<p>I don't understand the process of how someone gets involved in "research" in a lab. do they start off by working in the lab performing the simplest tasks (such as washing plates/creating solutions) and then slowly work their way up in the lab until they are given more significant tasks? OR should I email professors and ask them if I can begin performing research?</p>
<p>I'm asking this because I want to eventually perform research. however, I need a job and I have the option of working in a lab washing dishes. if this job won't ever lead me to research in that lab then I probably should try other paths, correct?</p>
<p>You need to ask your PI. Every lab is different. Most of the time you start off doing scut work and then work your way up to research but if you don’t make it clear with your PI that you want to do research, they might have you doing scut work till you graduate. Another option is to start off doing research. This might be harder but if your college has some sort of research class, summer research program, or a mentorship program you can just start off doing research. Another option is to email professors and say that you’re interested in doing research and why you want to do research in their lab.</p>
<p>For some reason, DS was asked to read a lot of papers in his lab. For example, all members from his lab decided to go to dinner together tonight, so he was back to his room like 10:30 pm. After he spent about an hour on his medical school application, he needed to study one more paper before he could go to bed. He will likely be sleepy tomorrow because he needs to finish reading that paper tonight. He should have been quite experienced in reading papers already. It takes a lot of time because he changes his lab after one year in another lab. He said he needs to use some “microarray” stuff that he learned back in his statistics class. His postdoc is very good at math. His PI said he assigned this postdoc who is strong in math to him just because he is the only premed (among the couple of new members in his lab this year) who used to be a science major. The postdoc was not a premed so, unlike a typical premed, he really devoted many years in his specialized area, which is math, computer and some advanced biology (bioinfomatics, maybe?). I also heard this year, there is a 4.0 physics major who is going to be in the MD/PhD program. (It must be extremely rare to have a 4.0 science major because the college dean announced it during the commencement. likely one such a kid in 4 years maybe?) As a premed ‘research associate’ who is the lowest rank in the lab, DS has the opportunity to learn from many of the more senior researchers. But these senior researchers are intense themselves and are likely quite demanding for the junior members reporting to them.</p>
<p>Contact people in charge of Research Lab at your school that you are interested. If you lucky to get an interview, these will be questions to discuss. D. got internship at her school by doing just that. She likes it, worte grant proposals and received 2 grants to cover costs, as part of her experience. She is part of the group.</p>
<p>Just get your foot in the door, try try try. The first research team I ever tried to go for (or ever even wanted to go for), I got (maybe lucky, but definitely simple). I e-mailed the professor expressing my interest, met with her, spoke about my goals and interests, and I was in - there was no long drawn out interview or inspection on me or requirements or resume submittal. “Just do it.” I might add without trying to gloat or be obnoxious that, imo, this is probably one of the best if not the best research investigations taking part on my campus - YET all I did was e-mail the professor, set up a meeting, talked, and I got it without much trouble. Very simple - Just do it.</p>
<p>Hint: Investigators LOVE their work (I mean LOVE LOVE LOVE), so if there’s a certain project that just absolutely fascinates you and blows your mind, you might be more likely to attain that position given the fact that you are so intrigued by it (as opposed to someone else who just “wants a research position” - I attribute this largely to why I got my position).</p>
<p>THANK YOU for the responses, they were all very helpful!!</p>
<p>I had an interview for a lab position today and they hired me! I’ll be working in an microbiology lab. I really showed my interest and the professor says if I’m a good worker he’d allow me to start a research project 2nd sem/next year. I’m also really lucky because two of the graduate students are graduating this semester, which will leave me as the senior most member that’s a student.</p>