What Kind Of Research Have You Done/ Are You Doing In Undergrad?

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FutureVet90

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I'm just curious to know.

were you able to research anything or it depended what your school had to offer?

i think i would be interested in anything related to biology or animal research.
 
:smack:

😆

You won't be able to get near any good research opportunities with your grades or your determination(lack there of).

🙄

Go focus on your BASIC science classes first. The way you are going, the university won't even grant you a diploma. Most U's have a minimum GPA requirement to earn a diploma.
 
Depends what your school has to offer, as you'll need a professor to work under. I've done diagnostic lab work before, but next semester will be my first time in a research lab.

I had a professor come to guest lecture in one of my classes last semester, her presentation was interesting, so I read up on her research and then contacted her to discuss it and express my interest. After submitting a CV and interviewing with her grad students, they invited me on board, so I'll be doing research there next semester. It is a lab in the Veterinary Integrative Biosciences Department of the College of Veterinary Medicine that focuses on conservation medicine and vector born disease ecology. Their current projects are focusing on crane conservation medicine, tick-host interaction, and tick and tick-borne pathogen ecology.


But you'll hate me for telling you to go work on that GPA first. :meanie:
 
:smack:

😆

You won't be able to get near any good research opportunities with your grades or your determination(lack there of).

🙄

Go focus on your BASIC science classes first. The way you are going, the university won't even grant you a diploma. Most U's have a minimum GPA requirement to earn a diploma.

lol @ you trying to tell someone what to do.
 
Depends what your school has to offer, as you'll need a professor to work under. I've done diagnostic lab work before, but next semester will be my first time in a research lab.

I had a professor come to guest lecture in one of my classes last semester, her presentation was interesting, so I read up on her research and then contacted her to discuss it and express my interest. After submitting a CV and interviewing with her grad students, they invited me on board, so I'll be doing research there next semester. It is a lab in the Veterinary Integrative Biosciences Department of the College of Veterinary Medicine that focuses on conservation medicine and vector born disease ecology. Their current projects are focusing on crane conservation medicine, tick-host interaction, and tick and tick-borne pathogen ecology.


But you'll hate me for telling you to go work on that GPA first. :meanie:


thank you.

and i know i need to work on my gpa. i dont see why its such a crime to post about something i was curious about though. doing research isnt my focus right now, but its something i plan to do once my grades are where i need them to be
 
Clearly. You might want to take a dip in the research pool by starting to research your textbooks.....

[YOUTUBE]i3My4MHr51c[/YOUTUBE]

lol........

i already know what books i need this semester.

funny how you and lame bandwagoners talk about trolling when it's you coming in trolling.

fall back.
 
lol........

i already know what books i need this semester.

funny how you and lame bandwagoners talk about trolling when it's you coming in trolling.

fall back.

You know full well he wasn't talking about researching WHAT books. 🙄 You need to open your books and study the hell out of them and pass your classes and get A's to save your ass. Otherwise, you will get kicked out of Uni.

Stop posting on SDN and go study. Use your Christmas break and actually LEARN. If you keep going the way you are, you don't have a snowball's chance in hell of getting your undergrad diploma, Let alone being accepted into Vet School.
 
I've gotten to experience a lot of different research opportunities during undergrad. I have been doing my own project for about 3 years and am on the verge of publishing (thank goodness!). I've gotten to help on a lot of different projects from Pfizer drug trial in dairy cattle, PCOS in pigs, and a study looking at the effects of the rural-urban gradient on wild birds.

I don't think getting to experience research is entirely due to what school you go to. If you're at a University, there's likely research going on.

I think what getting into research depends on is your willingness to ask if you can join a project (people seem to be serious chickens when it comes to this point), a solid track record and GPA, and the self motivation to work your butt off to put in extremely long hours without constantly needing assistance. Also, make sure you're not going up to every professor and asking to join, you should be genuinely interested in the work they're doing or else your experience may be some what like torture (trust me on this one).

Hope that was helpful!
 
Thanks to parula and Frozenshades for actually answering the OP's original question. Gotta love how some SDN regulars will jump on the chance to form a cute little condescendingly berating bandwagon for no apparent reason at all.

Anyway... undergrad research is something I've dealt with quite a bit (and part of my job now is to hire undergrads to do research). I also came from a similar position of needing to prove myself to admissions because I messed around and did terribly until my senior year.

So here's the best advice I can give: After you've successfully convinced yourself that becoming a vet is worth sacrificing pretty much everything else for the next couple years, get past this "Oh ****" moment, and start playing the game. The pre-vet game (especially for those trying to catch up) can be a b*tch, but it only has one rule: Do what vet school admissions would want you to do, and make sure that whatever you're doing leaves a clear paper trail evidencing that you've got your act together.

