<p>How are the research opportunities for an undergrad electrical engineering major? Does anyone have any experience with research as an undergrad? What is expected of the student: i.e. hours per week?</p>
<p>I’m not EE, so I can’t help you there… but I do know a friend who is CSE but works in an EE lab doing something I can’t even say the name of since I don’t know what it means. He is also a first year. </p>
<p>You will find that there are faculty who welcome undergraduates into their labs. Others might be less inclined until you have more background. Some professors expect a lot out of their students. Others welcome the help an undergrad provides. It all depends. </p>
<p>I am also a first year, but I currently work in a Nanoengineering lab (but I’m a BTEC major). I spent my first two quarters sort of learning the ropes, learning how to do things, getting authorized for Nano3 cleanroom access, and what not… but now my PI has already placed me on a project with a couple postdocs and grad students. I currently work around 12-15 hours a week, but you’ll find that it varies from lab to lab. Like I said before, the expectations vary a lot and depend on how much you can contribute too. Hope that helps!</p>
<p>Thank you for your response!! In you experience, are the postdocs and grad students eager to help out the undergrad or do they treat you as a burden?</p>
<p>This may be a silly question, but do you get payed for lab work?</p>
<p>I’m going to be a NanoE major next year, and I need to figure out how I’m gonna balance studies and a job :p</p>
<p>Some pay, some don’t. I don’t know the ratio. There’s probably a correlation between being paid and doing boring work.</p>
<p>From my experience in bio/psyc/econ research, some pay, most don’t. And what Slorg said: many of the “lab jobs” that do pay, their descriptions are usually along the lines of autoclaving lab materials, preparing solutions, cleaning benches, etc.</p>
<p>Going through 199s/AIPs/volunteerships/etc. is usually a much better choice if you want to actually getting something of content (besides money) from the experience.</p>
<p>Anyone knows the Energy Research they are having?Is it limited or need to be apply or something?</p>
<p>@UChopeful2010 - the lab I work in is very open to undergraduates, so the postdocs and grads are used to having us around all the time. Because of that, they adjust accordingly. If I don’t know how to do something, then they’re more than happy to show me so that way I can do it by myself the next time. So basically, I guess what I’m trying to say is that, if they treat undergrads as a ‘burden’ then they lose too. It’s more beneficial for them to help the undergrads learn first. But you might find that other labs have postdocs/grads who are less used to undergrads, but I don’t think it would be a problem. </p>
<p>@Zippydyuda - I don’t get paid. Other undergrads get paid and more of them receive 199 credit for their research.</p>
<p>Since paid labwork entails menial labor, is that the same case with labwork for academic credit?</p>
<p>Depends. I would imagine a larger amount of AIP students do menial work as compared to students doing 199s.</p>
<p>Sorry for my newbishness, but why would AIP students be put on menial work more frequently than 199s? I thought that the programs both had the same goal of…well, making sure you actually learned something haha.</p>
<p>One is oriented at gaining professional knowledge and the other is gaining research foundations.</p>