CURAS is currently going through a transition and will be very slow at responding to this survey for now. But don't worry... here are some tips for you to get started in research.
1. Check out our research opportunity directories. This
one includes specific projects that faculty are recruiting students for. And this
one is professors that have indicated they are interested in talking to serious students. You can learn about their broader research and you would work with them to determine a specific project depening on your skills, interests, goals, etc.
2. Just because a professor isn't in those directories doesn't mean they are accepting new students. You can learn more about faculty from their department websites. Here are some departments that undergraduate students often work in but is not an exhaustive list:
3. If you find someone that looks interesting, email them. Introduce yourself and explain why you’re interested in
their work. This might require doing some poking around the internet and additional reading. No one is expecting you to fully understand everything but abstracts can give you a sense of the questions they ask and the methods they use. Ask for a meeting. You always want to meet with them before committing to anything. You want to hear about their current projects, learn about expectations, and get your questions answered. You also want to make sure your personalities vibe!
4. Sometimes it seems like getting professors to respond to their emails is the hardest part. Professors receive A LOT of emails so keep your email short, make sure it's well written, and make it clear what you're asking for (a meeting to talk about research opportuntities). If you don't hear back after a couple weeks, you can send a polite follow up message. But also have a couple other professors to reach out to.
5. You can also talk to your professors (current or past). Stick around after class or go to office hours. You can talk about their research but they’ll also know what many of their colleagues in the department are working on. They can often connect you with the right people if they are not the right person.
6. Talk to your friends about their experiences. You can also fill out
this short survey to hear from a current researcher. You'll learn quickly that everyone has different experiences and that's ok! So stay true to your interests and goals. Think hard about why you want to do research, how much you can truely commit to it, and what you want to get out of it.
7. My last piece of advice is to stay curious and be open to new experiences and opportunities. But don't force yourself to do something you don't really want to do just because you think it's the "right thing" to do. Anyone who wants to hear about your research (including in interviews for graduate and professional schools, jobs, scholarships) will want to see that you are genuinely motivated, interested, and able to talk about you have learned (technically and personally). This will be much easier to do if you are doing research you are interested in! Your process is much more important than the topic. [This means that you do not need to do research in your major or in biomedicine if you want to go to medical school.]
(Note: If you qualify for federal work study, you can be hired as a research assistant. There are many positions (in a variety of disciplines) listed on Handshake but you can also inquire with a specific professor you are interested in working with (or with a specific department if you are sure about the discipline but aren't sure about which professor).