<p>I am currently looking into starting some research for the upcoming school year. I'm going to be a second year biology major (not pre-med, if that matters). Does anyone have any advice?</p>
<p>Talk to the professor you’re interested working with.</p>
<p>Search the forum, there’s been a few threads about the topic</p>
<p>GrassBandit, yeah I’m kinda working on that still.
and Deuces, I did search the forum, but I didn’t see any specifically dedicated to research. If there were, they were really far back or something</p>
<p>Search UCLA Faculty Research Areas or Interests, there is a database at UCLA where you can find a list of professors. Note that they’re very busy people and you should send plenty of e-mails and try to follow up in person or by phone as soon as possible. Talk to people you know who have done research, and take note of what you’re actually interested in working in so you can tell the professor when you meet them (some fellow BioE’s are doing neuroscience research, I work with nanotech and AFMs, another friend works with a lot of cell culturing and tissue engineering, there’s also MAE labs for nanotech design and ChemE labs working on biofuel processing using algae)</p>
<p>Are there any programs that give students research rather than having student seek it from professors? How hard is it to get research anyway, for engineering or medicine?</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-los-angeles/679010-how-undergraduate-research-ucla.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-los-angeles/679010-how-undergraduate-research-ucla.html</a></p>
<p>For some it’s a longer process, for me it was sending one e-mail. Some people do research just to get it on the resume, and that’s not how you want to go about it. </p>
<p>As far as getting a position- it’s a matter of following up with your communication, being professional, showing enthusiasm and in some cases showing the skills and talents they need (they do actual research, and are not always trying to bring on underclassmen who don’t have any knowledge yet). The programs are usually competitive for IMO, mediocre or menial tasks. You’re better off finding a professor whose research you enjoy and THEN getting credit through SRP or a 199 class rather than using SRP to get research. I believe PEERS is a program, do some research online (Google PLEASE - it’s a simple UCLA + Research Opportunities or some variation thereof)</p>
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<p>I’ve done that, and it led me to other things. Sometimes you don’t know what you’re interested in so you take what you can get in order to give you direction and hopefully give you some lab experience. If you end up not liking it then you just switch labs.</p>
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<p>It would be easier to narrow down the area that you’re interested in and then reading the group’s website to see if it is something you would actually be interested in. Then just email the professor for information. Perhaps you should send a CV or resume. </p>
<p>Treat is if you were seeking a job with a company because some professors actually pay for working with them. Some professors have told me that they cannot take me in because they did not have the funding to support me. Others have openly stated that they do not have the time to train me to use the clean room, but I think they just had too many undergraduates at the time.</p>
<p>You might be able to get some financial support from [url=<a href=“http://www.ugeducation.ucla.edu/urc-care/]URC-CARE[/url”>http://www.ugeducation.ucla.edu/urc-care/]URC-CARE[/url</a>]. If you qualify, then you might have an easier time to get a research position because someone will pay you to work for a professor.</p>
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<p>you can do the biomedical research minor and they will help place you in a lab</p>
<p>[Minor</a> in Biomedical Research – Requirements](<a href=“http://www.biomedresearchminor.ucla.edu/requirements.php]Minor”>http://www.biomedresearchminor.ucla.edu/requirements.php)</p>