Research Volunteering

[uwaterloo]

Hi

I was wondering if volunteering in a lab counts as a research experience if u actually do something science-related. Is volunteering in a lab even worth doing? How do adcoms look at this experience?

If I do volunteer, I will probably do it couple of times a week...

Thanks...

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[LizzyM]

Many people start out volunteering in a lab if the PI has no money to pay someone with minimal skills. With some luck & hard work, sometimes some money is available later (when you have some work experience in the lab) to provide you with a stipend.

While you might start out doing scut work (cleaning glassware, preparing solutions, ordering supplies) you should work your way up to doing some of your own experiments and contributing to the scientific inquiry. A letter from the PI is a big help because it describes your role in the lab, how that role evolved, your level of responsibility, your willingness to pitch in, your friendliness and helpfulness towards others in the lab, how quickly you learned routines, how creative you were in solving problems, etc.

If it sounds interesting for you, go for it. The adcom loves to see that you've done things that you find interesting.

 

[Concordia]

You might not be doing much research to begin with, but it is a step worth taking. Even if it doesn't pan out with that particular lab, if you are an asset to the lab, then it is very possible that your PI might recommend you to somebody else for a paid position or as a research assistant. It also doesn't hurt to have a positive LOR or an extra person on your resume.

 

[uwaterloo]

hey thanks for the reply,

so is there a difference between doing research + getting research scholarship or just volunteering?

I applied to a research scholarship and didnt get it... but a prof said im welcome to volunteer in his lab if I dont get the award... (im a freshman btw)

Also, do people do research during the school year? Also, how do publications work if the prof publishes something? Do volunteers get to put their name on it? im just curious...

im kinda mad that i didnt get the award... but o well

Thanks

PS whats a PI???

 

[sunny1]

PI = principal investigator. the person who got the funding to do the research and is leading it.

being included as an author in a publication typically means you have contributed to the research in a significant manner. the work you did doesn't have to be paid; it could have been volunteer.

"Authorship credit should be based on 1) substantial contributions to conception and design, or acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data; 2) drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content; and 3) final approval of the version to be published. Authors should meet conditions 1, 2, and 3."
http://www.icmje.org/#author

some people are very liberal in choosing/adding coauthors and some are more stingy or simply don't understand how its done. but there are general guidelines that should be followed, and some journals are more specific than others.

however, this should all be a secondary concern for you at this point. First and foremost, get involved in the research with this prof if you are interested in it and have fun learning and contributing.

 

[BigRedder]

Better yet, if you can get credit for it at your school, it can be a nice easy A if you put in the time...

 

[ucsdhibiscus]

Volunteering is a great way to start research but make sure there is potential to move up the ladder. I started off my sophomore year as a volunteer about 15 hours per week during school and moved up to more and more hours per week during school (at most about 23) with being paid and now I'm a full time employee with independent projects.
You also don't have to be on a publication for medical school - a good letter from your PI plus lots to talk about is sufficient.

 

[Concordia]

Since you are a freshman, you have a great head-start as far as research is concerned. I know several people who started as volunteers in a lab (and did get their names in publications for the work that they did). B/c of their experience they were later able to do research while getting paid and they had a great "in" with getting positions in labs where they did research for class credit.
Good luck and don't worry to much. Yet.

 

[Cardiac]

There isn't really any difference between getting a research scholarship and doing research. Getting a scholarship usually gives you some advantages in that you are sometimes involved in scholarship-based events (and you get money). Usually you have to have some research experience to get such a scholarship though, so volunteering is a good option.

Yes people do research during the school year. I work in two labs now (one for credit and one for pay), but that is only because I'm really interested in the work that I do at both places.

Publications work in different ways, depending on how much work you did for the project. If you did all the work, but the post-doc or PI writes it up, your name is on it. Likewise, if all you did was clean up after the work was done, your name wont be mentioned. Your involvement and experience determines whether or not you will be included in a pub.