<p>Hi, I'm going to become a second year, and I haven't done any research in a lab yet. How do I get research as a life science major? I'm in the process of narrowing my interests (I want to do something with Alzheimer's disease), but I don't know what to do after that. </p>
<p>Do I ask profs directly? I asked my counselor about it last week and she recommended doing SRP and 99's. Is that a good program to start off from?</p>
<p>Thanks, any advice is appreciated.</p>
<p>I think SRP 99 is usually how people get their foot in the door. You’ll most likely do menial things like washing beakers or data entry, but if you show and express interest in the research of the lab, the grad students might let you help out more and could eventually lead to an SRP 199 where you sort of get to do your own mini research project.</p>
<p>You can also ask your professors and TAs about their research and see if they need any assistants.</p>
<p>hi,
i came in last year as a first year also with no networks (i’m not from socal) and i simply mass emailed professors asking if they have an open research position. most said no or didn’t respond but some asked me to send my cv and that’s how i got my research position-i was so delighted! the point is, starting with srp-99 or 199s is what i call the ‘empty-headed premed strategy’ for getting research. why all that work when you can just spend 20 min and email 50 profs?</p>
<p>oh and by the way, my PI gave me a research project, even though i didn’t do it for credit last quarter. i don’t do coffee boy duty. also, my PI teaches me directly, but i do ask the grad students for help sometimes.</p>
<p>I wonder if you could do it Terranoxics way and also see if you can get it authorized by SRP so you can get units at the same time. That would be ideal.</p>
<p>if you wanted to do it that way then you’d have to do it early in the quarter because thats when the srp contracts are due</p>
<p>I would NOT look for a lab via SRP to get into research if you want to get into a wet lab. It seems as if those labs are just looking for free undergrad labor, and not really invested into you going anywhere besides just getting experience in techniques. They seem kind of dead end from what I’ve heard. I think emailing is the best way, especially look at the ACCESS website. </p>
<p>Best times to email are before/around summer (aka now)! People are graduating so spaces open for new undergrads to come. The biomedical research minor is also a good way to get started into a generally good lab if you have no luck emailing.</p>
<p>sooo what exactly are you supposed to say in these emails? and just email any professor in your area of interest?</p>
<p>TeRRaNoXiC:</p>
<p>for the research position do you have to have prior experience to get in?</p>
<p>what do you mean by sending in your cv?</p>
<p>ok, thanks for the advice! i will definitely email professors.</p>
<p>but has anyone actually done srp 99 though? is it mostly labor work like transpublic said?</p>
<p>and is there any other way to get research? ive pretty much asked all my friends and its frustrating how they know this person or that person…maybe I need to network more. </p>
<p>dashgirl: i believe the urc website gives you tips on how to contact potential labs/professors.</p>
<p>mr2kool: the cv is the curriculum vitae, similar to a resume. check out the career center website for an example.</p>
<p>It varies a lot from lab to lab. I think the positions listed on the SRP website are more interested in “free labor” than mentoring you in research, at least initially. But pretty much all starting research positions are going to be helping out and assisting the graduates and professors. You’re not going to jump right in to actual research work right off the bat.</p>
<p>I did an SRP 99 and it was just processing brain scans. Though after the first quarter, there was an opportunity for SRP 99 students to do a 199, which is more directed research where you can formulate your own hypothesis and research it.</p>
<p>The “SRP 99/199” courses are just a way to get academic credit for research. Even if you go and email professors on your own, and you want academic credit for your work, you would still be doing an SRP 99/199. If you don’t want/need academic credit for it, then you can just work in a lab without SRP credit.</p>