With that said:

1) Start looking for a research position early (like, now). If anything, I would say having a lower mid-college GPA is even more reason to jump on a research gig asap. Definitively showing that at this point you not only improved grades but also got on board with research will reinforce the legitimacy of your "Aha!" moment (i.e. the transcript's inflection point when you clearly said to yourself "alright my life goal is to be a vet and I'm gonna stop messing around now").


2) Consider the pre-vet game's rule when choosing a research position (assuming you're given different options)

- If the lab's PI/mentor tells you the project would probably be publishable or that you'll be able to get your name on a paper if you stick with it, take it. That's undergrad/transcript gold.

- Remember that you're probably not gonna cure cancer during undergrad. Value a project's feasibility over its prestige.

- Will the hours be flexible? Is the PI (or project mentor) flexible? Research takes persistent effort, and you want to make sure you're not going to eventually be forced to choose between (A) neglecting lab responsibilities and pissing off the PI or (B) not having time to do a final cram for a midterm. Remember that in addition to putting this experience on an application, a fantastic rec letter is also a possibility if you play your cards correctly.

- Do you know anyone who has worked for the lab previously (or currently)? Getting insider info about what the given lab gig will be like can be really helpful and save a lot of time in the long run. Some PIs are much more likely than others to screw over undergrads.
 
Thanks to parula and Frozenshades for actually answering the OP's original question. Gotta love how some SDN regulars will jump on the chance to form a cute little condescendingly berating bandwagon for no apparent reason at all.


Have you even read all the other threads the OP has in this forum? 🙄
 
That is excellent advice from Nate. Just wanted to add my own two cents. Research is something you need to be extremely interested in doing. I'm in a lab doing my MS right now and my PI is very generous with authorship for undergrads. Many end up being second or third author because they are given great responsibility as well as workload. My PI is also much more demanding than others and expects high quality work from everyone, including undergrads. Thus you must be highly motivated, driven, and most importantly, interested in the topic at hand. This is great training for independent thinking and thought processing but it is also very time consuming. You need to be able to balance everything in your life very well.

In my experience, research can be very fun but some people will find it annoying. In research, you are searching for answers that no one else has. In some cases you're under extreme pressure to publish before other competing labs do. You need to be efficient and really understand what you're trying to do.

In addition, some PIs are very strict about grades. They want to make sure the people training in their labs perform well academically outside the realm of the lab. My PI checks gpas of undergrads before taking them on. Many believe it's a good indicator of how you will perform in lab, although not all do. If you convince a PI to take you on despite your academic shortcomings, you will need to work your butt off to prove yourself. If a PI responds to your email, go to the meeting prepared and ask informed questions from papers they've published. Nothing makes a PI more pissed off than someone coming in unprepared.

Edit: Didn't realize I didn't answer original Q 😀 I've done research in a cardiovascular lab using mouse models, a neuroscience lab using mouse models analyzing circadian rhythms, 2 different muscular dystrophy labs also using mouse models analyzing pathology when genes are knocked out or over expressed, and also flavivirus/avian malaria research in mosquitoes.
 
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Have you even read all the other threads the OP has in this forum? 🙄

Yup, all bajillion of them... I figured that even if none of the wisdom sinks in that person's head, hopefully someone could use the advice, I completely understand the frustration!
 
It starts in Jan 2012.

Sophomore in college 1.8 GPA

Said his grades have improved since moving away from home in August 2011.

Failed all classes fall 2012 semester.

Keeps making excuses about his terrible grades, but does not try and actually work to improve them.

Always starts threads saying 'I'm a sophomor in UG, had terrible grades because of my mom, yadda yadda yadda.'

FutureVet90 needs to focus on actually PASSING undergrad, before even considering applying to vet school. It will take over 100 more credit hours to get his GPA up enough to even be considered by any Vet School.

Go read his threads and then tell us we are condescending for no apparent reason.
 
It starts in Jan 2012.

Sophomore in college 1.8 GPA

Said his grades have improved since moving away from home in August 2011.

Failed all classes fall 2012 semester.

Keeps making excuses about his terrible grades, but does not try and actually work to improve them.

Always starts threads saying 'I'm a sophomor in UG, had terrible grades because of my mom, yadda yadda yadda.'

FutureVet90 needs to focus on actually PASSING undergrad, before even considering applying to vet school. It will take over 100 more credit hours to get his GPA up enough to even be considered by any Vet School.

Go read his threads and then tell us we are condescending for no apparent reason.

You have said your thing as many times as the OP has said theirs. We all hear you. Quit kicking someone who's down.
 
