undergrad-admin's blog

— from the Lab Manager's bench and PI's desk

Why we wrote a book on finding an undergrad research position:

Whether you’re premed, pregrad, preprofessional, undecided, or headed for the job market after graduation, undergraduate research can help you define your career path and prepare for it. But if an undergraduate research experience is so important (and it is), and has so many potential benefits (which it does), why it is so difficult to find a research position?

— from the Researcher's bench

Recently, we received a request for help (edited here for brevity):

Thanks for all your great posts. As an undergrad in the lab, I'd like to know what your advice would be if your materials go missing. No one else in my lab uses it, and I have never used it myself. I have spoken to my coworkers to ask if they know anything about it, but no one has responded. I was just wondering if you had any tips regarding safeguarding one's materials in a lab? I feel surprised and a bit angry that somebody would move something not belonging to them in a lab.

— from the PI’s desk

To make the most of your interview for an undergrad research position, you need to ask the right questions to determine if the project is right for you. That might sound easy (and obvious), but if you haven’t held a research position how do you know what questions will give you the most meaningful information?

— from the Lab Manager's bench

One of the differences between instructional lab classes and research in a professional lab is how feedback is given.

In an instructional lab, you have quizzes, lab reports, an attendance policy, exams, and possibly out-of-class assignments—all attached to a point system outlined in the syllabus. For most instructional labs, you can calculate your grade and therefore know whether or not you’re excelling.

— from the PI’s desk

Whether your poster is for an undergrad research symposium, or a professional meeting you should take it seriously. The poster you create represents you. Your best work, and your lab. The quality represents the value you find in your research project, and how much you appreciate your research supervisor’s efforts. The poster you create also sends a message to the PI about how much you value the research opportunity you’ve been given.

— from the Lab Manager's bench

It will happen to you. It will also be okay.

There is only one guarantee in research: sometimes things fail. It doesn’t matter what your major is, how much experience you have, or whether your research is basic, applied, clinical, or translational.