<p>Well, despite many high school students who supposedly have done scientific research to get into a BA/MD, I am quite disheartened because the people involved in research are too often postdocs (with amazing credentials).</p>
<p>Is it feasible to just ask a professor to participate? (my father who did research in mathematics said that he would never have taken high school students or even undergrads to do research with him)
If so, how can we possibly contact the professor in question? (at the university?)</p>
<p>Also, it may seem stupid but how can you possibly find a doctor to shadow? How did you convince him to accept you? </p>
<p>Thank you very much!!</p>
<p>hmm..this is ironic
I actually shadowed a two doctors today, one was an anesthesiologist and the other was an Orthopedic surgeon in Sports Medicine. I think I was lucky to get the opportunity though. I volunteer weekly in the Sports Medicine office of teh doctor and one day we started talking, and i casually said that I was interested in medicine. He then actually offered if I wanted to observe some surgeries! It was awesome!
But i guess for the more conventional route, I would try to contact a doctor at a local area hospital...or even possibly the "volunteer coordinator" at a hospital. They will help a lot...there more people you get to know in the "system" the better.</p>
<p>As for research, you might be a little late, most professors take in "research assistants" in their labs during the beginning of the summer, and as you may guess, they fill up quickly. Again, I have connections, not to brag, that helped me gain lab space for a week or so to do my research project. A lot of people are very nice, and I guess if you approach them in a positive manner, being confident, you will get to do a lot. I suggest phone conversations or face-to-face are the best.</p>
<p>Good Luck!</p>
<p>I have to agree with you. I have absolutely no idea why a professor would hire a high schooler with so many qualified undergrads and post-bacs around.</p>
<p>Just curiosity about IamGandhi..
What kind of research are you doing?
That's because researching usually requires a very in depth understanding of a subject.
I don't know how it works in the US, but even to understand the different research projects on Nature (a scientific magazine), it requires extensive understanding in biology, chemistry and physics.</p>
<p>What kind of knowledge does a professor doing research in biochemistry (for example) require from an assistant? Because I don't know if I have the credentials necessary in terms of training.</p>
<p>well Ky-anh, its really nothing special..I did my research project on
"The effects of varying levels of lead nitrate on bacterial growth and protein/nucleic acid synthesis." I did months of research before I started to do the actual experiment (partially because my school stressed research alot)..Then i contacted a lb and the manager was very nice and showed me about the various techniques in microbiology..then another colleague helped me with spectrophotometry and analyzing protein/dna content in the bacteria i was using. I was using very dafe, Bio Safety Level 1 bacteria, mostly of the human flora..but yea, i started the project in August and I got 5th at regional, almost qualifying for state science fair..If you want, i can show you the paper i wrote..</p>
<p>First of all, most research projects aren't going to be published in Science or Nature. It takes years of research and a lot of luck to produce the type of breakthrough that's required. </p>
<p>Most research results get published in lesser journals. It's really only the PI with help with the post docs who design the experiments. They have a pHD. You don't even have a high school diploma. Your job as the lab slave is to carry out their plans. That's why the PI sits in the air conditioned office in front of a computer while you pipet until your hand cramps up. If you can understand half of what you're doing and why you're doing it, then that's an added bonus.</p>
<p>The issue isn't that a high school student isn't knowledgeable or smart enough to carry out the research. It's that most of them are not quite as responsible or diligent as a college student. PI's want workers who pay attention to details and aren't going to screw up too often. If they want something incubated for 20 minutes, then it has to sit in the bath for 20 minutes, not 15 minutes just because mommy came early to pick you up. While exceptions exist, I'd put my faith in a college student rather than a 10th grader. That's why my PI says he wouldn't even trust a HSer to make buffers.</p>
<p>It kinda depends on the situation. If your school has an R&D class...take it. My school had a Science R&D class and the teacher knew the professors at the university in our city very well, so she got us in contact with them. I don't think that professors would say yes if a student themselves just went up and asked them, though.</p>
<p>i actually shadowed some doctors in the ER and some rn's very fun experience. i also worked in the med surg floors passing bed pans, trays, all sorts of stuff it was very delightful experience</p>