This summer, I attended a summer program on Biological Research and I now have experience with several lab procedures such as PCR, gel electrophoresis, mitochondrial extraction, bacterial transformation/purification, ELISA, and using microarrays. While I’m not particularly interested in going in the Intel/Siemens competition direction, I would like to follow up my expirience by maybe interning at a lab and maybe co-authoring or taking part in some actual biological or biomedical related research.
I was wondering if anyone could suggest ways to intern at a lab during the school year. I am in the New York/Connecticut area. I know emailing university professors and researchers is a hit or miss, hand the chances that anyone will reply are lower because it’s not summer. If anyone has recommendations/suggestions it would be greatly appreciated.
Are you a high school student?
First, understand that it’s actually a bit unusual for high school students to get significant lab research experience during the school year, particularly in the sciences.
If you do want some, contacting university professors is the way to go here. It’s July, so many of them will still be traveling or out and unresponsive to email, so you can wait closer to the middle to end of August. You basically explain your position, a little about your interests and why you want to assist in THEIR lab specifically (aka, cite their research and why you are interested in it). It will be important for you to mention that you did a summer research internship and name some of the lab techniques you know already.
Many of them may not reply, but some might.
The second important thing is understanding that it us unlikely you will co-author anything. First of all, you have to be in a lab at the right time to get co-authorship credit, and you have to contribute something author-worthy. Most college students don’t even publish while in college, let alone high school students. Your goal should be to get some valuable research experience; publishing something would be a cherry on top!
yes, I’m a high school sophomore
Can you talk to your science teachers and see if they know? Does anyone associated with the program have ideas?
Also google “high school research opportunities connecticut”
https://www.jax.org/education-and-learning/high-school-students-and-undergraduates/academic-year-internships
This summer, I attended a summer program on Biological Research and I now have experience with several lab procedures such as PCR, gel electrophoresis, mitochondrial extraction, bacterial transformation/purification, ELISA, and using microarrays. While I’m not particularly interested in going in the Intel/Siemens competition direction, I would like to follow up my expirience by maybe interning at a lab and maybe co-authoring or taking part in some actual biological or biomedical related research.
I was wondering if anyone could suggest ways to intern at a lab during the school year. I am in the New York/Connecticut area. I know emailing university professors and researchers is a hit or miss, hand the chances that anyone will reply are lower because it’s not summer. If anyone has recommendations/suggestions it would be greatly appreciated.