and get a good recc from it. That's all you can really hope for.

u need to have basic bio for most bio labs. I got into a lab first year with no bio experience but i worked in a lab at nih during highschool so that was enough for him. c'est la vie

Not true. OP don't let this deter you. Mass e-mail people and go into whatever you get full force and eager to learn.

 

[Handinhand]

Although I'm not in a lab yet because I'm in the middle of transferring from one 4 year uni to another, this is what my professors gave me for advice for after I transfer:

-Persistence; some professors said they wouldn't give a student the time of day unless they emailed/called at least 3 times. I guess they figure, with the extra effort they will need to put into teaching you how to operate in their lab they want to be sure you're hard working and really want it.

-Don't freak out and think you need to have taken a bunch of classes relating to whatever the researcher is researching. They expect you to be completely ignorant(Inexperienced, not stupid) as an undergrad working in a lab for the first time. They don't expect you to really have any advanced level of understanding on the material they are working on/with. One of my professors said "Anybody willing to learn can be trained, anybody who thinks they already know can be shown the door."

As for your situation specifically, since you have three years left I would MAYBE wait a semester and get to know your science professors, and then once you have a good relationship with them, ask them if they or anybody they know is willing to work with an undergrad in their lab. I think a professor that has gotten to know you a little more personally is better to direct you to labs to work in than a counselor who usually doesn't know what they are doing in the first place.

 

[x3virgie]

when you guys e-mailed professors, what did you include in the e-mails? classes completed? resume?

 

[STXGregor]

If your new university has some sort of honors program, you might want to look into that because they often have an undergrad thesis as a capstone and you can do a research/science based one. This is what I did. After my soph year I went to my genetics teacher and asked her about research. She gave me some names and I went to them one by one until I found one who would take me. I had never met him before, but he took me on. The way it works for our honors theses is we get a mentor and do our whole project under him/her. I'd recommend checking it out. I just completed my thesis and have the option of publishing some of it, which I'm still debating doing it. But even if you don't publish, you will have a thesis to show for it.