finding research opportunities

[GreyBlueEyes]

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i'm extremely interested in academic medicine and the MD/PhD route, but i have no research experience. i'm about halfway done with my BS Chemistry and would like to get involved with research (obviously, i can't make a decision about devoting a portion of my life to research when i haven't really tried it yet). i don't just want to do summer stuff...i'd like to find an ongoing project to be part of during the school year. i go to a small university and live near jacksonville, FL which has no large universities. moving isn't an option for me, since my husband is active duty navy and we have children.

does anyone have suggestions as to where i should look to find opportunities? they don't need to be paid; i'm fine with volunteering. i very much appreciate any help.

 

[SuperMatt]

you could always try simply contacting researchers at your school and ask if you can join the lab. you would be surprised at how many profs would jump on the chance to have competent free labor! also, even though you seem adverse to summer research it does present you with the ability to network and perhaps find this coveted project during the academic year that you seek.

 

[GreyBlueEyes]

thank you! 🙂

i'm not averse to summer research at all; i just didn't want to limit myself to solely that. i know it's easier to find summer programs, but i was really looking for direction in finding ongoing programs during the year.

that's a great suggestion. i'll see if i can dig up any ongoing research at my school and just email the prof and ask if i can help. thanks again 🙂

 

[QofQuimica]

thank you! 🙂

i'm not averse to summer research at all; i just didn't want to limit myself to solely that. i know it's easier to find summer programs, but i was really looking for direction in finding ongoing programs during the year.

that's a great suggestion. i'll see if i can dig up any ongoing research at my school and just email the prof and ask if i can help. thanks again 🙂

If you had any science TAs that you really liked, they're good people to ask too. I wound up mentoring a few of my organic and gen chem students; one kid even stayed in the lab for two years and did a whole honors thesis. You'd probably be working with a grad student or post doc in the lab anyway, especially if the PI is a senior person. So you might as well pick someone you'd enjoy working with on a day to day basis. to you. 🙂

 

[RxnMan]

Government labs are another place where you can get your research feet wet. You could contact your local department of health or wildlife offices. Also look up Centers for Disease Control or any of the National Institutes of Health. These are lower-yield than the suggestions already given, but they may give you some more choices if you don't see any projects you like at your university.

 

[GreyBlueEyes]

thanks, Q 🙂 i haven't had any TAs yet (did i mention it's a really small university?) but i'll keep an eye out for such an opportunity.

as for government labs, i've looked into that, but the base here doesn't have a research lab that i know of. there are a couple in FL, but not in this area.

 

[PBandJ]

Yeah, it might be tough to find something government-related if you're not in a heavy traffic area for govt research.

Contacting TAs (once you encounter them in your ugrad education) is definitely a good idea for scoping out research possibilities. Also, if you're finding it difficult to find opportunities during your time at undergrad, you might want to consider taking a year or two off in-between ugrad and med school to do full-time research while you are working on your apps. It would likely give you the opportunity to work on an independent research project and you could see if you really like that environment. Just a thought. !

 

[mtlove]

You mentioned that you attend a small university. I am unclear at what your problem is. Is your university a research institution? If not, you still may be able to find research opportunities. I attended a small college where the faculty focused on teaching. If you are in this situation too, get to know some of your professors well (e.g. go to their office hours, talk with them about science and research). Once you know some well, you can ask about doing a small research project with them. Many are willing to do this with students even if they do not do research regularly. You may also be able to secure research mentors with profs you do not know well, but it is helpful when they know you. I was able to secure a project from a prof I did not know, by getting another prof to put in a good word for me. Finding a position takes a lot of persistence at a small school, but it is not impossible.

Research at small colleges and universities has many negatives, so I would recommend spending time away at a summer program if you can. I think doing this helped my application. There is a large difference between research at a small school and a research institution, and it is a good idea to have some exposure to "real" research before deciding to go into this career. I know people who dropped out of grad school because they were suprised by all the competition associated with real research. The benefit of doing research at a small school is that you are given a lot of independence and more access to the PI.

I hope this helps some.

 

[QofQuimica]

thanks, Q 🙂 i haven't had any TAs yet (did i mention it's a really small university?) but i'll keep an eye out for such an opportunity.

as for government labs, i've looked into that, but the base here doesn't have a research lab that i know of. there are a couple in FL, but not in this area.

