Will working in two labs be ideal for MY situation?

[reese07]

I've been conducting research under my professor for about 1.5 years and what we do is very tedious and time consuming. Alot of it is waiting and doing the same experiments over again (transforming genes and screening them out). I feel that I'm limited to what I can experience and do since is very repetitive. Would doing research at another lab, along with my lab right now for my remaining semester of senior year be ideal? I know another lab that offers a bigger challenge and more cooperation which is what I feel is lacking from my current research. The thing is that I'll be doing it for only a semester. What should I do?

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[tortuga87]

i think the new experience should be good as long as you dont spread yourself out too thin

 

[soundnin]

why not quit your current position and go 150% at the new position?

 

[reese07]

Because I was hoping to still get an LOR from my current PI and if I quit her lab I'm afraid it might jeapordize it. And I dont know if one semester of research under my new PI will allow her to write me a good LOR..

 

[zelbest]

I would just collect the LOR now and slowly transition into full time at the new lab. Either way getting the LOR early is always a good idea.

 

[echosensei]

As a faculty member at a medical school, my comment is that you are experiencing the realities of bench research. It is long. And sometimes boring. And tedious. And sometimes you do boring, tedius assays or cultures for years, and it doesn't work out and you have nothing to publish. Bench research requires a great deal of patience and willingness to put up with these processes. If this is not what you want to do for the rest of your life, then MD PhD is not for you. If, despite this, you want to be a basic science researcher, then it is best for you to stay in your lab and bring your work to as much a conclusion as you can. Better yet, evaluate the project and see if there's another track you might take to answer your research question, then meet with your PI about this. Jumping labs for one semester is not the answer.