Research opportunity question

[Tt1992]

Hi Guys,

I've been looking for some options to get some more research and perhaps a publication in addition to the lab I'm already working in, and I've been offered a full time summer position with a research team here at my university.

However, the research is in marine biology which is VERY out of line with what I see myself doing. I think it would be really fun though as it involves travel and research diving in addition to benchwork. I also would work with the professor during the following semester to put together a poster presentation and/or publication based on my findings.

Is this applicable? I know the main thing is being able to talk about my research knowledgeably and securing good recommendations, but I feel like it'd be a little weird to talk about how I worked with dolphins (totally unrelated to health at all)

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[uniqenam]

Hi Guys,

I've been looking for some options to get some more research and perhaps a publication in addition to the lab I'm already working in, and I've been offered a full time summer position with a research team here at my university.

However, the research is in marine biology which is VERY out of line with what I see myself doing. I think it would be really fun though as it involves travel and research diving in addition to benchwork. I also would work with the professor during the following semester to put together a poster presentation and/or publication based on my findings.

Is this applicable? I know the main thing is being able to talk about my research knowledgeably and securing good recommendations, but I feel like it'd be a little weird to talk about how I worked with dolphins (totally unrelated to health at all)

Dude...you get to chill with dolphins instead of pipetting; that's an opportunity which doesn't come around often. I would do it purely from a "life experiences" perspective.

 

[Tt1992]

Yeah it is a very cool experience, and I'd absolutely love to do it, but unfortunately I got on the research game late and would need to look elsewhere if this isn't something I can talk about in an interview.

 

[dl2dp2]

Yeah it is a very cool experience, and I'd absolutely love to do it, but unfortunately I got on the research game late and would need to look elsewhere if this isn't something I can talk about in an interview.

I would be very careful about this. You want to make your CV to build a nice narrative: why MSTP? Studying dolphins, while interesting in itself, is not very different from studying 13th century German poetry from the perspective of biomedical research. Unless you can spin it somehow to be in a way contributing to your long term vision (i.e. you are interested in neuroethology and behavior and there are some unique aspect of this laboratory that's applicable to specific translational or basic neuroscience that you are eventually interested in pursuing), or at least in somewhat consistent with the narrative you are building, I would avoid experiences that detract from your long term goal.

 

[Neuronix]

Do you or will you still have the arbitrary 2 years of basic/bench research? If so, I'd do the side research for a summer. Sluox is right that it may not help your application, but it sounds pretty sweet.

(Neuronix--PADI Divemaster)

 

[Tt1992]

Do you or will you still have the arbitrary 2 years of basic/bench research? If so, I'd do the side research for a summer. Sluox is right that it may not help your application, but it sounds pretty sweet.

(Neuronix--PADI Divemaster)

I'm a little unsure actually. My research is definitely qualified as basic research, but I wouldn't really call it bench research. My team is a mix of psychologists and psychiatrists, and the work is in the field I see myself doing work in, but I'm not exactly working with test tubes and pipettes. The work does involve a decent amount of gene sequencing and saliva analysis, but my PI has connections with a team at an out of state university that handles that.

I'm trying to find a lab where I can do more of the "lab" work over the next year and a half before I apply, but my university doesn't have a huge amount of biomedical research teams so I'll have to look at other colleges around the state,

How important is it that I have that hands on exposure? I can speak eloquently about all aspects of the research and I really understand what's going on and why, but my work isn't in a wet lab. I was hoping to do my PhD in neuroscience or neuropsychology.

 

[gutonc]

How important is it that I have that hands on exposure? I can speak eloquently about all aspects of the research and I really understand what's going on and why, but my work isn't in a wet lab. I was hoping to do my PhD in neuroscience or neuropsychology.

If you're going to do neuropsych or behavioral neuroscience, you won't be doing much wet lab work anyway so it won't make a big difference. If you really want to get some "bench" time, certainly go for it, but not if it's going to mean you stop current, ongoing, productive research.

 

[Tt1992]

If you're going to do neuropsych or behavioral neuroscience, you won't be doing much wet lab work anyway so it won't make a big difference. If you really want to get some "bench" time, certainly go for it, but not if it's going to mean you stop current, ongoing, productive research.

Should I stress my interest in these fields during my interview so it doesn't look like I'm lacking?

 

[gutonc]

Should I stress my interest in these fields during my interview so it doesn't look like I'm lacking?

That's kind of the point of the interview.

 

[Tt1992]

That's kind of the point of the interview.

Fair enough, haha. Didn't quite think that through before I posted

 

[Watson104]

However, the research is in marine biology which is VERY out of line with what I see myself doing. I think it would be really fun though as it involves travel and research diving in addition to benchwork. I also would work with the professor during the following semester to put together a poster presentation and/or publication based on my findings.

I say go for it. If it can in any way be tied back to basis science to human health, then it's doubly good and you can pitch it as a very different animal model system. I have quite the variable resume and undergrad experiences. If anything, it just made me memorable in my interviews.

 

[Tt1992]

I say go for it. If it can in any way be tied back to basis science to human health, then it's doubly good and you can pitch it as a very different animal model system. I have quite the variable resume and undergrad experiences. If anything, it just made me memorable in my interviews.

I think I'll probably end up going for it anyways. As a poster mentioned above, with my desired field of research they probably won't mind that I haven't spent thousands of hours working with pipettes and running PCR etc

Worst case scenario it doesn't help me at all, I don't think it will hurt though, and it's a full time job for several months with decent pay. I can also keep working at the psychiatry lab