First time doing undergrad research

[binderpaper]

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So I got a position working in a lab this summer. I (tried!) to read some of the PI's past publications. Should I ask the PI or the grad student I'm working under what to do in preparation? I'm very nervous bc I have very little experience in this field.
Is it weird that I never met the PI in person? We've only emailed and that's how I sent him my resume.
Also: Are shorts acceptable or would they make a bad impression even if not working with hazardous materials? Summer is hot in california!
Lastly: I'm obviously super grateful to have gotten a position but i can't help wondering if adcoms will look down on a lab thats not necessarily as "prestigious" as say one with a nobel laureate PI?
In general, I hope to stay with the same lab for 4 years of undergrad. What benefits can I expect by staying with the same lab by my senior year?

 

[aalamruad]

So I got a position working in a lab this summer. I'm currently a freshman at Berkeley. I have had some lab experience but heavily genetics/sequencing based. The lab im going to work at looks at mechanisms underlying regulation of energy homeostasis, and focuses on signaling pathways. I (tried!) to read some of the PI's past publications. Should I ask the PI or the grad student I'm working under what to do in preparation? I'm very nervous bc I have very little experience in this field.
Is it weird that I never met the PI in person? We've only emailed and that's how I sent him my resume.
Also: Are shorts acceptable or would they make a bad impression even if not working with hazardous materials? Summer is hot in california!
Lastly: I'm obviously super grateful to have gotten a position but i can't help wondering if adcoms will look down on a lab thats not necessarily as "prestigious" as say one with a nobel laureate PI?
In general, I hope to stay with the same lab for 4 years of undergrad. What benefits can I expect by staying with the same lab by my senior year?

Lolwat, no one will look down on you because your PI isn't a Nobel laureate

 

[deleted781806]

Also: Are shorts acceptable or would they make a bad impression even if not working with hazardous materials? Summer is hot in california!

1) You cannot wear shorts in a laboratory setting, it is against safety regulations. Closed-toed shoes and long pants are the bare minimum requirements for any lab work (unless you are just crunching numbers in an office). Bring a backpack with a change of clothes so that you can put them on in the lab and not on your way to/from. *Edit*: It's really cliche, but scrub pants are great for this.
2) Just ask for some recent papers from the lab or labs related to it so that you can get a basic grasp of the material. You probably won't understand much of it, but that's OK! They expect you to know nothing about the field, they'll teach you about it after you start getting to work.
3) As above, yeah god forbid you're in a lab without a Nobel laureate. Most people are in this same situation, it literally has no bearing on your medical school chances. I've heard some ridiculous statistic that apparently my UG has the highest production of medical school matriculants per capita, and I'm pretty sure we have no Nobel laureate professors conducting research here. You really don't need to worry about this.
4) Staying in the lab all four years greatly increases your chances of getting an independent project, as well as higher chances of publications/presentations, which are a good thing if you are hoping to go into a research-heavy field.

 

[Lucca]

Two words: lab pants


(Wash regularly)

 

[JustAPhD]

Should I ask the PI or the grad student I'm working under what to do in preparation? I'm very nervous bc I have very little experience in this field.

Yes! I love when students take initiative and ask what they can do to prep before coming into the lab. It shows maturity and an excitement to start. Ask for any relevant publications and reviews that you should read. The PI may have some data to send your way too to get you used to seeing what the lab does.

Is it weird that I never met the PI in person? We've only emailed and that's how I sent him my resume.

Nope. It happens, and it isn't weird at all.

Also: Are shorts acceptable or would they make a bad impression even if not working with hazardous materials? Summer is hot in california!

Unfortunately not.

Lastly: I'm obviously super grateful to have gotten a position but i can't help wondering if adcoms will look down on a lab thats not necessarily as "prestigious" as say one with a nobel laureate PI?

Answered above.

In general, I hope to stay with the same lab for 4 years of undergrad. What benefits can I expect by staying with the same lab by my senior year?

Continuity with your PI and associated lab personnel. Really understanding your projects and the area of research the lab is in. Seeing projects go from thoughts to data to publications. Possibly presenting at national conferences and publications. A strong LoR from your PI when it's all over (assuming your relationship doesn't go south).


