Summer Research Programs

[pazan]

What can I expect to get out of the program?

I just got into Albert Einstein's SURP and am for sure going (paid trip to NY and I get to do original research, why not?), but I'm really not sure what to expect. I know there are poster presentations at the end of the two months, but is it reasonable to expect a published abstract after a couple of months of full time research? I'd like to hear from anyone who's gone through similar programs -- did you get to know the PI well enough for a LOR? is it possible they'll use you as an author? anything you wish you'd done while you were there? Thanks.

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[mtlove]

What can I expect to get out of the program?

I just got into Albert Einstein's SURP and am for sure going (paid trip to NY and I get to do original research, why not?), but I'm really not sure what to expect. I know there are poster presentations at the end of the two months, but is it reasonable to expect a published abstract after a couple of months of full time research? I'd like to hear from anyone who's gone through similar programs -- did you get to know the PI well enough for a LOR? is it possible they'll use you as an author? anything you wish you'd done while you were there? Thanks.

I did a 10 week summer program a few years back. Most of the time they give students unpublishable work that the grad students/post docs do not want to do (e.g purifying a protein, making an antibody, cloning a construct). Close to 10% of the people actually got a publication, but they were author number five out of six for example. I would ask your mentor the questions you are asking here.

My PI was a big dog, so he was only in the lab 2 out of the 10 weeks. Thus I really did not have an opportunity to get to know him well enough for a rec. Fortunately, I have many research mentors so I do not really need it. It was a great opportunity for other reasons. I visited the med school while I was there, and the summer program directors have great people to network with.

Enjoy your summer in NY.

 

[BigRedPremed]

You will probably get to know your PI or supervisor well enough to get a rec. You will probably not get a pub.

 

[blargh]

depends on the PI. i was close, but no dice.

 

[Caristra]

The paper is a matter of luck. I certainly would not count on it. The poster is worth something though. You are most likely not going to be doing anything groundbreaking in your two short months. The best thing to do is to focus on learning the techniques that the lab is known for.

The PI situation depends on the size of the lab and mentoring style of the PI.

Enjoy the summer! there's some great research at AECOM.

 

[pazan]

Yeah, I was really impressed at the type of research going on at AECOM. Especially for a school that only offers graduate programs and may not have the same recognition as those with undergrad as well, it gets a lot of NIH funding (something like 23rd among all institutions).

Another question, do you guys think its too presemptuous to contact PIs for spots in their labs? They said they would place me according to my interests, but I'd rather select the lab I work for.

 

[QuakerPreMed]

You'll have an awesome time in NYC in the summer. I was in NYU's program in 2005 and it was great. I didn't get a publication but I did get an awesome LOR. Your results may vary of course...

 

[mtlove]

Another question, do you guys think its too presemptuous to contact PIs for spots in their labs? They said they would place me according to my interests, but I'd rather select the lab I work for.

There were a lot of inside politics at the school I was in, and in that case it would be pointless to contact PIs. Maybe someone familiar with your program can give a good imput. It probably varies by program, like everything else. At my school, the dean, the SURF director, and some other higher level people had first pick for students. Young investigators really had no shot in getting a student (or free labor). Very few of the people in my program got placed in labs with similar research interests due to this.

 

[pazan]

There were a lot of inside politics at the school I was in, and in that case it would be pointless to contact PIs. Maybe someone familiar with your program can give a good imput. It probably varies by program, like everything else. At my school, the dean, the SURF director, and some other higher level people had first pick for students. Young investigators really had no shot in getting a student (or free labor). Very few of the people in my program got placed in labs with similar research interests due to this.

That's what I was expecting. I guess especially at a school without undergrads (AECOM), the investigators would be in competition for students to do their pet projects.

 

[mtlove]

That's what I was expecting. I guess especially at a school without undergrads (AECOM), the investigators would be in competition for students to do their pet projects.

You could contact PIs about working in their lab over the summer, and some of the younger/less influential PIs may still have funding for you to come without the SURP money. I know a few of the PIs did this at the school I attended, but the interns did not have the same funding/opportunities we had through the program.

If you are a sophmore, you could try to meet with some PIs with similiar research interests while you were there this summer and try to network a position for the following summer.

 

[pazan]

You could contact PIs about working in their lab over the summer, and some of the younger/less influential PIs may still have funding for you to come without the SURP money. I know a few of the PIs did this at the school I attended, but the interns did not have the same funding/opportunities we had through the program.

If you are a sophmore, you could try to meet with some PIs with similiar research interests while you were there this summer and try to network a position for the following summer.

I'm in the program and moving out of it to work with another PI isn't an option (I don't have money to pay for rent in NY). My hope is that the lab I'll work for has some connections to my undergrad (a UC). That would be the best case scenario... and the worst case is that I'll find another lab when I get back from NY, which isn't that big of a deal.