<p>This month i will begin research in computer science under the mentorship of a professor</p>
<p>i was just wondering who else on CC has done research at this level...What are your experiences?</p>
<p>hopefully this thread will be productive where we can share some good ideas on how to get started</p>
<p>It has been really awesome, got publications under my belt and submitted to competitions (no luck on the big ones). Make the most of the opportunities given.</p>
<p>What do mean “competitions”? </p>
<p>and what field did is your research in?</p>
<p>I would love to get involved in scientific research to get an idea for the process, but I have no idea where to start. I was going to try to contact local professors but I don’t know what to say, I don’t feel that I have honed my scientific skills enough to be set loose on my own research, because I don’t actually know the process. I would love to do mathematical research but I feel chemistry/physics research would be more accessible. Any help?</p>
<p>Contact them and/or apply for internships at hospitals and medical centers! This summer, I interned at Yale. I literally had NO idea how to operate any of the machinery when I got there, but by the end of the summer I was pro. Don’t worry about trying to hone your abilities, just get out there and contact some people. a) the worst they can say is no and b) if they say no it’s not like you’re ever going to meet them</p>
<p>What if the only places remotely near your house are community colleges that barely even offer introductory science courses?
(I don’t have previous experience except for a local internship at a chemical plant, so I can’t really get into competitive programs farther away.)</p>
<p>I worked in the field of physics. Competitions such as Siemens Intel STS/ISEF etc. I worked with a group of various scientists who were actively publishing.</p>
<p>@halcyon</p>
<p>What about your state university? if thats still too far away, i would still contact professors at the community colleges…they teach low level stuff but they are probably professionals who have done research in their fields</p>
<p>Yes, but what do we say to professors when we contact them, hey, uh…I want to do research? Or should we have a proposal for a research topic, I have an idea, but I don’t know what I would research.</p>
<p>Well, dont expect the porfessor to do everything for you. Instead tell them, " Dear Professor XYZ, I saw on ABC University Website that your research interests deal with D, E , and F. I am also interested in these topics…blablabla…would you please mentor me or help me learn more about this topic so that I can _______ …"</p>
<p>something like that usually works well</p>
<p>Oh yeah, billny, was your research ever published in a journal, if so, how did you submit your paper?</p>
<p>The group is taking care of the publication (yes in a a scientific journal), they are giving me credit as co-author for my indiviual research in the group’s efforts. And you guys have it wrong. Remember, these professors/scientists are extremely busy and stressed. Never write, “will you mentor me”. They are not working for you, you are working for them. What could you offer them, how could you be of help? What makes you better than the 20 other kids who are asking them the same question? Don’t be afraid to brag and show what you are capable of doing, but don’t make it all about you.</p>
<p>What kind of education did you have, not all of us have access to extensive college coursework. Although I’ve studied a lot of math and physics on my own. And although I know a lot relative to my classmates, I have only taken AP classes. Are people like me even qualified for this? Obviously I have initiative and a lot of knowledge, but it is minimal compared to a PhD in their field.</p>
<p>WEll, you have got to study quite a bit on your own…it takes a lot of committment , if you can find a very specialized topic, you will have success,tryo to get yoruself to th level wehre you can read and understand other papers</p>
<p>Most research comes out of research assisting-- like others have said, especially in high school, you need to demonstrate a passion in some area-- and then you need to be patient and do the grunt work. It’ll pay off, eventually, but research isn’t a straight track to publications.</p>
<p>And on another (slightly tangential note), research in the Humanities is available as well. Usually, it’s the same type of research ‘assisting’ that is mind-numbingly boring (I’ve looked at over a hundred pages of text now, proof-reading and doing citation work), but after you prove yourself, you can get some really great independent opportunities.</p>
<p>The other PhD scientists in the group gave me two textbooks that they had in upper undergrad/grad school. The stuff was intense in math and physics, but it worked out. They gave me work that another scientist or postdoc would have done. It was tough at first, but it is increible how much I have learned from it. You dont have to be a PhD scientist to do research.</p>
<p>So I should probably asking to assist with their research, and express interest in their subject matter, I’m not sure what else to tell them while emailing them, I need to get these emails just right because I don’t have many colleges in my area.</p>
<p>Well, tell them what you know about theri subject matter to show that they dont have to teach you everything, also you can attach your resume</p>
<p>I would like to begin this summer, do you think it is excessive to start emailing now?</p>
<p>No…a lot of summer programs had their application deadlines in like January/February. It’s never too early.</p>
<p>(Also, is there any tactful way to indicate that I’d love to get coffee/sweep floors/whatever so long as I could write on my college apps that I “worked in a lab”? Because I feel like that’s what the “research with a professor” would amount to anyway, and I wouldn’t really mind.)</p>
<p>maybe say you would be willing to do “grunt work”, sort of a better way than to come out and say it.</p>