STEM

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
10
Dec

Is an Independent Project Required for Co-authorship?

Submitted by undergrad-admin

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

The inquires we receive about earning a co-authorship from undergrads in the lab typically consist of a summary of their project and a request to evaluate if it's "independent enough."

In many cases, the undergraduate is wondering if they have produced enough independent work to write a thesis (most have by our account), but others wish to know if they will be included as co-author on a journal article or elsewhere.

undergraduate research
STEM
publication
co-authorship
authorship
undergrad in the lab
phd student

Using Equipment for the First Time? Ask Before Starting.

—from the Lab Manager's bench

Self-directed learning is a reasonable expectation for all lab students, and should become part of your core as you develop into an independent researcher. But if you’re an undergraduate researcher, before working with a piece of equipment that is new or unfamiliar to you, always first consult with an experienced labmate—even if they are not your official research supervisor.

undergraduate research
STEM
undergrad in the lab
phd advice
postdoc advice
lab safety
equipment

Take a Break. Renew. Reboot.

Sometimes, the best plan is to take a break from the chaos and embrace a little bit of 'me time.'

Especially when you're nearing the end of an intense research experience or semester, it can be hard to focus. And even the little things can seem to take more effort than they should. The crushing feeling of "responsibly overload" always happens at the worst time--when you have soooo much to do and most of it is tied to a deadline.

tips
time management
renewal
STEM
Experiential Learning
undergraduate research
Phd Research
15
Jan

Guest Post: Tips on Emailing a Professor to Ask for a Research Opportunity

Submitted by undergrad-admin

This guest post was written by Dr. Brandi Ormerod, Associate Professor at the University of Florida, Department of Biomedical Engineering.

Dr. Ormerod's research program focuses on understanding how to use transplantable or endogenous neural stem cells to repair neural circuits in the diseased or injured brain, and how changes in levels of hippocampal neurogenesis across lifespan impact cognition. She originally posted a version of this article on Quora and gave us permission to share this version here.

undergraduate research
email
STEM
Experiential Learning
mentoring
The words Warning Learning Curve Ahead in the front. Several stacks of petri dishes with blue liquid in them in the background.

New Researchers Beware: Learning Curve Ahead

For almost everyone, research turns out to be more complicated, and take more effort to gain skills and accomplish the objectives of a project than anticipated. So, if you struggle to learn a technique, or you don’t immediately understand a concept your research mentor explains, remind yourself that such challenges are to be expected.

tips
life in the lab
STEM
Experiential Learning
undergraduate research
PhD life
graduate research

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