You have said your thing as many times as the OP has said theirs. We all hear you. Quit kicking someone who's down.

*I* haven't, but yes, a lot of other people have. And they don't seem to be getting it.
 
I ended up involved in a number of research projects through a work study job that ended up being an assistant, then field technician job with an environmental organization. Volunteering with environmental organizations can also be a good way to gain experience in that realm of research.
 
I did research with ticks. Got to crunch them up in little vials and isolate DNA. Not what I had in mind, but it ended up being pretty cool. So always keep an open mind.

Let's try and answer questions without paying too much attention to the posting history of the OP - just remember that anyone reading here with a similar question could get answers or inspiration from the thread as well. If the OP does indeed have a GPA like that, they can make all the excuses they want on here... no matter, right? Nothing to get too worked up about.
 
It starts in Jan 2012.

Sophomore in college 1.8 GPA

Said his grades have improved since moving away from home in August 2011.

Failed all classes fall 2012 semester.

Keeps making excuses about his terrible grades, but does not try and actually work to improve them.

Always starts threads saying 'I'm a sophomor in UG, had terrible grades because of my mom, yadda yadda yadda.'

FutureVet90 needs to focus on actually PASSING undergrad, before even considering applying to vet school. It will take over 100 more credit hours to get his GPA up enough to even be considered by any Vet School.

Go read his threads and then tell us we are condescending for no apparent reason.

:laugh: you're pathetic.

i'm female.

i became junior this past fall and also was in good standing.

my grades did improve since i moved. you don't know me or what i was going through this past fall 2012 semester; i'm part of the blame and the issues in my life did as well.

so, now i have academic warning. i know what i have to do from this day forward to even be considered going to vet school. i wasnt afraid to blame myself and done some reflecting. i'm getting my priorities together and WILL be ready when classes start again.

you don't know me and dont know what i was going through. i only gave so little in my threads.
 
I did research with ticks. Got to crunch them up in little vials and isolate DNA. Not what I had in mind, but it ended up being pretty cool. So always keep an open mind.

Let's try and answer questions without paying too much attention to the posting history of the OP - just remember that anyone reading here with a similar question could get answers or inspiration from the thread as well. If the OP does indeed have a GPA like that, they can make all the excuses they want on here... no matter, right? Nothing to get too worked up about.

Hmm let's see research in undergrad (And I went to a small liberal arts school, not a big research uni):

Arboreal preference in mainland vs island boa constrictors
Oxygen Metabolism in XCountry runners vs recreational runners (Was going to be my honors Biology project but decided against it)
Bacteriophage Genome Mapping in Bacteriophage isolated from landfills

And then in vet school I did a project on Acute Phase Proteins in equine colic cases.

Research really helped me stay motivated in undergrad. Counted as upper level Bio, and i got to work independently on projects. Helped me fine tune my skills before vet school, and be able to write a kick ass grant proposal or scientific paper. And I got paid in vet school for my research, so that was a plus.

Perhaps I will someday work in Academia....🙄?
 
:laugh: you're pathetic.

i'm female.

i became junior this past fall and also was in good standing.

my grades did improve since i moved. you don't know me or what i was going through this past fall 2012 semester; i'm part of the blame and the issues in my life did as well.

so, now i have academic warning. i know what i have to do from this day forward to even be considered going to vet school. i wasnt afraid to blame myself and done some reflecting. i'm getting my priorities together and WILL be ready when classes start again.

you don't know me and dont know what i was going through. i only gave so little in my threads.

Sorry, thought you were male.

You could have posted all of that^^^ a long time ago. Instead of being rude and crass to people. In your many previous threads, you simply could have acknowledged the great advice and been nice about it. Instead, you tell people to GTFO of your threads.


You posted before, that you moved out of your mothers house Fall 2011. And then you posted recently, that you failed Fall 2012. That is NOT improving.

Some of us are being short tempered/shaking our heads at you because of your hostile attitude to those people who were giving you solid advice in previous threads. (I will remind you and everyone else, that this is the first thread of FV90's that I have posted in. So, there is no need to go off on me about continuously berating her).

You asked questions, told us your background over and over and continued to lash out at people who were at first being nice and giving you advice, then having to be blunt with you. Some of us have been in your shoes and know EXACTLY what it is going to take to get you where you (think you) want to go. We are not just talking out our arses. You will need to work your butt off to get there. You come off as thinking it's not going to be hard to improve your grades enough to get into Vet School, and honestly, it's insulting to those of us having to work our behinds off.

