How can you gain research experience to make sure this is the career path for you?
Most researchers agree that it was only when they actually got to physically do research that they knew this was the career for them. If you read the biographies, you’ll see that many of the researchers had other career plans until they had the opportunity to experience working in a lab. Then they were hooked on the excitement of a research career.
How do you go about finding a lab in which to work?
- Contact your professors from classes that you particularly enjoyed or in which you did well. Ask them about research opportunities during the school year and over the summer.
- Check with your departmental office. They know which faculty accept undergraduate research assistants.
- Check with your school. Many schools have an Office of Undergraduate Research just for that purpose. Check with your school’s work-study program as well.
- If you live in another city, check with colleges in your home town. Contact the department that best corresponds with your major.
- Look on the web. There are many national organizations that offer summer research opportunities, such as National Science Foundation, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Cold Spring Harbor, and The American Physiological Society. A few of these programs are listed below.
On all of these opportunities, don’t wait until April or May to begin your investigation of summer opportunities. Many programs have deadlines in January or February.
Below are resources that will lead you to finding a research experience (APS does not endorse or assume responsibility for the information posted on these web sites).
Resources from APS Archive