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.
15
Jul

Summer REU? Lock Down Your Recommendation Letter Before It's Over

Submitted by undergrad-admin

—from the PI's desk

ProTip for undergrad and grad students alike: Try to apply for at least one scholarship, fellowship, or award each semester--even if it's not science related. This will help you build your CV, possibly be a source of cash or a conference travel waiver, and be part of an overall strategy for staying connected to former and current mentors.

recommendation letter
undergraduate research
STEM
Experiential Learning
PhD life
summer research
scholarship
15
Jun

5 Survival Tips for Summer Research

Submitted by undergrad-admin

—from the Lab Manager's bench

After publishing the blog post “10 Things to Expect” I received requests for some summer research “survival tips.” I’m happy to provide the same tips I give my new undergrads at the start of a summer experience.

time management
Summer
Summer REU
undergraduate research
postdoc
phd advice

Make Lab Friends. Not Enemies

"When a supply is low, tell the person who needs to know."

Whenever we ask researchers to share their pet peeves with us, discovering that a regent or supply was empty and had not been reordered was near the top of the list--for everyone.

Many supplies take a few days or longer to arrive at the lab—they can’t be picked up locally in a pinch. A labmate, for example, can’t run out to Target to in the middle of the night to purchase ligase and complete their cloning reaction.

tips
Be a good labmate
good lab habit

Your Spare Time is a Limited Resource: Use it Wisely

Managing your time in college is more complicated than setting a schedule. Among other things, it's also important to regularly ask yourself, "Am I involved in activities that are important to me, or do I participate in them because it's important to someone else?"

It's not uncommon to join a campus club or group as a favor to a friend or because you've read that membership will look good on your future applications. But, if you're not feeling it, it's better to move on.

tips
time management
15
Mar

Keep in Touch with Your Mentors. You Matter and We Care.

Submitted by undergrad-admin

—from the Lab Manager's bench

As a mentor, I don’t stop caring about a former student’s success, well-being, or happiness because they are no longer part of my research group.

I want to know about the life events that they want to share with me—professional and personal--and celebrate when they achieve milestones in either category.

mentors
mentoring relationship
STEM
undergraduate research
undergrad in the lab
PhD life
postdoc
15
Feb

Spring Break: Should You Spend it At the Bench or On the Beach?

Submitted by undergrad-admin

—from the Lab Manager's bench

Should I stay, or should I go?

For most researchers, working in the lab over a holiday break is somewhat different from working in the lab during the rest of the year. For example, if an experiment has flexibly, it can be started or stopped when it's convenient for the researcher instead of planned around seminars, classes, and campus parking issues.

In addition, some researchers take a vacation, adopt unconventional work hours, or hide in their office to work on a manuscript and only visit the lab to search for inspiration, a snack, or a temporary distraction.

in the lab
undergraduate research
mentoring
STEM
research
spring break

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