I failed Spring semester freshman year. I had problems just like you. I discovered boyfriends, and alcohol, and being on my own not having to listen to anybody. I have depression, SAD, anxiety and bipolar runs in my family. It all compounded into one giant disaster. By the time I realized it, it was too late. I was on academic probation my Sophomore year and lost my scholarship. I got my crap somewhat together and passed Sophomore year, but then my parents refused to co-sign a loan because of my previous grades, and I had to drop out. I have now been out of school for 8 years and have gotten my life completely under control and am going back to school. It's going to be a long, hard road but now I am ready for it. Mentally and emotionally. I will be working 2 jobs, school part-time and volunteering.

Numerous other people in this forum have similar stories. So, I suggest you drop the attitude and listen to what they have to say. You dont' like what they are saying, fine. Ignore it. But don't go telling people to GTFO or call them jerks, etc. It's rude. If you didn't want advice about your situation, then you shouldn't have shared it in the first place. And then continued making threads about it.

Now, if you promise to be nice, I'll be nice. 😛
 
Sorry, thought you were male.

You could have posted all of that^^^ a long time ago. Instead of being rude and crass to people. In your many previous threads, you simply could have acknowledged the great advice and been nice about it. Instead, you tell people to GTFO of your threads.


You posted before, that you moved out of your mothers house Fall 2011. And then you posted recently, that you failed Fall 2012. That is NOT improving.

Some of us are being short tempered/shaking our heads at you because of your hostile attitude to those people who were giving you solid advice in previous threads. (I will remind you and everyone else, that this is the first thread of FV90's that I have posted in. So, there is no need to go off on me about continuously berating her).

You asked questions, told us your background over and over and continued to lash out at people who were at first being nice and giving you advice, then having to be blunt with you. Some of us have been in your shoes and know EXACTLY what it is going to take to get you where you (think you) want to go. We are not just talking out our arses. You will need to work your butt off to get there. You come off as thinking it's not going to be hard to improve your grades enough to get into Vet School, and honestly, it's insulting to those of us having to work our behinds off.

I failed Spring semester freshman year. I had problems just like you. I discovered boyfriends, and alcohol, and being on my own not having to listen to anybody. I have depression, SAD, anxiety and bipolar runs in my family. It all compounded into one giant disaster. By the time I realized it, it was too late. I was on academic probation my Sophomore year and lost my scholarship. I got my crap somewhat together and passed Sophomore year, but then my parents refused to co-sign a loan because of my previous grades, and I had to drop out. I have now been out of school for 8 years and have gotten my life completely under control and am going back to school. It's going to be a long, hard road but now I am ready for it. Mentally and emotionally. I will be working 2 jobs, school part-time and volunteering.

Numerous other people in this forum have similar stories. So, I suggest you drop the attitude and listen to what they have to say. You dont' like what they are saying, fine. Ignore it. But don't go telling people to GTFO or call them jerks, etc. It's rude. If you didn't want advice about your situation, then you shouldn't have shared it in the first place. And then continued making threads about it.

Now, if you promise to be nice, I'll be nice. 😛


i'm sorry about your situation and glad your life is starting to look good for you.

i know its going to take ALOT of hard work and dedication to get to where i need to be, never said it will be easy. i wasnt taking advantage of tutoring and im not going to say why because i dont want it to seem like im making excuses. but i'm getting help with tutoring and also a recitation class for chem.

and if i can get a job, that would be great too.

and i also apologize for coming off as hostile to some. sometimes when some of the comments, i think i'm being looked down upon. i know some are trying to help, but thats just how i saw it.
 
Naw, no one's looking down on you. Far from it. Everyone takes a different path and some of us just take longer to get there. Life lessons and all. :laugh: Some people are just a little exasperated at the repeat threads and what I had said up there.

Glad to see you are taking advantage of tutoring and hopefully seeking help in the other areas. 👍
 
I think you got what you needed, OP - a good, cold dose of reality. Now that we all know that you realize what you need to do... well, we wish you luck. And we want updates. 🙂
 
Because I'm a research nerd. In undergrad I worked on three different projects:
1) Biophysics/Biochemistry. Kinetics of the reactions of Nitric Oxide and various forms of hemoglobin observed in bloodstream. We were looking at the potential role of decreased NO bioavailability in the blood storage lesion (aka- why after 2 weeks transfusion of stored blood is connected to numerous ill outcomes).
2) Role of arginine supplementation on calf growth.
3) Biomechanics/bioengineering- we were using CT scans to create a model of how the thoracic cavity changes with age and whether changing thoracic morphology could be partly responsible for the fact that older people are more likely to break ribs in a car accident (force modeling)
 
Also, now that I'm in graduate school I do regenerative medicine stuff. whoo hoo...
 
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