<p>Can anyone give some information on how a person would go about trying to obtain a research position in a lab at cornell? Ie. Should i contact them by the phone or email? Would a resume or CV help? </p>
<p>For those who have done research... how did you approach your lab supervisor or the professor? </p>
<p>I'm really interested in doing some micorbiology and immunology research but i'm kind of shy to ask directly out.</p>
<p>First of all, don't be nervous or shy. Professors are people like you and me and most of them are pretty chill.</p>
<p>Take your time and go through faculty research websites to see what their work is about. If any group's research strikes you as interesting, contact the professor in charge through e-mail. Introduce yourself and tell them basic information (name, major, year). </p>
<p>Tell him you are interested in his research and (this is the important part), let him know WHY you are interested in the group. Anyone can send out mass emails so you should only be contact a professor if something about their research particularly catches your eye. If you have any, ask questions about their work or simply ask for more information. Tell him or her if you are willing to work for money, credit, or both.</p>
<p>Professors love enthusiastic students who are genuinely interested in their research, so make the email personalized. If the group is full, he or she will let you know but don't take it personally. If the prof is interested in you, he will either ask for a CV or ask to meet you in person. When you meet the professor, he will talk about his lab and his research more in-depth. You'll probably get literature to read and introduce you to the grad students you would potentially be working with. From there, see if it's something you would like to do. Try to determine if you will actually learn something while working in the lab. If you do take the job, see how you like it. Don't be afraid to quit if you feel it's not worth your time or if you really don't like what you're doing.</p>
<p>Are you currently a pre-frosh or actually a student? If you're a pre-frosh, I would recommend holding off research until at least your second semester.</p>
<p>i will be a sophomore this coming fall. thanks for the advice.</p>
<p>Here's the dealie with research:</p>
<p>Go to the undergraduate research site for cornell (<a href="http://www.bio.cornell.edu/research%5B/url%5D">www.bio.cornell.edu/research</a> i believe). It will allow you to search for projects in specific areas of biology (although, if you've never done research before, it's probably advisable that you do a more broad of a search than just "immunology.")</p>
<p>Find some projects that you like and begin emailing the professors. Tell them you are interested in their research and would like to talk to them more about it.</p>
<p>Generally, you will only receive replies from 1/4 of the professors you email but shizz is so right about professors being very cool. If you're lucky, the professor has openings in his/her lab and has time to talk to you.</p>
<p>It's good to have taken the proper background courses before you attempt to do research (my research prof is still bothering me about taking genetics which I'm finally doing next semester). Another thing that is SUPER GOOD to do is to do some background reading on their project. These professors usually have a website or have published papers. You don't have to be an expert on their research. About half an hour of research on their research is sufficient. It's very good to know something about the project before going to do the interview. Also, bring along a resume.</p>
<p>I was lucky enough to only do one interview before I got involved in research (I think I emailed 5 professors to start with and received replies back from 3 of them which is a very good ratio) but the process could take longer. At worst, you can always get a job as a lab assistant which is what I did freshman year (I didn't try for research frosh year).</p>
<p>Norcalguy, I practically emailed every professor in the field in which I was interested and only got 6-7 to reply.</p>
<p>The interview, imo, was the most important aspect. You really need to seem knowledgeable in biology and show a lot of interest for the professors to consider you.</p>
<p>Another opportunity, besides using the website provided above, is the biology explorations program. If you sign up for the introductory biology sequence, you will be required to sign up one of the programs per semester. The program allows you explore the many options that will be open to you with a biology degree. The programs range from horse a&p to electrochemical communication among fish and swallow ecology. If you really click with the professor in charge of the program, s/he may offer you a spot in his/er lab.</p>
<p>If you don't get a reply, wait a couple weeks and send it again. A lot of times professors are too busy or get a lot of ugrad emails so they tend not to respond. If you remind him of your first email, they'll know you're serious and are actually interested. That's what happened with the guy I worked with the past year.</p>
<p>And seriously, don't do a blanket email across the entire department. Professors talk to each other about stuff like that.</p>
<p>pokemaster, you must've hit on some bad luck. At the seminar on bio research, they did bring up cases of only 1 out of 10 professors emailing the student back.</p>
<p>The important thing to keep in mind is not to get discouraged. It's probably because they're too busy either with research or attending to their classes or both. Some of the professors who emailed me back did so after roughly 1-2 weeks.</p>
<p>okay i justed emailed a professor who is currently doing some research in virology. </p>
<p>Let's hope i get a reply.
I haven't been able to take microbio yet. Do you guys think this will be a disadvantage?</p>
<p>I haven't taken genetics, although i'll probably have to retake it again at cornell, which is heard is extremely time consuming.</p>
<p>OK, so this question has always concerned me about my future involvement in research: How can I (a pre-frosh) expect to learn enough in a semester or two to sufficiently provide me with enough info to do research? What could I know or do that would actually help a professor with PhDs in physics from the best schools in the world? Shizz could maybe answer this best because I am looking at doing research in the physics or AEP departments. I haven't done any in high school, but I would like to either second or third semester. Thanks.</p>
<p>I came in as a freshman and off the bat emailed professors trying to get a research position. Nearly all of them told me to wait a long time before I start anything because: a) as an incoming freshman, you don't know diddly, and b) it'll take a while before you KNOW what you will major in and where your interests lie.</p>
<p>I waited until I did the intro physics and math sequences before I thought about research. I started my first research job at the end of sophomore year. My interests drastically changed from two years before that as a pre-frosh. </p>
<p>Also, if you don't have a general physics background, you'll just be another lab monkey. Some people might disagree with that because having any hands-on experience is good.</p>
<p>Hey you guys, I've got another question.Should i just contact one professor at a time or can i contact more than one.</p>
<p>What type of summer things are there to do for physics majors that will allow me to get some grad school preparation? I'm a Tradition Fellow, and want to take advantage of a summer internship/job in my field.</p>
<p>hnbui: contact multiple</p>
<p>jerew: internships at companies, defense labs, national labs, summer physics REUs, staying a summer at cornell a nd doing research</p>
<p>Are they tough to get into? Do they pay? Are they worth it? Will one of those summers, plus a some junior/senior year research be sufficient to really make a good grad school app?</p>
<p>there's alot of internships available. Try doing a google search for summer internships. Most have an early deadline abour march. </p>
<p>Most internships offer a weekly stipend that allows you to pay for rooming and broading.</p>