Scanning electron micrograph of a HeLa cell undergoing apoptosis
Source: National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Agarose gel of bacterial plasmids
Undergraduate research bench
HIV-infected H9 T-cell
Source: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Welcome to Undergrad in the Lab!
Undergraduate research can be incredibly rewarding, but where do you start and how do you succeed? Navigating this unfamiliar territory is not easy. Here you will find advice on how to find a research position, and how to get the most out of your experience.
Research is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought.
— Albert Szent-Györgi (1893-1986) U. S. biochemist.
When you start a project in a research lab you’re bound to have a few hiccups at the research bench. Mistakes are an unavoidable part of learning something new or acquiring new skills. However, also keep in mind that how you react to failure will tell your labmates how easy you'll be to work with in the long run.
Your labmates will be much more willing to help you fix a problem or prevent one in the future if you stay positive. It's okay to be disappointed when something goes wrong --just develop a strategy to stay positive and be resilient.
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?
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.
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.
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.
Each semester, I post an advertisement for the open undergrad research positions in my lab. The ad includes a description of the project, methods my lab uses, and overall objectives of my lab's research focus.