Getting involved in research at dschool (with no experience)

[oceanangel4]

Hi!

I will be starting dental school this fall and want to get involved in research in dental school. However, I have no experience at all since I did not have the chance to do research in undergrad (due to various reasons that I won't get into now). I was wondering, is it maybe to late to get into research? I feel that most people going to dental school already have some experience in research so would it be hard for someone with no experience to find a research position? Also, any advice on how to get involved in research would also be strongly appreciated!

Thank you all in advance!

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[RubinoDentistry]

It will be very difficult but I'm not saying it'll be impossible. It might take some time, however.
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Ross Rubino
Rubino Dentistry -- Chicago Dental Office

 

[sgv]

You're at UCLA, a big research school. I don't think finding a research opportunity for getting published is a difficult problem. Compared to students at other schools, you're ahead of the game in terms of finding a lab this early. I highly recommend starting early before you get busy with school.

It is better to meet the P.I. first before asking to work on a project. But a lot of people still email professors expressing mutual and interest in a particular topic. Google "how to write an email to professors about undergraduate research" and there are multiple links offering templates and listing the do's and don't.

There are two types of research: basic science and clinical. Finding a basic science project in a wet lab is going to be difficult for someone in your position with no prior experience. If you can find a professor who's willing to take time to train a newbie then that's great. But your best bet is a clinical project involving surveys and data collection/interpretation. The latter sounds less glamorous but that's the type of research that most medical and dental students are involved with because they're shorter to complete, have less time constraints, and generally require less money to fund.