Best of luck!

 

[nonamesleft]

I (tried!) to read some of the PI's past publications. Should I ask the PI or the grad student I'm working under what to do in preparation? I'm very nervous bc I have very little experience in this field.

Ask for suggestions of review papers (written by the lab/written by others). They're a bit less technical and some do well summarizing advances in a field, so get info about the field in general as well as about the lab itself.

Are shorts acceptable or would they make a bad impression even if not working with hazardous materials? Summer is hot in california!

No. it'll be cold in lab. Also against safety protocols (as are things like flip flops or heels). long pants + closed toed shoes are allowed. Also - wear stuff that you're not totally attached to. I ruined a number of favourite outfits on accident with bleach/acid/etc (didn't learn the first time).

Lastly: I'm obviously super grateful to have gotten a position but i can't help wondering if adcoms will look down on a lab thats not necessarily as "prestigious" as say one with a nobel laureate PI?

no.

In general, I hope to stay with the same lab for 4 years of undergrad. What benefits can I expect by staying with the same lab by my senior year?

better (stronger) letter of evaluation. (and the stuff @JustAPhD said above)

 

[binderpaper]

Thanks for all the replies.
What exactly is an "independent project"? Would this be contributing data to the current project the PI is conducting?
How are research labs run? Does the PI have a research project and all the grad students work on it (with undergrads working under grad students)?

 

[deleted781806]

When I say "independent project" I mean something that you are involved in throughout the process, so from design to data collection to analysis, instead of just being told what to do to contribute to an ongoing project. PIs vary in how willing they are to let UG have more independence or not, and even independent projects are usually just direct continuations from what has already been going on in the lab.

General lab organization is that the PI directs/advises all of the projects, while post-docs and graduate students are the ones doing the bulk of the planning and writing. UGs work directly underneath a graduate student or post-doc and do most of the "grunt work" of the project. This structure varies greatly between PIs and between labs, so you'll really just have to wait and see how your lab likes to operate.

 

[binderpaper]

update!!- its been a year.
I go into lab almost every day, and I feel like I put in a lot more than all the other undergrads. I still have literally never spoken to the PI. There are SO many undergrads, and nobody really has a project, even the seniors.
I recently got into another lab, and the difference is like night and day. PI was impressed with my experience, said she would pay me, and support me in independent projects in the future. There's only 2 other undergrads, and PI takes a lot of time to explain/talk to me one-on-one. I already got to sit in on their lab meetings, and I think I'm in love. (I am very passionate about this new lab's field of research.)

Do I leave old lab?? I feel kind of bad, especially since they did train me in a lot of lab techniques. Or try to just do the minimum? Old lab wouldn't mind if I just came in for a couple hours a week anyways.

 

[JustAPhD]

update!!- its been a year.
I go into lab almost every day, and I feel like I put in a lot more than all the other undergrads. I still have literally never spoken to the PI. There are SO many undergrads, and nobody really has a project, even the seniors.
I recently got into another lab, and the difference is like night and day. PI was impressed with my experience, said she would pay me, and support me in independent projects in the future. There's only 2 other undergrads, and PI takes a lot of time to explain/talk to me one-on-one. I already got to sit in on their lab meetings, and I think I'm in love. (I am very passionate about this new lab's field of research.)

Do I leave old lab?? I feel kind of bad, especially since they did train me in a lot of lab techniques. Or try to just do the minimum? Old lab wouldn't mind if I just came in for a couple hours a week anyways.

Just leave, it’s not worth it to stick around your current lab. But, with that said, give your old lab a proper heads up. Offer to train anyone who would pick up your work, and importantly, be gracious for the opportunity. Science is small, you never want to burn any bridges.

 

[binderpaper]

Just leave, it’s not worth it to stick around your current lab. But, with that said, give your old lab a proper heads up. Offer to train anyone who would pick up your work, and importantly, be gracious for the opportunity. Science is small, you never want to burn any bridges.

any tips on how to do so? Ill probably be talking to the grad student I'm working under. Should I mention the new lab? How much advance notice is appropriate?