<p>@Piper- I will. Thanks for looking out for me bestest bud </p>
<p>^^^^^
I could have swore on one thread you said “They’re out there you just need find us”, and you were referring to professors. So I wasn’t sure if that was a typo or…</p>
<p>Just because I am a professor does not mean I am an adult. I received my Ph.D. at age six.</p>
<p>Oh obviously, I’m so silly.</p>
<p>^ You are forgiven.</p>
<p>I was wondering if you might PM me as well. I’m interested in doing some research and I was wondering how you would approach a professor about it.</p>
<p>Thanks WongTongTong, for your PM. :)</p>
<p>Could you please PM me too, WongTongTong? Thanks.</p>
<p>WongTongTong, PM me too please. :]</p>
<p>About what?</p>
<p>Not sure what is so sensitive that pm is required? When I decided to do research I found a subject that interested me, developed an experimental plan, located the materials I needed, and then contacted the outreach coordinator at the nearby medical school. I then presented my proposal and was approved with modification- they wouldn’t give me all the lab time I wanted. I was then assigned a mentor in a similar field and a lab tech to watch over me and make sure I didn’t hurt myself or the equipment. (I was working with BSL 2 material) None of my data was from the professors own research. I did this on my own and without assistance from my school. Since then I have made contacts such that I was given a paid summer job that also allows me to continue my work. I entered several competitions with reasonable success. my hunch is that using group research data from a professional would not be allowed at most major competitions - unless you could show how your work was distinguishable. For seniors and team projects the next major competion is Siemens which is Oct.1st. If you enjoy science I strongly suggest doing some independent research. It’s much more enjoyable than repeating the AP bio stock labs.</p>
<p>^^^^^^^^ Guys thats basically about what I would send you, so no PM is required. I dont want to post it on here because I dont want to put what Im currently doing research on right now on the net. </p>
<p>I only PM’d the OP because he was also doing research related to chem/biochem so I could give him direct help and my experiences as well.</p>
<p>@Ranch- doing independent research without any outside help is very hard (in terms of knowing all the knowledge required). Of course, this is might be because the research you are doing might not be as complex or as intricate as something you would do with a professor’s research group or something. Not trying to call your research easy, but just saying that it is hard for a lot of people (including myself) to start out with an independent research project without any outside help. </p>
<p>To all- What I suggest is- start learning and hanging out in a research group until you are comfortable with what they are doing. During this time, read publications and read outside information to gain more knowledge. Then, develop your own independent research project within the realm of the groups. This is most of the time applicable because many of the research that professors are doing is complex and covers a lot of ground, so it is possible to work on a part of their research.</p>
<p>Designing your own research may be harder but it’s worth it. You really know the material which shows at the top levels of competition. I would not say I had no help at all- for example I had to call test manufacturers about changing protocols, I called experts in 3 states to get their thoughts on my plan and again to discuss my results. I talked to my teachers about how to run some proceedures and did dry runs before I got to the lab. What I didn’t do was to join in on preexisting research. I wouldn’t say my work is easy but would agree that some categories are more amenable to independent work than others. Remember that at ISEF a few years back a student won top 3 with a very very clever adaptation of a test kit.</p>
<p>oh no- im late on this…but PM MEEE IF U HAVENT GRADUATED D:</p>