Research: own project?

[tourniquet1963]

one of the doctors i work for does cancer research, related to bone marrow transplants.. i will be volunteering my time to help him with this research starting this summer. He has asked me whether i want my own project or just help him with his experiments. My question is: which of the 2 will give me a greater chance of being published? Do i even have a shot at being published? (i'll only be there perhaps 10 hours a week).. Thanks for advice : )

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[Heyeon]

I think you shld get this clarified with him. By helping someone with the experiments could imply that you will only get an acknowledgement (if at all anything!)

 

[dd128]

More than likely the above poster is right. It will depend on the generosity of the doctor, how much you actually do in the project, and how many people are involved if you get published or not. Even then, some of those projects could go on for a number of years before getting that far.

 

[MsJLewis]

It depends on the atmosphere of the lab. Some labs are very receptive to undergrads publishing from their labs. Others.. not so much.

I would try to get your own project of I were you. Even if you do not end up publishing adcoms and med schools will look at you conducting your own research in a more favorable light. Also your PI may be able to write a stronger rec for you and comment on your leadership skills.

But this might be tough to do working only 10 hours in the lab. It depends on the type of research you are doing. I did my own project in a lab in undergrad and averaged 25 hours in the lab. However at the end I got to write a manuscript, may be published as first author on the paper, and got a very strong letter of rec (which an interviewer read back to me during an interview because they were so impressed by the letter).

Good luck.

 

[fireflygirl]

It depends on the atmosphere of the lab. Some labs are very receptive to undergrads publishing from their labs. Others.. not so much.

I would try to get your own project of I were you. Even if you do not end up publishing adcoms and med schools will look at you conducting your own research in a more favorable light. Also your PI may be able to write a stronger rec for you and comment on your leadership skills.

But this might be tough to do working only 10 hours in the lab. It depends on the type of research you are doing. I did my own project in a lab in undergrad and averaged 25 hours in the lab. However at the end I got to write a manuscript, may be published as first author on the paper, and got a very strong letter of rec (which an interviewer read back to me during an interview because they were so impressed by the letter).

Good luck.

I agree. But I would also think about how much experience you have in research and whether running your own project on 10 hours a week will be sufficient to achieve something. It will look very impressive if you can get somewhere with the project but it if you aren't able to and then have to drop out of it or end it prematurely, it might not look as good for you.

 

[Dienekes]

one of the doctors i work for does cancer research, related to bone marrow transplants.. i will be volunteering my time to help him with this research starting this summer. He has asked me whether i want my own project or just help him with his experiments. My question is: which of the 2 will give me a greater chance of being published? Do i even have a shot at being published? (i'll only be there perhaps 10 hours a week).. Thanks for advice : )

You should have a decent shot at publications, but that should not be your primary motivation for doing a research project especially one of your own.

Some labs are very receptive to undergrads publishing from their labs. Others.. not so much.

Remind me again why I won't be someone's lab b*tch? This is one reason why I enjoy having my own project and not having to suck up to some PhD in hopes of getting some minor degree of recognition.

 

[tourniquet1963]

thanks for the replies.. Ideally, after volunteering, the doctor would offer the job to me as a research assistant. Im currently working as his administrative assistant for when he sees patients.. but the job is really boring and i'm overqualified (BS in bio, plus undergrad research).. but its all temporary.. until Med school..

 

[Dienekes]

i'm overqualified

I've yet to meet a premed who doesn't think they are overqualified for whatever job they are doing while waiting to see if they will get into medical school.

 

[tourniquet1963]

I've yet to meet a premed who doesn't think they are overqualified for whatever job they are doing while waiting to see if they will get into medical school.

hahah... that is absolutely true