<p>The same argument could be used for any undergraduate students. Undergraduate students, believe it or not, do not start out being all that helpful in research labs. They can do routine tasks at best in the beginning, but a freshman or a sophomore doesn’t generally have a whole lot of experience in the field to the point that they can be terribly useful, especially in a natural science lab with complicated equipment.</p>
<p>Professors understand that the number one reason a student volunteers for a lab placement in high school and in college is because they want to <em>learn</em>. And there are many professors out there, even at big research universities, who are interested in teaching high school students and undergraduates the basics of research. I have met many at my particular institution who are very interested in getting the local high school kids more involved with research. (Then you create a direct feeder line into the school, which = money.)</p>
<p>It’s also not generally true that professors are being expected to teach more students with less assistants. Actually what’s true is tenure lines are being held vacant and more adjunct/part-time professors are being hired, professors who are NOT paid to do research nor have very much time to, but teach a couple of classes at an agreed-upon rate. Professors are very busy people, but many of them enjoy the generative aspect of mentoring high school students and undergrads</p>
<p>There have been many high school students and undergraduates who have done excellent work and published during these years, and it was the early exposure to science that got them interested in research for later on. Doing “research on your own by designing your own experiments” over the summer, you would still need a mentor or advisor who will guide you, even if it’s remotely by e-mail or phone calls.</p>
<p>Modulation’s approach works – it’s the way undergraduates find lab mentors, too. Sometimes a cold call is what you have to do is if you have no connections. Select researchers who are doing research that is interesting to you, and ask them if you could work in their lab. You’d be surprised – professors are often flattered that someone else is interested in their work, and even if they don’t have anything for you to do they may refer you to other professors who do need lab assistants or have more time, and can become a resource for you.</p>
<p>Also, if the graduate students in a lab are listed, you can e-mail them and ask them if you can work with them. Graduate students are often conducting independent experiments, especially advanced graduate students, and at some schools (like one of my departments) undergrads work directly with graduate students, not professors.</p>