<p>I'm a freshmen Biological Engineering major in CALS and I'm willing to scrub beakers, floors, etc in order to get involved in some type of research on campus. I'm interested in the biomedical engineering field, but have no experience. Is it okay to email professors in the biomedical engineering department which is in the graduate school? Or should I stick to the professors in the biological engineering department? Thank you! Any help, tips, or advice is very much appreciated.</p>
<p>just because the professors don’t teach undergraduates doesn’t mean that they have no room for undergrads in their lab, so I think it is definitely appropriate to email professors in both departments. if they don’t ever deal with undergrads in their labs they will probably just ignore your email or send back a short negative response.</p>
<p>also, you don’t necessarily want to tell them (the lab people) that you want to come in and clean things. you will probably be more useful after they train you in some basic tasks, which is good for you as well since you will then gain those skills. plus, there are already custodians who are employed to clean floors. so instead of saying which kinds of chores you’re willing to do, you should try to emphasize your interest in the lab’s research. you certainly don’t have to demonstrate expertise, but showing that you’ve read a few of their high-profile publications and you have an idea of what’s happening in their field - that would be very impressive coming from a freshman.</p>
<p>good luck!</p>