<p>Who's at Stanford this summer, and what are you doing there?</p>
<p>working on a research project in a chem lab...</p>
<p>I am here doin research @ the medical school...</p>
<p>where are you from? Where are you living? This place seems pretty dead over the summer...</p>
<p>yeah, it is a little dead over the summer... </p>
<p>i go to school on the east coast, but i'm actually from the bay area, so i'm living at home. ... are you by any chance doing the CCIS program, or are you there of your own accord?</p>
<p>Not really sure what the CCIS program is. I am here through a fellowship from the AAPM. My work is in "Medical Physics", aka Radiology. Its pretty weird because I am mixing in some applied math and electrical engineering in my work. I am learning the meaning of the word multi-disciplinary really quickly.</p>
<p>I must say, I am not looking foward to the 4th. With not a lot of people here, it almost seems as if there is nothing to do on campus.</p>
<p>What kind of Chem are you doing? (please don't say organic :)</p>
<p>i'm here doing the high school summer college thinger...just got back my astronomy lab and i have a calc test tomorrow. </p>
<p>in terms of 4th of july weekend, big bad voodoo daddy is playing on the third (with fireworks at the end...)</p>
<p>anything else going on to be aware of?</p>
<p>What are all the people here doing.....</p>
<p>Jacobian, how did you find a research position at the medical school? What year are you? I'm interested in doing research there too and have been looking over a few faculty profiles.</p>
<p>jmstnfrd08,
I should tell you that I have completed 2 years of undergrad already, and am not like a typical high school student looking for research. I have a little more experience than a lot of people on this board. I would say a lot of it has to do with relevant course work, but at the same token, there are other factors to be considered. Before I start, I also should note that you should look at what type of research interests you. Research is challenging and long, and if you are doing something that doesn't interest you (and just to put on the resume), then I can assure you that you won't get a lot out of it and it won't be too fun. So whether your at Stanford Medical School or Clown College, make sure you like what you are doing. </p>
<p>I can tell you that there are 2 ways of getting research, both of them involve a little creativity and effort.</p>
<p>A) Summer Programs
Summer programs is the most obvious way to get research. So if you were intent on coming to Stanford, all you have to do is google it and see what you can come up with. It is pretty annoying to have to get letters of rec/official transcripts and write all those personal statements. The negatives about this is that the competition is fierce. A lot of these programs have acceptance rates in the single digits so standing out makes it hard, especially if you are not a minority and don't have previous research experience.</p>
<p>In my case, I am a math/physics dork so I applied to a handful of programs accordingly. It doesn't hurt to apply for a lot, because without application fees you aren't hurting yourself. The more places you apply, the more chances of getting research. So I applied and got in. I sent in my application and got offers from a good number of schools/research centers. The best programs to apply to are the type that you send in a single application and a whole bunch of places see it, and then they "match" you. In my case I got into a few places. the beauty of it is to keep contact at the places that gave you an offer. In that case, if you ever want research in the future, you have a potential spot waiting, just as long as you stay in touch and express a continued interest in the work being conducted there.</p>
<p>B)Direct Faculty Contact
So the name says it. I assume this is how you want to go about it, and can assure you it is very possible because a handful of people doing research at Stanford, aren't in a program. It seems that connections help, but most people don't have that. So you find something that interests you. I think by looking at the faculty profile, you have done that which is good. There are lots of things going on at Stanford and this approach opens all avenues to all the professors doing research. So email is primary mode of correspondance; don't write' dont't call right away. Inquire to a large volume of professors because odds are that most of them won't respond (plus you only want to work for the ones that do respond right?). In this case you are at risk of working for free, but you still get the experience if they take you. The art here is all about looking good on paper. If you are a bio person or whatever, flaunt it. Your aim is to land a spot in someone's lab. The only way to do that is to impress. You have to prepare a CV (curriculum vitae) which highlights your strengths, academic experiences, and expertise. A professional approach in the correspondance is necessary and small details like a cover letter can convey enthusiasm and integrity. In initial contact, you should introduce yourself and your background and what you are trying to do. Keep it short. These people have better things to do than to read more than a paragraph on some random high school kid. If they bite back, they will ask to talk to you over the phone or submit a resume. You have to be prompt and get it to them quickly. It is at this point where your CV should standout, because it is a representation of you and what you can do for them. I mean, if you look at the overall picture, a professor will only take you if he/she thinks they can use you.</p>
<p>If you have more questions email me at <a href="mailto:AbhikK@stanford.edu">AbhikK@stanford.edu</a>.</p>
<p>I'm doing the CCIS program right now, and I'm having the time of my life! (Though working full time is quite an adjustment.)</p>
<p>no, not orgo. Pchem. :-P I still have a bit of a residual math/physics geek inside of me...</p>
<p>And, I second this bit:</p>
<p>
[quote]
B)Direct Faculty Contact...it is very possible because a handful of people doing research at Stanford, aren't in a program. It seems that connections help, but most people don't have that....a professor will only take you if he/she thinks they can use you.
