The Unofficial Guideto Getting Involved in Research at NU

That's the nature of research - you don't know what in hell you're doing.--Harold "Doc" Edgerton

The Search for GreatnessAll right, so you want to join a lab and do research, huh? Well, lucky you!Northwestern happens to be a

research

-oriented institution! You’ve come to theright place! So…where to begin?First, you need to find out

where

you want to research. Notice how I didn’t say

what

you want to research. Personally, I think the topic of the lab is less importantthan the PI (Principal Investigator = the head honcho) and graduate students.Unless you really have your heart set on RNAi and its impact on gene regulation (orwhat not), I would suggest that you keep an open mind to research topics.Embarking on the epic search for a lab will probably start on these two websites:Interdepartmental Biological Sciences (IBIS) Graduate Program:http://www.ibis.northwestern.edu/faculty/byName.htmlProgram in Biological Sciences(PBS):http://www.biosci.northwestern.edu/faculty/index.html#nbp These are some other decent websites to rummage through:Integrated Graduate Program(http://www.feinberg.northwestern.edu/igp/facultyindex.html)Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Cell Biology(http://www.biochem.northwestern.edu/faculty_and_staff/faculty/)Northwestern University Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program(http://nuin.northwestern.edu/nuin-content/faculty-research-content/faculty-research)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ok, so you’ve found the cutest looking PI (or most interesting, whatever), but howdo you find out more?-Scroll through information about each PI. Search for the biography, etc,everything short of stalking him/her.- If he or she has a lab webpage, visit it!-See what kind of research goes on in the lab.-Look at the latest papers from the lab atwww.pubmed.com

-Ask upperclassmen about the lab (but ultimately, form your own opinions,right? Right???)-Ask friends or upperclassmen already in labs if you could tour their labs withthem (get a “feel” for what to expect, what’s good, what’s not so good)By now, I hope that you’ve encountered maybe 5-10 labs that look reasonablyappealing on the surface. Prioritize your list according to preference, and then it’stime to take the plunge: emailing the PI.Preparing for LaunchI would recommend that you first send an email just to your absolute favorite lab. The reason being that if you send out a laundry list to every PI on campus, you’rewasting not only your own time, but more importantly, the time of the lab. If yourfavorite lab responds, you’re then left with a long line of PIs to apologize to and, putbluntly, to deny. PIs at Northwestern do not like being denied. And you don’t wantyour name red-flagged. Kapeesh?What should you include in your email?-Your name, year at Northwestern, a plea for an “undergraduate opportunity”in the lab on such and such, future plans, class and work experience in thesciences, your potential for a grant (see appendix), potential for 398/399(independent study), contact info***Keep your email short! Less than 200 words! You want to sound motivated,humble, and genuine, but make your sentences short and direct! PIs have a “trashbin” reflex for large, bulky, wordy paragraphs. Don’t trigger this reflex.First Contact

--->

Your first choice gave you the go!Ok, so your first choice lab responded! Some labs will set-up a formalinterview process, in which case it would be wise to study up on the lab’sresearch focus (read papers!) and bring a CV. Others will ask you to come into “show you around”; you should still take this seriously. Regardless of themethod, be flexible when scheduling a time (offer as broad a range of timesas possible).

OR--->

Your first choice hasn’t responded or told you off.

Ok, so if your first choice dismissed you, then it’s time to move on to the nextwave of emails (skip a couple lines down). On the other hand, it may be thecase that your first choice just hasn’t responded yet (give them about

oneweek

). Realize that PIs get hundreds of emails per day, and yours couldeasily have become lost from a PI’s whim to lighten the load for the day. Youhave some choices here:-resend the email (because you’re persistent and convinced)-go to the lab itself and inquire (gutsy, but it can be done)- start your next wave of emails. Yes, I said wave. I would select maybe 2-4 of your labs on your list andindividually devise requests for each. It’s actually the norm not to get aresponse from a lab; it’s not unheard for a student to email a dozen labs andonly hear back from a couple. I know, I know. I just told you

not

to send outa laundry list of emails, but just don’t take it to the extreme, ok?If after this wave of emails, you don’t hear from any PI after a week or so (orhave faced a polite dismissal), then send out your next wave of 2-4 labs fromyour list. Remember that there is still hope for your prior emails (some PIs just like to take their time, yeah?), so don’t forget about them.What? Still nobody is biting? Don’t give up! After a couple weeks, 10+emails, and no “Eureka!” responses, it’s time to either a) visit labs in-person(dismantle the PIs non-response defense) or b) ask for help from a friend who

has

had success (and yes, the Biology Student Association is your friend



).Exploring the TerritoryIn visiting a lab, try to talk to graduate students and get a feel for what a day in thelab is like. Are there many other undergraduates? Is your PI in the main lab a lot?Are the graduate students falling asleep at their desks? Use your keenobservational skills! Remember what I said about the importance of the people inthe lab. They will be your mentors, and they are the make or break between the labbeing an sweet learning experience or as the 7

circle of hell. Ask questions aboutwhat would be expected of you in the lab, but don’t come off as a minimalist (I haveto work

how

many hours per week?) or pretentious (what do you

mean

undergradsdon’t publish?). Just be your friendly, curious, motivated self, and you’ll be sure tomake a fine first impression. Also, if you liked the lab, don’t leave a visit withoutscheduling the next meeting or time for you to come in.If you do receive invites from multiple labs, be flexible in your scheduling and beprompt in your deciding which lab to join. Don’t make a lab invest lots of time in astudent who’s just going to say no. Just be sure to thank, recognize, and get back toeach and every lab, even if they just weren’t the right fit for you.