<p>What opportunities are there at UPenn for freshmen in the sciences who want to collaborate with professors on research? I don't think I will want to jump right into independent research my first year, but being a lab assistant or helping a professor with an existing project would be ideal to get some lab experience. Would this be possible?</p>
<p>Explore this site:</p>
<p>[Center</a> for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships](<a href=“Penn CURF”>Penn CURF)</p>
<p>and try some searches in the Research Directory:</p>
<p>[Research</a> Directory–Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships](<a href=“Penn CURF”>Penn CURF)</p>
<p>CURF is the main go-to for undergrad research, I think. You can also apply to be a University Scholar at the end of your freshman year I believe (or you can be admitted as a UScholar). UScholars have their own special pool of grant money and research funding and are also paired with a faculty member in their area of interest. Besides CURF, you could probably still get involved in some assistant research stuff with a professor if you’re persistent enough.</p>
<p>how would i go about asking a professor if s/he would let me do research with them? it seems awkward to me to just send an email or ask a professor out of nowhere.</p>
<p>I am a sophomore science major and I would say I am pretty familiar with how undergraduate research works at Penn.</p>
<p>First off, in the sciences, you cannot start of doing independent research. You have neither the coursework nor the technical skills. A good thing to do is to start to get to know professors and TAs in your department. They are a great resource for learning about research opportunities. You should also start to think about the type of research/field you want to go into. Like if you were in physics you may think about astrophysics, particle physics, condensed matter, biophysics, high energy, etc. and if you are in chem you may think about organic chemistry, biochemistry, materials, inorganic, etc. Then a good thing to think about is whether you want to work in a lab or do something more theoretical (this is harder to do because you need more coursework).
Lab work is pretty easy to get started with, you need basic coursework and then you ca just start learning the technical skills. </p>
<p>To start, it’s good to email a professor and meet with them. All of the professors I have ever emailed have responded, maybe I have just been lucky but my overall perception is that professors are more than happy to talk about their field with students. When talking to professors, try to gauge their experience with undergrads. See if they have any papers with undergrads listed as authors. Also try to talk with students who work with the professor. Some professors will tell you up front that it is very hard for undergrads to work with them because of the coursework/knowledge required. It’s good to know this so you can have a great learning experience.</p>
<p>Once you have found someone to work with, they may ask you to find funding. You can find this through CURF a lot of the time so it’s good to email them. Joining UScholars is a great option, but I think you have to already be started with research to apply. There are also other little grants you can get if you apply. A professor who I’ve worked with says that when it comes to funding, it is not all or nothing, anything you can get is good and shows that you are motivated. Some just want to see you make the effort.</p>
<p>When you start research, you will most likely be working with a grad student (in the sciences) who helps you get trained and introduced to the field. You become more independent later on.</p>
<p>Hope this helps!</p>
<p>Again, don’t forget to search using the CURF Research Directory to which I linked above. For example, by checking the categories of “Biomedical Science” and “Physical and Theoretical Science,” I just found 191 current listings of science research opportunities for Penn undergrads (click on each listing to get a detailed description of the research position and requirements):</p>
<p>[Current</a> Science Listings–Research Directory–Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships](<a href=“Penn CURF”>Penn CURF)</p>
<p>thanks guys!</p>
<p>@poeme - sorry one more (stupid) question. Why would a professor ask you to find funding if you’re not doing independent research?</p>
<p>Because it takes time, effort, and resources to train you. Usually you will start by working for a graduate student, so they must take time out of their schedule to teach you and supervise you. Also things in labs can be very expensive so they need to be able to support that. So if you need to be paid (which I guess you dont necessarily have to during the year but will definitely want over the summer) it really helps the professor if you bring in your own money. It also shows commitment.</p>
<p>If I were to hop on board with a professor’s research, would I be responsible for finding research money? Is it possible to get a stipend from the university?</p>
<p>It looks like there is no CERF research going on that involves math. If my son’s intended major is math and he’s been invited to apply to the University Scholars, would you say that Penn is perhaps not the right place for him? He might consider getting an MBA after getting an u/g degree in math, but I’m thinking Penn-even the Univ. Scholars program-isn’t the right fit for him. He’s done research in Optics during high school but most likely won’t major in physics (and he’s not interested in astronomy at all).</p>
<p>Any thoughts would be appreciated.</p>
<p>Those are just listings, not every professor that works with undergrads is on the list, it’s just a resource. I know several people who have done research in math.</p>
<p>Thanks, Poeme. This is good to know. Do you happen to know what area(s) in math your friends researched? Just curious.</p>