[quote]
</p>
<p>This is (sort of) how I got my summer position: I asked my first-semester chemistry prof. if he knew anyone at Stanford who might be willing to take an undergrad for the summer, and sure enough, he did. Having a prof recommend you really helps, but if you're a high-schooler or don't feel like asking a current prof for a recommendation, the mass emailing of professors really does work (Jacobian's not kidding). I have several friends who got research positions for the summer simply by emailing the entire molecular biology department at our university.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that this is easier to do once you've already completed a year or two of college; if you're a high-school student, it's definitely harder to convince a professor that you're ready/qualified for a research position, and you'd probably be better-off applying through a specific program (ie. CCIS if you're a high-school student, or SULI if you're an undergrad and don't want to have to spam professors).</p>
<p>... yup...</p>
<p>Ah, whoops, jmstnfrd08, I didn't realize that you're already a Stanford undergrad, not a high-school student... I guess most of the above doesn't apply to you (though do look into SULI - it's a good program), but I'll leave it up in case anyone else finds it helpful...</p>
<p>it did help, thanks :)</p>
<p>athena_wiles,
does Yale have a lot of research opportunities? I am actually thinking of taking some time off from school and was wanting to do research at a few different places in that time and figured I wouldn't mind trying the Northeast. Do you know if it would be worth my time to contact professors for some medical/engineering stuff at Yale for a non-summer term, and how willing Yale faculty (or even Post-docs) would be to take a non-Yalie during the acadmic year for a few months?</p>
<p>Jacobian ~</p>
<p>Hm. Most of the research opportunities at Yale are (at least, as far as I can tell) offered mainly to Yale students, though I'm sure you could find someone who'd be willing to let you come spend time in their lab. The question would be whether or not they would have the funding to actually pay you for it. Most of the students I know who are working there are Yalies who have research grants through Yale, and are not beng paid directly by the labs; obviously, as a non-Yale student, you probably wouldn't qualify for this sort of funding.</p>
<p>That being said, if there's someone/are several people on the Yale faculty that you'd be interested in spending some time working for, there's absolutely no harm that can come from emailing them and seeing what they have to say about this. I'm definitely not an authority on research at Yale - I mean, look at me, not only am I a freshman, but I'm off messing around in a research lab on the other side of the country - so you'd definitely be better-off contacting someone who knows more about this. Try emailing professors or the heads of the departments you're interested in working for; you might also want to post this question over on the Yale boards (I think there's someone who posts there pretty regularly who has much more experience with science research at Yale than I do).</p>
<p>Good luck w/this!
:)</p>
<p>Thanks Athena_Wiles...I will definitely try it. What's the worst that can happen? Rejection? Ha. There will always be other options. If you don't mind me asking, what type of PChem are you doing?</p>
<p>rxn dynamics?</p>
<p>jmstnfrd08,
didn't realize that you were in college already as well...sorry for that...but from what I said you get the idea.....</p>
<p>The cool part about the medical school is that it has such a diverse field of study....</p>
<p>You can do bio (obviously), chem, physics, math, and even psychology...</p>
<p>What are your interests?</p>
<p>thanks for all the replies... they were insightful. Jacobian, I just finished my freshman year at Stanford and am looking into doing research with a professor starting int he fall, though i'm not sure yet what fields of science i'd like to explore. Though I'm n ot sure if this is possible or not, I would like to do research in an area that is particularly specific to medicine, such as neurosurgery or orthopedic surgery, rather than the broader areas of biological research. What sort of research are you doing right now?</p>
<p>also, athenawiles, i'm actually in the SULI program this summer doing some research on biomedical engineering. you are right, it is a good program, though one's experience depends heavily on which mentor one is assigned to.</p>
<p>I know what you mean, but research in more medical specific areas are harder to come by. Instead of doing work at the Medical School, it may be worth while to look into actual MD's at the hospital. From what I heard, there is research going on there too.</p>
<p>I am actually working at the Lucas Center (Radiological Sciences Laboratory). My work is in applied physics ("medical physics") and conglomerates a plethora of disciplines (applied math, applied physics, electrical engineering, psychology etc). I am actually developing a new way to detect cancerous lung parenchyma (tissue) based on certain paremeters of a CT (computed-tomography) generated image of a human lung. We are conducting psychophysical studies on human observer behavior and also trying to develop a mathematical model to detect lung cancer mimic human behavior and these studies. What this can do is eliminate the subjectivity of clinical detection trials by human radiologists by having a computer read and look for whether there is a cancerous mass present. It is also much much faster, and more radiation dose efficient. The project is a basis for a start-up here in the Silicon Valley.</p>
<p>I know a lot of that was in a foreign language, so if you really want to know, I could probably explain it a little better.</p>
<p>Are you doing the SULI program at SLAC?
I am interested in SULI (perhaps for the next semester). Please enlighten me as to how your experience is going, how the work life is, what project you are working on....and all that.</p>