<p>New article about Research</a> for Undergrads.</p>
<p>Logging some lab time as an undergrad is a huge boost for getting coveted internships.</p>
<p>Sophomore year, our S discovered that he had more time on his head than his hands really wanted and on purring along at 60 credits without hitting anything. So early winter term he tested the CMU opportunities, and knocked on a few of the ME prof's doors. Was politely turned down by a couple of profs, but referred onwards. Went to that door and told that she has need of help come Spring semester, can't pay $$ but offered credit. He ended up doing special work in bio-mechanical (hates biology), in robotics (has no interest) and continued that summer as paid gofer completing a major project for PITT-CMU, that was made better, on-time, and on budget. He took an paying ME internship instead of working for prof in the junior year. Now as senior, he's still a 9 hour/wk, gofer (credit only) and was offered to writeup a paper for publication. He's pretty sure of getting good recs from his profs for grad school. </p>
<p>His roommates also have positions. </p>
<p>parent.</p>
<p>Here's ours...S didn't want to come home after soph year. Didn't take much effort to gain a significant summer research project that too was joint Pitt CMU. He was only undergrad on a summerlong project, 3 or 4 CMU grad students on the team, headed by a young Pitt phd, this was based in Institute for Complex Engineered Systems (ICES) at CMU. Paid $10 per hour for 40 hour week, helped him a lot being the lone undergrad but being expected to contribute to the research. He ended up doing this most of 2 summers...I'm sure it helped him get the eventual NYC internship and job.</p>
<p>As far as undergrad research goes, It is soo easy to get a research job (even paid ones) as a FRESHMAN. They actually advertise for them in some of my classes, and it's just a matter of meeting with the professor (or whoever) who's running the research.</p>