Research??

[Manders221]

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I met with a professor at my college today who is a DVM to ask her about an internship opportunity I received (I posted about it last week) and she helped me come to the conclusion that the internship is not what I need at this point to strengthen my application. She gave me several good ideas on what to look for in an internship this summer but she also informed me that a research opportunity would really strengthen my application. She thinks I'm on the right track for veterinary experience considering I'm only a sophomore in undergrad and that I should pursue and independent research project but I literally have 0 ideas on where to begin.

She gave me a link to a list of veterinary medicine graduate faculty at the University of Minnesota and urged me to contact some of them and ask them if I could volunteer to help clean in their labs just to get my foot in the door. She also said if I had a good idea for a research project and was able to fund it myself, she would be willing to mentor me but does not want a whole lot of involvement in the research project. How do I even begin to come up with a topic to study? I definitely plan to look into every idea she gave me and will be contacting several of the faculty members at U of M but I'd be interested in starting an independent project at some point, perhaps this summer, if I could figure out how to do that.

 

[KCgophervet]

I refer you to this website. It may help.

 

[mmmdreamerz]

Instead of contacting those people and offering to clean in their labs, why can’t you contact some people doing research your interested in and see if there’s anyway you can be involved...you know...with actual research? I was heavily involved with a lab in undergrad and it was an awesome experience and absolutely helped me stand out when I applied and interviewed.

 

[dogcat09]

I met with a professor at my college today who is a DVM to ask her about an internship opportunity I received (I posted about it last week) and she helped me come to the conclusion that the internship is not what I need at this point to strengthen my application. She gave me several good ideas on what to look for in an internship this summer but she also informed me that a research opportunity would really strengthen my application. She thinks I'm on the right track for veterinary experience considering I'm only a sophomore in undergrad and that I should pursue and independent research project but I literally have 0 ideas on where to begin.

She gave me a link to a list of veterinary medicine graduate faculty at the University of Minnesota and urged me to contact some of them and ask them if I could volunteer to help clean in their labs just to get my foot in the door. She also said if I had a good idea for a research project and was able to fund it myself, she would be willing to mentor me but does not want a whole lot of involvement in the research project. How do I even begin to come up with a topic to study? I definitely plan to look into every idea she gave me and will be contacting several of the faculty members at U of M but I'd be interested in starting an independent project at some point, perhaps this summer, if I could figure out how to do that.

I was always told that it doesn't matter what type of research it is as long as it is research! I would recommend trying to get in contact with any research going on at your undergrad. Do you have a professor or advisor that you could ask to get involved with? That's what I did and I have been accepted to vet school and am finishing up an honors thesis. My research happens to do with animals, but I think its more being involved with any type of research.

 

[supershorty]

I met with a professor at my college today who is a DVM to ask her about an internship opportunity I received (I posted about it last week) and she helped me come to the conclusion that the internship is not what I need at this point to strengthen my application. She gave me several good ideas on what to look for in an internship this summer but she also informed me that a research opportunity would really strengthen my application. She thinks I'm on the right track for veterinary experience considering I'm only a sophomore in undergrad and that I should pursue and independent research project but I literally have 0 ideas on where to begin.

She gave me a link to a list of veterinary medicine graduate faculty at the University of Minnesota and urged me to contact some of them and ask them if I could volunteer to help clean in their labs just to get my foot in the door. She also said if I had a good idea for a research project and was able to fund it myself, she would be willing to mentor me but does not want a whole lot of involvement in the research project. How do I even begin to come up with a topic to study? I definitely plan to look into every idea she gave me and will be contacting several of the faculty members at U of M but I'd be interested in starting an independent project at some point, perhaps this summer, if I could figure out how to do that.

Ask about volunteering, not cleaning. Janitors clean. My lab has volunteer undergrads (and the occasional high schooler) most of the time.

 

[Lupin21]

Ask about volunteering, not cleaning. Janitors clean. My lab has volunteer undergrads (and the occasional high schooler) most of the time.

