Undergraduate Research Difficulty

[scaredhamstermeme]

So I'm a rising senior, and I've been in my lab (really small, no grad students, a couple undergrads including me, and the PI) for the past year. I've been focusing more on getting my GPA up over the semesters, so I've only been coming in regularly for the summers. My PI is super nice and everything, but he doesn't really give me much bench stuff to do. I'm always open to learning, but during the hours I come in, he really doesn't seem to be doing much bench work so I'm here and just doing some data analysis, but I want to do more to contribute. Plus I'm studying for the MCAT and working part-time off campus so I don't have the most flexible hours.

There's another undergrad in our lab (not pre-med,) and he's been making lots of progress in benchwork because he's able to come in early mornings, late afternoons, evenings, and weekends but I don't have the freedom to do that. We're currently working on revisions for a paper, so I'll be published for my contributions with data analysis regardless, but I haven't reached a level of self-sufficiency where I'll be able to take ownership of my own projects after this paper gets published. How exactly should I approach my PI about my concerns that I'm not attaining the depth of research I want to achieve?

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[Phile98]

Plus I'm studying for the MCAT and working part-time off campus so I don't have the most flexible hours

but I don't have the freedom to do that

I think you should reflect on these concerns yourself before you ask your PI anything.

 

[scaredhamstermeme]

I think you should reflect on these concerns yourself before you ask your PI anything.

I'm not sure what you mean. I come in for five to six hours on weekdays from 9:30AM to 2:00PM-ish, so I was thinking this was adequate time to get significant progress in for the summer.

 

[LizzyM]

I'm not sure what you mean. I come in for five to six hours on weekdays from 9:30AM to 2:00PM-ish, so I was thinking this was adequate time to get significant progress in for the summer.

People who make progress in the summer are putting in 200 hours or more. Is your PI there every weekend?

You seem to have other priorities. If you are happy with the way you are handling your time, then own your choices. If you are not happy with the way things are, you can change your priorities or work your schedule to allow for more time or a better schedule in the lab. This is up to you. You are comparing yourself with someone who has is living with different circumstances and who has different priorities than you have. If you are doing the best you can with what you have (financially, etc) then be happy but don't expect that you will be as successful in lab as someone who makes it a full-time endeavor.

 

[scaredhamstermeme]

People who make progress in the summer are putting in 200 hours or more. Is your PI there every weekend?

You seem to have other priorities. If you are happy with the way you are handling your time, then own your choices. If you are not happy with the way things are, you can change your priorities or work your schedule to allow for more time or a better schedule in the lab. This is up to you. You are comparing yourself with someone who has is living with different circumstances and who has different priorities than you have. If you are doing the best you can with what you have (financially, etc) then be happy but don't expect that you will be as successful in lab as someone who makes it a full-time endeavor.

I understand that. I'm starting independent study next semester to get more bench work in, but I'm worrying that it won't be sufficient enough to take on a project for myself when the time comes or be able to discuss this experience at length for my applications and interviews. I'm not entirely sure how in-depth a typical pre-med's research experience is, but I'd definitely like to get more out of this experience than I currently am.

 

[LizzyM]

I understand that. I'm starting independent study next semester to get more bench work in, but I'm worrying that it won't be sufficient enough to take on a project for myself when the time comes or be able to discuss this experience at length for my applications and interviews. I'm not entirely sure how in-depth a typical pre-med's research experience is, but I'd definitely like to get more out of this experience than I currently am.

The minimum is research tech work: prepping solutions, ordering and storing supplies, maintaining animal colonies, "washing dishes", etc.
The next step up is having some personal responsibility for the design, conduct and analysis of a portion of the work of the lab. Making an intellectual as well as a physical contribtution to the work, so to speak.
The final step is taking a project to an end product whether that is a peer-reviewed paper, a poster or a podium presentation. If you get a publication out of the work you've put in thus far you are a lucky dog.

 

[ServiceFirst]

Unless your involved in some summer undergraduate research program, independent projects can span on the order of years, which means you're going to have to put more time in than just the weekdays/summer.

Speaking from personal experience, I recommend taking advantage of a gap year to do this if you really want to undertake an independent research project.

 

[Unlimited Apps]

People who make progress in the summer are putting in 200 hours or more. Is your PI there every weekend?

You seem to have other priorities. If you are happy with the way you are handling your time, then own your choices. If you are not happy with the way things are, you can change your priorities or work your schedule to allow for more time or a better schedule in the lab. This is up to you. You are comparing yourself with someone who has is living with different circumstances and who has different priorities than you have. If you are doing the best you can with what you have (financially, etc) then be happy but don't expect that you will be as successful in lab as someone who makes it a full-time endeavor.

Lucky dog indeed!! My former PI would MAYBE give you an acknowledgment in the paper for simply data analysis, let alone an authorship lol.

 

[scaredhamstermeme]

Lucky dog indeed!! My former PI would MAYBE give you an acknowledgment in the paper for simply data analysis, let alone an authorship lol.

I'm definitely lucky, but I did help with planning and designing the experiments leading up to initial submission before classes really started ramping up, and I helped with reviewing the manuscript before submitting to journals. I regrettably wasn't very involved in the experimentation stages, though. The data analysis is what I've been doing recently.