lab supervisor matters?

[skylark]

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I'm looking to apply to or start off with volunteering at a lab in my univ. There is a page with descriptions of faculty work and sometimes it says "students will work with or be under the supervision" of other researchers/postdocs/grad students. Does this matter? Ideally, one would like to work under the Dr./faculty (for LOR) or have him/her notice your work so you can take on bigger tasks right?

 

[Aynsl156]

They usually start you off with a grad student or post-doc so that they can show you the ropes. They'll teach you stuff so you don't screw anything up. Then, when they're pretty sure you've got a technique down, they'll slowly trust you with your own project.

And just because you're not working directly under the PI doesn't mean you don't interact with them at all. Most of the time, unless it's a huge lab and the PI's never around, you can feel free to go up to the PI and ask any questions you may have about the project you're working on or the newest paper in the field or whatever.

 

[Rud42]

They usually start you off with a grad student or post-doc so that they can show you the ropes. They'll teach you stuff so you don't screw anything up. Then, when they're pretty sure you've got a technique down, they'll slowly trust you with your own project.

And just because you're not working directly under the PI doesn't mean you don't interact with them at all. Most of the time, unless it's a huge lab and the PI's never around, you can feel free to go up to the PI and ask any questions you may have about the project you're working on or the newest paper in the field or whatever.

I agree. In my lab, I started off working with PI and graduate students (mostly graduate students). But I see and communicate with the PI almost daily. I do know one student who works under the Head of the department, and so he never sees his PI. I would not sugest that if you are really wanting a LOR.

 

[skylark]

sorry, but what does PI stand for?

I mass emailed many researchers at my college campus and have set up meetings with a few doctors who have spots available in the lab. I am guessing that this summer some people, like myself, have emailed them about lab positions starting this fall. I wouldn't be surprised if gets competitive for the remaining spots. What are some things I should do to make myself a good candidate besides perhaps reading some of their publications. Would it make sense for me to fly back to school for a few days this summer to see if I can guarantee a spot for myself by meeting the faculty earlier? How would I go about asking them if I can be guaranteed a spot before school starts. I'm afraid that b/c of my inexperience they will pick someone else if i don't act fast enough

I am not looking for a paid job, just volunteering and working myself up the ladder since I have not lab experience yet.

 

[Rud42]

sorry, but what does PI stand for?

I mass emailed many researchers at my college campus and have set up meetings with a few doctors who have spots available in the lab. I am guessing that this summer some people, like myself, have emailed them about lab positions starting this fall. I wouldn't be surprised if gets competitive for the remaining spots. What are some things I should do to make myself a good candidate besides perhaps reading some of their publications. Would it make sense for me to fly back to school for a few days this summer to see if I can guarantee a spot for myself by meeting the faculty earlier? How would I go about asking them if I can be guaranteed a spot before school starts. I'm afraid that b/c of my inexperience they will pick someone else if i don't act fast enough

I am not looking for a paid job, just volunteering and working myself up the ladder since I have not lab experience yet.

PI stands for Principle Investigator (sp?)... which usually means the person in charge of the lab.

I do not think that you should make a trip back to the school (unless it is under an hour drive at the most) just to talk to the professors; keep in touch by e-mailing them (but not constantly as that could get annoying for them). Many students at my school join labs at akward times during the year (I joined at the end of the semester, and a couple people in my bio class joined min-spring semester), so I wouldn't worry too much.

As for what you should do, again, e-mail the professor and see if there are any articles that he/she would recommend, other than that, I would say you really don't need to do anything (I hadn't read or done anything prior, but the professor showed me some nice powerpoints and documents of his research).

Good luck

 

[thedelicatessen]

It's somewhat rare to work directly with your PI, but no matter, your PI is the one who ultimately makes the decision on offering you the position, so he/she would have confidence in your abilities to be able to write you a good LOR even if he/she didn't directly supervise you. It's most important that you can get along with and learn from your supervisor whether this person is a postdoc, grad student, or whatever.

As for securing a research position over the summer, professors are often less available in the summer since the academic year is not in session yet. Just wait for responses, and be persistent. If you want to expedite the process, you may be able to do a phone interview with the potential PI so that you don't have to return early. Good luck!