Most universities have a website listing the various PI's and a little bit about their projects. Look through it, find something that sounds interesting, and reach out. I mentioned in another post, the reason schools want research experience is because it is important that you know how to evaluate science, which you learn to do so by being a part of a project in which you learn how statistics works and the power of experimental design. This will allow you as a veterinarian to keep up on new drugs and testing methods and make intelligent decisions on if it is good data and actionable to apply to your own medicine. Also, you may find you really like research, then want to pursue it. Then find that it isn't quite for you, and go back to medicine, but with a nice deep understanding that will make your ability to practice that much better. lol

 

[Manders221]

Instead of contacting those people and offering to clean in their labs, why can’t you contact some people doing research your interested in and see if there’s anyway you can be involved...you know...with actual research?

My professor made it sound like that was asking for too much. I'm not saying that's true or not true, but she suggested that I volunteer to clean for them to show them I'm willing to work and then ask if I can help with a project later on.

 

[supershorty]

My professor made it sound like that was asking for too much. I'm not saying that's true or not true, but she suggested that I volunteer to clean for them to show them I'm willing to work and then ask if I can help with a project later on.

Just ask about volunteering in general.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

My professor made it sound like that was asking for too much. I'm not saying that's true or not true, but she suggested that I volunteer to clean for them to show them I'm willing to work and then ask if I can help with a project later on.

What she was (hopefully) getting at was that you should not expect to be thrown directly into an independent project. When undergrads typically start in a lab, we have them do very basic tasks at first to make sure they can be relied upon, have good manners, show work ethic, etc. Things like refilling pipette tips, washing glassware, making buffers, etc. Soon after that they can be directly involved with a project, usually assisting a graduate student. For example, my undergrad helps me with my mice as well as assisting me in doing things like Westerns and genotyping. This is the learning phase where they get to acquire lab skills as well as get a better mental grip on the science behind them. After that (usually after a semester) if they show promise and have demonstrated they can handle techniques, we give them their own project to drive.

Ask them what current projects or graduate students might need an extra hand. Look up their papers and what techniques they use, and express interest in learning them (PCR, Westerns, mouse work, cell work, whatever). We require approx 10 hrs a week of work from our undergrads - anything less than that and they aren't really going to be able to learn enough to be helpful.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

Example:

"Good morning Dr. XYZ

I am an undergraduate student in XX major and I am interested in gaining exposure to research. I came across your lab and was very interested in the work you are doing on XYZ (expand here - why are you interested in it?). If there are any current projects in the lab that could use extra support, I would love the opportunity to be involved in any way. My availability would be XYZ for the upcoming semester and I could commit to X hours per week. If this sounds like an arrangement that could potentially benefit the lab, I would be happy to meet with you in person and discuss current project needs. Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you!

Sincerely,

Manders"

If you have a resume or a CV, I would also attach it to the email.

 

[Lupin21]

Example:

"Good morning Dr. XYZ

I am an undergraduate student in XX major and I am interested in gaining exposure to research. I came across your lab and was very interested in the work you are doing on XYZ (expand here - why are you interested in it?). If there are any current projects in the lab that could use extra support, I would love the opportunity to be involved in any way. My availability would be XYZ for the upcoming semester and I could commit to X hours per week. If this sounds like an arrangement that could potentially benefit the lab, I would be happy to meet with you in person and discuss the current project needs, Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you!

Sincerely,

Manders"

If you have a resume or a CV, I would also attach it to the email.

I imagined this with smurf/ing in for X/YZ. 🤣

 

[Manders221]

Example:

Ask them what current projects or graduate students might need an extra hand. Look up their papers and what techniques they use, and express interest in learning them (PCR, Westerns, mouse work, cell work, whatever). We require approx 10 hrs a week of work from our undergrads - anything less than that and they aren't really going to be able to learn enough to be helpful.

Thank you, this was very helpful information. I honestly have no idea what to expect when it comes to lab work and the way you explained what I can expect to look for is very helpful.