How far away are you from Jax? You might try looking at UNF or Mayo-Jax. Or going north, try MCG. Oh, and in FL, UF has multiple education and research centers all over the state. That's another option. They're actually agricultural research centers, but you could work at one as a tech. I did that for a while. They even hire high school students sometimes, so you could work there as a college student. Check it out: http://www.ifas.ufl.edu/ There's a listing for jobs on the website. Plus, no state income tax in FL. 😍

 

[taXi]

Research at a small university could turn out to be suprisingly fruitful. All through sophomore year I wanted to ask my chem prof (small, liberal arts college, very well respected--just not a big science school) if he was doing any research. Every wednesday night for two semesters straight I would get all pumped up talking to my roommate saying, "tomorrow I will talk to Dr. Soandso as lab is ending!" Thursday would come around, my shyness would consume me, and when my roommate would say, "So, did you ask???" I would say, "Next week." I know, I know...ridiculous, but pretty hilarious in hindsight.
So junior year starts, first day of orgo, before class the prof writes on the board "students interested in research opportunities should see Dr. Soandso." My heart was pounding through the entire class...everyone in the room was whispering about looking into the opportunity. As soon as class ended, I ran to his office and was rapidly engaged in a meeting. 45 minutes later he had agreed to let me jump on board one of his projects--which just so happened to be a collaboration with NASA. When I left his office, every premed was lined up outside his door!! 😛
So I was able to spend my final two years of undergrad at a small liberal arts college working on a NASA project. The summer in between I applied for a fellowship to work at the NASA lab our collaborator was at. I am certain this fortunate series of events, and the LORs that resulted, were one of, if not the biggest factor resulting in my acceptance to an MD/PhD program.
Best of luck! You never know who your profs are friends with...

 

[mtlove]

Research at a small university could turn out to be suprisingly fruitful. All through sophomore year I wanted to ask my chem prof (small, liberal arts college, very well respected--just not a big science school) if he was doing any research. Every wednesday night for two semesters straight I would get all pumped up talking to my roommate saying, "tomorrow I will talk to Dr. Soandso as lab is ending!" Thursday would come around, my shyness would consume me, and when my roommate would say, "So, did you ask???" I would say, "Next week." I know, I know...ridiculous, but pretty hilarious in hindsight.
So junior year starts, first day of orgo, before class the prof writes on the board "students interested in research opportunities should see Dr. Soandso." My heart was pounding through the entire class...everyone in the room was whispering about looking into the opportunity. As soon as class ended, I ran to his office and was rapidly engaged in a meeting. 45 minutes later he had agreed to let me jump on board one of his projects--which just so happened to be a collaboration with NASA. When I left his office, every premed was lined up outside his door!! 😛
So I was able to spend my final two years of undergrad at a small liberal arts college working on a NASA project. The summer in between I applied for a fellowship to work at the NASA lab our collaborator was at. I am certain this fortunate series of events, and the LORs that resulted, were one of, if not the biggest factor resulting in my acceptance to an MD/PhD program.
Best of luck! You never know who your profs are friends with...

I reread my last post and it seemed a bit negative. Undergraduate research at a small school is a great way to learn to do research independently. In my case, and many others who do this, you are treated like a graduate student. This gives you an edge over many of your peers at large research institutions. I did a summer program in college at a large research institution, and I was shocked by how little input the undergraduate researchers attending the school had. They merely assisted a grad student with the project they were working on that day. They were rarely if ever given the opportunity to have their own project and they did not have much input with the grad student's project. Due to my already acquired independence, I got my own project and I often passed as a graduate student. I even was yelled at by a post-doc for "lying" to her when I said I was an undergraduate.

I would definitely seek out research experience at your home institution for the reasons in this and taXi's post. Before you commit to a MD/PhD or a PhD program, I would recommend that you spend at least some time at a research institution. Research at a small university and a major research institution have entirely different atmospheres. As I mentioned in my last post, people I did research with at my small school were shocked by the environment at a research institution. One person actually dropped out of his PhD program after his first lab rotation, because he hated the atmosphere of a real research lab. A couple others seriously questioned their goals to be a scientist after this exposure.

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