<p>I want to ask current undergrad students at pitt (preferably those who major in the life sciences and/or do pre-med, but it's open to everyone) how the research environment is there. Are there plenty of spots open for undergrads at the UPMC? How about the center for neural basis of cognition?
How would you say pitt undergrad research compares to the research at other schools?
I would love to get started in research in these centers early in my freshman year. is that possible?
I plan to major in neuroscience and do pre-med and I'm looking for information about pitt research from pitt students.</p>
<p>Pitt is a very research based school. The UPMC medical system is HUGE and contains a lot of opportunities. I have never looked into the neurological center you mentioned, but I do know that most neurology students do research as well and have heard that many students do work in that area. Also, you can find research opportunities through the engineering school, the biology department, and chemistry department if all else fails.</p>
<p>You can get involved in research your freshman year if you’d like. I did my first research experience the summer after my freshmen year was done. All you have to do it look up professors (most likely online) and read up about what they’re doing. If you are interested in their work, give them a call or shoot them email and ask if they have spots available. If they say no, there are many more researchers to ask.</p>
<p>The research here at Pitt is mostly medical based, so you are in the right place. There is stem cell research, medical devices, orthopedics… we really encompass everything. There are a lot of different things going on in labs, so all you have to do is look and see what interests you.</p>
<p>If you can’t find research to do your freshmen year, I would start shadowing a doctor and/or volunteering at a hospital. Both look very very good on a med school application. I have some friends who are pre-med (I used to be thinking of medical school myself) and the one thing they wish they had done freshmen year was volunteer. Even if it’s a couple of hours a week, it certainly helps in the long run. Research can take up a lot of time in your schedule, so volunteering is a great extra-curricular to do if you are thinking about medical school.</p>
<p>Hope this helps, and good luck!</p>
<p>and all that research you mentioned (stem cell, medical devices, orthopedics, etc) is available to undergrads? I know that they have the research on their site but I’m not sure which ones are restricted to grad students and which are available for undergrads.</p>
<p>I’m not a student at Pitt so I probably shouldn’t even be answering you, but my daughter isn’t on CC. She is a psych major and is now doing her second research project. She says she’s learning a lot, and it’s helping her decide which direction she wants to go in. If you’re curious, here’s the list of current psych projects:
[Current</a> Opportunities](<a href=“http://www.psychology.pitt.edu/undergraduate/experiential-learning/directed-research/opportunities.php]Current”>http://www.psychology.pitt.edu/undergraduate/experiential-learning/directed-research/opportunities.php)</p>
<p>Both my D1 (pre-pharm) and her roommate (pre-med) received paid research fellowships during their first summer after freshman year at Pitt. Both were involved in bio-medical research projects. D1 has also been working as a paid research assistant at a UPMC hospital research institute during the past two school years, as well as this past summer. (She’s been a named author in two published projects during this time.) D1 just got another hospital-based clinical internship for her pharmacy intern hours. (She’s now a P1 in the School of Pharmacy). D1’s roommate got an internship for this past summer at the Stanford College of Medicine.</p>
<p>I’d say that research and internship opportunities are abundant for undergrads at Pitt.</p>
<p>There is no such thing as research restricted to grad students vs undergrads, although there can be some safety concerns with hazzards or reagents (like working with live HIV virus that may require additional training, etc). What lab you end up in, and the type of projects you end up working on in those labs, is dependent on the resources available and decisions made by the principal investigator (faculty) in charge of that lab. That will depend on the amount of resources the lab has available to a student, student’s existing lab experience, the amount of time a student can dedicate to a project, and their demonstrated reliability. Typically, students will grow more involved in projects as they get experience and familiarity with a particular lab. I think what you are confused about is that labs operate somewhat autonomously. These are not like class-based laboratories, these are real, functioning labs doing real work. It’s more like doing an internship or job at a small business.</p>