The Student Guide to Undergraduate Research
The college experience is evolving to encompass more than just lectures and keggers. Universities are offering experiences that expand far beyond the classroom; the most common of these is undergraduate research. In some scientific majors, over 70% of students engage in undergraduate research. Research — in the form of volunteering, class credit, internships, or a paid job — can be an incredibly educational and transformative experience. Whether your goal is to become a doctor, veterinarian, scientist, or a professional in another field, I would highly recommend getting involved in some form of research during your time at college.
But because of the highly individualized nature of each research experience, it can be a mixed bag. Some students love research, while others hate it. The quality of the experience is largely in your hands, yet there are few resources to help guide you along the way. I thought I’d share the most important lessons I’ve learned from my time as an undergrad. My background is in biomedical research, but I hope sharing my stories will help others, no matter what field, to get the most out of their undergraduate research.
Step 1: Finding the right research:
Locating a principal investigator (PI) who shares your research interests can seem like a daunting task. Start with your class professors; their research is listed on the faculty website. Also look at the other professors in your department. You can search the NIH Database by Location and Organization to see all of the active research grants for the professors at your school. This helps you identify who may have the funding to take on undergraduates in their lab.
Professors aren’t the only ones who offer research experience. Many companies, hospitals, and other institutions will take on interns, especially over the summer. Go to local research conferences, attend the undergraduate research fairs at your university, and talk to whomever you can. You never know when a connection might materialize into an opportunity.
If you can find a researcher who matches your interests, awesome! If not, or if you don’t know your interests yet, don’t worry. Your first lab experience doesn’t have to tailor to your exact preferences. No matter the research, you can learn basic skills, techniques, and work ethic that apply to all of your later work. Be open to new experiences.
Step 2: Approaching the professor
I cannot stress this enough; the students who get research positions are the ones who ask for them. Nobody will come to seek you out for an opportunity. You must find them yourself. Don’t be afraid to ask — the worst someone can do is say “no.”
Professors deal with million dollar grants, huge lectures, direct research, and take care of a million administrative details. It may seem like they are uninterested in engaging undergraduates in research. But many professors love to talk to their students about research. Many are passionate educators, and want to see their students reach out and get involved. Taking on an undergraduate to their lab can also be a highly symbiotic relationship. Don’t be afraid to approach them and ask about their work.
If the professor teaches one of your classes, just talk to them after class. Be sure to have done your homework. Read some of their publications to gain a familiarity with their work. Talk about how their research excites you, and how you’d love to get involved in some way. Professors want to see students who are excited about their work. Don’t be the person getting experience to check off a box on your Med School application. If you are not familiar with the professor, you may want to send them an inquiry email. Tell them about your interest and attach your resume/CV. Ask if they would like to meet you in person to talk about opportunities in their lab. The worst that can happen is they say no, and even if they don’t have room at this time, it sows the seeds of familiarity for potential future openings.
When talking to the professor, ask what the day-to-day work is like in their lab. If possible, try to tour it. This way, you can meet and talk to the graduate students in the lab, and they can give you an even better idea of what their work is like. If you find that this professor’s research isn’t your cup of tea, ask if he knows anyone else in the department who may do research more tailored to your interests.
Find a professor who you think you would get along with. Some professors are more engaged with undergrads than others are. Make sure the relationship will be open — most failed research semesters happen because the student failed to communicate with the professor, or vice-versa.
Step 3: Starting Your Work
So you’ve done it; you got a research position in a lab you like. What do you do now? You’ve never scienced before, and there’s a ton of confusing chemicals, words, and machines. Don’t worry. All of us were totally clueless in the beginning, and some of us still are.
The best thing you can do in any situation is ASK QUESTIONS. Don’t be embarrassed that you don’t know something. Sometimes you will be working with expensive or dangerous materials; it is always better to be safe than sorry. Your best friends will be the more experienced undergrads, graduate students, and lab technicians in your lab. Grad students and lab techs are great; they do lots of work, and you can learn a ton from them if you watch. They are the ones you will interact with most, and they know the ins and outs of that lab better than even the PI.
Be patient with your beginning work. While you get your training done, most of your tasks will be menial and repetitive. Don’t let washing flasks, labeling tubes, and making buffers discourage you. This work is important. It will give you a feel for how the lab works, and all of the necessary steps for setting up experiments.
Google will be your best friend when you’re learning about the research you do. Your PI will probably send you papers to read that are relevant to the work. You may understand very little of this at first. Scientists like big words. But keep methodically plowing through the literature. Every time you encounter a new term, look it up. Read what your professor gives you, and look around for other related papers. Reading will contextualize all of the experiments you run.
Try to get as much practice and experience as possible. Learn as many different kinds of assays as you can. If you can gain at least familiarity with as many skills as possible, later labs will love that you are versatile. This will also give you a feel for what type of work you like.
Spoiler alert: you’re going to make mistakes, and you’re going to fail. Being a scientist isn’t flying, it’s failing with style. Don’t get discouraged when something doesn’t work, rise to the challenge. You’re also going to make silly errors. You’ll kill some cells or spill a chemical, but don’t panic. Don’t try to hide your slip-ups from others, because that’s how serious problems can arise.
Make sure you’re displaying good work habits. Keep a clean lab space, show up on time, and be focused at lab meetings. Make sure to communicate with your coworkers. The life of a student is hectic, and your classes come first. If you need to skip your normally scheduled lab time to study, that’s fine. Just make sure someone knows why you aren’t there. Problems are avoided through effective communication.
Step 4: Evaluation
Throughout your experience, as well as at the end, you should be reflecting on your research. Is this type of research for you? Some of my most valuable experiences have been those that inform me what I don’t like. What can you be doing to be a better researcher, and what could your lab be doing to better train their students? Most professors will be very receptive to helpful feedback. Again, communication here is key.
Hopefully you have gained something useful from your research. Even if it’s not scientific, there are many skills you can learn in such a work environment. If you want to do more research in this lab, terrific! If not, I’m sure you’ve opened some doors to a variety of different people in the process. Your learning experience here may be more valuable than anything you do in a classroom.
“Why do we do basic research? To learn about ourselves.” — Walter Gilbert
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